Comments made by AJ Tracey about the objectification of women in rap music have resurfaced, with the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star arguing that many rappers aren’t “aware of the severity of what they’re saying”.
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Recently, a clip recirculated online of the West Londoner talking at the prestigious Oxford Union in October 2022. A student asked Tracey if the objectification of women in rap and drill was integral to the genre’s culture and how to change it.
The ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star began by thanking her for her question, adding that it is “a serious one”.
“I do not think the culture and the objectification of women are one and the same,” he said. “I think it’s a decision young men make – to rap about certain topics. Sometimes they feel that they are rapping about their lived experiences but, in general, they’re actually hurting a large group of people by the comments they make.
He explained further: “And, I’m sure a lot of them aren’t aware because they’re young and naïve. I’m sure I’ve said things in the past that are offensive to certain groups but as you learn and grow – as a human and as an artist – you learn to not say these things. Some of the environments you grow up in are very toxic and we don’t learn these lessons as a kid, and we have to learn them as an adult and, by the time you get to an adult – if you have the spotlight on you – these mistakes that you’re making are amplified.”
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He added: “So, to answer your question: it’s, again, something that we have to tackle. I don’t think a lot of the youth that are making a lot of the comments that you are alluding to: they’re not aware of the severity of what they’re saying and how hurtful it is to other people. So, it’s something that we need to teach, for sure.
“As I say, any good artist is growing and evolving – any human, to be honest. We’re all changing and we need to look out for each other and make sure that we’re pulling people up when we can.”
At the time of the speech, the rapper launched The AJ Tracey Fund to support Black and Ethnic Minority students at St Peters College, Oxford in light of the discrimination he faced throughout his career. When asked what motivated him to do so, he said he hopes to “help underrepresented students have an easier time.”
Recently, Tracey confirmed that he was working on his third studio album. In a radio interview, he confirmed there’d be “good features” on the album and that he was inspired by UK funky music, grime and dancehall.
While speaking to NME back in May, he revealed that the album is “basically finished” and “definitely coming this year.” He promised that his long-awaited LP – which will serve as the follow-up to 2021’s ‘Flu Game’ – would be “a very British sounding” one.
Since 2021, Tracey has released five singles: in 2022, he dropped the frenetic ‘Reasonable’ and Jersey club-inspired ‘Seoul’. The following year, he shared only one single, ‘Wifey Riddim 4’ – the romantic fourth instalment in his ‘Wifey Riddim’ song series.
This year the 30-year-old put out two more tracks: he mixed baile funk with lo-fi rap on ‘Joga Bonito’ and samples Kyla‘s funky house hit ‘Do You Mind’ on ‘Bubble Bath’. He also teamed up with Skrillex and BEAM to feature on ‘Make A W’ from Headie One’s latest album, ‘The Last One’.
In a four-star review of ‘Flu Game’, NME said Tracey “remains in a league of his own” and “crafted another successful project whose streaming numbers, singles and infectious melodies will live on in memory.”
Back in August, he surprised fans at Jorja Smith’s set at Reading Festival to perform their 2019 UK Number Three collaboration, ‘Ladbroke Grove’ – a song NME has lauded as one of the most “essential UK garage anthems” ever.