The name PaRappa originated as a word play meaning flat or paper thin in Japanese, which references the character's physical nature.

[5] During the early-to-mid 1990s, Greenblat was given numerous creative work opportunities by Sony Interactive Entertainment after he gained some recognition for his flair in creating cute characters that appeal to Japanese consumers.

On one occasion, a Sony employee who was connected to the company's licensing group invited Greenblat to meet Matsuura's team, who were developing an experimental video game for the then-upcoming PlayStation console.

For example, he only needed a fortnight to finalize PaRappa's design, whereas the lead character of the 1999 spin-off title Um Jammer Lammy took approximately half a year by comparison.

Characters kept on changing and messing up... in the game PaRappa could drive a car so you figure he's 16 or 17, but in the show he's sitting in the third grade and his antics were based on what 8 or 9 year old are doing?

Greenblat noted that prior to the release of PaRappa the Rapper, Sony did not yet have a strong mascot that would serve as the "face" of the company and for the PlayStation console.

[5] He believed that PaRappa's music, energy and cool factor made him "the perfect face" and that the character had the potential to be Sony's long term answer to Nintendo's Mario.

[5] Greenblat believed that the show undermined the character's appeal with the video game series' core audience, which were predominantly teenagers, as Sony wanted to pursue a marketing strategy that prioritized merchandising opportunities for young children.

[5] Greenblat noted that the show never caught on with its target audience, and that when it was cancelled by January 2002, all the involved companies decided to move on from the character and associated intellectual property altogether.

[5] Matsuura told Engadget during a pre-Tokyo Game Show meeting in 2011 that the "possibility of remaking or rebuilding or making sequels" starring PaRappa has always been a topic of discussion.

He believed that a handheld platform like the upcoming PlayStation Vita represented an incentive to revisit a video game featuring PaRappa with regards to both content and business issues.

Matsuura explained that to only do handheld platforms could provide a better experience with regards to risk of latency compared to home consoles, but also a new business model could be attempted with regards to developing a new rhythm game starring PaRappa.

[19] It consists of a series of short segments featuring supporting character PJ Berri as its lead, which aired as part of Fuji TV’s Hi Poul programming block.

was released to promote Um Jammer Lammy, which remixes many of the game's songs from stages and cutscenes to include full-length rap routines performed by Dred Foxx as PaRappa.

Sony published an interview with Rodney Greenblat on its website to promote the release of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) port of the original PaRappa The Rapper.

[2] In the 2017 publication 100 Greatest Video Game Characters, Ted Dickinson and Robert Mejia said PaRappa's design offers insight into the transnational uptake and circulation of both African American and Japanese cultures.

Ishaan Sahdev from Siliconera assessed PaRappa's play style as "brutal" and accessible in a similar fashion as Kratos from God of War, but is offset by his very limited range.

[28] Apollo Chungus from Hardcoregaming101 praised the reprisal of Dred Foxx as PaRappa and the character's overall presentation, but felt that the shading of his colors to fit in with the rest of the game ends up with a "gauche" look.