AJ Tracey

Tickets Info> AJ Tracey | Norwich Box Office | UEA Ticket Bookings

"I want to showcase growth, to hammer home that the UK is a melting pot of cultures, and that I’m proud to be British—no matter how hard people try to make it about ‘us versus them’."  It’s been four years since AJ Tracey last dropped an album. In that time, more than 40 songs have leaked, multiple tours have been delayed by the COVID pandemic, and life—both public and personal—has been truly lifeing for the 30-year-old rapper. Don't Die Before You're Dead is the product of that tumultuous period, and it packs a serious punch.  "I realised I hadn’t been doing enough growing—learning new things, going to new places, spending time with my mum, studying Islam. It was necessary for me to take my time," he reflects on his hiatus. "I went to therapy, had difficult conversations, spent time with my mum, and finally made peace with my dad. He’s just a human who made mistakes."  Older, wiser, stronger, satisfied; Don't Die Before You're Dead marks AJ Tracey’s coming-of-age. A bold love letter to the UK, the album fuses grime, garage, and R&B to create a sonic landscape for an ambitious and deeply personal exploration of trauma. It mines everything from family dynamics and faith to PTSD and falling in love. "I’m trying to give everyone an updated version of me," he says. Keeping it close to home, features come from UK talents like Jorja Smith, Aitch, Headie One, and the MTP crew.  3rd Time Lucky confronts his mother’s recent battle with cancer with striking vulnerability. "It’s like her life started on hard, I pray God to restart on novice," AJ spits over mellow beats and searing choral progressions, his emotion palpable. "I wanted to set the tone early. This isn’t just another braggadocious AJ record," he explains. "I don’t usually talk about my private life, but once you’re in the public eye, you’ve sold your privacy in exchange for success. I feel emotionally stable enough to talk about my life now."  Elsewhere, AJ’s signature swagger remains intact. Second Nature is a fired-up declaration of authenticity, reminiscent of early Nasty Crew. Over a grime beat that samples Giggs’ The Essence, AJ celebrates his wins with wit: "This record is me saying, whatever you think of me, I live my life as someone who is real. I sampled The Essence to explain the essence of what I’m about."  There’s a palpable urgency to Out of Sight, as AJ faces up to the realities of his present moment: lost friends, enemies, finding faith, and the anxieties that come with fame. "Even at night when I go to sleep, I’m paranoid. I’m a very light sleeper, and that’s partly because of PTSD from my upbringing."  Growing up on a Ladbroke Grove estate in a single-parent household, AJ Tracey was immersed in vibrant musical subcultures: garage was blasted out of his predominantly White block, his mother—a pirate radio DJ and youth worker—introduced him to everything from N.W.A. to James Brown, while he also fell in love with London’s burgeoning grime scene in the early 2000s. But growing up mixed-race and working-class also meant proximity to gangs, violence, and police brutality. While fans have long celebrated AJ’s hyper-man set, he’s come to recognise the constant hyper-awareness that fuels it as a form of PTSD. Faith is a recurring theme on the album, offering a complicated sense of salvation. Friday Prayer, produced by Nyge and featuring Aitch and Headie One, is a soulful reckoning with religion.  AJ closes the album with a slick slice of R&B. Crush sees him reunite with 2019’s triple-platinum Ladbroke Grove collaborator Jorja Smith, while West Life is a sultry ode to intimacy: "I’m always around the mandem and it can be so toxic. When I’m with a love interest, I want it to be soft and passionate. I need a space in my life that’s warm."  Reflecting on the finished product—an album that is both dexterous and unapologetically British, detailing some of the most difficult moments of his life while also celebrating his status as a rapper and multi-platinum artist—AJ’s take is simple: "I’ve experienced vulnerability, I’ve gained maturity… I’ve levelled up."  Website | Facebook | Instagram | X