Listen: AJ Tracey (@AJFromTheLane) Goes In On His FITB

“AJ from The Lane” first came up on my radar as a problem with the infectious “Spirit Bomb. The West Londoner whippin’ and flexin’ as he intentionally misses the drop, still somehow managing to weave in and out of the beats ridges effortlessly.

“Thought that I missed the drop but I never”

After recent months of shelling AJ’ finally gets to flex’ on a Fire In The Booth on the Charlie Sloth show. AJ blending trap rap with the nostalgic grime essence that we have come to love. He comes with the kind of cockiness that makes you feel so assured in his tales whilst maintaining that cold reload factor.

The skippy flows a consistent theme as he floats over the slower more neatly layered beat, making his intentions clear from the get go. He moves on to a even slower beat still, in Twistas “Overnight Celebrity” this time mellow vibes, taking the perfect opportunity to tell the tales of his ambitions and feelings toward the industry in contrast to his lifestyle in the “Wstrn like Haile”. An almost grime/garage feel with a twist.

 “Too light skin I could never get dumped”

Back to the crud talk and more familiar football references, over the Drizzy “All Summer 16” beat. Tracey wastes no time getting up to speed as the beat bursts into action. Ironically he mentions foreplay but honestly there really wasn’t any.

“El sharawaay man skip then blast”[I love El Sharawaay btw]

Getting straight to the nitty gritty of it all (Defo not playing clean) but not letting you forget that he can match that with bars too. He wraps it up with a seamless sequence starting with women and ending with an alcoholic double entendre. [Women and Alcohol an unheard of mixture].

“What a shame she’s a sham so Im gonna make her sing for the pain.” – Champagne

“Bubbly, brudda I’m a ace of the spades”-Ace of Spades 

“Money over everything…. Do you get me it’s crystal clear what I’m saying”- Crystaaaallll *Jigga Voice*

The contrasting grittyness either side of the calmer more introspective take is what made this FITB better than what it might seem on first listen. The West London boy definitely let us know he’s more than one dimensional. One that grows on you!