Feature

Feature

The voices reshaping Black British music history

From Floetry to Jim Legxacy, four music writers celebrate key artists in Black British music for Black History Month

The beginning of October brought a shift in season and a shift in focus, as it marked the beginning of Black History Month in the UK. While a month is nowhere near enough time to cover the vast contributions the Black population of the UK have made to British history, it is at least a time to reflect on new avenues of Black history that may have been overlooked, and amplify them.

In a year where the British Library launched the Beyond The Bassline exhibition, which charted 500 years of Black British music, it’s especially important to look at and celebrate local artists who are part of the greater tapestry. There often tends to be a focus on Black US artists and markets at the expense of the genre-bending, rich culture-producing artistry on home soil, yet there are so many incredible Black UK artists who have changed the way we engage with music. From punk and metal mainstays Skunk Anansie and Skindred, to grime pioneers Giggs and Dizzee Rascal, R&B singer-songwriter Estelle, 80s pop and soul icon Billy Ocean, and even a more recent force in pop Cat Burns – Black British artists are making meaningful strides in representation across all genres and corners of music, and we believe that should be recognised.

To celebrate Black History Month, we caught up with music scholars and writers from the community to tell us about the artists that have shaped and continue to shape contemporary Black British music, and help us curate the first Ticketmaster Black History Month playlist.

Emmanuel Onapa – Stormzy

STORMZY – HOLY SPIRIT [LIVE AT HILTON METROPOLE, LONDON]

Stormzy’s third studio album, This Is What I Mean, is a project that lifts a prayer of awakening for me and many others in the Black diaspora. The album sees Stormzy forsake his grime roots for more comforting R&B sonics throughout the project. Rooted in faith, songs such as ‘Holy Spirit’ lean into his worship and love for God, implemented exquisitely enough to be difficult for a non-believer to not believe – a pathway secular artists don’t often feel brave enough to explore. In a world where identity and faith are consistently being policed, it’s refreshing to see someone be bold and authentic about what is true to them. 

Emmanuel’s song choices: ‘Fire + Water’ – Stormzy; ‘Holy Spirit’ – Stormzy

Naz Hamdi (AKA NazFromNewham) – Jim Legxacy

Jim Legxacy is an artist and producer from South London who is known for his experimental and DIY style in British music, blending grime samples with Afrobeats, indie and soft electronic melodies in a way that recalls Jai Paul or Bon Iver. His music feels uniquely hyperlocal; it can almost feel like you have been transported to Blue Borough when attentively listening to his emotive, textured songs about his neighbourhood, relationships and life experiences.

Jim’s sound defies simple categorisation – many try to label his sound as UK rap, electronic or alternative when, in truth, Jim Legxacy occupies all of these spaces. His collage-like soundscape draws from the energies of everything he is influenced by, reflecting a deeply eclectic and personal creative vision. He is easily one of the defining artists of the 2020s and his contributions to Black British music will be appreciated in the years to come.

Naz’s song choices: ‘eye tell (!)’ – Jim Legxacy; ‘Cold Lewisham Roses’ – Jim Legxacy; ‘dj’ – Jim Legxacy

Sope Soetan – Floetry

Floetry - SupaStar ft. Common

Floetry are best known for their debut album, Floetic, which is undoubtedly a classic in its own right, but for me, it’s their sophomore and final album, Flo’Ology, that saw them at their most refined and artistically self-assured. The interplay between Marsha Ambrosius’ one-of-a-kind alto and Natalie Stewart’s spoken word prowess effortlessly floats between modes of introspection, sensuality, optimism and accountability. All on a web of production that, despite heavily owing to American-styled sonics, feels and swings like something that can only come out of the UK’s Black diaspora.

My journey with Flo’Ology began in primary school. Some of my most precious and earliest memories of music include my rides to and from school with the sounds of Choice FM blaring from the car speakers. ‘SupaStar’ by Floetry was always in rotation, and I had grown to adore that particular song, though I had no idea who was actually singing it at the time. A few years later, it was on MTV Base’s late-night show, Neo-Soul Thursdays, where I was able to put a face to Marsha (AKA “The Songstress”) and Natalie (AKA “The Floacist”) who formed this wondrous duo and, unlike the other stalwarts of that scene, were Londoners like me.

Given that Floetry’s prominence was in the states, I feel they are often neglected and forgotten when retrospectively looking at the R&B and soul that’s come out of Britain. Let’s put an end to that and grant them their long overdue salute.

Sope’s song choices: ‘SupaStar (Feat. Common)’ – Floetry; ‘Let Me In’ – Floetry; ‘Blessed 2 Have’ – Floetry

Rahel Aklilu – KwolleM

KwolleM (AKA Mellow K, backwards) is a man of few words who lets his imagination do the talking. Sitting comfortably at the intersection of music, fashion and culture, he has pioneered a whole sub-genre of grime – dubbed ‘Mellow Grime’ – with his jazzy edits of grime anthems from the 2010s. Initially gaining attention with his edit of Skepta‘s ‘Baddest Boy’ on Soundcloud almost a decade ago, KwolleM’s careful and considered production style has proven popular online, taking a life of it’s own – with Skepta releasing an EP with viral producer Ryder in a full circle moment for the genre.

KwolleM’s second album, Melo, comes three years after his debut, c2c, a genre-defining project in its own right. Melo however, takes his legacy further (quite literally, being named after his baby daughter) with his reflections on fatherhood, friendship, and fallacies of life. With some help from the UK’s brightest talents in rap and beyond, including BXKS, Ashbeck, Bawo, and frequent collaborator and co-creator of Mellow Grime Joe James (see: c2c), Black British music is carefully interwoven with its colourful past and genre-less future. In balancing samples of East London rap legends Ghetts, Mover and Tinchy Stryder, plus countless soul, R&B and jazz samples, and collaborations with with the likes of bedroom pop starlet dexter in the newsagent, KwolleM reminds us of the unique balancing act he flawlessly executes time and time again – paying homage to the cultural heritage of those before whilst reminding us how freeing the future looks for contemporary Black British music.

Rahel’s song choices: ‘Talk to me’ – Kwollem, dexter in the newsagent and Mover; ‘Fine Boi’ – Wxterboi; ‘Rather B with U’ – Raheaven

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Photo credit: Fidel