Black British Music: Jim Legxacy’s Sonic Odyssey Through Time and Identity

“We’ve been making arses shake since the Windrush” - Ironically, the title 'Black British Music'' is usually reserved for white-institutions and their retrospections into this pantheon. Sadly, the plundering nature of institutions that can provide such showcases is why you don't possess this knowledge already. Nevertheless, I feel like I’ve been obsessing over names recently. Upon hearing the name of Jim Legxacy’s first label release, I found myself grinning delightfully. With tracks like 'Sun', ’06 wayne rooney' and 'd.b.a.b', the project’s title has an element of apotheosis as Legxacy takes us through an anfractuous journey showcasing the full range of black British music; past, present and future. I wouldn’t be surprised if long after we’re gone, underpaid AI music teachers find this project as a permanent fixture on the national music syllabus of 2095.

By range I am mostly alluding to depth, Jim’s artistry features instances of beautifully soaring vocals coupled with intimate vulnerability that we mostly attribute to R&B and the gutter lyricism and assertiveness that have long been a staple of South London’s musical lexicon. Interpolations of Skepta, Sneakbo and Dave can be found hidden amid the sonic tapestries that Jim conjures up. 'Black British Music', asks probing questions, chief amongst them: what is genre & why do we still cling to these archaic categorisations? It seems that artists fall victim to the much too rigid expectations of their audiences. We the listeners tend to think of genres as concrete foundations rather than vessels for communication or starting points.

You see this phenomenon in various areas of modern society, most notably in football. Team formations change depending on the zones they access, whether in or out of possession and various other variables. Take 'I just banged a snus in canada water', the 11th track begins with a synergy between a frustratingly familial sample that would provoke expectations of a UKG beat underneath but instead is anchored by a 90s sounding hip-hop beat. This swiftly transitions into a jersey club/hoodtrap beat with infectiously melodic vocalisations. Crediting JPEGMAFIA as one of his key influences, Jim Legxacy expertly creates shifting soundscapes with eyebrow-raising song titles. 'david bowie', '3x' and the aforementioned 'i just banged a snus in canada water', are all odysseys in music production; sailing through musical styles with both ease and detachment. Even within 8 bar cycles, Legxacy’s production slowly morphs, drum patterns change as if by shedding skin and angular 808s are swapped out for rubbery basslines. 'BBM' is populated with audio branding (known as sound trademarks or audio logos) - little vocal snippets reminding the listener of just who and what they’re listening to.

By no means is this a new concept, my mind races back to Giggs’ 'Take Your Hats Off' mixtape hosted by DJ Whoo Kid, Bladee’s 'ColdVisions', Swamp Izzo on Playboi Carti’s 'I AM MUSIC' and more recently Clipse’s declarations on 'Let God Sort Em Out'. Whilst this is usually another frontier being invaded by capitalism and its need to bludgeon every one of our senses, here, coupled with the exploratory manner of Jim Legxacy’s sampling; it showcases a lineage of black British music; an archival approach to this universe of sound and the pathways that pass through it. Make no mistake, black British music is British music and until the unequal circumstances for such differentiation are erased so too will the need for distinction.

'BBM' is many things, a documentation that is somewhere in the middle of time capsule and futuristic projection. From the instance that your ears are met with the synthetic brass passages of the album’s opener, Jim Legxacy provides insight into the magnitude of his battles following the success of his credit on Central Cee & Dave’s 'Sprinter'. The illuminating transparency is testament to just how much the human spirit can endure and ignore, ultimately it is a parable on the facade of distractions and running from uncomfortable emotions. Equally, it lends pivotal validation to the importance he places on family and work ethic. What follows this sobering intro is 14 tracks of labyrinthine production that navigate detours in emotions. He affords the listener a lesson he learnt himself, letting us feel it.

The penultimate song 'tiger driver ‘91', features two of my many loves; pro wrestling and faith. One of the more conventional pieces on here, this song boasts a nocturnal introspection on faith and self-improvement that develops a R&B formula popularised during the 2010s. Again the 'Donda' comparisons abound as here Legxacy pleads to not be led astray and to change his ways depicting the crisis of faith, 'La noche oscura del alma' or 'Dark Night of The Soul'. Aside from the 'Donda' parallels the ambient sound, vulnerable inflections and gentle drum sequencing do remind me of Playboi Carti’s 'F33L Like Dyin'; one of my absolute favourites of his.

Jim Legxacy underlines the human experience, that battle against neuroplasticity and conflict when trying to improve whilst unaware of the path ahead. Interestingly this might explain the title, named after the controversial wrestling move in which an opponent is lifted into a double underhook carry and then literally driven into the ground with impact on their head, neck and shoulders. Who knew that when Mitsuharu Misawa debuted this variation of the Tiger Driver in 1991, that it would one day be the namesake of arguably the best project of 2025?

Tracks like 'stick' feature a celestial sound palette that would've been a standout on 'Donda' with a beautiful marriage of palpable yearning and worldly struggles. Here, lies the beauty of 'Black British Music' and black British music, the wealth of influences from across the diaspora and the cyclical nature of influence. Jim Legxacy also accentuates the depth and limit of lyricism within the black British musical canon; not from the artists or their abilities but rather the confines in which this music has long found itself. One artist’s heartfelt vulnerability can be reduced to mere entertainment, ‘06 wayne rooney' muses on this: "They play our war cries in their clubs, it’s getting all over the floor". This mixtape will deservedly receive plaudits for its unrestrained creativity, vision and influences whilst those same influences may be shunned. Much has been attempted in trying to delegitimise Drill music, and as a prominent source of inspiration here, Legxacy rejects black respectability politics and Eurocentric notions of high-art and ‘low culture’.

The fact that this is presented as a mixtape yet features mirabilia of musicianship whilst overshadowing mainstream releases further strengthens this point. This isn't the only deconstruction on show, I'm grey enough to remember the diaspora wars between the Caribbean and Africa, despite shared cultural hubs such as schools, salons and barbers there was a stark divide. Perhaps more so a signifier of the younger generations successfully bridging these inconsequential divides. On 'sos', Legxacy doesn't limit himself to one continent, it is equal parts Afrobeat, dancehall-tinged with a light seasoning of Destiny Child/Usher melodies flying above a low-end that transitions between staccato and sustained notes. Compliments to the chef! The following quote from 'I just banged a snus in canada water' is Legxacy, heritage and mission statement: "This that blue borough shit, I hope you're listening/I said this that blue borough shit, I hope you're listening/This that Giggs, Blade Brown up in the kitchen shit/But by the time you holla, man, I'm on some different shit"

Check out the album below.