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.
Career
Early career
Born in Paris, Edjouma's career started out in the US when he signed on Akon's label Konvict Muzik. 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. 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. 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. 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.
James BKS is also a composer of original scores for feature films and advertisement.
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. He also performed for the Africa Day event on MTV Base Africa and for Arte Concert
He also performed live before the AFCON finals.
Personal life
Edjouma is the son of famous Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango.
Discography
Compositions
2008 : Petit Nègre – Al Peco
2008 : 100 barres – Al Peco
2008 : King – Booba
2009 : Groove On – Timati (feat. Snoop Dogg) 2010 : Plus Que De La Musique – Sat L’Artificier (feat. Akhenaton, Soprano) 2011 : I'm On You – Timati (feat. P. Diddy) 2012 : Party Animal – Timati 2012 : Pain Is Love – Ja Rule 2012 : To The Top – Ja Rule (feat. Kalenna) 2012 : Requiem – Sadek 2012 : Mecs du Hood – Zoxea 2013 : Retrofuturflow – Ol Kainry (feat. Youssoupha) 2013 : Pas Besoin – Kamelancien (feat. Atheena) 2016 : Tu sais – Christophe Willem, Black M, Inna Modja, Manu Dibango 2017 : Art Contemporain (album) – Les Sages Poètes de la Rue
Soundtracks
2014 : Une Histoire Banale directed by Audrey Estrougo
2015 : La Taularde, directed by Julie Gayet
2016 : Le Gang Des Antillais directed by Jean-Claude Barny
Singles
2018 : Kwele (feat. Allan Kingdom, Manu Dibango) 2018 : MaWakanda (feat. Reo Cragun, Ebenezer) 2019 : New Breed (feat. Q-Tip, Idris Elba, Little Simz)
