Speaking to GRM about his stage name, AJ explained:
"Basically when I used to shot, I couldn’t give my real name. I used to wear loads of Armani, so I called myself AJ. The Tracey comes from this guy called Stacey in my ends. Everyone used to be/is scared of him so I thought, if a man has a girl’s name and he’s still scaring people, the maybe I should try doing it so I can be THAT guy."
Whether it’s sets on Rinse or Radar Radio alongside his crew, My Team Paid, street singles with rising talents like Dave and Reeko Squeeze, or collaborations with big names like Gorgon City, Tinchy Stryder and P Money, over recent years, AJ has proven himself to be one to watch.
Sure enough, in 2016, he won Best Breakthrough Act at the Rated Awards, and was nominated for the Best Newcomer and Best Grime Act categories at the MOBOs. Following the release of his Lil Tracey EP in December, he also made the BBC Sound of 2017 longlist, the Independent’s Ones to Watch 2017 and the VEVO dscvr Ones to Watch 2017 list. He toured the UK and US throughout 2017.
In October 2017, he released the Secure the Bag! EP, featuring guest vocals from Jme, Denzel Curry, 67 and Craig David. The eight-track project became his first to enter the UK Albums Chart, coming in at number thirteen.
In early 2018, AJ Tracey modelled for the OVO clothing line in 2018.[26] In May 2018, Tracey released the single "Butterflies" featuring Not3s. The song served as AJ Tracey's commercial breakthrough, peaking at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was followed up with "Lo(v/s)er", which peaked at number 38. Tracey also featured on Craig David's album "The Time is now" collaborating on the track "Somebody like me". In early July 2019 the Swedish rapper Z.E [sv] released his second album, Mer än rap ("more than rap"). Tracey was featured on the title track "More Than Rap".
On 21 November 2018, Tracey announced the pre-order of his self-titled debut album, released on 8 February 2019. The lead single, "Doing It", was released for streaming and digital on the same day. Four more singles were released to promote AJ Tracey: "Butterflies" featuring Not3s, "Psych Out!", "Necklace" featuring Jay Critch, and "Ladbroke Grove". AJ Tracey debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and is certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Ladbroke Grove" became Tracey's highest-charting single peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart. On 10 October 2019, Tracey announced the upcoming release of a deluxe edition of AJ Tracey, to feature five new songs and a couple of surprises. The album was released on 25 October. On 14 February 2020, AJ Tracey announced his Australian tour starting in Adelaide on 24 April, but was later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 22 March 2021, AJ Tracey announced via a fake press conference on YouTube his second studio album titled Flu Game as well as the album's tracklist, which was released on 16 April 2021. The album includes singles such as Dinner Guest, West Ten, "Anxious", and "Bringing It Back". 5 hours prior to the release of the album, AJ released the single "Little More Love" as well as releasing a music video on YouTube.
Buster Cannon
AJ Tracey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Man's from Grove, you already know
Beg friend who? Kick him in a hole
Bare Nike ticks on the kicks, that shows
Asked who I am, she already knows
Gang only, gangdem, that's bros
Fam know me, famdem, let's go
"Can I get a verse?" Big fat no
Squad with smoke, click clack blow
Man chat nuff, go get a job
Girls want cuff, I just want gwop
You're a wasteman, you're a big fat slob
Don't have a fit, don't cry, don't sob
Turn up to shows, I'm already drunk
Shelling down grime, I don't do funk
Guys got the shotgun, big like Inch
And the barrel come long like a elephant's trunk (Wah?)
Stepping on checks, stepping onstage
I don't want a beat from them man, that's dead
If it ain't Nyge or Faze then it's Tre
'Cuh the beat sound like an amm pack to the head
Backstage entrance, no front door
Got a plus 10 and they've got a plus 4
Man do graveyard when I'm on tour
Don't chase girls, lose one, there's more
Backstage, couple drinks, I'm loose
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Backstage, couple drinks, I'm loose
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
I'm in the green room
All my Gs dem smoking with the green
Crem amm-amm to the dome
This big fat bud, no seed
My riders got a couple bottles
Red Bulls in the tiles for the Gs
Girls tryna leech
I ain't here for the pum, man came for the Ps
So show me the money, man shut down for the money
Lock off the rave for the money
Man don't give out my bars, that's money
Man won't promote your garms, that's money
Yeah, I'm a tank on stage like Kanté
Stir up the waves like Ashanté
Ask a peng if she heard 'Packages', yes?
Off pant, take off the panty
Woah, pull up the deck when I turn up
Bare reloads, man ah burn up
Tryna' stack bread, man ah earn up
If you never knew, better learn up
My guys got the MAC, no burger
Some new tings that you ain't heard of
If you diss my guys, it's a AM
If you diss my marge, it's a murder
Backstage, couple drinks, I'm loose
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Backstage, couple drinks, I'm loose
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Backstage, couple drinks, I'm loose
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Backstage, couple drinks, I'm loose
All I see is bums and boobs
I'm turnt, step on the stage
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Buster cannon, blow up the room
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
Buster cannon, blow up the room
The song "Buster Cannon" by AJ Tracey is a track that describes his experience before and during his performances, particularly in underground shows. The first verse describes him as being intoxicated backstage while seeing bums and boobs, a common sight in his industry. He then steps onstage, where he performs with such intensity that he metaphorically "blows up the room" with his "Buster Cannon" - a reference to his impressive rhymes and flow. The second verse talks about his ride-or-die mentality with his gang only, and his persistence in pursuing more profit than fame. The last verse is about Tracey and his crew partaking in smoking weed and being surrounded by girls, but his priority being earning money from his music.
Overall, the song represents the harsh and somewhat chaotic atmosphere of the UK rap game, where getting intoxicated is common and the main focus is on earning profits from shows and songs. However, with his skilled rhymes, AJ Tracey distinguishes himself and shows his worth as a rapper.
Line by Line Meaning
Backstage, couple drinks, I'm loose
AJ is having a great time backstage after having a few drinks.
All I see is bums and boobs
AJ notices a lot of people with body parts exposed.
I'm turnt, step on the stage
AJ is hyped up and ready to perform.
Buster cannon, man gon' blow up the room
AJ is going to set the stage on fire with his performance.
Lickin' down shows and I'm bringing in racks
AJ is tearing down shows and making a lot of money.
Man's from Grove, you already know
AJ is from Grove and people are aware of it.
Beg friend who? Kick him in a hole
AJ doesn't care about people who beg for favors.
Bare Nike ticks on the kicks, that shows
AJ's Nike shoes have a lot of branding on them.
Asked who I am, she already knows
People already know who AJ is.
Gang only, gangdem, that's bros
AJ is loyal to his gang.
Fam know me, famdem, let's go
AJ's family knows who he is and he's ready to go.
"Can I get a verse?" Big fat no
AJ won't give anyone a verse.
Squad with smoke, click clack blow
AJ's crew is armed and ready to attack if necessary.
Man chat nuff, go get a job
People who talk too much should get a job.
Girls want cuff, I just want gwop
AJ just wants money, not a relationship.
You're a wasteman, you're a big fat slob
AJ is insulting someone who he thinks isn't doing anything with their life.
Don't have a fit, don't cry, don't sob
AJ is telling someone not to be upset.
Turn up to shows, I'm already drunk
AJ shows up to shows already drunk.
Shelling down grime, I don't do funk
AJ is a grime artist and he doesn't do funk.
Guys got the shotgun, big like Inch
AJ's crew is armed with a large shotgun.
And the barrel come long like a elephant's trunk (Wah?)
The shotgun's barrel is long like an elephant's trunk.
Stepping on checks, stepping onstage
AJ is stepping on checks (money) and stepping on stage.
I don't want a beat from them man, that's dead
AJ doesn't want beats from certain people.
If it ain't Nyge or Faze then it's Tre
AJ only wants beats from Nyge, Faze or Tre.
'Cuh the beat sound like an amm pack to the head
AJ only wants beats that are good enough to knock someone out.
Backstage entrance, no front door
AJ uses the backstage entrance and not the front door.
Got a plus 10 and they've got a plus 4
AJ has more people with him than the other group.
Man do graveyard when I'm on tour
AJ is working hard when he's on tour, even at night.
Don't chase girls, lose one, there's more
AJ doesn't chase after girls because there are more out there.
I'm in the green room
AJ is in the green room.
All my Gs dem smoking with the green
AJ and his crew are smoking marijuana.
Crem amm-amm to the dome
AJ is smoking marijuana and getting high.
This big fat bud, no seed
The marijuana is large and of good quality.
My riders got a couple bottles
AJ's crew has a few bottles of alcohol.
Red Bulls in the tiles for the Gs
AJ has Red Bull drinks for his crew in the fridge.
Girls tryna leech
Girls are trying to use AJ for his fame/money.
I ain't here for the pum, man came for the Ps
AJ is not interested in relationships, he's only interested in money.
So show me the money, man shut down for the money
AJ will do anything for money.
Lock off the rave for the money
AJ will shut down a concert if they're not paying him enough.
Man don't give out my bars, that's money
AJ won't give out his lyrics to someone for free, he wants to get paid.
Man won't promote your garms, that's money
AJ won't promote someone's clothing line without getting paid.
Yeah, I'm a tank on stage like Kanté
AJ is strong and powerful on stage like N'Golo Kanté.
Stir up the waves like Ashanté
AJ is causing a commotion on stage like Ashanti did.
Ask a peng if she heard 'Packages', yes?
AJ is asking a girl if she's heard his song 'Packages.'
Off pant, take off the panty
AJ is trying to convince the girl to have sex with him.
Woah, pull up the deck when I turn up
AJ turns up the music when he gets there.
Bare reloads, man ah burn up
AJ has to keep reloading the music because everyone loves it.
Tryna' stack bread, man ah earn up
AJ is trying to stack (earn) money.
If you never knew, better learn up
AJ thinks people should know who he is by now.
My guys got the MAC, no burger
AJ's crew has a MAC-10 submachine gun.
Some new tings that you ain't heard of
AJ has some new things that people haven't heard before.
If you diss my guys, it's a AM
If you disrespect AJ's crew, you'll experience some sort of retaliation.
If you diss my marge, it's a murder
If you disrespect AJ's mother, someone might get killed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Che Grant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zinqq
Visuals are ridiculously good. Typa shit shouldn't even be allowed on Youtube.
Toby Poulter
they are in mad places but cant beat the editing on this
2K Swish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsowJ62YTRI - Check me out bless
CAMMY
Jayzinq I
MaxRaxGaming
KASSIM WILLIS what I thought too looks a lot like ny/japan
MaxRaxGaming
JayzinQ probably filmed i Japan
max
AJ knew that mask would come in handy couple years later....coronavirus
TheKingConflict
Japanese did
Katie Cakes
Fashion MC
Katie Cakes
Need to hide his face after the pop star tunes