Album Review: Jim Legxacy’s ‘BTO!’
Last year, Jim Legxacy blessed the underground music circuit with his Dynasty Program. Find out how Legxacy has progressed artistically going into his sophomore project BTO!
Legxacy was born James Olaloye. The 21-year-old South East London rapper, singer and producer has already cemented a footprint in the UK hip-hop scene in less than three years.
Last year, Jim wowed us with his Dynasty Program EP, landing on our best of projects of 2019 list.
From sadboi sleeper anthems like “Heavii Heart!” to industrial bangers like “There's a Lot Going on in the City Right Now’” Legxacy demonstrates his singing, rapping and producing talents throughout.
But how does BTO! compare?
BTO! is an initialism for black Tommy Oliver. Oliver is the longest-running and most popular character on the kid-friendly superhero show Power Rangers. Oliver is a white man, so when Legxacy refers to himself and the black Tommy Oliver, it’s a declaration of power and achievement.
We interpreted the title to mean a black person rising into an influential position and in turn, giving back to his community by any means.
PowerTrip!
BTO!’s three-song tracklist kicks off with “PowerTrip!”. The song is Jim’s favourite song on the project, and it is easy to see why. The hook sees Legxacy spit ‘all I need is money and a power trip’. The lyrics perfectly captivate the ills and plight of a young black man surrounded by a world of vices.
Sonically, the beat for PowerTrip is hypnotic and captivating. The drums are potent enough to make your hair go static. A song like PowerTrip! would not sound out of place at a live show.
4LeafClover
The high energy from track one carries over into the second track, “4LeafClover”. “4LC” was the first single released from BTO! After listening to “4LC”—you can see why.
My only criticism of the track is that it is too short. “4LC” features a catchy refrain with Legxacy repeating the phrase “body bag” before exclaiming the only way he is going back is in a body bag. This is another addition to Jim’s lexical field and running theme of determination and hard work.
The track perfectly conveys Legxacy’s quality craftsmanship he puts into his songwriting and vocal arrangements. From the mixing to background vocals, “4LC” sounds like a perfected concoction in a mad scientist’s lab.
The raw emotion, fortitude and attention to detail on “4LC” are not too dissimilar to a young Kano, Ice Cube or Kanye West on The College Dropout. Jim doesn’t sound like a man making music for easy money, but rather a skilled samurai sharpening his sword with each passing track.
Despite Pain
BTO!’s third and final song is “Despite Pain”. This song is my personal favourite from the BTO! tracklist. It takes more of a socially conscious and unnerving tone compared to the previous songs on the tracklist.
The production is just as captivating as the previous tracks; however, it takes more of a backseat to Legxacy’s lyricism. The more lowkey production takes more queues from Frank Ocean’s avant-garde ‘Endless’ album than anything from contemporary rap music.
“Despite Pain” is the standout track from BTO!. On the track, Legxacy raps a collage of thoughts ranging from; black inequality, criminal activity and afro spiritualism. Despite clocking in under three minutes in length, Legxacy perfectly conveys his meaning and intention for the song.
ọlọtẹ
Visuals have always been an integral part of Legxacy’s artistry. Whether it's the music videos for “Raiider” or “Willyoustabmeinmyheart”, Legxacy and his creative team always put together stellar visuals. Jim takes things one step further with BTO! with the short film ọlọtẹ.
Speaking on the film, producer Fidel said:
“This project has been and will forever be a cornerstone in our journey to create visually striking work that is thematically important and will hopefully transcend through years to come.”
The cinematography and shot composition throughout ọlọtẹ are nothing short of masterful. From the wide cityscape shots to the gritty violence, there is always something dynamic happening on-screen throughout its nine-minute runtime.
In terms of plot, we don’t want to give too much away. We urge people to watch ọlọtẹ after listening to the EP, you won't be disappointed.
In conclusion, BTO! is another home run for Jim Legxacy, while the project is not as diverse as Dynasty, it is a clear indication of what is to come in the future for Jim. BTO! wets the appetite for more music from Legxacy. With so much oversaturation and carbon copies in rap today projects like BTO! make you appreciate fully fleshed out and immersive music.
The only major drawback of the project is that it could’ve been longer. Legxacy went three for three on the tracks we did get which makes fans want more already.
We will have to stay tuned for Legxacy’s follow-up project Citadel coming soon. If it is anything like BTO! or Dynasty, we’re in for a spacey, sci-fi inspired psychedelic ride.
8.6/10
Stream BTO! on all major platforms here.
