One of the most exciting new names on the London grime scene, AJ Tracey, has just dropped a brand new solo single, Leave Me Alone, along with a video that takes us from the wet pavements, bus stops and corner shops of his West London neighbourhood, Ladbroke Grove, to the sweaty confines of a packed out festival tent where the crowd rap along to his every word.
Hot tipped for top things, AJ featured in The New Luxury Issue of i-D earlier this year, an interview he references on recent track Sec Riddim. Check out the video for Leave Me Alone, above, and revisit AJ’s answers from the issue, below…
AJ Tracey
Having dropped out of his anthropology course, Ladbroke Grove mummy’s boy AJ Tracey has fully embraced the music game that he’s quietly been warming up for since he started rhyming at just six-years-old. Following in the footsteps of his Trinidadian rapper father who once had a No.1 video on MTV and his Welsh mother, who used to play jungle and NWA on pirate radio stations, he takes his craft seriously while dropping Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh references into his bars. Keeping up with his south London mates Elf Kid and Novelist, with a summer of festivals ahead of him and a mouth full of gold, AJ is dropping spirit bomb after spirit bomb.
What are your plans for your birthday next week? I might go to Dubai for a little bit… or, if not, then I’ll just rent a penthouse out for the week. One of those two, definitely. Casual. What’s your idea of luxury? Having the freedom to be able to sleep until when I want and knowing I’m still gonna get paid and that my mum’s comfortable. Whose opinion or approval matters the most to you musically? Recently Skepta told me I’m hard, and that meant a lot to me. It sounds like a fanboy ting but I am a fan of Skepta and I’ll always be. I grew up on him, so for him to tell me that in person, I don’t really need anyone else’s approval. What other artists do you rate from your neighbourhood? There’s not really anyone from West, that’s the thing… I’m trying to put on for us. There used to be a guy called Ice Kid; he went to my school and everyone used to think that he was gonna be the next one from West to blow, but he kind of just dropped off. He taught me the basics of Grime in school and I just carried on from there. What’ve you got coming up? More jewels in my mouth! Loads of rappers get them but grime artists don’t, so yeah, I’m that guy. They’re not fitted though… I think my gran would beat me up if I had permanent ones.
Credits
Text Charlotte Gush
Interview text Francesca Dunn
Photography Maxwell Tomlinson
Fashion Dior Homme
Styling Bojana Kozarevic
Hair Nicole Kahlani at The Book Agency using Bumble and bumble
Make-up Jessica Taylor using Nars Cosmetics
Photography assistance Andrew Moores