AJ Tracey

West London grime MC AJ Tracey advanced from pirate radio roots to emerge as a central voice among the second wave of U.K. grime artists. His commercial ascent began with the 2018 single "Butterflies," after which his self-titled debut album claimed the top spot on the U.K. album charts in 2019.

Born Che Wolton Grant in London’s Brixton district in 1994, Tracey decided early on to chase a life in music, shaped by his Trinidad & Tobago-born father, a former rapper, and his Welsh mother, once a drum’n’bass DJ. He began composing rhymes at six, just as grime’s initial surge took hold. Even when the genre faltered, he refused to abandon it. As he entered his early twenties and grime regained momentum, Tracey actively chased airplay, progressing from pirate stations to Rinse.FM, NTS, and ultimately BBC Radio 1.

Once his radio presence was established, he issued a series of EPs, opening with The Front EP in July 2015 and following later that year with the Alex Moran EP. In 2016 he strengthened his standing through collaborations, further broadcasts, and the Lil Tracey EP, earning a nomination for BBC’s Sound of 2017. During 2017 he put out Secure the Bag along with the single "False 9" and handled production on "LA4AWeek." The next year he scored his first U.K. Top 20 single, "Butterflies," and followed it with the Top 40 entry "Lo(v/s)er." He simultaneously prepared his debut album, which arrived in early 2019 and incorporated Afrobeat, dancehall, and country elements. The project performed strongly, prompting the 2020 release of EP Secure the Bag! 2, which included contributions from slowthai, Sloan Evans, and Swoosh God. In 2021 Tracey issued the singles "Bringing It Back" and "Anxious," each reaching the U.K. Top 50.