On his sophomore offering, one of South Africa’s most venerated rappers of this generation wants you to be familiar with the person behind his rise. On album-opener, “So Long”, Wordz shares vignettes from his life: waking up to kisses from his woman, having a phone conversation with his mother, reflecting on estranged friends and feeling content with himself. Wordz expands on these topics for the duration of People Forget to Be People over boom bap-leaning production. He invites street storyteller Thato Saul for a spine-chilling ’hood tale where both rappers find refuge in music on “5 LEVELS”. “If this is your life story, take the leap, n****/Let’s change the chronicles of a street n****”, Wordz raps. He reflects on loss on “Little Brother”, celebrates his wins on “Dilo Die Chenchitse”, where he raps, “2019, man, my life was a mess/Little did I know being broke was a test”. He switches up to aggressive trap on “BARKER HAINES” and “TRUS’” where he recruits rappers Maglera Doe Boy and Flow Jones Jr. His collaboration with Tyson Sybateli, “LAUNDRY DAY 2”, blends braggadocio and sincerity as they wax poetic about the rap game. Things take a more soulful turn on “I LOVE IT HERE”, a neo-soul love song featuring singer Zimkhitha which is followed by the equally soulful “STILL LOVE” featuring Maarly. Using more Spitori than in his previous projects, Wordz (Thabile Baloyi) is growing into himself and feels more relatable than ever. The message on People Forget to Be People is clear: you can be a rapper, a star, a leader or whatever you want to be, just don’t forget that you’re human.