After taking time off to recover from alcoholism and focus on his health, Jonwayne released Rap Album 2 on February 17, 2017. Mostly self-produced, the rapper explained to The Guardian that he kept an overarching narrative theme in mind while writing the album. Jonwayne described this narrative as “the angst or frustration we feel toward the rest of the world because we feel like we’re being misunderstood.” He initially announced the album with an open letter on Facebook, explaining that he took a break from music to focus on self-care: