Atlanta rapper, Pap Chanel, has already had an active 2023, we get deep with her in this VIPER interview…

What five words define your sound? 

Motived. Hungry. Determined. Confident and last but not least, Pretty and Paid — that’s six, but YEAH! 

Tell me something unique about your creative process.

When I walk into the booth and find a beat that I like, I’ll first go lay down a flow and cadence and after that, once I’m confident in how it sounds, I will go back and turn it into actual words. It’s a beautiful process to witness as well; everyone that’s seen this in the studio has been like, “what in the world… you’re crazy with it!” 

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first? 

In this newest EP, ‘PAPTIVITIES’, that I just released, I wanted to show my fans many of the trial, errors and tribulations I’ve experienced over the year. ‘Pap Stories’ is a song where I’m being very transparent and vulnerable. I’m putting my fans all into my business [laughs]. So that would be the first song I’d want people to hear. 

What inspired you to make that song? 

I noticed that many of us have the same problems through different experiences throughout life and by me speaking on those touchy subjects opens a whole new relationship with me and my fans as we grow together. 

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music? 

This goes back to my song ‘Pap Stories’. I cried when I was creating the song because I couldn’t believe that I could open my heart that much to talk about my experiences. It made me very emotional but was therapeutic at the same time. 

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage? 

When I first started taking my music seriously, I went to my hometown in 2019 to do an open mic show. I had on some heels that I bought that were like $10 — never again [laughs]. When I up on the stage, my heel went into the strap on the other heel and you know what happened next —it went downnnnn [laughs]. One of my best ones was when me and my manager went to Savannah, Georgia, last year for a show I was booked for and the fans recited the words to my songs word for word. It was a sweet moment. 

What is your favourite song to perform? 

I would say ‘Apple Jacks’ because out of all my songs, that’s one song that my fans always crave. Whenever I announce that I’m going to perform, regardless of the city, they always ask me to perform ‘Apple Jacks’. I always get a great reaction to it every time I perform, even from people who have never heard it before. 

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music? 

I was heavy on Nicki Minaj when I was coming up as a kid. That’s why I take the support from Nicki so serious because I was there when she made ‘Playtime Is Over’. When she created that mixtape I was like, wowwww. She inspired me to just go ahead and take it to the next level. Even though I was creating music in the musical world, and fell in love with Hip Hop thanks to my brothers, far before; once she made that mixtape in 2007 I saw that she was having fun with it. That allowed me to hone my craft and take it to the next level. 

What’s the meaning behind your name? 

Pretty and Paid is the acronym for PAP. It’s also a message and movement to the ladies. I wanted to create something for my ladies out there because I noticed once women work together, we can get a lot more done and its beautiful. Chanel is my middle name and it just all came together. 

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead? 

When I was in high school, I really wanted to be a news anchor. I was going to major in broadcast journalism and go to Tuskegee University. I took that goal seriously, but the music swept me off my feet. I always wanted to be in the lime light, though and spread my energy worldwide. So yeah, I was aiming to be a news anchor. I was gonna be the first rapping news anchor! Yeah! 

What’s success to you? 

Success in my world starts from the heart. It’s a heart and mental thing. Success is waking up daily, overcoming fear, setting concrete goals, and achieving them. Success is celebrating small victories. I like to stamp success on the small, sometimes forgotten, bricks because that’s how you build the whole house. When you lay down the first foundation, you have so many other bricks and chapters to experience. The small thing in life creates your life’s energy and tone. I’m reminded of my success every day I wake up. 

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction? 

When I noticed that other people took my dream serious as well. Because once it gets to that point… if you go off track, you’re just not letting yourself down. You’re letting a whole lotta people down as well. The day I woke up and found out over a million people in this world know who Pap Chanel is and are ready to see what her next move is — it made me change direction and put my foot down on my dream. AMEN. 

Where can people keep in touch with you? 

All social media at PAPCHANEL — follow me and tap in. It’s greatest in the making. It’s a lifestyle you just can’t have the style you gotta actually live it. And yeah, follow Pap Chanel. New EP ‘PAPTIVITES’ out everywhere, muah. And many more to come… gracias. 

Photo by Eric Jeffery Jordan II.