AJ Tracey

AJ Tracey is a British rapper and grime MC from Ladbroke Grove in West London. He comes from a musical family — his father was a rapper of Trinidadian descent and his mother a Welsh drum and bass DJ — and he cut his teeth on the UK pirate radio and grime scenes, appearing on sets for Rinse FM and Radar Radio as part of his crew, My Team Paid.

His music moves fluidly across grime, UK rap, garage and dancehall-inflected pop, giving him crossover appeal beyond a purely grime audience. Tracks like «Ladbroke Grove», built around a UK garage sample, and «Butterflies» became major commercial hits, while collaborations with artists such as Dave and features on releases with Gorgon City show his range across scenes. Other well-known cuts include «Pasta», «Dinner Guest» and «West Ten», the latter named after his home postcode.

Having started releasing music under the name Looney as early as 2011, Tracey built his reputation gradually through street singles and radio sets before earning wider recognition, including a Best Breakthrough Act win at the Rated Awards in 2016. He remains one of the defining voices to emerge from the London grime and UK rap scene of the 2010s.