LEGACY! LEGACY! (LP)
Jamila Woods
Amoeba Review
08/28/2020
Jamila Woods follows up her empowering 2016 debut with Legacy! Legacy!, a celebration/reclamation of black history and community that is nothing short of a mission statement for the young artist. With 13 tracks named after legendary black artists and creators (sample titles: “MILES,” “MUDDY,” “BASQUAIT,” etc.), Woods fights the constant appropriation and mis-contextualization of black culture and stories while asserting her own identity, one that was nurtured in the open mics and poetry workshops of Young Chicago Authors. Yet Legacy! Legacy! is not just righteous rhetoric, of course; it’s an album as well, and Woods pulls from a dazzling display of musical influences to soundtrack her musings. Though ostensibly categorized as Neo-Soul, with the jazzy production and Woods’ own voice sounding rather Badu-ish at times, Legacy! Legacy! incorporates hip-hop, modern R&B production, and gospel into a lush arabesque of sound.