Jamila Woods • "blk girl soldier"
Today it was announced that Jamila Woods would be joining local independent record label Closed Sessions moving into 2016 and to celebrate the occasion, one of Chicago's finest creatives offered up a new single in the form of "blk girl soldier" which debuted Tuesday morning on Billboard.
The track is a perfect entry point for anyone t get in tune with an artist that we here at TheseDays have been following for years and that many found out about on Chance The Rapper & The Social Experiment's "Sunday Candy" single. Produced by Saba and Jus Cuz, "blk girl soldier" eschews sentiments of power and beauty that Woods puts on display everyday throughout a variety of outlets that have seen her work in spoken word poetry, teaching, acting and, of course, singing. While projects like the earlier M&O featured her carefully layered, innately soulful vocal stylings, then the first look we get at her solo work appears to show and ability to find herself through the music.
I first met Jamila four years ago during a story for the Chicago Sun-Times and have always been blown away by her seemingly effortless ability to exude the good things in life. As a former Young Chicago Authors student and current teacher, she also comes with a pedigree that has seen several of her peers find national recognition. The sky is quite literally the limit for Jamila Woods these days, keep it locked here for plenty more on her in the coming weeks and months.