Many will take the view that the majority of emerging music, particularly in the hip hop field, is borrowed. This is not a new opinion to have, as hip hop as a genre is built on the art of sampling, and yes, I do believe it is an art. To create using the material of artists that inspire you, is a precise and delicate approach to music that, when done tastefully (and legally), creates cultural cohesion; marrying the often disparate worlds of the combined materials creators, paying respect and offering appreciation and solidarity for the old, whilst championing and fore-fronting the new.
But what happens when the old, meets the new, then meets the slightly newer; the folk guitar meets the jersey club footwork meets the London Drill, meets the silky RnB leaning lines of singer, rapper, and producer Jim Legxacy? All it takes is one listen to his new single 'dj' to find out how on earth these disparate worlds could be married, and what it means for the future of sampling.
A tender, countryside calling guitar line introduces and drives the song, with Jim lamenting on the forsaken promise of a past lover to teach him how to dj. Perhaps this titular concept plays a part in allowing this song to work; it's almost as if his production aims to resemble the way a dj would blend and marry the different artists songs comprising their setlist; particularly the prominent sampling of London Drill pioneer Unknown T's contrastingly abrasive and energetic vocals as the verse transitions into the hook, cementing these entirely juxtaposed ideas as one with the introduction of rolling jersey club drums, a rhythm akin to any self assured drill beat separated only by a slightly faster tempo. The track is short and sweet, and is comprised of Jim's unique brand of scattered and distant backing vocal harmonies, that ascend into the realm of playfully manipulated urban gospel, climaxing the track. This type of backing vocal is a staple in the rest of Jim's discography, and does not go amiss here.
What impresses me about this track, along with Jim's last couple of single releases is how meticulously, intentionally and surprisingly he samples. One may take a glance at the brevity of the track, reaching just over two minutes, and be taken aback; perhaps questioning of what to expect in such a short piece of music. Yet those two minutes are packed with phonaesthetic and cultural ideas that one would only find together on one of Jim's tracks. Perhaps this is the effect of the internet; a lot of modern music in the hip hop sphere is globalised to the core; yet in his most recent track and the two before, Jim consistently and unapologetically pays homage to London, with samples ranging from tinie tempah's era defining 'wifey riddim' freestyle, to now half a decade old skepta war dubs, and now to the likes of Unknown T as the focus of UK urban transitions from Grime to its slightly darker cousin, Drill.
Jim's sampling work is nothing short of artistry, and is a call to action for London music to pay its respects to those who came before, not to mention the recent drop by affiliate collective 'peaktelevision' of so called 'Skepta Dog Ears' hats, the release of which was advertised ingeniously with a video paying homage to skepta. Yet all this sampling and borrowing of material and ideas is ultimately what comprises the individual, or 'us' as individuals so to speak. As people we are made up of a lifetime of teachings and experience, people, places and things. To embrace this is to wear it on ones sleeve, unapologetically, as Jim does in his music.
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