“For a lot of my projects, Training Day, 2, 3 and my album [2023’s Real Back in Style], I’m always stuck in my thoughts, giving out my most valuable truths—and I just can’t help it,” Potter Payper tells Apple Music. “It’s almost too personal at times. There’s always something to remind you: ‘Oh, this guy’s from the fucking gutter,’ or ‘Wow, he’s really gone through some real pain.’” However, the East Londoner’s seventh mixtape, a follow-up to 2021’s Thanks for Waiting, shelves his thoughtfully diaristic style of expression for fluid, freestyled flows. Raising a middle finger to detractors who assumed that another jail term [in 2023] would finally put an end to his stop-start career, Payper roars back with Thanks for Hating, another blistering collection of defiant rap—released on his newly formed label, 36TL. On lead single “Trench P (London City)”, he’s composed and calm over haunting strings, labelling his latest return “the comeback of the century”. Amid sombre dedications—to family (“My Aunty Gave Me Legal Aid”), inspiring rappers of a bygone UK rap era (“Free Daff”) and his own troubled past (“Kid in a Court”)—Payper’s stoic outlook, adopted during his last jail term, shines throughout for a thoroughly mature offering. “Even though this one’s a sequel to [Thanks for Hating], it comes from a completely different place,” he says. “I’ve grown so much since—as an artist, as a man. I was so focused, studying ancient Greek [and Roman] philosophers like Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, whilst trying to write my own book. These are my philosophies, all my findings on life.” Here, Potter Payper guides you across Thanks for Hating, track by track. “Inaugural” “I take a lot of pride in getting my intros sounding right. This one I laid as a freestyle—punching in a few lines at a time, and that was my way throughout this whole tape.” “Trench P (London City)” “In total, I’ve spent about 16 years in prison. It’s shaped me and moulded me into who I am today, a person that’s, by my own admission, institutionalised in so many ways. Now we’ve got this ‘trench’ wave going on [in the UK], with all these rappers, like KB, KayMuni, Marnz [Malone] and so many others, doing their thing and rapping from jail. I was in conversation with [36TL rapper] KB, who reminded me, ‘You know you’re Trench P, right? You’re the original trench rapper.’ So this is an ode to that.” “Drive By” (with Slim) “Slim is someone that’s cut from the same cloth as me, and I always aim to align myself with people like that. It’s not just about [working with] the guys doing the most numbers, or the person that’s popping and is currently the most famous. None of that means anything to me. It’s about building genuine relationships with good people, not just for me but for the label, management company, publishing company and anything else that I’m building over here.” “Midas Touch” (with ADMT) “This is like a gangster update to [2021 single] ‘Gangsteritus’. As soon as I heard this hook [from Doncaster singer-songwriter Adam Taylor, aka ADMT], I just related to it so much. It’s about finding peace in this world, a place that revolves around a non-stop obsession with money, wealth and everything that comes with it—which can often lead you back to violence. I couldn’t care at all if no one else likes this, it’s a hit to me.” “Free Daff” (with Mozzy & Daff) “Daff is a legend in my local area. Growing up, I never knew him, but his younger brother was a close friend. When I was banged up in HMP with KB—this is like 2010, 2011, so long ago—we’re in this cell together, and on the prison catalogue, somehow, there was his mixtape [Only Just Begun]. I was like, ‘Yo, look, this guy is from our ends, bro! This is one of my OGs!’ We waited maybe six weeks for the CD to come, and when it landed, I listened to it all the time. As everyone else would sleep, I was writing [2013 mixtape] Training Day to all of the beats.” “Head, Knees & Shoulders” (with Clavish) “This is about giving Clavish his moment. I dropped 16 [bars] and he came with a hard 24. I could have easily made [my verse] longer, but I just wanted him to get his shine.” “Thanks for Waiting” “The first line here: ‘Wait for me, I shot the informer,’ is taken from [2002 film] Shottas—and it also highlights the last tape, Thanks for Waiting.” “Kid In a Court” “This one speaks for itself, I guess. Just think for a second: ‘A kid in a court?’ That might be your kid, your niece, your nephew, your whatever. Yep, that was me at one point.” “Pressure Makes Diamonds” (with Millyz & Born Trappy) “Between myself, my A&R team and Born Trappy, we built this track like a Frankenstein. We dropped in a hook, changed around the beat and finally brought the song together. I’ve got to give it to Born Trappy too, he completed the track with this hook and his [vocal] tone.” “Free KayMuni” (with KayMuni & KB) “After I signed KB, the next guy he was telling me to sign was [British rapper] KayMuni. I had a few conversations with him, and we got it done. He’s going to be massive when he gets out, whether he stays here or somewhere else—either way, the talent is undeniable.” “Sinaloa Cartel” “I’ve developed my own [weed] strain now, it’s called Potterz. It’s farmed out in Europe, in places where it’s legal, by these weed scientists, essentially, then I go over and check it all out. It’s got me feeling like the cartel!” “Rappers Will Be Rappers” “This is another short freestyle, and it very nearly didn’t make it on here. I make songs like this for my fans, really. Just to say, ‘These guys are not who they say they are, they don’t do the things they say they do. It’s only music.’ To anyone getting into this game, my advice is, ‘Stay out of your feelings!’.” “My Aunty Gave Me Legal Aid” “My nan and my aunt were so instrumental in making me normal and loved. I am severely institutionalised today—but if there’s place I ever felt at home, it was with them. Other than that, I don’t have a home really, apart from prison or the streets. This song is a tribute, two days after [his aunt’s passing]. I’ll go outside and everyone thinks that I’m a star, but I was dealing with one of my darkest days.” “59901R” (with Headie One) “They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it can definitely buy you the moments that make you happy. It buys people’s love and affection, more success and even YouTube views for some people.” “Love Me How” “I rarely get vulnerable on a track like this—for a few reasons. To make an entire song about someone and have them feel that special, it’s not something I usually intend to do. Through my music, people tend to think that they know me, or they know my story. Maybe I’m being too self-conscious right now…but I’ve been very vulnerable on this song. I’m completely out of my comfort zone here.” “Free Double M” (with Marnz Malone) “I’m not sure why I started dropping these books [titles] on this track, but I want kids to know that it’s cool to read. The message of this track is ‘knowledge is power’. Trust me, you don’t have to roll with knives and guns. Just arm yourself with knowledge, and you’ll would have all the power that you need in this world to be successful.” “My City’s Not Safe” “This title is a statement and a warning—and it’s 100 per cent facts. I won’t lie to you, eventually, I’m leaving this place. The UK’s a little island and I’m a giant. I need to stretch my legs and keep it lit.” “Thanks for Hating” (with Nafe Smallz) “I have to give an honourable mention to the man Nafe Smallz because he made this song. We were working in the studio, and I had to go into another room with my team for a meeting. I was away for maybe two hours. When I came out, Nafe’s sitting there behind the mic, ‘Yo, I’ve done five songs, do you want to hear them?’ When he ran through the songs: he’s obviously saved the best for last, like, ‘Here’s one I made specifically for you!’.”