For the most memorable stars, their legacy expands beyond the boundaries of the craft that gave them their name. AJ Tracey is carving out such a legacy and making sure that his impact will be remembered, as an artist and as a person.
When it comes to the music, his hits shine in the bedrock of modern UK rap. His repertoire includes the monumental single, “Ladbroke Grove” on his self-titled debut album, alongside the acclaimed 2021 album, Flu Game, and groundbreaking collaborations such as, “Thiago Silva”, “Rain” and “Ain’t It Different”. But his impact doesn’t stop there. Hailing from West London with the presence of youth clubs playing a key part in his upbringing, Tracey is currently chasing a fierce passion to give back and empower our young people.
In his current mission, he’s teaming up with McDonald’s to help launch their Makin’ It scheme which aims to invest in young people and youth workers across the country. Once an attendee, he is now a patron and advocate for the youth clubs that changed his life.
AJ Tracey sits down with GRM to talk about music, his heritage and his aspirations to uplift the youth of today.
From your perspective, how has your music evolved over the years?
“I don’t want to sound boring but I turned 30 recently so this is my mature era. I’ve always had my heart on my sleeve but my music is a lot more reflective and honest now. I’m also less afraid to branch outside of my genre. And the way I write my lyrics is very different. Before, it was kind of spur of the moment… Things are definitely more refined now.”
You have new music in the pipeline – what can we expect from your next bodies of work?
“My next album is very British. The theme is about being British, being black and British, being mixed race and British… and what being British means as a community. The sonics are very traditionally British and of my era, so grime, funky, garage, those kinds of vibes.”
What do you think it takes to make music that stands the test of time?
“That’s a great question. Honestly, I’m a big believer in the fans deciding the fate of your music, I don’t think it’s up to you as an artist. I’d say if you want to make good music that stands the test of time, whether that’s for one listener or one million listeners, it’s just about being your authentic self and making the best possible music you can make. Music that is here today and gone tomorrow might be great for quick income but if you want to leave a legacy in music then that’s not the way forward. I think the higher the quality of the music, the greater the chances of you having longevity.”
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
“Let’s see… My earliest memories of listening to music are from when my mum would play music to me on her record players. That would be anything from Michael Jackson to James Brown to Outkast to Elephant Man. My earliest memories of making music are of me going to the local youth club, Lancaster Youth Club in Ladbroke Grove and getting some studio time after school. In that youth club I was allowed to swear on the records whereas at other youth clubs you weren’t always allowed to swear, so I would always try to get studio time at that one! Another memory is at my bredrin’s house. He used to let all the mandem record in his bedroom. He set up a microphone on a paint tin and we’d put a sock over the mic and we used to make music there. One of my biggest early songs, “Swerve n Skid” went off on SoundCloud and I recorded it right there in that room. That’s one of my earliest memories.”
Can you tell us more about those personal experiences of youth clubs and how they impacted your life?
“Youth clubs really helped me out, man. I obviously went through some stuff as a young man and did some things I’m not so proud of. But I didn’t lean all the way into that path because of youth clubs giving me a safe space and a creative outlet. It was just a really warm environment and as you can imagine, a lot of kids in the ends ain’t got much of a family life so it was a nice place to go, and the community looked after you. I think youth clubs helped shape my upbringing musically but also from a pastoral care side. Also my Mum was a very experienced youth worker [Head of Youth Work for Lambeth]. In fact, I think she was one of the best, if not the best in the country. She definitely taught me about showing compassion and being passionate about the community, man, and helping your peers and standing up for people. It takes a village, as they say.”
Do you have any personal memories of seeing what happens to young people who aren’t able to get the right support?
“Of course. Unfortunately the majority of my friends have been to jail… A lot of my friends weren’t able to hang out at youth clubs and didn’t have the access to the pastoral care and the support of youth workers, so they went down a different path. Thank God we’re all on the right path now, everyone is doing well for themselves and I’m extremely proud of my bredrins. To have gone to jail and be able to turn around and persevere and still succeed against all odds? It’s impressive. As a black male, when everyone and everything is against you and you’re still persevering, that’s something to be extremely proud of.”
What advice would you share with young people who are struggling to get on the right path today?
“Hundreds of millions of pounds have been cut from the youth sector so there aren’t as many youth clubs or safe spaces to go to, but they still exist. I think they’re really important for young people who are struggling to find their way. Definitely do some research and find out where the local youth clubs are in your area. Because I’m telling you, those are the people who actually care. They’re not doing this for money, they’re doing it because they care. So go find them and have a chat with them and see if you can figure things out.”
You and other UK artists have been open about your experiences on the streets but many listeners are very disconnected from the reality of those lyrics. What are your thoughts on that?
“It doesn’t matter who the vessel for the message is, there will always be people who are fascinated because they never grew up like that and they’re just intrigued by the things that the mandem go through. But they want to be intrigued at a safe distance – everyone loves drill music but they see a drill and they’re outraged. But that’s how life is. We’re not rapping about fiction, these are real things that real people go through. But I do think it’s important for artists to highlight that, although we may have been brought up around this stuff, we’re not glorifying it, we’re just telling it how it is. I think it’s important to make that point.”
What makes you angry about the current situation for young people in the UK?
“I think the government is more concerned about making rich white folks’ lives easier than saving a young black person’s life. I’m being extremely raw when I say that but I think that’s the reality of it. Something that really upsets me is that they’re making all these cuts in the youth sector. Young people are going to be the leaders eventually and we need to raise them correctly to help make our country a great place – it’s in the name: Great Britain. We need to make sure that the youth feel like part of society. If you make people feel like they belong, they won’t feel like they need to go against you. I’m very passionate about this one. When people are saying, “why are these kids rolling around with weapons?”, well it’s because they feel scared. Not just scared of each other but they’re also scared of the government, of racist people, of the police, of the powers that be.
“So when you ask these questions you need to look at the root cause, and the root cause is people not feeling like members of society. When you ask kids from ethnic minorities where they’re from, a lot of them will tell you a country that they’ve never actually been to – they might say Somalia or Trinidad or Eritrea but they won’t say they’re British too, and that’s because people are trying their hardest to make them feel like they don’t belong.
“Luckily for me, even though I’m from Wales and Trinidad with an African background too, I feel British because I tell myself that no matter what people say and no matter how the police treat me or others, I am definitely British and you cannot tell me otherwise. Not everyone has that instilled in them. It’s real serious, I’ll be real… I could talk about this topic for an hour!”
On the flip side, does anything make you feel hopeful for young people in the UK?
“A lot actually, genuinely a lot. I think young people nowadays… they have their heads screwed on a lot more than we did, their eyes are open. They’re doing their research and trying to save the environment, for example. I’m just very confident in the youth. I feel like they’re super charged up and ready to go. That gives me a lot of hope.”
What would you say to the youth to encourage them to keep dreaming of a bright future?
“Honestly, it’s not all doom and gloom. Even just the fact that we’re in the UK and we’re able to have free healthcare and free education… we could always be in worse situations. There are a lot of things going on in the world right now so we’re lucky to be in a country with so many opportunities. We just need to work together to hand out more opportunities and look out for each other.”
Some artists may not feel brave or informed enough to speak out about social issues in the way that you do. How important do you feel it is for your impact to extend beyond the music?
“I don’t think it’s fair to tell people that just because they have a big platform, they have to use it for whatever we deem to be morally correct. That’s my honest opinion – I don’t think we have to… but I think we should. With me, I will talk on topics that I’m informed about and topics that I care about. I do go out of my way to educate myself but sometimes I don’t know enough to speak out about certain things and I don’t want to spread misinformation. But youth work is definitely something I’m super passionate about and I will always speak up. It just runs in the family.”
You’re currently working with McDonald’s to help launch their big youth project through the McDonald’s Makin’ It scheme. What inspired you to get on board?
“At the end of the day, whatever people think about these big corporations, if you know me and you know what I stand for, then you know that when I’m in the building I can definitely make a difference. If I’ve got the backing of a big machine like McDonald’s behind me, then we can definitely get some things done. It’s all good to say you want things to change but sometimes you have to go and actually be the change. And McDonald’s are helping with that in their Makin’ It programme.”
You have plans to host a music workshop with McDonald’s. How do you think music can be used as a channel to improve the lives of young people?
“For anyone who loves music, it’s an outlet, whether you’re a rapper or a singer or a fan. You put on your favourite song and you feel good, right? Helping kids use music as an outlet is a creative way for them to channel their energy rather than getting into trouble. Not everyone is academic, some people are creative so it’s a nice way to let the kids showcase what they can do. In school, I was very intelligent but I had severe ADHD and because of that, they used to write me off. There are a lot of kids who go to school and they might not be academically gifted but they are extremely creative and that is intelligence too – it’s just a different type of intelligence.”
100 years from now, when people talk about AJ Tracey, what do you hope they’ll say?
“Honestly, it would mean more to me if someone said that I was a really nice and caring person than if they said my music was fire. I care about leaving an impression on people. If your music is good and you’re a nice person, then you’ve really made it. When I talk to supporters and they see me in the streets, some of them say, “rah, I never thought you’d be like this, bro, you’re cool, you’re a nice person”, and that means a lot to me. It’s all down to my mum, she’s raised me well!”
AJ Tracey is currently working with McDonald’s as they launch their McDonald’s Makin’ It scheme, which aims to fundraise, rebuild youth services, create safe spaces for young people in their restaurants and support youth workers in their apprenticeships.7
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