AJ Tracey – Don’t Die Before You’re Dead Album Review
23 Jun 2025
Third Time Lucky isn’t the first track on the album ‘Don’t Die Before You’re Dead’ but who says we have to start from the beginning? We write our own rules. Especially the writer. I chose to begin here because when the beat first hits, you brace yourself for a sad song. Maybe heartbreak. But in an interview, AJ Tracey said it’s about hope. Perseverance. Honouring his mum.
The opening bars catch you off guard. It feels soft, somber, but there’s a quiet strength beneath it. He’s not rapping about winning. He’s rapping about surviving. And somehow, that lands harder. It feels like a private conversation he’s having with his friends – maybe even a younger brother. I can tell this is going to be a powerful song for so many people.
Later, I learned more about what the track really holds. It’s about going through the worst times with your loved ones, and coming out stronger on the other side. AJ said he wanted to be honest, but also hopeful. To give strength to the people who need it.
In order to process something so heavy, he said, he had to name it. Face it directly. And that’s what makes Third Time Lucky so powerful: it doesn’t shy away. There’s pain in there, but it’s transformed into something useful. Something giving.
He’s also using it to raise awareness. £1 from every purchase of the 3rd Time Lucky CD and keyring bundle is being donated to Maggie’s Centres. A charity that offers expert support to people with cancer and those who love them. That message sits underneath the music, and deepens it. There’s real generosity in this record.
Last week, I went to AJ’s album launch at Maida Vale, BBC Studios. Family, friends, a few of us from the press. The front row was all MTP. You could feel how personal it was. Not just for AJ, but for everyone who’s been part of the journey. There was pride in the room. Real pride.
And sitting there made me think. We don’t hear music like we used to. Most of the time, it comes through a phone, a laptop, or a Bluetooth speaker. It’s convenient but maybe that’s why it doesn’t always stay with us. We add it to a playlist, maybe hear it again when our AI DJ spins it back through curated algorithmic choices. That has its place, of course. But without a physical moment to anchor it to, music can start to feel disposable.
That’s why the listening party mattered. Real, live experiences stay with you. The mic glitches. The second takes. The moments that remind you this isn’t a product, it’s a person. I don’t know AJ personally. But in that room, I understood him a little better. Live music carries something no streaming link can replicate.
AJ doesn’t rush. You hear it in how he speaks and in the four-year gap since Flu Game. During the Q&A, DJ Target asked, “Why now?” He cracked a joke first. But beneath it, a clear answer: he wanted to get it right. Not just drop music. Finish the work. Let it feel whole. Not rushed. Not algorithmic. Music he was really proud of. After all, it’s out there forever.
You can see that mindset carried through into the marketing too. There’s thought behind it and a little playfulness. One of the most unexpected moments? The Deliveroo collab. Fans could order a hard copy of the album, straight to their door, like it was takeout. In a world where physicals feel like a throwback, the move felt bold and not just for novelty’s sake, but because it actually made owning music feel fun again. Tangible. Like something worth holding onto.
It speaks to something bigger: We all know that attention is fleeting. Music drops every Friday, disappears by Monday. But he’s finding ways to make the experience stay a little longer. Whether it’s a listening party at BBC Studios, a heartfelt thank-you to Maggie’s Centres, or an album delivered with your next meal. He’s not just releasing music. He’s creating moments. Real ones.
That care is echoed in his own words, posted to Instagram:
“Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, my third studio album is out now. 4 years of blood sweat and tears in this one. I hope everyone gives this a good listen back to front. I touch on some topics that are proper personal to me and I hope people see the growth. To my diehard supporters, I apologise for taking this long to release new music, but I’m extremely grateful you waited for me. I love you lot till I’m extinct.”
He said the album took six months but he kept going back. Rewriting. Re-listening. Asking himself: does this still sound like me? That process – second-guessing, fine-tuning, reworking shows he cares. You feel it in the sequencing. Someone with something to say, with the patience to say it properly.
He’s always been sharp with lyrics. But this time, it’s less about punchlines and more about presence. He’s still in Ladbroke Grove, musically speaking, but the view feels wider. The UK has changed. The world has changed. AJ has changed. But he hasn’t lost the honesty that got him here.
Let’s look at some of the records for a moment:
On Paid in Full, AJ links up with Big Zuu, Wax, Ets, and D7 – a crew as much about friendship as music. The flows are sharp, the delivery clear, but beneath it all is the easy chemistry of people who’ve grown up together, pushed each other, and built something real. Their foundation isn’t just solid, it’s a brotherhood.
Then he flips it. Jeff Hardy is cocky, dark, and a little unhinged. Ego-driven in the best way. Bravado, one-liners, pandemic bars – it’s confident.
Joga Bonito is fun. Smooth beat, sharp metaphors, football talk laced with flirtation for the guys to relate to.
But then the softness returns. West Life explores the kind of intimacy that doesn’t come easy. The kind that makes you vulnerable. “Needed a TLC but she left I,” he raps. “Our destiny never had a child but she came from the south and I from the west life.” He says it like someone thinking out loud trying to understand why something that felt good still slipped away.
Later, he said, “I’m always around my friends, but that can get toxic. When I’m with someone I care about, I want it to be soft.” It’s a side we don’t often get from male artists. Especially in rap. And it’s refreshing to hear someone name that desire for gentleness, for depth in a space that rarely makes room for it.
Crush, featuring Jorja Smith kind of makes you think of a moment that only matters once it’s gone. But it’s Jorja’s voice – soft, grounded, unmistakably hers that elevates the track. It felt like the whole UK fell in love with her again. Especially her unique accent. It’s like a little love song with no costume.
Back to Third Time Lucky. There’s a moment that stays with you. When he mentions his mum’s illness, he doesn’t dress it up. “They say the strongest are chosen for the hardest battles, and she shone bright even in her darkest hours.” Quiet. Honest. And incredibly moving.
Opening up like that didn’t come easy. For years, AJ kept his artist self and his personal self separate. But now, he’s letting those lines blur. Therapy, time, faith, family – they all played a role. “I realised I hadn’t been doing enough growing,” he said. “Learning new things, spending time with my mum, going to new places, studying Islam. That had to come first.”
You hear that growth. Not just in what he says, but how he says it. There’s space now. Breath. Stillness. Real maturity.
On Imposter Syndrome, the mask slips completely. It’s a short track, under three minutes, but it unpacks more than most songs double its length. He moves between doubt and ego, vulnerability and self-awareness. It’s messy. It’s human.
Then we near the end of the album, track 14. Initially it kind of sounds like we’ve flipped from Don’t Die Before You’re Dead into an indy type playlist? This one was unexpected in the best way. Collaborating with Master Piece was a move that when you hear the record it just makes perfect sense and it would be cool to see more of these kinds of collaborations in future.
I think I’ve said more than enough, he’s a storyteller. A son. A student. A man who isn’t afraid to evolve where we can all see it. And on Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, he gives us all of it.I’d encourage everyone to go listen to this album. Congratulations, AJ.