Young Pappy- A Unique Talent Gone Too Soon.

When you think of Chicago rap/hip hop, you think of names like Kanye West, Common, Da Brat, Twista, and even today’s generation like Durk and Chance The Rapper (there are many other names I can throw out there, but it would take up the majority of this article if I did).  One rapper who doesn’t get their “complete credit” is Shaquon Thomas better known as Young Pappy.  When I say “complete credit”, I mean this kid had “IT”.  Bars, cadence, presentation, and energy.  His energy and intensity is what really stood out more than anything and what helped to set him apart from everyone else as evidence on perhaps his biggest hit and most viewed video on Youtube: “Killa”.  With his high octane energetic flow and clever punchlines, Pappy  sounded and rapped like no other.  I don’t think I’ve heard as much energy put into a song since Mystikal used to make rapping with energy and intensity his signature.  Pappy had a clever way with words especially with his storytelling ability on “Shorty Wit Da 40 part 1 and 2” and “iPhones” which makes use of the classic iPhone ringtone.  His brother TaySav (Tay Da Producer) being so underrated on the boards adds some bass to the ringtone as Pappy rides the beat and tells the story of different people calling his phone for different reasons. The song is very clever and well crafted.  Pappy brings alot of heat,  energy, and intensity on his tracks especially on “Two Cups”, “Homicide”, “Savages”, and “Faneto (remix)” which takes the popular track by Chief Keef and makes the song into his own. To be honest, I like Pappy’s version way better, but that’s no slight to Keef.  It’s just the way Pappy took it and owned it.  Same thing with “The Real Chi-Raq”.  When Pappy was in a zone, he bodied tracks with ruthless aggression.

    Pappy was being looked at by various labels and artists, but unfortunately, shortly after his 20th birthday on May 29th, 2015, Young Pappy was killed. Now, there is a reason I didn’t go into the specifics of his life, because I’m here to talk about his music and that’s the focal point of this article here and I don’t want to take anything away from that because this kid was beyond talented and had he lived, he was destined to make it to a level probably beyond his dreams.  It’s nearing 10 years since his passing but his music still sounds just as fresh as it did when he first dropped it.  He released two mixtapes in which you can find on Apple music (and probably other streaming services) called “2 Cups (parts 1 and 2) and a host of other songs that went unreleased as well that you can find on Youtube.  So much potential lost ar such a young age and just as his music was starting to peak and he was finding his groove, it ended just like that. His music continues to live on especially through his talented brothers: TaySav and BuDouble who have released various mixtapes and albums as well. You can hear the hints of influences in their music, too. If you do like that hardcore street realness sound of the Chi, then you NEED to give Pappy a listen and start with the songs I mentioned in this article. You will not be disappointed.