A-Reece

Swiftly becoming one of the biggest figures in South Africa's hip-hop scene, Pretoria-born rapper A-Reece built his career from a young age, releasing his debut mixtape, Forever King, at the age of just 16. While the rapper swerved between styles throughout his career, his vocal dexterity and complex rhyme patterns carried him through hip-hop's ever-shifting sonics. Following in the footsteps of older brother P-Jay (of B3nchMarQ), South African rapper A-Reece (born Lehlogonolo Mataboge) landed his first record deal off the back of the 2013 mixtape Forever King. With a style informed by hip-hop's rich history, he used his debut tape to flex his versatility, proving himself comfortable on sample-driven boom-bap ("Insecurities") and flow-based bangers ("YouKnowYouKnow") alike. His label debut, the Browniez EP, arrived the following year, bringing with it further examples of the rapper's dexterous flows and lyrical prowess. A-Reece's debut album was soon to follow. After signing with Ambitiouz Entertainment in 2015, he set to work on his first full-length, Paradise, issuing bonus tracks from the studio sessions via the 2016 EP Cutaways. The full project was released in October of the same year. With production primarily at the hands of MashBeatz, the record saw the rapper swerve towards the electronic sounds of the late 2010s, adapting to trap stylings for bangers like "Kena" and "Ama Hater." After parting with the label and founding the Wrecking Crew collective, A-Reece issued his sophomore set, 2017's From Me to You & Only You. A further push into modern sonics, the rapper's second album continued the sung-rap stylings and trap-based instrumentals of Paradise, while offering a return to the lyrical content of his early career. After dropping three EPs -- Gwan Big Up Urself 2, L3 (Long Lost Letters), and And I'm Only 21 -- through 2018, A-Reece returned in 2019 with the collaborative project Reece Effect. Billed as the "soundtrack" to a tour of the same name, the release saw A-Reece and MashBeatz join forces with labelmates from Ex Global to Wordz in a collection of contemporary anthems. ~ David Crone, Rovi