“You’ve got to channel what it is you really love and chase it as hard as you can,” are AJ Tracey’s words of advice for anyone thinking of following in his footsteps. Speaking to editor-in-chief Edward Enninful in the latest video in the The Extra Mile With series in partnership with BMW, the west London rapper acknowledges that things are tough in 2021 for aspiring musicians looking to get noticed. So, he says, “You have to be an entrepreneur, you need to think business-minded… What niche can I jump into and maybe, you know, innovate and create something that people need.” Tracey knows just how hard it can be. Growing up in Ladbroke Grove, his adolescence was coloured by feelings of anger and frustration. “As times change, things get easier, and some things get harder,” he says. “For the generation right now, it’s the violence. The violence is a hard thing for them to tackle.” As someone in the public eye, he wants to help others like him to get ahead and continues to be a voice for young people from impoverished backgrounds. With two albums (his second, Flu Game, was released earlier this year), five platinum singles and three Brit nominations, the 27-year-old is certainly an inspiration. “I’m nowhere near finished,” he says of what’s next. “I’m not even started.”