AJ Tracey took fans by surprise with the long-awaited release of his highly-anticipated EP ‘Secure The Bag! 2.’ The nine-track project caps a huge year for the multi-platinum West London rapper, with a gift for his day-one fans; a return to the harder-edged sound of his formative years.
After deleting his Instagram earlier this year, AJ revealed a mystery mobile number, asking his fans to text him for more news, keeping them updated with teasers and news about the forthcoming EP. He explained: “this one’s for the real day 1 Lil Tracey / AJ Tracey / GTraceo fans. I made sure the ones who stuck with me get something in return.”
Essentially a way to say thank you for the endless support AJ has received, not just this year but since he first landed on the scene, ‘Secure The Bag! 2’ is almost exclusively solo – with the exception of AJ’s old friends Swoosh God and Sloan Evans, and an appearance from Grammy-nominated Northampton rapper, Slowthai. Fans will of course remember the original ‘LA4AWEEK’ featuring Swoosh God and Sloan Evans, as well as recognizing new offering ‘Red & Green’ – a flipped-version of his single 2017 ‘Quarterback’ (also produced by Keanu Beats), that AJ teased at his momentous sold-out Alexandra Palace shows at the end of 2019.
Two tracks (‘LA4AWEEK’ and ‘Blow My Phone’) have been produced by AJ himself, with further tracks seeing production from long-term collaborator Nyge and also, F1lthy & Lukrative from Working On Dying – the buzzing Philadelphia-based producers who have worked with the likes of Lil Uzi Vert and more. After previously producing 2018’s ‘Lo(v/s)er,’ the incredible Ambezza (Drake, Future, Da Baby, and more) collaborates with AJ once again, this time alongside Bouncelord on the new offering and stand-out track ‘Hikikomori.’
‘Secure The Bag! 2’ is AJ Tracey at his uncompromising best – drawing on his original rap flow but with some added moments of his developed and refined melodic rap that has seen him traversing genres and sonics over the past two years.