'Any riddim, any vibe, I'll adapt to.' AJ Tracey, Doing It
Originally viewed as a Grime MC, I initially became aware of the Ladbroke Grove spitter on his track with Dave titled Thiago Silva (which samples the legendary grime riddim Pied Piper. A tune that was on everyone's Nokia 7600 and 6230 back in the early 2000s). AJ Tracey did however state in a 2016 interview with Fader that he wanted to make all types of music. Fast forward three years, as shown in above quote, he has stuck true to his word.
Saying you can do something is one thing, actually 'doing it' is another. So how does the Trini from the lane fare in this endeavour?
The first four tunes (starting with Plan B) of this 15-track album kicks off with a relatively laid-back vibe. In stark contrast to the last four songs (ending with Triple S) which has a way more aggressive, hi-octane feel to it. In between sees the West Londoner dabbling in different genres... And yes I believe AJ does a great job in adapting his artistry. In my view, this is one of the main selling points of his self-titled debut.
Other than hip-hop (both UK and US sounding), he displays his verbal versatility on grime (Horror Flick), soca... sort of (Butterflies), garage (Ladbroke Grove, which the older generation will appreciate for sure) and the most interesting experiment being Country Star which sounds like a country/UK drill hybrid.
Like a chameleon's ability to change colour to adapt, AJ uses a flurry of different flows throughout the 48 minute listen to adapt to different genres.
One thing I've noticed is that AJ's hooks as well as pre-choruses tend to be very lengthy and can often be longer than the verses. Lyrically, he definitely has technical ability but I think AJ was aspiring for commercial success with this offering hence the long choruses and the predominantly radio-friendly production. I also predict Horror Flick to be a single released in late October. This album did enter the charts at #3 so clearly he did something right.
Not sure if he was being serious or not but AJ Tracey said in his interview with Julie Adenuga that he had a goat on the album cover to symbolise that he's the G.O.A.T ...
... IMO to be a G.O.A.T. , you need at least one classic album...
Is this is a classic? No... For what it is... it's a decent album overall. You'll like it if you're into like... 'mainstream rap'... If you're looking for something gritty and raw... you won't really find it here... AJ Tracey's very versatile though as well as talented and I predict he'll be active for many years. Within that time he may fulfil his GOAT aspirations.
I'll give this a 7/10.
FAVES
Verse- Nothing But Net
Feature- Giggs (Nothing But Net)
Song- Ladbroke Grove
Beat- Triple S
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