AJ Tracey joined Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie.
Appearing on Capital Xtra this morning with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie, AJ Tracey teased details about his upcoming untitled album, promising a funky new album by the end of the year. The London-based rapper also opened up about taking a year off Instagram to work on his mental health, and offered his views on England's chances ahead of this weekend's Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland.
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AJ Tracey – AJT
Robert Bruce – RB
Shayna Marie – SM
AJ Tracey promises to release a “funky” new album by the end of the year that explores “what it means to be British”.
SM: “I've heard talk of an album floating around, AJ Tracey, is this true?”
AJT: “Yes, yes. 100%. The album will be out by the end of the year. I was a bit hesitant to say that before because it wasn't finished, but now it's basically finished.”
SM: “What can we expect from the album?”
AJT: “Features are great, but I'll say it's not all about the features. Actually, this is about me. No, the featurers are amazing. They were awesome. But, you know, the majority of the work is me. There are a few featurers, but I handpicked them. I didn't just pick the best people in my buddies. I just picked the people that sound good on the record. So it's about the sound, you know? At the end of the day, I'm not criticizing anybody else, but features are important, you know? But I think it's important to have a consistency in the sound so that when people hear it, they think, 'These guys had fun making a record.' I mean, there's a meaning behind it. It's not like, 'They're both great, but they're just…' You know? It clashed. I can tell you the theme. The theme is about being British – my British experience, what it means to be British. I listened to funky music as a kid, so this rhythm is kind of a funky reference. Obviously grime, dancehall and whatever my influences are as a black British guy, that's what the album will sound like.”
AJ Tracey explains why she took a year-long break from Instagram to focus on her mental health and personal development
RB: “That's amazing. Everything you represent. What kind of journey have you been on over the last few years, or since your last album?”
AJT: “Life is good, you know? My mom is super happy, doing well, smiling, I have my own backyard now and all that stuff. Going to see my cats is just another little aspect of my life. Outside of music, like you, I've got a lot of business going on, like what we have to do. But money aside, my mental state is better than it's ever been. I kind of took a break from Instagram. I think it was around 2019, I can't remember exactly, but I deleted it for like a year. There was just too much pressure being an artist and it was building up. Where you come from and where I come from, obviously, it's kind of drilled into your head to be this type of person and to always be on your guard. You know? Not to trust people, not to go out and experience new things, or, 'I shouldn't be there,' or, 'I don't belong there,' you know what I mean? I had to unlearn a lot of things that I learned before. So I took a little bit of a break and worked on my mental health. And, yeah, I feel good. I feel a lot more mature. Of course, I'm 30 now, so it's a new chapter for me. I had to be like, 'I can't act like a kid anymore.'”
SM: “I'm on the third floor now.”
AJT: “Exactly. No, I'm gonna be honest. I'm gonna be honest. But it's important. You have to evolve as a person and as an artist and your music will grow with that, because as you go through it, you'll be able to talk about it. You know what I'm saying? I say it in every interview so I think you all know, but Skepta is my favorite rapper. When I listen to his music, I'm always growing through music. So that inspires me to keep improving and pushing myself. So we're working on it.”
Rapper AJ Tracey believes Gareth Southgate is not the man to take England forward because he is playing defensive football with “the best attacking players in the world”.
RB: “What are your thoughts on England and the Euros and the quarter-finals? Can you give us a quick rundown?”
AJT: “Amazing, amazing, amazing. I have a lot of friends who play football so I'll be rooting for them. I'll be rooting for England. I hope we win.”
RB: “Haha! That's a political answer.”
AJT: “No, no, no. What I'm going to say is this. Honestly, as a fan, I wish we could play better football. But as a Tottenham fan, if they told me we could play bad football and still win, I'd say, 'All right, come on. Let's do it.' At the end of the day, it's the same as tournament football. They're playing differently. They're playing to win. And playing to win isn't always pretty. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes you get a little fight out there and you have to kick somebody you shouldn't kick. You've got to win. You know what I'm saying? That's the reality. But I wish we could beat Switzerland. I don't think we can. That's my honest opinion. That's my honest opinion. Because a lot of them, like… Our team might be the best team on paper, but their team has heart. You know the Turkish team? But they have passion. It's like, they're fighting fire. You know what I'm saying? So, I don't know.” All our players are super-high-paid, celebrities, jumping out of Ferraris.”
RB: “They don't know hard work. We need to get back to hard work!”
AJT: “They may know the struggle, but you know what I'm saying? They're all Premier League players, Real Madrid players. You know what I'm saying? Some of the Turkish teams are like, 'This is our shop. This is our job.' So I don't know. It's different to fight for their job. You know what I'm saying? But I hope we win. I'm on their side. We need someone to shake up the team a little bit. I just, with all due respect, I don't think Southgate is the right manager. And we need someone who's going to play. We have the best attacking players in the whole tournament, but we're playing defensive football. It just… doesn't make sense.”