When it’s a rapper’s album or a singer’s album, there’s a tendency to want a text-based or theme-based narrative. Jamila Woods Read Quote
I hold strongly to my identity as a Chicago artist and want to do whatever I can to participate in creating a strong community here so that artists don’t feel pressure to move somewhere else to succeed. Jamila Woods Read Quote
I really value what Closed Sessions is doing to build the Chicago music scene and am excited to partner with them for my first solo project. Jamila Woods Read Quote
I don’t create from a place of me making art for art’s sake, but wanting my work to actually do stuff… tangible things. Jamila Woods Read Quote
I think of music as creating a space. I like to put things in that are comforting to me and are nostalgic. To me, that’s what sampling does in songs; it’s making deeper layers for people who know where it comes from, but also referencing another part of my history and my memory or a memory that I have. Jamila Woods Read Quote
The beach is still a public place, and that’s an amazing grace about Chicago. We have so many problems, but the water always stays. That inspires me and keeps me inspired about the city and keeps me hopeful. Jamila Woods Read Quote
That’s important for artists to remember: some people would like to be spokespeople, but others would like their art to speak. Jamila Woods Read Quote
I think a lot of people, in general, have whatever mechanisms they have in order to go through the day. For me, I do just literally have post-it notes and other little messages to strengthen me on hard days, or just on regular days, to remind me – to remind ourselves – of our dopeness. Jamila Woods Read Quote
