Jim Legxacy

Jim Legxacy
Birth nameJames Folorunso Ifeanyi Olaloye[1]
BornLewisham, London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
Years active2019–present
LabelsXL Recordings
Websitewww.jimlegxacy.com

James Folorunso Ifeanyi Olaloye, known professionally as Jim Legxacy, is a British singer, rapper, and producer from the London Borough of Lewisham.[2]

He has released three EPs and two mixtapes, the latest of which, Black British Music (2025), was on XL Recordings and his first on a label. His music has been described as mixing "rap, lo-fi, emo, Afrobeat and eclectic samples."

Early life

Olaloye is of Nigerian descent and was raised in the London Borough of Lewisham.[3][4] Prior to his music career, he attended art school and aimed to pursue a career as a graphic designer.[5][6]

Career

Legxacy began making music at 19, after hearing Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo.[7] He released his first EP, Dynasty Program: A Metrical Composition Inspired by the Nights Spent as the Raiider, in 2019.[3] BTO!, his second EP, released in 2020.[8] He released his Citadel EP in 2021.[3] His debut mixtape, Homeless N*gga Pop Music, was released on 26 April 2023.[9] Legxacy co-wrote and co-produced the 2023 song "Sprinter" for Central Cee and Dave.[2] It became the longest-running number-one rap song in the UK, holding the position for 10 weeks.[10]

On 4 July 2024, he released the song "nothings changed (!)" and dedicated it to the memory of his sister, Atinuke Olaloye, who had died of sickle cell anemia the previous year.[11][12][7] He performed his first live show at The Albany in Deptford in July 2024.[13][11] He is credited on two tracks from Fred Again's 2024 album Ten Days, including a feature on the album's second single "Ten."[14] His second mixtape, Black British Music (2025), was released via XL Recordings on 18 July 2025 and was his first on a label.[2][3]

Artistry

His music was described by Georgia Mulraine for DJ Mag as mixing "rap, lo-fi, emo, Afrobeat and eclectic samples".[15] Niall Smith, writing for NME, said Black British Music (2025) blends "grime, R&B, Afro-fusion, UK rap and folk".[16]

He has cited JPEGMafia, MF Doom, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, SZA, and Kendrick Lamar as influences on his music.[5]

Mehan Jayasuriya, writing for Pitchfork, describes his production style as "stitching together spidery emo guitar lines, Afrobeat drums, recognizable samples, and of-the-moment rhythms like Jersey club". Jayasuriya goes on to describe Legxacy's vocals, "he can sing with a gentle flutter, rap ferociously, and do just about everything in between".[17]

Grant Sharples for Paste describes Legxacy's stylistic progression as, "while black british music largely adheres to the Afrobeats-emo fusion he cemented on hnpm, he adapts that blend in fresh ways, whether it’s through acoustic balladry, lush alt-pop, or anthemic Britpop".[18]

Discography

Mixtapes

EPs

  • Dynasty Program: A Metrical Composition Inspired by the Nights Spent as the Raiider (2019)[8]
  • BTO! (2020)[8]
  • Citadel (2021)[19]

References

  1. ^ "Ten Days by Fred again." Universal Music Publishing.
  2. ^ a b c d Petridis, Alexis (17 July 2025). "Jim Legxacy: Black British Music review – London iconoclast catalyses chaos into a major mixtape". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Ihaza, Jeff (19 March 2025). "Jim Legxacy Is Making Peace With His Past and Imagining U.K. Rap's Future". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  4. ^ Andrews, Joe (2020). "Jim Legxacy On The Beauty Of Nigeria And Football's Universal Language". Soccer Bible. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b Küenzel, Antonia (2 September 2020). "EQUATE Meets: Jim Legxacy". Equate Magazine. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  6. ^ Kylene, Jazmin (1 November 2022). "Jim Legxacy Is Building a Genre-Fusing Legacy". Ones to Watch. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (23 July 2025). "Jim Legxacy Makes Music That Sounds Like Memory". New York Times. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Cin, Tice (5 October 2020). "Jim Legxacy Reveals His Genre Blending Musical Vision". New Wave Magazine. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b Renshaw, David (26 April 2023). "Jim Legxacy's HNPM mixtape is here". The Fader. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  10. ^ Brandle, Lars (7 August 2023). "Dave and Central Cee's 'Sprinter' Snags U.K. Chart Record". Billboard. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Live Report: Jim Legxacy – The Albany, London". Clash. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  12. ^ Murray, Robin (4 July 2024). "Jim Legxacy Explores Family, Loss On 'nothings changed (!)'". Clash. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  13. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (18 July 2025). "Jim Legxacy Unveils New Mixtape 'black british music (2025)'". Clash. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  14. ^ Petridis, Alexis (6 September 2024). "Fred Again: Ten Days review – pop house with unfulfilled pretensions". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  15. ^ Mulraine, Georgia (17 July 2025). "Jim Legxacy - black british music". DJ Mag. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  16. ^ Smith, Niall (18 July 2025). "Jim Legxacy – 'Black British Music (2025)' review: a sprawling collage of chaos and catharsis". NME. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  17. ^ Jayasuriya, Mehan (18 July 2025). "black british music (2025) - Jim Legxacy". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  18. ^ Sharples, Grant (18 July 2025). "Jim Legxacy's black british music (2025) Is a Highlight Reel of Its Maker's Wide-Ranging Tastes and Talents". Paste. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  19. ^ Tibbits, Ben (3 December 2021). "Artist Spotlight: Jim Legxacy". The Pit London. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
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