Last Japan
“Ascend” (f/ AJ Tracey)
Digital Single
Though they are both still frustratingly slept on over here (what else is new?), Last Japan and AJ Tracey are a couple of grime’s fastest rising stars, and they combine to devastating effect on this anthemic new single. West Londoner AJ Tracey raps like a man with a literal unlimited supply of bars — like if you left him in a booth with a track on loop, he’d just keep rapping forever, until someone cut the power. His endless talent is a perfect match for Last Japan’s monstrous beat, which pairs skittering percussion with explosive sub-bass and a twinkling, catchy keyboard melody. It’s the kind of song made to be blasted out of a wall of speakers in a sweltering room. Hopefully, I won’t need to get on a transatlantic flight to experience it for myself.
