Papoose is finding out the hard way that in the court of public opinion, timing is everything. For months, the rapper has remained notably quiet while the relationship between Papoose and Claressa Shields sparked endless debate, memes, and questions regarding his marriage to Remy Ma. However, the silence was finally broken this weekend, but only after music royalty Rihanna entered the chat.
According to TheShadeRoom, the rapper took to Instagram on Saturday, January 10, to finally give Claressa a public shoutout. While Claressa has been vocal for months about being “heavy on her man,” Papoose’s decision to only match that energy after a celebrity endorsement has many social media users calling him “embarrassing.”
The sudden shift in Papoose’s social media strategy began when Rihanna responded to a fan on a resurfaced video of her and A$AP Rocky. A fan joked that the “Bad Gal” looked “gone” over her man. As BOSSIP previously reported, Rihanna leaned into the comparison, admitting she was “Claressa Shields type gone about him.”
Claressa quickly caught wind of the high praise, responding, “Period @Rihanna only way to be about a good man.” While Claressa used the moment to double down on her devotion, Papoose used it as an opening to finally acknowledge the boxer on his own page.
In his post, Papoose praised Claressa’s beauty, specifically highlighting her “unmatched aura” and physical features. He wrote, “Claressa has a big heart… most think she’s so rugged because she’s a fighter. But the way she takes care of her body is on another level. Zoom in… she has small hands, small feet, & some unbelievably smooth ass skin. Very beautiful black woman. When the way you LOVE can Inspire others. That says a lot!!!”
While Papoose likely intended for the post to be a sweet defense of his partner, the reaction from fans was swift and largely negative. Many pointed out that Papoose and Claressa have been a topic of intense public scrutiny for months, with trolls often attacking Claressa’s appearance and the nature of their bond, yet Papoose remained silent until a superstar like Rihanna validated the relationship.
“It took for Rihanna to ship Claressa & Papoose in order for him to stand up for her,” one user tweeted. “For months ppl been saying all types of stuff about her, you never saw none of that but saw what Rihanna said? Oh okay.”
The critique didn’t stop at the timing. Other social media users felt the content of the post was disjointed compared to Claressa’s “who gon check her?” energy. While Claressa has spent recent livestreams telling trolls, “Ain’t nobody going to stop me from talking about my man,” fans felt Papoose’s focus on her “small hands and feet” failed to match the gravity of the situation.
