Written by Tom Bedding
An odd concept and link to the infamous food poisoning of MJ back when the Bulls were playing in Utah here...yet the overall record is a real slam dunk by the rapper.
'Anxious’, the first release from AJ Tracey this year starts off the the record, which effectively offers us a taste of this reasonably expansive release by the rapper. Lyrically, we hear about the mans current life, ranging from the expensive bars he enjoys in Mayfair and the vast amount of jewellery he has in his collection…The tone of the beat is great though, fitting well with the rappers vocal delivery and intended tone.
The standout of the LP is the classic second track I would like to say, which features the extremely talented producer/rapper, Nav. ‘Kukoč’ (named after the basketball player), has both performers skitting through this drill inspired cut incredibly, with the production by Nav being utterly phenomenal! Within the mix we have a great hook, with the slick beat propelling the spits so well and the guitar deep within, acting as a great anchor to everything.
‘I locked up the food for the kids like Boris, and then I let sit go like Rashford’ stands out on ‘Brining It Back’, a darker sounding track which features Digga D. Both rappers fit well on this sinister cut, which features a fair amount of football reference and the hook we hear is really solid too. However I do feel like the mix has a few things missing, you could almost say there are some unintentional, sparse moments that may hinder the songs overall tone for some.
It does feel like that the rapper goes back and forth of creating some incredible UK hip-hop to a slight miss-stepped lay up here. (you’ve gotta through in the basketball references for this). Despite ‘Cheerleaders’ having a great atmosphere to it with its production, the hook and performance by AJ Tracey does not match to the better moments on ‘Flue Game’.
Then the solo tracks follow with ‘Draft Pick’, ‘Eurostep’, ‘Cherry Blossom’ and ‘Glockie’, all potentially spoil his impressive release, which is not an exaggeration at all. Funnily enough, it feels fitting to have this solo passage of play by AJ Tracey as the ‘concept’ is inspired by Michael Jordan, who did at times try and do everything himself during games.
credit: Wonderland Magazine
One of the reasons why ‘Flu Game’ earns the respect it deserves, is how engaging it is with wanting to incorporate some surprising elements to its rooster. For instance, R&B and funk can be found on ‘Little More Love’ and man….its so slick and brilliant. The guitar lick is great and the melody AJ Tracey flows over, is top notch and an amazing moment on the entire LP. Those intentions and styles carry on with ‘Top Dog’, taking us back to the early 00’s with its nod that era of R&B.
‘Perfect Storm’, which includes some throwbacks by the artist, over a Spanish like guitar which is mixed in a way that should not work….but it does? Then the song ‘Coupé’ has a good feature by Kehlani and the delivery by AJ Tracey being heavily inspired by 50 Cent.
Sadly, Numba 9’ grains on me, despite SahBabii and MillieGoLightly sounding impressive on the song, while ‘Dinner Guest’ does a decent job to keep the listener engaged for the last moments of the album. Luckily, the LP does finish off well with the really enjoyable, ‘West Ten’, that features the amazing, Mabel (who sounds impeccable!). The garage inspired track really takes us back to the rappers streets and again, Mabel gives something special to this single.
'Flu Game' may not reach the heights of Air Jordan, which is just an unfair comparison to make but how can you not with this record? We are only mortals in comparison! Nevertheless, the plays by AJ Tracey here leads to this album being one of the most enjoyable UK hip-hop albums around.
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