Tracy Grimm links with bgboi

Coming out of Ireland’s underground hip hop movement, Tracy Grimm and bgboi unite on 4 Years Later, a joint album that captures the growth, grit and emotion of two of alternative hip hop’s most compelling voices. Tracy Grimm, now based in Berlin, has spent nearly a decade developing a sound that flows between emo rap and trap with reflective depth and uncompromising honesty. Starting out in Cork City in 2016, his creative adventure has mirrored the rise of a more vulnerable, emotionally charged branch of hip hop and his latest work sees him revisiting that output with remarkable results.

Tracy’s creative trajectory has always leaned into personal context and emotional realism, qualities that reach new levels on this collaborative project with bgboi. A rising artist from Cork, bgboi has been making an impact in the alternative scene with his experimental approach to trap, plugg and emo rap. Though younger in years, bgboi has already proven himself to be a powerful creative force; starting his recording journey at 15 and gaining early traction with a breakout SoundCloud release that surpassed 30,000 plays, he’s fast become a name to watch in Ireland’s next-gen hip hop wave.

4 Years Later arrives as a fully realised partnership, the album is a true 50/50 split, combining Tracy’s melancholic, lyric-driven approach with bgboi’s melodic flows and sharp-edged production. Sonically, the record dips into the darker textures of emo trap while keeping the energy up with pulsating beats and ethereal synthwork. There are moments that nod to influences like Juice WRLD and Lil Peep, but the chemistry between these two makes the record entirely their own.

Lyrically, the album glides through themes of determination, mental health and emotional self-discovery. Tracy’s verses cut deep, injected with lived experience and reflection, as he documents the lessons learned and scars earned over the past four years. His use of imagery, symbolised by the Grim Reaper scythe tattooed on his head, continues to play a central role in his music’s aesthetic, a reminder of the weight he carries and confronts with each release.

bgboi brings a contrasting but complementary energy, his contributions are textured with high-frequency emotion, fluid cadences and a sonic fabric that’s energetic and gripping. With a modern bounce to his delivery that offsets the heavier lyrical moments, he offers balance and bite throughout the record. Whether ruminating on heartbreak or lighting one up to ride out the pain, bgboi infuses his verses with a refreshing mix of melancholy and momentum.

The result is an album that feels both meditative and alive, a set of tracks as well-suited to headphones as they are to dim-lit after-parties. 4 Years Later marks a moment of artistic convergence that sees both artists collide in spectacular fashion. For longtime fans and first-time listeners alike, this collaboration signals that Tracy Grimm and bgboi are here to reshape the modern hip hop sphere in their own shared musical vision.

Listen to 4 Years Later below