When I started writing poetry, it was always in very hip-hop influenced spaces: Someone would teach a Nas song side-by-side with a Gwendolyn Brooks poem, and we'd talk about the connections between those things. — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
Me and my three younger siblings, we sang together in grandma's church, and I was in the Chicago Children's Choir in high school, but… — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
My mentor made me say a poem over and over. 'Stop! That's not your voice. Start again.' I was sobbing by the end, but… — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
Music is something that is supposed to connect people on a pure level. — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
The lake was always my orienting point when my dad was teaching me how to not get lost. The lake is east, so you'll always know that. It's a weird thing where you can kind of feel where you're at in Chicago, and when I was downtown, I was like, 'Oh, it feels more open over here. That must be… — Jamila Woods Copy Share
They say Chicago is for haters. No one will just sweat each other and say, 'Oh, you're so good,' if you're not. Which is… — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
I read 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison in college, and it just blew my mind. — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
I really value what Closed Sessions is doing to build the Chicago music scene and am excited to partner with them for my first… — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
In some ways, I value specificity. I think that there's power in, once you know who your fan base is, being able to speak to them. I hope to cultivate a fan base of black girls and black people and people of color, women of color, queer people, people who are are marginalized in general. — Jamila Woods Copy Share
A lot of people get Chicago wrong. I've developed this protective feeling about how we're portrayed, and at the same time, I'm acutely aware… — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
I think of music as creating a space. I like to put things in that are comforting to me and are nostalgic. To me,… — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
I don't know if it's because I grew up in Beverly or my friends, but I listened to a lot of alternative rock music.… — Jamila Woods Copy Share Image
