The music industry was forever altered in 2001, after Philadelphia native Res released her debut album, “How I Do.” Although she took so many artistic risks, by blending so many different genres into a single listening experience — highlighting societal disillusionment as a Black woman — the genre breaking project faced lukewarm reception and was ultimately forgotten by the majority of public consciousness. Still, by not sacrificing her artistic vision and identity, she ultimately inspired generations of women of color (Santigold, Kelela, Estelle, Nia Archives, etc.) in sound and ethos.

The impact of “How I Do” is first shown in the process of its creation. It featured the collaboration between Res and co-writer Santigold, who would later become her own lauded singer and songwriter, were hometown friends. This would be Santigold’s first credit for writing published music and likely inspired Santigold to further push social and musical boundaries in her own way. This impact alone would be enough to show how important “How I Do” is as a piece of music history, as Santigold’s music helped define the sound of the 2000s and itself impacted further artists down the line. This album was the first showcase of Santigold’s prowess as a songwriter, and without this credit it would have been more difficult for her to get a platform to change the landscape of music.

The historically unsung hero here, though, is the singer Res and her sonic vision in genre bending. Her art called for a mixture of genres on a single album all coming together to make a texturally engaging listen with a lovely voice to guide us. While primarily defined as neo-soul, hip-hop and alternative R&B, Res also dabbled in genres such as trip-hop, reggae, alternative rock and, arguably, grunge or post-punk. “How I Do” proves to them and the broader music industry that women of color can create whatever songs they please. It carried a torch that should be reinvigorated and celebrated as an important part of Black music history.