Lee-James Edjouma (born 18 November), better known by his stage name James BKS, is a French lyricist, a music composer and a producer of
African hip hop.[1]
Career
Early career
Born in Paris, Edjouma's career started out in the US when he signed on Akon's label
Konvict Muzik.[2] It was around this time that he was working with famous artists such as
R. City,
T-Pain, and producing for
Sean Combs,
Snoop Dogg,
Ja Rule, and
Booba.[3] He then decided to return to France to focus on his personal project.
Music
He is currently signed to
Idris Elba’s London-based label, 7Wallace.[4][5] He released three singles on the label, featuring
Allan Kingdom, Reo Cragun, Ebenezer,
Idris Elba,
Q-Tip (
A Tribe Called Quest),
Little Simz and his father
Manu Dibango.[6]
He also co-founded his own record label and music production company, Grown Kid, with his wife. His music has been aired several times on international radios most notably being playlisted on
Annie Mac’s radio show on BBC 1Xtra.[7]
James BKS is also a composer of original scores for feature films[8] and advertisement.[9]
Live
James BKS started performing live in late 2019 in Paris, showcasing his live performance for the first time at
La Petite Halle de la Villette.[10] He also performed for the Africa Day event on MTV Base Africa[11][12] and for Arte Concert[13]
He also performed live before the AFCON finals.
Personal life
Edjouma is the son of famous Cameroonian musician
Manu Dibango.