Hip-hop law states that, in a given year, at least one major rapper must change his name. 2011 was the year of Mos Def’s transformation into Yasiin Bey, while 2012 will be remembered for Snoop’s evolution from a Dogg to a Lion. And now, less than a week into 2k13, we’ve got another name switch on our hands. Veteran Queens rapper N.O.R.E. (Niggaz On the Run Eatin’) has adopted the new title P.A.P.I. (Power Always Proves Intelligence). While Noreaga’s moniker may have changed, his flow’s just the same as ever. On “Built Pyramids,” a cut off his upcoming Student of the Game LP, P.A.P.I. effortlessly fires away punchline after witty punchline (featured couplet: “I know Jamaicans on drugs/ Call them cocoa heads”) over a brash, brassy guitar riff, with support from fellow New Yorker (and Nas’ mentor), Large Professor.
• P.A.P.I.: https://twitter.com/noreaga
• 57th Ave: http://www.57thave.com
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