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Canadian genre-shifter JayWood returns with “ASSUMPTIONS,” a bold, witty track that blends hip-hop with neo-soul and psychedelic textures. The single is a standout from his album Leo Negro via Captured Tracks.
Now based in Montreal, JayWood fuses influences such as Tyler, the Creator, Stereolab, and Men I Trust into a sound that resists categorization. “ASSUMPTIONS” tackles imposter syndrome with humor and swagger. “It’s fun and playful while still being focused and lyrically consistent,” he says. “I’m literally talking about self-doubt while staking my claim as a legit artist.”
Directed by Trent Wayne, the surreal music video includes a chaotic house party, a Yo Gabba Gabba!-inspired graveyard, and an animated JayWood run through a VCR filter. It’s as weird and wonderful as the music itself.
The album explores identity and self-definition, inspired by JayWood’s experience as a Black man in predominantly white spaces, and by his Leo zodiac sign. Leo Negro, he says, loosely translates to “Black confidence.”
JayWood will support NoSo on tour, with stops in Brooklyn, Montreal, Chicago, L.A., and more.
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