I knew this song was gonna be good when I heard the Brandy sample. 

AJ Tracey dropped his new track “Crush (Feat. Jorja Smith)” on February 12th, and it honestly gave me whiplash.  

Don’t get me wrong—the song is a bop. The sample is fire, and I like the way it was incorporated. Additionally, the single has great bass, good bars, and flows really well. The featured artist, Jorja Smith, has a beautiful singing voice in the chorus but also delivers hard-hitting lines in her verse. The lyrics, however, feel very back and forth.

“Crush” feels like standing in the middle of a disagreement. AJ Tracey raps about what he’s looking for in a woman, what he likes about the person he’s interested in, and the things he wants to do with her. Then Jorja Smith comes in, calling him out for being selfish and having the wrong intentions.

The artists go back and forth in a loop of, “I like you, and you like me, but do we like each other in the same way?” One moment, you hear desperation and longing; the next, there’s a lack of trust. We’re talking about ex-lovers, and then suddenly, the topic shifts to cuddling and watching anime. The switch-up is absolutely wild, but somehow, it works anyway.

Check out “Crush” by AJ Tracey and Jorja Smith below.

Ileyah

Ileyah is a mom, a writer and a musician. She loves late nights and gluten free snacks.