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CMU Approved
Approved: James BKS
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 17 July 2018
James BKS is already an experienced producer. He has worked with artists such as Talib Kweli and Diddy, as well as composing film and advert music for his own Grown Kid agency. Now he prepares to step out into clearer view as the first artist signed to Idris Elba’s 7Wallace label.
Co-written with Mai Lan, his first single ‘Kwele’ also features his father, influential saxophonist Manu Dibango, and rapper Allan Kingdom. The track sees James BKS feed African musical influences into pop production.
“I want people to get to know my journey”, says the producer of the track. “The song is the musical answer to my inner questions. Finally I can be proud of my roots and say this music is fully me”.
Of making James BKS his first signing, Elba recently told Billboard: “James is a rare find. His hip hop sensibilities transfer to the other music he makes, he’s a nice person to work with and is gonna be a strong artist in the future. It’s a huge move for 7Wallace, a small indie label”.
Watch the video for ‘Kwele’ here:
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