Paperboy is the stage name of Mitchell Charles Johnson, a US rapper from Oakland, California. He is active in hip-hop and G-funk and is best known for the single “Ditty,” which samples Zapp’s R&B track “Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing).” The song becomes a hit after a remix by DJ and producer Ben Liebrand.

Career

Paperboy releases his debut album, The Nine Yards, in 1993. The album contains 10 tracks and is produced by Rhythm D. It includes “Ditty,” which is certified platinum on 11 May 1993, while the album itself is certified gold by the RIAA on 22 June 1993.

He then releases City to City in 1996 on the rap label Next Plateau. The 18-track album includes the hit “P’s Cure.”

In 2004 he releases The Love Never Dies on Thump Records. Rhythm D returns as a producer, alongside Big Keys. The album marks a shift in his usual style, with contributions from artists and producers from other parts of California and other areas of the United States.

Collaborations and production

The Love Never Dies includes the track “California,” which features Battlecat, another California artist. Big Keys of Key Ingredient Music produces several tracks on the album, including “They On Me,” “I’m Still Yo’ Dude,” and “Got Doe.” Paperboy also refers in “I’m Still Yo’ Dude” to Lockdown Records, an independently owned label based in California’s Central Valley and headed by record executive Ace Vargas, who is credited with bringing Paperboy, Big Keys and Rhythm D together for the album’s production.