NEWS
Aj Tracey: "None of this stuff that you think matters. It doesn't matter"
22 June 2025
West London rapper AJ Tracey joined Dotty on Apple Music 1 to discuss the release of his new studio album ‘Don’t Die Before You’re Dead’, out now.
During the interview, AJ unpacks the meaning behind the album's title, and having to deal with depression while his mother was ill, and the lesson it taught him to live life to the fullest. He also reflects on ignoring the negativity on social media, playing Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, recording with Skepta and the importance of being present in the moment.
AJ tells Dotty about the meaning behind album title ‘Dont Die Before You’re Dead’...
“To be honest with you, it's like, I've been through a lot of things since I dropped the second album and it is, life is beautiful, but it's also quite tough sometimes. You know what I'm saying? I went through a lot of stuff. Obviously as I'd said on one of my records, my mum was ill.
?I'm saying I just dealt with some anxiety, a bit of depression, all the things that everyone goes through, we all go through it, I'm saying, but I come on the other side stronger and with a different perspective on life and the perspective was rare. Cool. I do shows and yeah, with rappers and you take the pic for the Gram and you make lit music and festivals, that's all cool, but also you are human aside from that you know what I'm saying, you have a home life, you have a relationship with whoever your partner, your mom, your dad, whoever, your siblings, and you have to foster those relationships and make sure that your life is being lived.
?So the title basically just says, if you invert it, it's live your life, isn't it. Don't die before you're dead means live your life because we're going to die. It's a guarantee. So why not just live it and enjoy what you're doing? And if you think about it, I could upload a video and people can be like, oh, this song's whack or AJ fell off, or whatever they want to say. But actually does that person's opinion matter to me? Not really. Look at how beautiful life is, man. You just got to do what you enjoy. Not to be too deep, but that's the truth, ain't it?
Yeah, that's me talking to myself. But also it's like every time I talk to myself in the public eye, I'm also talking to everyone who listens to me know what I'm saying. And it's a nice message. It's not a message of I'm not trying to send people down a weird path. It's a path of like, yo, trust me, none of this stuff that you think matters. It doesn't matter. I'm saying that comment on Instagram doesn't matter. That person who made a weird comment about your outfit, it don't matter. As long as you are happy, you're enjoying, that's what matters.
?And it's true though. It's actually true. Once you understand that life becomes way easier, you become a bit more free because I used to sit there stressing that rare, the next song, is it going to do what my last song done and what's people going to think but It don't matter though, it actually don't matter. Look how far I've already come. When I was younger and I was rapping, just writing by some fun, I didn't think I'll get this far. I've already times 10 how far I thought I was going to come. So just be grateful, you know what I'm saying? And whatever I get is a bonus. It's an extra on top of what I already have. So yeah man. And it's easier to live life of that because it's less stress on it.”
AJ Tracey reflects with Dotty on his career highlights and the importance of being present...
"I'll do festivals and sometimes I used to be at a festival, say I'm at at Glastonbury, we'd done the pyramid stage and we had a live band.
It was sick, it was so sick. I dunno how many people was in that crowd, but a lot more people than I ever performed to. And I wasn't present in the moment. And I wish that I was because sometimes I, because I get anxious as well, sometimes I'll just go on stage, put the AJ mask on, and then just live this moment for 45 minutes to an hour, however long the set is, and I'll just not really be in the moment. I'm just kind of blocking it out and running through the automations of me performing my songs and interacting with the crowd. But I'll come off stage and just act like it's normal. But it's not normal though. That's really not normal. Doing Pyramid stage is amazing. That's a really big thing. And I wish I was more present for the moment because when I think back of how it felt to be on stage, I can't, does that make sense?
There's so many. This was sad though. So many. There's so moments that I wish I was present for, which is kind of what woke me up to trying to be present. Because I'm thinking back and I'm like, yo, when I did Ally Pally, I remember how lit it was. I remember how big it was. I remember the moment. I remember people being there, but I don't remember how it felt though. You see what I'm saying? I can watch it back. And I'm like, cool. That was lit. I don't remember the feeling though. You remember the feeling of whatever your first going to the cinema the first time or linking your first significant other or whatever it is. But I don't remember that feeling of being at Ally Pally, which is weird. I because a massive moment in my career when Ladbroke Grove was doing, everyone was doing in the charts. I don't remember how that felt, I'll be honest. That's crazy.
?I was just like, I remember in Studio with Skepta, I was so excited before he got there. And then in the studio I was doing the cool thing, do you get I was doing the Come On man. Obviously he was in Grove with a manam, so I rated that he came to link the Mandem Grove, but I should have been more present in terms of I should have asked them more. Obviously I can call Skepta, big up Skep, but I should have asked them more at the moment. Like, oh, how are you producing this beat? What are you doing? Just take more initiative to really expand on the experience. You know what I'm saying? So man, that's what I'm doing from now anyway. So better late than never.”
During the interview, AJ unpacks the meaning behind the album's title, and having to deal with depression while his mother was ill, and the lesson it taught him to live life to the fullest. He also reflects on ignoring the negativity on social media, playing Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, recording with Skepta and the importance of being present in the moment.
“To be honest with you, it's like, I've been through a lot of things since I dropped the second album and it is, life is beautiful, but it's also quite tough sometimes. You know what I'm saying? I went through a lot of stuff. Obviously as I'd said on one of my records, my mum was ill.
?I'm saying I just dealt with some anxiety, a bit of depression, all the things that everyone goes through, we all go through it, I'm saying, but I come on the other side stronger and with a different perspective on life and the perspective was rare. Cool. I do shows and yeah, with rappers and you take the pic for the Gram and you make lit music and festivals, that's all cool, but also you are human aside from that you know what I'm saying, you have a home life, you have a relationship with whoever your partner, your mom, your dad, whoever, your siblings, and you have to foster those relationships and make sure that your life is being lived.
?So the title basically just says, if you invert it, it's live your life, isn't it. Don't die before you're dead means live your life because we're going to die. It's a guarantee. So why not just live it and enjoy what you're doing? And if you think about it, I could upload a video and people can be like, oh, this song's whack or AJ fell off, or whatever they want to say. But actually does that person's opinion matter to me? Not really. Look at how beautiful life is, man. You just got to do what you enjoy. Not to be too deep, but that's the truth, ain't it?
Yeah, that's me talking to myself. But also it's like every time I talk to myself in the public eye, I'm also talking to everyone who listens to me know what I'm saying. And it's a nice message. It's not a message of I'm not trying to send people down a weird path. It's a path of like, yo, trust me, none of this stuff that you think matters. It doesn't matter. I'm saying that comment on Instagram doesn't matter. That person who made a weird comment about your outfit, it don't matter. As long as you are happy, you're enjoying, that's what matters.
?And it's true though. It's actually true. Once you understand that life becomes way easier, you become a bit more free because I used to sit there stressing that rare, the next song, is it going to do what my last song done and what's people going to think but It don't matter though, it actually don't matter. Look how far I've already come. When I was younger and I was rapping, just writing by some fun, I didn't think I'll get this far. I've already times 10 how far I thought I was going to come. So just be grateful, you know what I'm saying? And whatever I get is a bonus. It's an extra on top of what I already have. So yeah man. And it's easier to live life of that because it's less stress on it.”
AJ Tracey reflects with Dotty on his career highlights and the importance of being present...
"I'll do festivals and sometimes I used to be at a festival, say I'm at at Glastonbury, we'd done the pyramid stage and we had a live band.
It was sick, it was so sick. I dunno how many people was in that crowd, but a lot more people than I ever performed to. And I wasn't present in the moment. And I wish that I was because sometimes I, because I get anxious as well, sometimes I'll just go on stage, put the AJ mask on, and then just live this moment for 45 minutes to an hour, however long the set is, and I'll just not really be in the moment. I'm just kind of blocking it out and running through the automations of me performing my songs and interacting with the crowd. But I'll come off stage and just act like it's normal. But it's not normal though. That's really not normal. Doing Pyramid stage is amazing. That's a really big thing. And I wish I was more present for the moment because when I think back of how it felt to be on stage, I can't, does that make sense?
There's so many. This was sad though. So many. There's so moments that I wish I was present for, which is kind of what woke me up to trying to be present. Because I'm thinking back and I'm like, yo, when I did Ally Pally, I remember how lit it was. I remember how big it was. I remember the moment. I remember people being there, but I don't remember how it felt though. You see what I'm saying? I can watch it back. And I'm like, cool. That was lit. I don't remember the feeling though. You remember the feeling of whatever your first going to the cinema the first time or linking your first significant other or whatever it is. But I don't remember that feeling of being at Ally Pally, which is weird. I because a massive moment in my career when Ladbroke Grove was doing, everyone was doing in the charts. I don't remember how that felt, I'll be honest. That's crazy.
?I was just like, I remember in Studio with Skepta, I was so excited before he got there. And then in the studio I was doing the cool thing, do you get I was doing the Come On man. Obviously he was in Grove with a manam, so I rated that he came to link the Mandem Grove, but I should have been more present in terms of I should have asked them more. Obviously I can call Skepta, big up Skep, but I should have asked them more at the moment. Like, oh, how are you producing this beat? What are you doing? Just take more initiative to really expand on the experience. You know what I'm saying? So man, that's what I'm doing from now anyway. So better late than never.”
