"Traktor" is a song by

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...

-born rapper

Wretch 32 Jermaine Sinclaire Scott (born 9 March 1985), better known by his stage name Wretch 32, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. He was a member of the grime collective Combination Chain Gang, before forming The M ...

, featuring vocals from British singer L Marshall (credited as "L" on the release). It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, '' Black and White'', on 16 January 2011. A 12"

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

was released the following day. On 23 January 2011, the single debuted at number 5 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

; also managing to reach number 2 on both the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and the independent releases chart. The song title refers to

Traktor Traktor is DJ software developed by Native Instruments. It is also used as a sub-brand for Native Instruments' associated DJ hardware products. History Traktor was first released in 2000. The initial versions available were ''Traktor DJ'' ...

, the

Native Instruments Native Instruments is a German company that develops, manufactures, and supplies music software and hardware for music production, sound design, performance, and DJing. The company's corporate headquarters and main development facilities are lo ...

DJ software of the same name. "Traktor" was selected by

Reggie Yates Reginald (Reggie) Yates (born 31 May 1983) is a British writer and director with a career spanning three decades on screen as an actor, television presenter and radio DJ. Yates played Leo Jones in ''Doctor Who'' and has worked at the BBC in ra ...

as ''The Weekend Anthem'' on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

for 18 – 19 December 2010.

Background

Speaking to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis – assistant editor of

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as '' NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a ...

– in December 2010 Wretch stated: "'Traktor' is actually about a dad talking to his child. Like on the intro the dad is saying 'Hey, go get a job' and basically telling his son to get outta the house. Then the chorus is actually the son explaining what's going on in his life. Like he's quit school; he hasn't got a job yet; his girl's upset 'cause she's pregnant and – though his daughter's on the way – he keeps on clubbing and raving... But yet through it all he knows that he rides the beat like a TRACTOR – that he's a great RAPPER! You know, though everything is so wild in his life he literally does know that he has got a talent and he wants to stick with it... So yeah, it's basically all about having a gift and taking a risk with the music and BELIEVING in it. Which is pretty much how it is for ME!".

Critical reception

Nick Levine of '' Digital Spy'' gave the song a positive review stating: "Though he sounds like a mere number from the Dickensian workhouse, there's nothing anonymous about this debut single."Music – Singles Review – Wretch 32: 'Traktor'
Digital Spy (16 January 2011). Retrieved on 23 January 2011.

Chart performance

"Traktor" debuted on the

on 23 January 2011 at number 5; marking the week's third highest new entry behind Diddy-Dirty Money and

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...

. The following week, the single fell two places to number 7; falling out of the top ten to number 12 on 6 February. The single spent a total of six weeks within the top 40, falling to number 44 on its seventh week on 6 March. The single also debuted at number 2 on the

R&B singles chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

behind Diddy-Dirty Money and

Skylar Grey Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music ...

's " Coming Home" and at number two on the independent releases chart behind Adele's "

Rolling in the Deep "Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, '' 21'' (2011). It is the lead single and opening track on the album. The song was written by Adele and Paul Epworth. The singer herself de ...

". The single also debuted in Ireland and Scotland at number 45 on 28 January

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of the single "Traktor" was first released on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

on 9 November 2010, directed by Ben Newman. The video lasts 3 minutes and 47 seconds long. The video opens with the digits '32' forming out of ice; before the song begins, in which Wretch 32, L and FKA Twigs are all show in between the flashing of lights. The video takes place in an underground and empty car park and features Wretch 32 and L performing along with the song, while FKA Twigs mimics the song by playing the drums; also dancing. Rapper

Chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as ...

makes a cameo appearance at the end of the video.Wretch 32 - Traktor - Music Video

, Retrieved 9 November 2010.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2010 songs 2011 singles Wretch 32 songs Ministry of Sound singles British hip hop songs Songs written by Wretch 32