The third studio album from Pretoria-born MC A-Reece synthesises his long, eventful journey from a wide-eyed talented teen entering the game, to the cult hero he has become since debuting in 2016. He has remained sharp in between albums by releasing acclaimed mixtapes, solo and collaborative EPs, as well as show-stealing features. P2: THE BIG HEARTED BAD GUY comes at a pivotal point in his career, when he needs to prove that having branched out on his own, not only is he rightfully an esteemed lyricist, he can be an enduring artist as well. “I named it THE BIG HEARTED BAD GUY because I feel like, ever since I went independent, that's what the game has made me become,” A-Reece tells Apple Music. Losing friends that I started with, beefing with rappers, and being blackballed—stuff like that made me this big-hearted bad guy. The ‘big-hearted’ part comes from the fact that I was putting people on in the beginning. I was kind enough to let people get a taste of success using me. And the very same people that I gave that opportunity to turned their backs on me. And wherever they are when they tell the story, they make it seem as if I'm the bad guy. So I'm like, why not play with it, then? Why not be the big-hearted bad guy that I am?” Across the album’s 19 tracks, there are discernible moments illustrating growth from the cynicism and wanton abandon of 2016’s Paradise, as well as a departure from the hubris of 2017’s From Me to You & Only You. This combination indicates an artist who is finally comfortable in his own skin. The restrained and calculated energy of the album, apparent in the handling of A-list features (M.anifest, Sjava, Shekhinah) and regular collaborators (Jay Jody, Joey Fatts), along with the calm manner in which he addresses sore topics show that A-Reece’s maturity has recalibrated his idea of what paradise means. Read on to get more insight on his process and interpretation of some of the key tracks on P2: THE BIG HEARTED BAD GUY. “WEST AFRICA TIME” (feat. M.anifest) “M.anifest is the only guy who has two features on the album, which is a special thing. We basically kicked it off in Lagos, when I went to do the Hennessy cypher. So when I came back from the trip, that's when I was inspired to write the song. I sent it to him and, man, he loved it. He was even like, ‘Yo, it's the first time in a while I've had someone give me the energy to want to be like, 'Yo, let me rap. Let me get in my rap bag.'..." “ONE TIME” (feat. Blxckie) “Me and Blxckie met a year ago. We met in Cape Town, we went crazy. We recorded two records. And then I basically felt like, I need this guy on the album, man. Me and him have a dope chemistry in the studio. “VING RHAMES” “I just remember hearing the beat for the first time and I knew right off the bat I needed to come up with a super creative flow for it. I knew it’d be a challenge I was looking forward to because again, the beat was just so amazing, I had to do something on it. So I got in my ‘I’m not new to this, let me talk my shit and remind these new guys who they’re dealing with’ bag, and got the job done.” “WHITE NOISE” (feat. Jay Jody) “Jody has always been a person to tell me, ‘Yo dog, sometimes you have to cover the whole spectrum when it comes to what you rap about. Don't just rap about what you are going through, but rap about what's going on in society, because you need to be tapped in. You have a huge platform, and you could really enlighten people that don't even know, that are ignorant to all of that.’ I've always kept those words dear to me, man, because it really helped me as an artist to develop and advance, because I did that on the Triple TM mixtape, and people received it well. ‘White Noise’ is just one of those.” “RONNIE’S INTERLUDE” “When I was writing this one, it was around the time I lost my father in 2020. It really took a huge toll on me. I wasn't even fired up anymore to get back in the studio. I wasn't working as efficiently as I wanted to, so I felt like I didn't want to do this shit anymore. But having the opportunity to work with my older brother, doing the Heaven Can Wait album and being on his EP, got me back into the momentum and I just wanted to touch on that —on how I still can't believe that I lost my father, man… it feels like it's a dream.” “GOD LAUGHS” (feat. Sjava & Shekhinah) “When I got the beat, I already had the verse, "Born in the clinic inside a village, a nigga like me, he has always been humble from the beginning…" Once I got the beat I just continued writing and I was just writing what's coming from my heart, man. I was just free flowing, honestly. After I recorded everything, I was like, ‘Wow, man, it's crazy how you can have your own plans and things turn out differently. God just laughs at you because it's like,’I have a better plan for you. I have a better plan for you. And here it is.’…” “BRUCE WAYNE” “I just knew I had to do something super wavey, catchy, cryptic yet simple to vibe to, with unique melodies. Some people call it controversy. I like to call it hip-hop at its best, as far as what the song’s about. I know you know and they know what or who I’m talking about. Let’s keep it real. I’m the leader now. That’s that.” “BETTER NOW” “On ‘Better Now interlude’ and ‘Better Now’ I'm basically talking about what the premise of this whole album is: betrayal, disloyalty, and stuff like that. I'm just touching on how I thought I was cool with the people… some of which I even grew up with, and I thought I was cool with them. It just so happened that something like fame is what broke us apart. Out of so many things that could have broken us apart, it's the fame, you know what I mean?” “WANT IT ALL” “This is me basically letting you into one of my most vulnerable moments on a track. I'm just letting you know that, look, I feel like I have this weight on my shoulders because I have to show up for my fans, but at the same time, I have to show up for my family in real life. Because sometimes being on the road and having long nights in the studio can really take away from family time, and sometimes it gets hard to balance that out. I’m just letting you know that, ‘As much as you may see me as a hero and as this person that you look up to, who has all the perfect words for you to keep going and to build your self-esteem up, I just want you to know that I'm also human man, and I can break down sometimes. I can change as well, but at the same time, I want it all.’ That's why I'm doing this.”