A-Reece
Lehlogonolo Ronald Mataboge known professionally as A-Reece, is a South African rapper and songwriter, born and raised in Pretoria, Gauteng. A-Reece was signed with Ambitiouz Entertainment in 2015. After disputes with management, he left to become an independent artist.[1] He gained fame when he released his hit single, "Couldn't" (2015), featuring Emtee.[2]
A-Reece | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lehlogonolo Ronald Mataboge |
| Born | Pretoria, South Africa |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels |
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A-Reece released his debut studio album, Paradise (2016) which produced the successful singles, "Couldn't" and "Mngani".[3] In 2017, A-Reece then released his second album From Me to You & Only You. In 2019, he released Reece Effect, which earned him millions of streams with hit records such as "Last Resort", "We Both Know Better", "Safe Haven", "Masquerade Party" and "Honest".[4] He also released several EPs notably being Gwan Big Up Urself and And I'm Only 21.
After having financial disputes with Ambitiouz Entertainment, The Wrecking Crew was formed with he and fellow stable-mates Mashbeatz. The Wrecking Crew consists of MashBeatz, Ex Global, Wordz, and more also former members – Flvme, Ecco, Mellow.The Wrecking Crew changed names to RUBBERBAND RECORDS after the departure of Flvme, Ecco and Mellow[5][6]
A-Reece dropped a song titled Carele$$ on 11th of April 2019 which he addresses his beef with former labelmate Flvme.[7]
He revealed that he is few days into ‘the Matrix’ with music from the much-anticipated Paradise[8]
On 15th of August, he dropped a song titles Residual SElf Image featuring Ayanda Jiya.[9]
Early life and career
Lehlogonolo Mataboge originates from Pretoria, Gauteng. He started writing music in primary school following the footsteps of his older brother Phologo Jody Mataboge, known as P-Jay from the hip hop duo B3nchMarQ. He got his stage name "A-Reece" from his star sign Aries.[10]
In 2015, he was signed to Ambitiouz Entertainment and released his first single "Couldn't" under the label, featuring Emtee. He released Cutaways, an EP, on 29 September 2016 which consists of songs that did not make the cut for his debut album Paradise.[11] His debut album was later released on 21 October 2016 and topped the No.1 spot on iTunes just under 24 hours after its release.[12] He went on to release his second studio album From Me To You And Only You to celebrate the anniversary of his debut album. A year later, on 21 October 2018, he released an EP titled And I'm Only 21.
Ambitiouz Entertainment controversy
Ambitiouz Entertainment went under much scrutiny after artists Fifi Cooper, B3nchMarQ, A-Reece and Flame left the label in a very public and ugly fight.[13][14] Artists claimed that they decided to part ways with the record label because of financial disagreements. Fifi Cooper went on to say that she had been signed for over two years to the label yet had not received a single cent from her performances, as well as royalties.[15][16] The record label also went on to remove all of A-Reece's music videos from their YouTube channel and his Facebook page was also deleted.[17]
Discography
Albums
| Album Title | Album Details |
|---|---|
| Paradise |
|
| From Me to You And Only You |
|
Collaboration album
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Reece Effect (with MashBeatz) |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Fire In The Water (with MashBeatz) |
|
Mixtapes
| Mixtape Title | Mixtape Details |
|---|---|
| Forever King[18] |
|
Extended Plays
| EP Title | EP Details |
|---|---|
| Browniez EP |
|
| Cutaways EP |
|
| Gwan Big Up Urself 2 (You Should Have Taken Me Seriously) |
|
| L3 (Long Lost Letters) (with Wordz & Ecco) |
|
| And I'm Only 21 |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions (EMA) |
Certification | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Couldn't" (featuring Emtee) |
3 | Gold | Paradise |
| 2016 | "Mgani"[19] | 5 | Gold | |
| "Zimbali" | 23 | |||
| "Sebenza" (featuring Amanda Black) |
11 | Gold | ||
| "Paradise" | 1 | |||
| 2017 | "Feelings (featuring Flame)" | — | Platinum | From Me To You And Only |
| "Sweet Revenge—feat. Zoocci Coke Dope" | – | Gold | Non-album Single | |
| "Couldn't Have Said It Better Pt1" | – | Gold | Non-album single | |
| 2018 | "Couldn't Have Said It Better Pt2 " | 2 |
2018)
|
Gwan Big Up Urself 2
(You Should Have Taken Me Seriously) |
| "Meanwhile In Honeydew" | – | 2X Platinum | Non-album Single | |
| "Touché" | – | Gold | ||
| "Don't Bother" | – | Gold | ||
| "Dirty Cop" | – | – | ||
| "Everybody Hates Reece" | – | – | ||
| "Amber Rose" | – | – | ||
| "Fuck You" | – | – | ||
| "Holding Hands" | – | Gold | And I'm Only 21 | |
| "A Message from Reece" | – | – | Non-album Single | |
| 2019 | "Honest" | – | Reece Effect | |
| "We Both Know Better" | – | – | ||
| 2020 | "In Hi$ Image [Exp1]" | – | – | Singles |
| "$elfi$h [Exp 2]" | – | – |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart, was not released in that territory or currently unknown.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Ceremony | Prize | Work/Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 |
2016 South African Hip Hop Awards | Lyricist Of The Year[20][21] | Himself | Won |
| Best Video[20] | Couldn't (featuring Emtee) | Nominated |
References
- "A-reece talks about being 'independent' in love & music". TimesLIVE.
- "A-Reece Biography". Cut FM.
- "A-Reece RELEASES Paradise!". Zkhipani.
- "REVIEW:A-Reece-From Me To You & The World". Zkhipani.
- "A Reece Explains Why He Left Ambitiouz Entertainment". People Magazine.
- "Chit Chat with A-Reece & The Wrecking Crew #AwesomeFoursome". Zkhipani.
- "A-Reece Addresses Flame's Departure From The Wrecking Crew in His New Song 'Carele$$'". Hiphopza.
- Jovazablog (2020-08-15). "A Reece Revealed The Matrix of Paradise 2 Al". Medium. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- Jovazablog (2020-08-15). "A Reece — Residual SElf Image (feat. Ayanda Jiya) — Single". Medium. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- "5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About A-Reece". Youth Village. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- "A-Reece Releases CUTaways EP". Zkhipani. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- "A-Reece's Album Goes Straight To Number ONE". Zkhipani. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- "Fifi Cooper, B3nchmarq and A Reece Leave Ambitiouz | People Magazine". www.peoplemagazine.co.za. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
- "The leaving of Ambitiouz Entertainment artists shouldn't come as a surprise". ZAlebs. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
- "Shocker! Top rappers Fifi Cooper, B3nchmarq and A Reece Leave Ambitiouz". The Citizen. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- "Breaking!!! Fifi Cooper, B3nchMarQ And A -Reece Leaves Ambitiouz Ent… Fifi Unveils Own Record Label". Hiphopza. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- "A-Reece Hits Back At Ambitiouz For Removing His Videos From YouTube". Youth Village. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- "A-Reece Explains How He Got Into Music". SA Hip Hop Mag. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- "music: A-Reece – Mgani". ZA Trends. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- "SA Hip Hop Awards 2016 Nominations Revealed!". My TV News. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
- "FULL LIST: SA Hip Hop Awards winners". channel24. Retrieved 15 December 2016.