AJ Tracey has traded crime for grime. The young London MC was studying criminology at university before he withdrew from his studies when his music started making waves. He has hardly looked back. “You said I wouldn’t go far,” he raps at some imaginary naysayer. However, a plug from superstar Drake saw Thiago Silva – Tracey’s collaboration with the rapper Dave – go viral in 2016, and he’s already performing sold-out crowds such as this. A youngish audience clamber on each other’s shoulders and greet his entrance with a chant of “AJ! Tracey!”
The son of a Trinidadian rapper and a Welsh pirate radio DJ, Tracey gives an ever-evolving genre his own distinct style. His hook-laden grime combines rattling 140bpm beats, sci-fi-type electronic noises, dancehall-style reloads (where a track is stopped, then performed again) and lyrics that cover the young, black urban experience, from police harassment to a popular London fried chicken shop. His diamond-hard, aggressive delivery adds to the atmosphere of thrilling chaos. At one point, the small stage – inexplicably flanked by giant plants – is crammed with a dozen members of his touring party.
However, Tracey never loses control. “I love this!” he says, laughing, as Leave Me Alone, Pasta and especially Buster Cannon (“blow up the room”) turn the body-slamming audience circle pit into a scene from a vintage hardcore punk gig. Many fans presumably already own his Lil Tracey EP, but he encourages everyone to get it anyway, adding: “And if you can’t afford it, steal it.”
• At Y Plas, Cardiff on 27 January. Box office: 029-2078 1400. Then touring the UK until 26 February.
