John Samels, better known by his stage name Paper Tiger, is a Hip hop producer and DJ from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a founding member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree.
Paper Tiger released the 7-inch vinyl single, Cloquet, in December 2009.
His first solo album, Made Like Us, was released in July 2010. It features vocal contributions from Dessa of Doomtree and Maggie Morrison of Digitata. Chris Riemenschneider of Star Tribune described the album as "a moody, sometimes dark but also surprisingly elegant and cinematic collection, recalling DJ Shadow's best stuff."
He released Summer EP in August 2012 and Beat Tape the next month. Prefix premiered the track "Gold Pass" and 89.3 The Current premiered a video for the track "The Fortunate Wayfarer."
In 2016, Paper Tiger released In Other Words Part One in April and In Other Words Part Two in July, with each containing four songs. It features vocals from Dessa and Aby Wolf.
Besides producing, Samels also works as a Designer / Art Director in Brooklyn, New York.
