So much about the art of rap is concerned with attitude—one that’s often molded by where you’re from. “I think you become very alert when you grow up in South London,” Pak-Man tells Apple Music. “You’re very aware of everyone and super conscious of your surroundings. It’s like a jungle, isn’t it. But I wouldn’t change it, though, because it’s made me who I am today. Now, when I go around the world, hate it or love it, I keep the same mentality from the environment I’ve grown up in.” On his fifth mixtape, Pak-Man declares himself a returning legend from its opening line, awards himself GOAT status just a track later, and it’s all studded with the punchy rhyming style that distinguished him as one of the flashiest rappers south of the Thames when he emerged in the mid-2000s. But it’s not just bravado on show here—with experience comes maturity and a desire to leave a robust legacy. The record recruits eight Asian producers, something seen as important by arguably the UK’s top rapper of Pakistani heritage. Indeed, that heritage informs this entire project, which is named after and dedicated to his late grandfather. “Both my grandmother and my grandfather are no longer here,” he says. “They were both born July 1. So, the date is quite symbolic to me and my family. And I had to make it the release date of this project [in tribute]. I’ve had time to digest the situation, but I wanted to get this out whilst all of the pain was still prominent.” Read on for Pak-Man’s personal guide to Big Pakachino. “Ground Up” “This track is a reflection of my whole journey, how far I’ve come, and ultimately, it’s about my independence. There’s many layers to this. I am talking my shit, but I’m also setting the tone for this tape: ‘This is how hard I’m about to go.’” “London City” “I’m a pioneer in the UK rap scene, and I came up in London. This is the Pakachino I know you’re all expecting. Yeah, I’m letting my nuts hang a bit on this one.” “Life Is Real” (feat. Biggapicture) “I recorded this right after ‘London City.’ And I remember there being a lot of tweaking to the songs. I’ve gone back and changed things, meticulously. But across this whole tape, there are no doubles on any of the vocals—the whole thing is one layer.” “Different” “We all have our low moments and our high points. This song here kind of touches on a bit of both. I’m happy we included footage from the [December 2021] O2 Academy [concert] in the video for this one. It was just good to show how my fans turn up and support. I’m trying to look a bit more down to earth, really, and more approachable. I can’t always look like the arrogant star.” “Boy to a Man” (feat. Biggapicture) “This is all about my life, from a typical Asian household growing up. And I think the kids from typical [British] Asian backgrounds will be able to relate. I honestly got five A*s, four As, and three Bs [at GCSE grade]. But there’s obviously this perception that rappers are stupid, or that we’re dumb, just because we rap. It’s just silly, but it’s a little different now. Whilst on the tour, I was also handling money, selling merch, and even the fans knew, ‘Nah, we can’t question you on the calculations here—you’ve got those five A*s!’ So, it’s good I got that off my chest. Yeah, us rappers have a few brain cells, too.” “Pakachino” “I want everyone on a roller-coaster ride with me. I want charged-up and gassed, but I also want to put a tear in your eye, almost.” “Memories” (feat. Biggapicture) “This is another jump, back to an emotional track. First, I’m talking about my life on this song, my life’s journey, and in the second verse, it’s all about my granddad’s life and his journey from Pakistan to the United Kingdom, where he subsequently died. This was very painful for me to write—I’ve probably never had a more difficult time recording a song.” “Mob Figures” “I like this song a lot. [It] has this Goodfellas mafia vibe to it. And when I heard [the beat], I thought, ‘You need a certain level of confidence to hit a beat like this.’ I’m glad I used it.” “Made in South London” “I was born in Barnsley. My father was actually from Liverpool. He reverted to Islam in the ’80s and changed his name to Bilal. But when my parents split, I moved down to South [London] to live with my granddad. So, clearly, I’m Yorkshire-born but Lambeth-raised. That’s how I see it, anyway.” “Independence” “I’ve never had a record deal, never had a label advance, not even a little distribution situation. All I know is this: independence. That’s the movement I’m pushing, and I think it’s also iconic that this mixtape hit the charts, and I’ve done it all on my own.” “I Know” “I guess this song is uplifting in the sense that I’m letting you know, ‘Life gets hard for us all. You might be scarred from your past, but you just got to keep moving forward—there’s light at the end of the tunnel, if you keep going.'” “48 Bars Part 6” “Back on the roller-coaster ride. This is the first track I released from this tape—and it was either going to be the intro or at the end. It’s [part of] a series I’ve kept up for many, many years now, ‘Part 1’ was the first song I ever put out on YouTube [in 2008], so I felt I had to revive it here.”