NORTH OF BROOKLYN EPK

Papo2oo4, Bane Capital Electronic Press Kit

Papo2oo4 BIO

East-Coast MC Papo2oo4 grew up first in Washington Heights, blocks away from the Harlem that was producing the rap he gravitated toward as an adolescent. Ready to Die, by Bed-Stuy native The Notorious B.I.G., had been something of a big bang for him as a child, but it was post-Y2K Harlemites like Jae Millz and Vado who made hip-hop intoxicating.

Papo’s music often recalls the mixtape rap of New York in that period, but is akin to the work of East Coast experimentalists such as Ratking: breaking just enough rules to make old sounds radically new. It also evokes the wild west that was the internet of the early 2010s, in the time before digital streaming platforms, when each click sent you plummeting deeper down a rabbit hole.

Papo’s pride in NYC rap was augmented by recommendations from his neighbor, Anderson Hernandez, who would go on to be known as the producer Vinylz, a frequent collaborator with Boi-1da who has crafted beats for Jay-Z, Drake, and Lil Wayne. “Him and his brother would put me onto everything,” Papo recalls of the otherwise unknown rappers whose names kept popping up on sites like NahRight and 2DopeBoyz.

Thanks to the proliferation of file-sharing sites and mp3 blogs as rap’s balance of power in the 2000s eventually drifted south, away from the five boroughs, Papo's influence broadened. “Jeezy’s one of my top guys,” he says, recounting the ubiquity of 2005’s Def Jam-issued, Jay-Z featuring Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 — and before long he had left the city too, at least technically.

When Papo was a teenager, he and his family moved a few miles southeast, to Elizabeth, New Jersey. He found a network of friends which soon morphed into a cadre of aspiring artists and producers, including Subjxct 5. Working closely with Subjxct 5, Papo has released over 10 albums since 2020 vaulting himself into a leading role among underground east coast hip-hop MCs.

Since releasing notable project PAP on P.E.Ds in 2023 Papo2oo4 has toured the United States, Canada, the U.K, Europe and Japan, performing with fellow East-Coast MCs Wiki and AKAI SOLO. More recently, Papo received acclaim for the Subjxct 5 produced projects Papoholic Vol.1 and Triple Double, a collaborative project with NYC rapper YL.

Bane Capital Bio

Bane Capital is a production duo composed of Ghanaian-Canadian artists and longtime friends born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Since its founding in 2021, Bane Capital has emerged as one of underground hip-hop’s most influential voices, garnering the respect of hip-hop legends and newcomers alike such as Wu-Tang Clan, BLU, MED, and more.

The duo initially earned a reputation as stalwarts of Toronto’s underground hip-hop scene, producing beats for local and international acts such as Phoenix Pagliacci (The Sorority), TOBi (RCA Records), Chuuwee (Below System Records) and Rapsody (JAMLA/Roc Nation) among others. Placing a heavy emphasis on inventive, sample-based production equal parts futuristic and nostalgic as well as unique, culturally relevant art direction, Bane Capital quickly carved out a unique lane for themselves in the crowded hip-hop landscape.

With their Season 0 Catalogue released in 2021, Bane Capital delivered an immersive multi-media experience featuring four full length debut LPs, a long-form music video and a line of hand crafted clothing and home goods all fully produced, designed and directed by the duo. Central to this Catalogue are the albums “Good Product” by Bane Capital & Koncept Jack$on as well as the LP and accompanying long-form music video “Full Time Corner Thugs”.

Praised by Clash Magazine for “Shifting in new climes”, Bane Capital’s debut collaborative LP “Good Product” with Koncept Jack$on exploded on to the underground scene to high acclaim. The album’s 8 songs packed incredibly dense and vivid lyricism against a range of production that showcased Bane Capital’s ethos of “Advanced Sampling Techniques”. The album features standout performances from Mutant Academy’s own Fly Anakin, fast-rising lyricists Rome Streetz & ANKHLEJOHN, west coast legend MED and world-renowned Wu-Tang Clan legend Raekwon the Chef. .

Building on the success of “Good Product” and “Full Time Corner Thugs”, Bane Capital has released notable work with ANKHLEJOHN, Estee Nack and AKAI SOLO (Best Hip Hop Single, The Best in Brooklyn Music 2023 - BK MAG) and collaborated with fashion company New Era on a collection of caps.