Digital Cover: Aitch
All humans are comprised of lessons, and Manchester’s gift of a rapper Aitch is self-aware of his. In the past four years, since his breakthrough hit “Straight Rhymez” exploded on the UK rap scene, the 22-year-old has accomplished beyond what the average 20-something can fathom dreaming nevertheless achieving. From his chart-topping, platinum-selling records to the prestigious BRIT award nomination, there have been no halts to Aitch’s tirade of success past 2018. And all of this happened in a relatively short span of time, making the young rapper heavily aware of how momentary the ride is. “Time goes fast,” he says, contemplative yet quickly, when asked the one thing he’s learned in the last four years. “Time goes super fast. And I suppose in some way, that just makes me wanna go harder because I feel like I haven’t got as much time as I thought I did.”
Despite the consistent wins, accolades, and praise, the Manchester native believes — although he agrees he has established himself within the UK hip-hop soundscape — he needs to proclaim the longevity of his music with the release of his debut album, Close to Home. The album, an endeared dedication to his hometown, is an amalgamation of Aitch as an artist — the signature witty bars, heartfelt storytelling, club-shaking bangers, and a vulnerable side seldom seen — it is a reintroduction to what the rapper stands for. “I’m excited. It’s definitely a lot more music coming from the heart, instead of just like random club music that I used to make,” he says, referencing the previous mixtapes he has released over the years. “There’s still a lot of club bangers on there. I think when I was making the EPs, it was just like ‘let’s make 8 lit songs’ and just put it out. But this is kind of an introduction to me, even though I’ve been doing this for a little while now, I just feel like it’s just my first introduction like: this is me. I’m here to stay.”
“Baby”, featuring a nostalgia-infused throwback sample of Ashanti’s “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)”, was the first single released off of Close to Home. Catering to the melody-driven, hook-loving fans, the song scored Aitch his biggest ever first week sales, outperforming previous viral singles “Rain” and “Taste (Make It Shake).” He explains it was always part of the plan to make “Baby” the first single. “I made the song a year before it came out, that was what was on my mind at that time. It went well and did what it needed to do so I’m happy.”
Following the release of “Baby”, Aitch’s homage to his city continued in “1989”, a UK-garage/house-influenced track expertly sampling Manchester’s very own Stone Roses. “‘ Fool’s Gold’ came out in 1989, that’s why my title is ‘1989.’ I always hear stories from my dad or older people about all them times, and I wish I was there. I’ve got like fear of missing out even when I wasn’t even born. So I just put myself in that little position, and made that song.” Its accompanying visuals have Aitch and his friends fooling around Manchester, recorded on film to give it that vintage, homemade video tinge. “For someone who doesn’t know, that’s like what Manchester would look like in 1989, you get what I’m saying? You wouldn’t wear them clothes now,” he tells me of the inspiration. “It’s like an old-school throwback. It’s one of my favorite songs.”
With the album being his own personal love letter to his hometown, Aitch clarifies that being away from home and living and growing through various life experiences is what helped him craft the project. “Definitely dedicated to Manchester,” he says of the title of his debut. “Obviously there’s one or two songs on there, where I don’t mention Manchester, but it’s all a bit of a story behind it and certain scenarios. I can’t really explain too much but you can tell where I’m from when you listen to it and it’s just all about me being so far away from home but I’m still bringing home with me everywhere.”
On Close to Home, Aitch is open and unguarded, discussing subjects he hasn’t before, perfectly balancing his stories between narrative and relatability. “I think not rapping about the same subject over and over again,” he explains the main difference between composing EPs and his first album. “Definitely had to spread it out a bit more. And with every song - I felt like I had to get every song perfect. In my eyes, it’s kind of like a statement.” On Track 14 called “My G,” Ed Sheeran sings the hook for the Manchester rapper, an adoring collaboration dedicated to Aitch’s younger sister, Gracie. Speaking of Sheeran’s contribution, Aitch lights up in gratitude. “Sick, man! They all show love, like Ed has done amazing things for me. He’s the GOAT. He knows what’s going on. He done me a massive favor on the song we’ve got together on this album,” he continues, adding Giggs to the equation while discussing the greats. “It’s nice to be appreciated by the people you grew up on.”
The infamous pressures of a debut release are imminent, yet Aitch is taking the approaching occasion in stride. He is humble but confident in his work, admitting he has spent a significant amount of the past year or so curating the most perfect tracklist he could assemble. “Some of the songs on the album are like two years old, not to say I’ve been working on the album for two years. It’s just some old songs that just fit in there,” he says of the completion process. “But I don’t know, it’s like a weird unexplainable feeling when you work on an album, you constantly have this empty feeling and then something happens, you make a new song, you put it on there, you swap the tracklist around and it just clicks like: yeah this is it, this is what I want.”
In New York before his first-ever headlining show, it’s easy to see how Aitch’s accessibility and charm transfer onto his lyrics, making fans all around feel an undeniable connection to his music and his being. Touring for the first time since the pandemic hit globally, he confirms he is nothing but excited to see the crowds. “It’s my favorite part about this whole thing to be fair; performing. I’ve been missing out for a couple of years but back now.” And being in New York, he can’t help but feel cinematic. “[I love] the people. And I feel I’m in a movie, in a film. Walk down the street feel like you’re in Spider-man or Paid in Full.”
On the topic of the greatest city in the world, the 22-year-old spills his very first bought album was 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, naming the New York rap legend as one of the artists he idolized growing up, alongside Wiz Khalifa, albeit he doesn’t think they influence the music he makes now. “I clearly don’t rap like 50 Cent or Wiz Khalifa,” he says, laughing. Aitch has spent the first half of this year on the road, going from his North American leg of the tour straight to his dates in Australia and New Zealand with only a brief break in between. He swears he isn’t homesick, but he also can’t wait to get back to Manchester, to his family. “I wouldn’t even go back to Manchester if my family wasn’t there. I’d just stay on the road all the time. I always miss home but I do like being away and experiencing things, but it always just gets to a point where it’s like, home time now!”