AJ Tracey has spoken to NME about his hopes for the upcoming General Election, as well as his plans for his “very British-sounding” new album.
READ MORE: AJ Tracey interviewed: “I’ve gone through so much. It’s been so hard, and I’m still here”
The West London rapper was speaking to NME backstage at BBC Radio One’s Big Weekend in Luton, when he shared his thoughts on Rishi Sunak’s recent snap election announcement for July 4.
“Everyone is going to have their own opinions but, for me, anything but the Tories is ideal,” he told NME. “Nowadays, I feel like voting Green because I don’t really affiliate with the parties.”
Tracey added that he doesn’t think the UK rap scene will get behind a party in a similar way to how grime artists showed their support for Jeremy Corbyn in 2020.
“Obviously we’re all getting older now but many times the youth have got behind parties,” he said. “I got behind the Lib Dems when they promised to get rid of our uni fees and I definitely was in debt to my uni, so I will never vote for Lib Dems ever again.”
Looking to the future, he also confirmed that his third album – the follow-up to 2021’s acclaimed ‘Flu Game‘ – is “basically done and definitely coming this year”.
“I’m just putting some finishing touches on it and tightening up some records,” he said, adding that people can expect “a very British sounding album. That’s what people should look forward to.”
“There definitely will be surprise moments and guests,” he went on, “but I’m not one to spoil the surprise.”
Talking about upcoming artists who he is a fan of, Tracey said that “right now I rate Jayo, Sainte, Lancey Foux, Len and Pozer.”
He added that his favourite right now is Nemzzz: “He’s cold. He’s rapping for his city and not trying to be like anyone else. He’s just doing his thing.”
Tracey also spoke about the success of his initiative that funds Black students studying at Oxford University.
“It’s going well. It’s nice to be able to give back a little bit and help great things grow,” he said. “With regards to Oxford University, there’s a stigma that a lot of kids who come from impoverished or rough backgrounds, it doesn’t matter how intelligent they are, they don’t feel like they can go there and they often feel inadequate.”
He continued: “But that’s not the case at all, and Oxford don’t think it’s the case either. So we’re trying to break the stigma and get bright and talented kids in there and do great things.”
After praising The Stormzy Scholarship, Tracey said that he thinks more artists should be using their platform to affect change.
“I get a lot of stick sometimes with people saying, ‘Why are you broadcasting that you’re doing charity?’ But I’m not broadcasting it so you can see I’m doing charity,” he said. “I’m doing it so my peers and people who are successful and make a lot of money can also delve into it and think ‘AJ’s doing that, maybe I should be doing it’.
“For me, either way, it’s a means to an end. Whether you like that I’m promoting it or you don’t, if more charity gets done then it’s a win.”
He added that he is also working on raising awareness of other issues: “I’m always keeping my ear to things that need attention, like breast cancer. That’s a cause that I care deeply about because some of my family have been affected by it.
“And Grenfell, of course, and homelessness in general. I think that’s something we need to be tackling,” said Tracey. “The UK has far too much money in it for people to not have a house. I just think that’s crazy.”
With regards to his support for the #Justice4Windrush campaign, Tracey said: “I’m from Caribbean descent and my mother is Welsh-British but my dad is from Trinidad so it made sense for me to shine a light on it.”
“I think it’s good for people to pay it forward. I came from a difficult upbringing and no-one really tried to help me, so if I can help someone else then that’s great.”
Check back at NME for more interviews from BBC Radio One’s Big Weekend.
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