The 22-year-old Manchester rapper Harrison Armstrong, AKA Aitch, has had a meteoric rise. His breakout, tongue-twisting 2018 track Straight Rhymez brought him to the attention of Stormzy, and singles Taste (Make It Shake) and Rain both reached the UK Top 10. Fresh-faced, with a cheeky grin, Armstrong gave voice to teen innuendoes while toting the gold chains of success.
His debut album has been much anticipated. Boasting features from Ed Sheeran and AJ Tracey, these 16 tracks are Armstrong staking his claim to the mainstream. The results are largely predictable: singles 1989 and Baby interpolate samples from Ashanti’s 2003 hit Rock Wit U and Stone Roses anthem Fools Gold, with Armstrong’s verses as embellishment. Original production In Disguise plays like a pastiche of the Streets.
These are easy wins – a sonic sugar rush that crashes once each three-minute track is over. Yet when Armstrong gives us a glimpse of life away from the party-rapping – exploring his anxieties on Belgrave Road and his relationship with his sister on My G – he showcases a newfound vulnerability. It’s a welcome new direction, suggesting a willingness to confront the darker aspects of his psyche as he matures.
