Jim Legxacy – ‘Black British Music (2025)’ review: a sprawling collage of chaos and catharsis

In mere years, Jim Legxacy has gone from cult favourite to digital phenom. Bolstered by a fiercely loyal cult fanbase and cosigns from critics and superstar streamers alike, the XL Recordings signee now floats in rare air – where his every move is streamed, screen-recorded and scrutinised.

Blending grime, R&B, Afro-fusion, UK rap and folk on his past projects, including 2023 breakthrough ‘HNPM’, Jim was always bound to experiment. The real question for his breathlessly anticipated mixtape ‘Black British Music (2025)’ was always of execution: how he’d wire his chaotic, self-aware world into the glitchy digital periphery. The result? A potential future classic.

In between projects, James Olaloye grappled with the tragic, untimely death of his sister and other family issues, as recounted on the project opener ‘Context’. As a result, ‘BBM’ is a sombre yet rewarding listen. It drifts between Channel AKA’s serrated edges (‘Father’), Afroswing’s 720p sheen (‘Sun’), and an indie-rap haze (‘Tiger Driver ’91’), creating a world where pain undercuts the party and reflection duels with reckoning. On ‘Issues of Trust’, he doesn’t shy away from vulnerability, singing: “I still cannot talk about it… since you left our lives, I’m blaming myself for all the things I said and the things I never said.”

Living next door to the trauma on ‘BBM’ is the triumph. Standouts like ‘New David Bowie’ (boasting tactile, ‘Graduation’-era Kanye West drums and glassy synths) and the guitar-led pelter ‘’06 Wayne Rooney’ further cement Jim’s hit-making ear. On ‘I Just Banged a Snus in Canada Water’, he raps “how I go from poverty to pop star” with total conviction.

The madness and melancholy heighten on songs like ‘SOS’, an Afrobeats-tinged rework of Case’s 2001 R&B jam ‘Missing You’ – which sits alongside the unexpected flip of Snow’s 1992 reggae fusion meme magnet ‘Informer’ on the hypnotic ‘D.B.A.B’. For narrative’s sake, a cold, computerised speaker provides a throughline for the project, its tone eerily reminiscent of a 2010s Halo or Call of Duty announcer.

As the architect of ‘BBM’, Jim stands tall yet fragile, armed with nothing but a BlackBerry Bold, an Xbox 360 controller and an array of numbing distractions. Along the way, Fimiguerrero, Dexter in the Newsagent and ‘Sprinter’ collaborator Dave join the guest lobby, but ultimately the spotlight follows Jim alone, who switches off life’s RPG, morphing into musical free roam.

Details

• Release date: July 18, 2025
• Record label: XL Recordings

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