November 26, 2020
7Wallace
Overview- James BKS was the first artist signed to Idris Elba's record label 7Wallace. His first single 'Kwele' feat. Allan Kingdom & Manu Dibango was Annie Mac's 'Hottest Record' and most recent release 'New Breed' (an ode to Africa and empowerment ) featured hip-hop legend Q-Tip, multi-talented actor and artist Idris Elba, and Mercury Prize nominated rapper Little Simz and is also the theme song Sky One comedy 'In The Long Run'. James is back with new feel good heater 'No Unga Bunga' - which address James' quest to carry on the legacy of his legendary father - Manu Dibango, but also to build his own identity and artistic presence. The track is the first from upcoming EP 'Wolves of Africa' (March 2021) with appearances from Royce Da 5'9, Ebenezer, Reo Cragun, Yemi Alade and more. James BKS is a French artist of Cameroonian origins, who lived a few years in the United States of America and his productions are an exploration through his musical and personal legacy. Between Europe, Africa and America, James tells his journey through his music, melting together African percussions, hip-hop rhythms and pop chords. Radio- James previous single 'New Breed' received high level tastemaker support on Radio from Jo Whiley (Radio 2), Annie Mac (Radio 1), Toddla T (Radio 1), Mistajam (1xtra) - Record of the week. His first single 'Kwele' was Annie Mac's 'Hottest Record' and his music continues to pick up support throughout Europe on French station Nova amongst others. Press- Idris Elba announced the launch of 7Wallace Music with the introduction of the first signed artist, James BKS on Billboard (2018). His single 'New Breed' received glowing coverage across NME.com, Okayplayer, HYPBEAST, The Line of Best Fit, London In Stereo, Wonderland, GRM Daily, Pitchfork and more. Sync/Partnerships - 'Kwele' was used on the Lexus global online campaign for 'The Lexus Hoverboard: Its Here'. 'Kwele' was also licenced to be used on the Netflix Original comedy 'Turn Up Charlie' curated by Idris Elba. Sky Ones 'In The Long Run' Season 2 & 3 used the track 'New Breed' for its title music. Live- James is performing as a headliner at the prestigious 'Trans Musicales' festival in Paris on December 3rd, just following the release of 'No Unga Bunga' This year he also performed a live set and was interviewed in June for Radio Nova for the 'Des lives en summertime', an intimate concert live on the radio and also shown on Radio Nova social media. He performed in the summer for ARTE Concert for a Facebook livestream show, alongside artist Awa Ly & Jawhar. Social Media- This release will include paid social media campaign geared towards driving views for the video and streams on DSPs. Background- James BKS is from Paris, son of legendary Pan-African and Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango. As a child, he grew up between songs by French singer Michel Berger and Congolese musician Kofi Olomide. Later, during his teenage years, came Wu-Tang Clan and The Fugees, a time when he flew for the first time to the United States of America. James started studying sound engineering in a Virginia college. Between classes, James BKS produced instrumentals that he sent to numerous Rap and R'n'B artists on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. He got signed on Akon's Konvikt Muzik. James worked there with in-house songwriters like T-Pain and Rock City. He produced a few songs, for major acts like Snoop Dogg, Diddy, and French rap stars Booba and Soprano. During a professional meeting, he ran into his biological father Manu Dibango. They got to know each other, and the young musician discovered his father's personality and musical heritage, which turned out to be a revelation. Together, the two artists created the official French-speaking countries anthem for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. James started to meet some African musicians, especially Guy Nwogang, percussionist for Dibango's Soul Makossa Gang, Salif Keita and Stevie Wonder. This led him to a new creative process. James is looking for a balance between pop and urban music. "I want people to get to know my journey and my music. This is the answer to all my inner questions. Finally, I can assert myself, be proud of my roots, and say: this music is me".