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TEN TALKS TO AJ TRACEY

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We've had British artist AJ Tracey's sophomore album on repeat over the last few weeks at Ten Towers. No skips. Flu Game draws parallels with the story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the '90s, and so, Tracey presented his second album in homage to MJ. So, we talked to the Ladbroke Grove rapper about creating the album, growing up in London and of course, fashion:

Congratulations on the album. We love it. How do you think you've evolved as an artist during the process of making this album?

"Thank you very much. I think the general verse of this album is I took it a lot more seriously when it comes to the content. I tried to be a bit more mature; obviously, I've grown, I've aged, and I've learnt things since my first debut album. So I'm just trying to mature, evolve, roll with the times and try to make sure that my content matches how I've levelled up."

You draw parallels with MJ and the Bulls in the 90s. Have you always been a Bulls fan? What are the parallels and when did you realise this would be a big part of the album, especially the visuals?

"I've always been a fan of the Bulls, but I'm not the biggest basketball fan ever. I've always been in awe of the drama of basketball, you know how they achieve their accomplishments, how hard they train, the dedication and just the general story and drama behind basketball. So, I've definitely been a Bulls fan specifically for a long time, not just for MJ but for Rodman, Pippen, Kukoč, all the main players. Even the red and black merch is iconic, isn't it? In terms of parallels I feel like music and not just basketball but sport, always have a lot of parallels so it's quite easy to draw comparisons between them. I just think that the dedication, the hard work, the glory that pays off for the end are all drawing from the same point."

The red and black merch is iconic. You always look great. Are there specific designers or brands that really resonate with you?

"Thank you very much for saying I look great. I mean, there are a few, Louis Vuitton, Off-White because of Virgil having a black man in charge in such a position of power is amazing to me. I'm really proud of him. I think that the ethos of both companies, maybe more so Off-White, I really rock with, so I would say that yeah man that's a brand that I really associate with those two. Also Dior, I love Dior. There's a few man, there's a few, I don't want to give too much away about my secret source, you get me, but Dior, Off-White, Louis Vuitton, Number 9, Chanel, there's quite a few."

You have great features on the album. Who did you learn the most from? Who was the most exciting to work with?

"Probably Kehlani, because I don't usually do songs like that, and it took me out of my comfort zone a little bit, so I think that I learnt a lot from that song. Just trying to be in tune with, I wouldn't say my feminine side but just trying to make sure that it's content that females can relate to rather than always angelling my music towards men if that makes sense."

Who else is still on your dream collab list?

"Lil Nas X, for sure, rest in peace DMX that would've been wicked. But obviously, he's passed. I think it's gotta be Nas I'd like to do a tune with 50 cent as well. I think those two [DMX and 50] growing up were all I really listened to."

How did growing up in London influence your sound? Do you still find yourself being inspired there?

"Growing up in London influenced my sound because it's very much multicultural, fast-moving, you know...it's a fast-moving city. It's very hectic, so you've got to learn to adapt, you know as they call it the concrete jungle. I think keeping a level head and learning little pieces of everyone's culture is kind of what moulded me. So I think London has a big part to play, you know, in influencing me."

Which song are you most proud of?

"Probably Little More Love. That's just a very musical song, a lot more musical than what I usually make a lot of time, a lot of effort went into that song, even down to the layers of the instruments. The live sax... I'm really proud of that song, man, the content - from top to bottom, that song is just for me one of my best tracks if not my best track."

2020 was a crazy year for many but you experienced so much success. What was the best moment for you?

"Yeah, 2020 was definitely a crazy year, I mean, it's easy to look at the negative but for me there were a lot of positives also. I feel like in my personal life that was one of the worst years I've ever had, but you know career-wise it was one of the best, so it's very bitter-sweet when I think of 2020. I think that the songs that I dropped how well they performed, that's all great, that's a bonus. But I think more so what I really take from 2020 is learning to be content and be happy and find happiness within rather than just from music because we all have ups and downs and when it goes quiet it can be really harsh on your mental health if you get all your happiness just from your success so I think that's the main lesson it taught me."

How do you want people to listen to Flu Game for the first time?

"How do I want them to listen to it? You know what I don't mind, I kind of designed this album to be consumed in multiple ways, you can hear it for the first time in a club and if that's your first memory of the song of the LP sorry, that's great, if you hear it on your own where your really just trying to take the music in you don't want to drive, your just sitting at home with headphones in that's great. If you have the luxury of listening to it on studio level, professional speakers, then that's amazing. I guess that's the optimum listening level, so that's great. Any way, anywhere you can - your AirPods or your PlayStation headphones, whatever it is, I'm just happy that you're listening to it and giving it a chance."

Listen to Flu Game here.