 Aitch and AJ Tracey dropped their highly anticipated single “RAIN”, produced by Tay Keith (Drake, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott), and complete with an LA-filmed visual, directed by Arrad. With the collaboration teased over the past month, and AJ even dropping the hook via Triller last week, the pair’s individual and shared fan bases have been whipped into a frenzy. Premiered on BBC Radio 1 and 1XTRA as Annie Mac’s “Hottest Record In The World” and DJ Target’s “Targo Embargo”, “RAIN” is an unavoidable presence already.
Two of the hottest names in UK Rap, and both in their twenties, Aitch and AJ Tracey are both hot off the back of their 2020 Brit Awards nominations, not forgetting the chart domination of “Taste” and “Ladbroke Grove”, respectively, last year. A formidable duo, “RAIN” makes an almighty statement of two young talents marking their territory, not just nationally, but globally. The video, filmed in LA in February, sees Aitch, and AJ making it rain - both literally and metaphorically; Iced jewelry, dollar bills, cars and energy. With both of the rappers’ individual personalities shining through, their unique flows compliment each other effortlessly over the addictive piano-heavy beat of 23-year-old Memphis Tennessee producer Tay Keith. Manchester’s finest Aitch returned with his first solo offering of the year which was dropped as a surprise release on his website, before crashing an hour later due to the influx of traffic. Those lucky enough to get through in the first 30 minutes got to see “MICE” first. After releasing the single everywhere a couple of hours later, “MICE” has accumulated over 2.5 Million streams, and broken straight into the UK Top 40. Both “MICE” and “Rain” kick off a busy few months ahead for Aitch, who hot off the back of his extended (due to popular demand) sold-out UK and EU tour, is about to embark on an Australia and NZ tour, before a Summer jam-packed with festivals. Last year, UK Rap star AJ Tracey released his eclectic self titled debut album to critical acclaim. It was one of the biggest indie albums of 2019 and charted at number 3 in the UK Official Charts, now certified Gold with over 110,000 sales. Not content with his sold-out Brixton Academy show in March, AJ topped off his biggest year to date with two sell out shows at London’s 10,000 capacity Alexandra Palace, after the first sold out in just ten minutes. AJ's hit single ‘Ladbroke Grove’ is about to go double-platinum (over 1.1 million sales); undeniably providing the soundtrack to last summer, where it spent 12 weeks in the UK Top 10, as well as winning an NME Award for Best British Song. The West London-hailing artist has continuously pushed the boundaries of UK rap, throughout his self-built journey. More on Aitch: Hailing from New Moston in North Manchester, 20 year-old MC Aitch is undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories of the last year. Debut offering "Straight Rhymez'' has now garnered well over 15 million views, being credited as the video that propelled Aitch into the limelight and released with the help of Northern Quarterz, his management team. Based in his hometown of Manchester, NQ are helping to elevate artists in the North West of England to new heights. Since then Aitch has gone on to make a solid mark on the scene nationally, his video for single “Taste (Make It Shake)” has accrued 23M views, and at one point he even featured on four songs in the UK Official Chart at one time. A keen collaborator and integral part of the UK Rap Scene, Aitch has seen huge success with his features on Young T and Bugsey “Strike Me A Pose” (Platinum), Russ x Tion Wayne “Kesha Becky (Remix)”, Ed Sheeran “Take Me Back To London” and his most recent with DigDat on “Ei8ht Mile.” With his talents recognized across the board, Aitch is unstoppable. He is YouTube’s ‘Artist On The Rise', has 1.5 million followers on Instagram alone and has support from the likes of Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, The Face, Clash, The Guardian, Line of Best Fit, and more. Follow Aitch’s journey here: https://www.instagram.com/aitch More on AJ Tracey: At just 25-years-old, nothing could have prepared AJ Tracey for his meteoric rise. The London-born artist has continuously pushed the boundaries of UK rap throughout his self-built journey. Having released music since 2011, the Ladbroke Grove rapper saw a pivotal moment in 2016’s collaboration with Dave titled “Thiago Silva.” A year and a few singles later, AJ released his Secure The Bag! EP, which saw him catapulted into the UK official chart Top 20. With a transatlantic nod of approval, AJ even appeared on tracks alongside Missy Elliott, A$AP Rocky, Rick Rossand more. AJ’s 2018 summer single “Butterflies” ft. Not3s, saw him spend an incredible eight weeks in the UK Official top 20, and six weeks on the Radio 1 A-list (with over 85 million streams to date.) AJ Tracey proved himself as one of the UK’s most dominant talents, winning the MTV Brand New title, two GRM Rated awards, and receiving multiple MOBO and AIM Awards nominations. The 24 year old even found himself placed in Forbes 30 under 30 for 2018, and named as one of British Vogue’s “Hottest Boys”, not to mention being placed on the BBC Sound Poll. AJ has modelled in brand campaigns across the board from Nike to Timberland, Tottenham to the Official FIFA World Cup campaign alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. No mean feat, the rapper has enjoyed support from the likes of Pitchfork, The Fader, Dazed & Confused, GQ, Wonderland Magazine, i-D, NME, Noisey, The Independent, The Guardian and many more. Follow AJ Tracey’s journey here: https://www.instagram.com/ajtracey
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