Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a general expression of surprise and approval.

1942		L. Bennett ‘Cousin Joe’ in Jamaica Dialect Verses 32: Pupa! Him ’ave awn boot a-foot / An’ helmit ’pon his head.
1962		D. Walcott ‘Tales on the Islands’ in Coll. Poems (1986) 24: Poopa, da’ was a fete!
1973		L. Bennett Auntie Roachy Sey (2003) 22: Yes, Puppa! What a boonoonoonoos gif fi pickney eena Child Mont!

2. an emphasis placed at the end of a sentence, the equivalent of SE sir!; esp. in excl. no, papa!

1928		R. Fisher Walls Of Jericho 6: That’s the time, papa!
1945		C. Himes ‘The Song Says “Keep On Smiling”’ in Coll. Stories 89: Bert [the bandleader] ignored the clamor of, ‘Let’s have some jive, papa,’ and tried to get acquainted.
1956		S. Selvon Lonely Londoners 147: Where you get money from to buy bird, papa?
1976		A. Salkey Come Home, Malcolm Heartland 172: That we leave up to you, entire, hook, line an’ sinker, papa D.
2000		R. Antoni Grandmother’s Erotic Folktales 77: Papa-yo! Ten-thousand Yankee dollars.