Give Aitch credit where it’s due. In an oversaturated pop-rap scene, the Mancunian has been able to cut through the noise and establish himself as one of the UK’s most instantly-recognisable talents. On his second album, he leans into his stature on the scene while penning a love letter to his native Manchester.
First track Clock The G4me features fellow Mancunian MC Chimpo and finds Aitch brandishing his arsenal of flows and cadences, while his opening “luxury / fuckery/ cutlery” rhyme scheme allows him room to exaggerate his accent. But it quickly becomes clear that ‘4’ is less a hymn to the streets that raised him, and more of a wish you were here postcard.
Col4 Body is a feelgood dancehall track where Aitch and Tiggs Da Author riff on how their “whole life is a flex” and they “ain’t stuntin’ for nyash”.
The Timbaland-styled Bounce features bars about coming “from Volkswagens to Bentleys”, and B4e Please is styled around an apparently exhaustive list of his cars and jewellery.
Indeed, ‘4’ sits stubbornly in hip hop’s clichéd pockets of female objectification, materialistic braggadocio and threats of violence. One could argue that Aitch is simply feeling himself, and why not? He’s earned his stardom all by himself and put the graft in over the years. But to lose the vulnerability and realness that peppered his debut is a shame.
Gone are lines about his family life and upbringing, and even tales of his troubled youth are muted here. What he’s lost is his relatability; he feels a less tangible presence and that puts listeners in this more observational role, like they’re lining the streets for a procession that is gone once it passes.
The features are solid for the most part: Anne-Marie’s turn on LUV? is wicked fun, offsetting Aitch’s ‘Encore’-era-Eminem antics with a hefty dose of attitude. He shows off once again what a good thing he has going with frequent collaborator AJ Tracey on the posturing Test, and his back and forth with Avelino on Business is a dizzying spectacle.
As a standalone album, ‘4’ is perfectly serviceable, teetering on the brink of being genuinely very good, but when it’s held up next to ‘Close To Home’ it pales in comparison somewhat.
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