AJ Tracey Archives - FUXWITHIT

Three U.K. Giants Collaborate On ‘Ain’t It Different’

Paul Varndell — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 17:16:56 +0000

A lineup not to be messed with: Headie One, Stormzy and AJ Tracey. Arguably the three giants of U.K. rap right now, all on one track doing what they do best. The song is samples U.K garage classic, ‘Bump ‘n’ Grind’ by M Dubbs and Lady Saw and mixes it with The Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ ‘Pretty Little Ditty,’ to create a new fresh U.K. Drill type beat for all three artists to showcase their talent over. The sample fits so brilliantly over the chorus that it’s left circling your head for the rest of the day & when it comes to the verses, well, these three do not disappoint.

After Headie’s most recent collaboration being with none other than Drake, he’s on a roll with the big features, but this track feels like he handpicked the best of the best for the sound of the tune. Headie’s classic syncopated flow brings a bounce to the first verse before AJ Tracey steps up to the mic to deliver his ever cool, Grime style vocals. Punchlines like “Air ones fresher than menthol” give that true old school Skepta type crunch on a new era of U.K. rap music and AJ makes it work so well. Stormzy is now at the point where his image is so iconic that he can pull a Jay-Z and spit as little or as much as he likes and it still oozes style. A short and sweet verse finishes off this banger in perfect fashion. This is a truly great track and video for the single from Headie’s upcoming album Edna, which is definitely going to be one to check out when it drops soon.

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Skepta & AJ Tracey Join Forces On ‘Kiss and Tell’

Paul Varndell — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 00:40:30 +0000

The collaboration we’ve all been waiting for yet didn’t know was happening, is here. Earlier last week, Skepta posted an MP3 screenshot of the track asking fans to get at AJ Tracey to drop the tune. 9 days later, it’s here and it does not disappoint. The chorus screams of the Konnichiwa Skepta era with that iconic flow, though Tracey sounds just as smooth on delivery. It’s hard to pick a favourite verse which really is the sign of a fantastic track. AJ comes in hard for his verse with “You thought that I missed the drop, you’re unwell” after a designer pause, whereas Skepta comes right in with his standard stylistic verse; clean cut. This track is everything you want it to be and feels right to leave on repeat. Hopefully this isn’t the last collaboration we see from these two.

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Across The Pond: AJ Tracey

Paul Varndell — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 13:00:57 +0000

AJ Tracey is an act who gives all young artists in the U.K. hope. Hailing from Ladbroke Grove in West London, the 25 year old rapper is still an independent artist, with no sight on making a deal any time soon. AJ stepped into the spotlight in 2016 after a number of years on his come up, releasing mixtapes with his collective My Team Paid which featured other recognisable names such as Big Zuu. However, after collaborating with Dave on a track called ‘Thiago Silva,’ the West Londoner really took off. In 2016, The Guardian (a widespread U.K. Newspaper) featured AJ Tracey in a list of ‘Best New Acts to catch at a Festival’ and it’s clear to see why. The star brings all the energy to his shows and has fast-paced uptempo Grime smashes, as well as classic Garage numbers and Sing-A-Long tunes alike. There really is something for everyone in a Tracey set. It wasn’t until after AJ’s fifth EP that he saw any real mainstream success, which came in May 2018 from a track called ‘Butterflies’ featuring Not3s, charring at Number 19 in the Official Singles Chart. Still an independent artist, later that year he released the news he’d be dropping a debut album in 2019, which arrived on February 8th and hit Number 3 in the Official Album Chart. Every young emerging artist looks to AJ Tracey who now is headlining Main Stages at festivals all around the world, and is still an independent artist. Sheer talent and hard work meant no label was necessary and why sign now? In an interview with on Capital Xtra which aired on August 8th this year, AJ explained the pros and cons of being independent and that he’s not Anti-Label, but as long as he keeps making wins then there’s no reason to make a deal.

Ladbroke Grove

The wins have not stopped coming yet and earlier this year AJ dropped a track which featured Jorja Smith’s vocals, titled after the town he was born in. The Garage type flow is just one of the style’s AJ can deliver on, but the collaboration between these two felt like it should have always been here. You have to check out the LiveLounge cover of this track too…

Fashion Week

You may have seen the likes of Mostack and Steel Banglez names together before, but recently AJ experienced the biggest encounter possible, working with the most sought after producer in the U.K. right now. The three rose to the top of the charts making this a Number 1 single and rightly so. One of AJ’s catchiest chorus’ to date will leave you singing this one for weeks and just listen to Mostack’s first bar…

Doing It

This one is for the Grime fans. It’s hard to say this is AJ doing what he does best, because the man is constantly proving he can do anything best, however this is 10+ years of Grime bangers building up to this track. With the quick 140bpm double time beat and rapid bars, this track is one you want to have pumping as you’re driving in your car, just keep both hands on the wheel as it gets crazy.

After a solid festival season, playing just about every big name imaginable, what could be next for Ladbroke Grove’s finest? With a Number 1 Single and a Number 3 Album this year, it’s hard to imagine what could top it in 2020 but if there’s one thing AJ Tracey is not short of releasing, it’s projects. Without a doubt, we can expect one next year and needless to say, it’s going to be another win for the star, let’s wait and see.

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Top Boy is BACK, And There’s A New Soundtrack With It

Paul Varndell — Sat, 14 Sep 2019 15:24:27 +0000

Top Boy is back…and it’s about time too. After hearing the show was going to be cancelled after its second season, Mr. OVO himself was such a big fan of the show that he helped fund the return which can now be watched on Netflix. Drake is a well known fan of U.K. culture but this really goes to show how much of a fan he really is. The show, if you’ve never seen it before, is a real taste of what London can really be like and this new season features a lot of young, talented actors, as well as some recognisable faces such as Dave and Kano. So, it was only fitting that the soundtrack for the season features all the sounds of the streets of London too and it does not disappoint.

From a first look at the tracklist, only one song title is recognisable and that’s Drake’s ‘Behind Barz’ which he did for LinkUpTV back in 2018. Drake rapping on what can only be described as a U.K. Drill beat was one of the highlights of the year, so it definitely deserved to be amongst the rest of the soundtrack. The Album is filled with bangers that could only have come out of London, but these are the stand out tracks on a first listen…

Dave – Professor X

Many comments on the internet suggest people were hoping this was going to be the unreleased Drill track Dave previewed on his Instagram a while back, however it was not, it’s better. Classic Dave flows over a mysterious sounding beat is exactly what we needed. One thing about Dave is you can never be sure where the rhymes are going to land or what is coming next and this song is a huge demonstration of that.

Baka Not Nice – My Town (feat. Giggs)

A dark and dirty sounding track with another eerie chorus. Baka sounds both melodic and terrifying all in one verse and it works so well. As soon as you see featuring Giggs then you know the track is going to hit hard but this is one of Giggs’ best verses since his most recent album Big Bad. The delay and reverb effects used on his classic ad-libs make him sound even more bad than he normally does, which is hard to do.

AJ Tracey – Elastic

On LinkUpTV’s Instagram post of the tracklist for the Soundtrack, AJ Tracey wrote ‘Had to take it back to real Grime for this one. Only right’ and that is exactly what this track is. A classic Grime rhythm which is something AJ Tracey does best. His MC’ing skills are of a different class and this track is just as refreshing as it ought to be. After his recent success with his Garage-infused ‘Ladbroke Grove,’ it’s great to hear the independent Rapper spitting like this.

This Soundtrack really is a well crafted piece of work. Each track has its own identity but screams London, fitting so perfectly with the style of the show. Make sure to give it a full listen and watch the show; it’s London’s finest

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