In a 2015 interview on the AirGo Radio podcast, host Daniel Kisslinger called Jasmine Barber, who raps as J Bambii, “Chicago’s shining light.” That praise may sound grandiose at first pass, but the multihyphenate creative has earned it with her art and her years of building community by organizing parties, film screenings, fishing trips, tarot readings, and artist showcases on the south side and beyond.
Barber has been etching her name into the foundation of Chicago’s artistic scene since she was a teenager. She became enamored with spoken-word poetry as a freshman at Morgan Park High School after hearing Daniel Beaty’s poem “Knock Knock,” which explores the relationship between a Black boy and the father who abandoned him. “I remember being like, ‘This is what I’m supposed to do,’” she recalled in a 2023 interview with the Sun-Times. So she began writing and performing, honing her craft at West Town creative writing incubator Young Chicago Authors, where she won awards for her slam poetry.
Barber’s poetic beginnings are omnipresent in her music, especially in the fluid way she lays down vivid metaphors next to real-world experiences. On “Chaos,” the lead single from her forthcoming debut album, Black American Beauty, she describes feeling simultaneously fetishized and rejected by past lovers. “Niggas’ tongues got amnesia all of a sudden / Hiding all yo crystals when you leaving the coven / Tryna act like it ain’t me that you loving,” she raps.
Barber speaks with emotional potency; she’s not shy about confessing and confronting her feelings in interviews, social media posts, or in person. But in her music she doesn’t just tell you about the introspection, spirituality, and healing that powers her creativity, she invites you to experience it with her—and that feels very fucking good.
When it comes to music, this year has been especially busy for Barber. Along with her work as J Bambii, she’s held a DJ residency at California Clipper under the name Psychic Pu$$y, and she’s continued to organize and host monthly south-side party the Fifi, which she launched in 2022. And in October, she released her second short film, Church Fan (following last year’s Chaos), which doubles as a music video for the album single of the same name.
At this Sleeping Village show, Barber will perform songs from Black American Beauty. She’ll have support from Ohio artists Pink Siifu (currently based in Atlanta) and Sista Salem, plus hometown artists Dialect Tre and Such N Such (who will open the night with a DJ set).
J Bambii Pink Siifu, Sista Salem, Dialect Tre, and Such N Such open. Sat 11/23, 8:30 PM, Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont, $22.66, 21+