BLACK BRITISH MUSIC

Over the past 2 years, the British and Irish underground scenes have exploded, both in interest and talent. There’s seldom been such an abundance of Black British artists gaining national acclaim, each with their own distinct sound and identity. From SINN6R’s emo-infused drill sound to dexter in the newsagent’s acoustic, heartfelt songwriting, to Len’s more afro-inspired, energetic tracks, the relative homogeneity of Black British sounds in the mainstream has paved the way for a generation more willing than ever to differentiate and experiment. Projects such as Conglomerate by Fimiguerrero, Lancey Foux and Len have been instrumental in their less heavy use of 808s in return for more string-heavy inspired beats. Compared to others, however, Black British Music by Jim Legxacy stands out as one of the most refreshing sounds in the nation, an arbiter of a new era of vulnerability within wider British rap. The mixtape earned a prestigious 5-star review from the Guardian, achieving both national and international acclaim in its pursuit of transforming a rap scene renowned for its lack of flexibility, especially heading into the 2020s.  

Despite the hype for Black British Music skyrocketing around the first half of 2025, it had been a project several years in the making for Jim. The self-producing artist, who cites JPEGMAFIA as one of his biggest inspirations, has a sound unique to him through his heavy use of samples and sound bites. Much like his inspiration, his distortion of samples along with his use of fast BPMs when producing makes for a captivating sound. Unlike many other artists within the British rap scene who centred their songs around samples around the turn of the decade, Jim uses these samples to complement his sound, pulling from his own listening experiences instead of simply sampling nostalgic hits from decades past. In the album "homeless n*gga pop music, Jim explores his relationships, both familial and romantic; his struggles with an absent father, his strenuous relationship with home and all the heartbreak in between. The opening track “dj” is a raw expression of longing for his father through a musical lens. Jim Legxacy’s father may be a central theme throughout his newer releases, but the death of his sister two years ago was a pivotal moment in his career.   

After her passing, Jim released the track “nothing’s changed (!)”, an emphatic and triumphant showing of how he still feels her essence within him, despite the grief of losing her to sickle cell anaemia at a heartbreakingly young age. This theme of grief and overcoming trauma is the backbone of Black British Music, which began its rollout in 2025 with the release of “father”. Often cited as Jim Legxacy’s true breakout hit, father’s UK jerk-inspired beats, its catchy soundbites, along with music video producer Lauzza’s vision of nostalgic and unapologetically British visuals in the accompanying music video, established him as one of the most interesting and unique artists of the quickly growing underground scene in early 2025.  

Going into the summer of 2025, Black British Music became arguably one of the most anticipated mixtapes out of London in years. It paired a new creative sound with a rollout that had a clear vision, something not very often seen within the underground. The message was simple – Black British Music would not be boxed into one genre, something that often happened with Black British artists getting categorised as solely rappers. It was the spearhead of a new wave of Black British artists, those who valued self-expression over conformity.  

Black British Music was released on the 18th of July, marking the end of half a year’s worth of build-up, and the culmination of several years’ work for Jim. Many of the songs on Black British Music were created at the start of the decade, only seeing the light of day as part of Jim’s vision for the mixtape. It was released to critical acclaim, earning the aformentioned prestigious 5 stars from the Guardian, who described it as “unique world constructed out of an array of musical fragments”.  

The production is 1 of 1; his Kanye-inspired soulful sample chops combined with a fast-paced experimental bravado on tracks like “i just banged a snus in canada water” and “new david bowie” creates a beautiful tapestry of a window into the mind of an artist flexing their creative muscles. He doesn't shy away from letting his multitude of influences seep into his music in a way that feels tasteful and original. The project has gotten enough praise for its incredible sound, but I want to focus on how it speaks to a generation – how it tackles trauma and vulnerability compared to other artists within the scene.  

Throughout the last decade, the most popular Black British genre has been drill. Its 808-heavy (i.e. booming and bassy) production style mixed with its grimy beats and often traumatic talking points led to its demonisation by mainstream British society. Methods such as “gang injunctions” were used to prevent artists such as Skengdo and AM who were arrested for performing the song “Attempted 1.0” at one of their headline shows in London. Above all though, drill’s lyrics often glorified trauma; the result of a system that closed youth centres while demonising those that were too economically, materially or culturally deprived to do anything about it.  

Jim is the perfect foil to the image pointed at the “ambitionless Black man” often portrayed by the media, even when they’re actively trying to express themselves. He’s a symbol for Black excellence beyond the boundaries set by those within the music industry who profit from the rampant exploitation of Black pain and struggle. Instead of caving to what the mainstream wants and presenting a braggadocious persona with little regard for mental and emotional healing, Black British music is a project where the traumas of growing up as a working-class Black man are explored. It’s filled with the pride Jim carries in being able to get to where he is now, despite growing up on a council estate and not having many role models to look up to. He deconstructs the idea that being proud of where you’re from is automatically connected to territorial gang violence in the song 3x. In the track’s first verse, he proudly carries his Lewisham roots through the lens of making it through the adversity that the area is known for and not glorifying it.  

The song “06 wayne rooney” feels like a love letter to FIFA games of the 2010s, a period of time often lauded for its excellent soundtracks that felt full of life and energy. The track, however, also functions as a critique of how systemic Black pain in music is ignored by people more interested in the catchy melodies through its interpolation of Hey Ya by Outkast. Ironically, that song's message is ignored for its brilliant instrumental. Other tracks like "big time forward" and "dexter's phone call" carry the themes of pushing on through difficulties such as heartbreak and tragedy, making way for prideful anthems like "i just banged a snus in canada water".  

Black British Music's release was a lightning bolt within the UK underground scene; the culmination of nearly half a decade's worth of work. With how quickly the music scene moves nowadays, especially within the underground, Jim's commitment to avoiding gimmicks and being true to himself has proved fruitful – he's one of a few artists in the underground who can go months before releases while still retaining a loyal fanbase. Evidence for this was seen with his inaugural festival appearance at All Points East attracting a massive crowd. His performance witnessed one of the loudest audiences all weekend, highlighting how prevalent he's become within the British music scene despite on the surface only having around 800,000 monthly listeners. A year on, the mixtape remains one of the most beloved projects to come out of London within the last decade, giving Jim a substantial platform to showcase his talents on his inevitable next project.