Boldy James | |
---|---|
![]() Jones in 2017 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | James Clay Jones III |
Also known as |
|
Born | [1] Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | August 9, 1982
Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | |
Member of |
|
James Clay Jones III (born August 9, 1982), better known by his stage name Boldy James, is an American rapper. [2] He is a member of the hip hop collective Griselda. Recognized for his deep voice and laid-back delivery of vivid stories, he often explores themes of drug trade and street life. After his debut album My 1st Chemistry Set (2013), James has since released 14 studio albums along with several mixtapes and EPs.
His reunion with the Alchemist—who also produced his debut—on The Price of Tea in China (2020) saw him gain significant recognition, along with his jazz-infused collaboration album with Sterling Toles, Manger on McNichols , released that same year. He frequently collaborates with other members of the Griselda collective, and has worked with producers such as Conductor Williams, Jay Versace, Nicholas Craven, Real Bad Man and Futurewave, among others.
Jones was born on August 9, 1982, in Atlanta, to James Clay Jones Jr. and Toni K. Broadus. [3] [4] In 1983, Jones and Broadus returned to their original home of Detroit, with their son after Jones was wounded in the line of duty serving as a police officer. [4] They resided on the Eastside of Detroit with Jones' grandmother. [4] In 1989, Jones' parents separated and his mother sent him and his younger sister to live with their father on Detroit's westside on Stahelin Hell Block near McNichols Road and the Southfield Freeway. [4] Jones' love for music came to the forefront at the age of 12, when he performed in a middle school talent show and began writing his first raps shortly after. [5] He attended high school at Detroit Cooley, and dropped out after the ninth grade. [5] He got the name "Boldy James" from his friend, James Osely III, whom people in the neighborhood called "Boldy". [5] Jones said, "he didn't rap, he just sold cocaine. I liked the name because his name was James too". When his friend was murdered, he decided to carry on with the name, using it to rap. [5]
In 2009, Jones's first big break on the national scene came in the form of two features on The Cool Kids and Don Cannon's mixtape Merry Christmas, on the songs "BBQ Wings" and "Tires". [6] That was followed up by his record "Gettin Flicked" appearing on The Cool Kids's 2010 mixtape Tacklebox. [7] Also in 2010, he was featured on the Chip tha Ripper song "Fat Raps" remix alongside Big Sean, Asher Roth, Dom Kennedy and Chuck Inglish. [8] On May 24, 2011, Jones released his solo debut mixtape Trappers Alley Pros and Cons. [9] The project went on to be named by Pitchfork as one of 2011's Most Overlooked Projects. [10] On February 27, 2012, he released his follow up mixtape, Consignment. [11] On March 5, 2013, he released an EP titled Grand Quarters. [12] On October 15, 2013, he released his debut album, My 1st Chemistry Set , entirely produced by The Alchemist. [13] On May 22, 2014, it was announced that Jones, Bishop Nehru, and Fashawn were the first signees to Nas's Mass Appeal Records. [14] He left Mass Appeal in 2020 to sign with Westside Gunn's Griselda Records. With Griselda, he has released The Price of Tea in China , Manger on McNichols and Bo Jackson, among other albums. [15]
On January 9, 2023, Jones was involved in a car accident in Detroit, leaving him with a broken vertebrae, requiring intensive surgery. [16]
On August 24, 2023, Jones revealed that he is related to American rapper Snoop Dogg through word of his family. [17] [18] He is also a cousin of Chuck Inglish. [7]
Title | Album details |
---|---|
My 1st Chemistry Set [13] (with The Alchemist) |
|
The Price of Tea in China (with The Alchemist) | |
Manger on McNichols (with Sterling Toles) |
|
The Versace Tape [19] |
|
Real Bad Boldy(with Real Bad Man) |
|
Bo Jackson (with The Alchemist) |
|
Super Tecmo Bo(with The Alchemist) |
|
Killing Nothing(with Real Bad Man) |
|
Fair Exchange No Robbery(with Nicholas Craven) |
|
Mr. Ten08(with Futurewave) |
|
Be That as It May(with Cuns) |
|
Indiana Jones(with RichGains) |
|
Penalty of Leadership(with Nicholas Craven) |
|
Across the Tracks(with Conductor Williams) |
|
The Bricktionary(with Harry Fraud) |
|
Title | EP details |
---|---|
Grand Quarters [12] |
|
The Art of Rock Climbing [23] |
|
Boldface(with The Alchemist) |
|
ADU(with Real Bad Man as Boldy Bad Man) [24] |
|
Prisoner of Circumstance(with ChanHays) |
|
1LB (One Lucky Bastard)(with Your Boy Posca) |
|
Hidden in Plain Sight(with whothehelliscarlo) |
|
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Trappers Alley: Pros & Cons [26] |
|
Consignment: Favor For A Favor The Redi-rock Mixtape [27] |
|
Trappers Alley 2 [28] |
|
House of Blues |
|
Live at the Roxy (Caps & Tabs) [13] (with M. Stacks) |
|
Latr (Tabs & Caps) |
|
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"I Sold Dope All My Life" [29] | 2012 | Trappers Alley: Pros & Cons |
"Grittin" [30] (featuring Peechie Green and Fat Ray) | — | |
"For the Birds" [31] | 2013 |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Take Whats Ours" [32] (L.O.Gic featuring Boldy James and Aaron Williams) | 2012 | — |
Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Fat Raps" (Remix) | 2010 | King Chip, Chuck Inglish, Big Sean, Asher Roth, Dom Kennedy | From Me to You: The Prelude to Gift Raps |
"Roll Call" | 2011 | The Cool Kids, Asher Roth, King Chip | When Fish Ride Bicycles |
"Criminal Enterprise" | Chips, Dusty McFly, Keely | Couch Potato | |
"Stop the Show" | Sir Michael Rocks, Payroll | Premier Politics | |
"Golden Midas" | Asher Roth, Nico Segal, Greg Landfair Jr. | Pabst & Jazz | |
"Detroit Game" | 2012 | J Dilla, Chuck Inglish | Rebirth of Detroit |
"Girl (I Used To Know)" | JMSN | Priscilla | |
"The Kosmos Pt. 2 - Power Glove" | The Alchemist | Russian Roulette | |
"Soul Fry" (Remix) | Deniro Farrar, Shady Blaze | Kill or Be Killed | |
"Paramount" | 2013 | Phillie | Welcome to the Detroit Zoo |
"Boat Races" | TreeJay, DJ Clockwork, Larry Fisherman, Freddie Gibbs | Show Time | |
"Light This Fa Me" | 2016 | Chuck Inglish, Buddy | Ev Zepplin |
"On The Set" | 2017 | The Cool Kids, Smoke DZA | Special Edition Grandmaster Deluxe |
"It's Possible" | 2019 | Westside Gunn, Jay Worthy | Hitler Wears Hermes 7 |
"Ocean Prime" | The Alchemist | Yacht Rock 2 | |
"Friday Night Cypher" | 2020 | Big Sean, Tee Grizzley, Kash Doll, Cash Kidd, Payroll, 42 Dugg, Drego, Sada Baby, Royce da 5'9", Eminem | Detroit 2 |
"Get Money" | Dej Loaf, Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine | Sell Sole II | |
"Claiborne Kick" | Westside Gunn | Pray For Paris | |
"Buffs vs. Wires" | Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher | Flygod Is An Awesome God 2 | |
"All Praises" | Westside Gunn, Jadakiss | Who Made The Sunshine | |
"TV Dinners" | 2021 | The Alchemist, Sideshow | This Thing of Ours |
"Yzerman" | Nicholas Craven | Craven N 3 | |
"Bird Box" | Rx Papi | 100 Miles & Walk'in | |
"Westheimer" | Westside Gunn, Stove God Cooks, Sauce Walka | Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf | |
"716 Mile" | Westside Gunn | ||
"No Yeast" | 2022 | Curren$y | Continuance |
"Sauvage" | Billy Woods, Gabe 'Nandez | Aethiopes | |
"December Coming" | Domo Genesis & Evidence | Intros, Outros & Interludes | |
"Looking For Water" | Pink Siifu & Real Bad Man | Real Bad Flights | |
"Trillion Cuts" | Roc Marciano & The Alchemist | The Elephant Man's Bones | |
“4Evastackin" | Marcel Allen | Ebony Goddess | |
"Serving" | Rome Streetz | Kiss the Ring | |
"Art Talk" | 2023 | Larry June & The Alchemist | The Great Escape |
"Red Dolphin" | A$AP Ant | The PostLude | |
"Stunna" | Rome Streetz, Double Dee | Noise Kandy 5 | |
"Trouble Man" | The Alchemist, T.F. | Flying High EP |
Joseph Guillermo Jones II, better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper, record producer and record executive. He is a founding member of the hip hop collective the Diplomats, which he formed in 1997 with fellow Harlem native Cam'ron.
D'Juan Montrel Hart, better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I., Dro signed with his label, Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2004. His debut studio album, Best Thang Smokin' (2006), peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was led by the single "Shoulder Lean", which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. After several mixtapes, he released his second album High Times (2013), in a joint venture with Grand Hustle and independent distributor Entertainment One Music; its lead single, "FDB", peaked at number two on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
Ramone Johnson, better known by his stage name Cashis, is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was most notably featured on the Shady Records album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up with Eminem and the record label, and released The County Hound EP in 2007. The County Hound EP sold 6,700 copies in its first week and debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number 106. He's best known for appearing on Eminem's song, "You Don't Know", featuring 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks.
The Cool Kids are an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish. The Cool Kids' music had been released primarily to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Recordings. Reed and Ingersoll have made appearances in numerous forms of media, as well as in collaborations with other artists such as Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist, Mac Miller, Boldy James, The Neptunes, Curren$y, Dom Kennedy, Larry June, Pac Div, Travis Barker, Lil Wayne, King Chip, Asher Roth, Ab-Soul, and Chance The Rapper. The Cool Kids are also members of the hip hop collectives All City Chess Club and P.O.C. founded in 2010–2011.
Evan Ingersoll, better known by his stage name Chuck Inglish, is an American rapper, producer and songwriter most known for being part of the hip hop duo The Cool Kids with Sir Michael Rocks. His debut album Convertibles was released on April 8, 2014.
Santiago Leyva, known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American hip hop recording artist from Fresno, California. He first gained major attention after releasing his debut album Boy Meets World in 2009, which was produced entirely by Exile. The album received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. Since then, Fashawn has collaborated with other artists and producers such as Nas, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Evidence, Murs, Aloe Blacc, Blu, Big Mike, Brother Ali, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder. In 2014, Fashawn performed the entrance theme to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley's rematch against Manny Pacquiao.
The discography of Asher Roth, an American hip hop recording artist, consists of three studio albums, five extended plays (EPs), six mixtapes, 15 singles and 24 music videos. As of February 2014, his debut album Asleep in the Bread Aisle, has sold 214,000 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
American rapper Yo Gotti has released 11 studio albums, 25 mixtapes and 57 singles, and 5 promotional singles. After several guest appearances, mixtapes and independent releases, he released his major-label debut album Life, in 2003.
Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Jam Recordings to release his debut single, "All Gold Everything" commercially that same month. The song peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album.
The discography of Ab-Soul, an American hip hop recording artist, consists of six studio albums, two mixtapes, seventeen singles and 30 music videos. Ab-Soul's first full-length project was a mixtape titled Longterm. The mixtape was released in 2009, as a free download via mixtape-sharing websites.
Kenneth Edward Bailey, better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He was among the first artists to sign with fellow Atlanta rapper Future's record label, Freebandz in 2012, having known its founder since childhood. The following year, he jointly signed with Waka Flocka Flame's Brick Squad Monopoly, an imprint of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records. He first gained regional recognition for his collaborations with the rappers, as well as his mixtape Street Lottery (2012) and its lead single, "Colombia". His guest appearance on Future and Juice Wrld's 2018 song, "Jet Lag" marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rory William Quigley, known professionally as Harry Fraud, is an American record producer. Primarily a hip hop producer, Fraud began producing at an early age and began interning at a recording studio after graduating from high school. First discovered by French Montana during a recording session in Chinatown in early 2009, Fraud has since worked on each of his releases and become a fixture in the New York underground hip hop scene. He was credited on Montana's 2012 single, "Shot Caller", which became one of the most added tracks on urban contemporary radio during 2011–2012.
Lionel Du Fon Pickens, better known by his stage name Chinx, was an American rapper. He was a member of The Rockaway Riot Squad alongside fellow slain rapper Stack Bundles. Chinx later joined French Montana's Coke Boys Records, gaining recognition for his appearances on the Coke Boys mixtapes and the Cocaine Riot mixtape series. He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Jamaica, Queens on May 17, 2015. Two men have since been arrested in the case.
The discography of Danny Brown, an American hip hop recording artist, consists of six studio albums, four extended plays (EPs), nine mixtapes, twenty four singles, two promotional singles and 37 music videos.
Justin Ritter, known professionally as SwizZz, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for significantly collaborating with childhood friend Hopsin, and being signed to their record label Funk Volume, which was founded by Hopsin himself. He has released various singles and released two mixtapes including Haywire with Hopsin, and Good Morning SwizZzle.
Antoine Amari Reed is an American rapper better known by his stage name Sir Michael Rocks. He started his music career in 2005 as a member of the hip hop duo The Cool Kids, and later joined the groups All City Chess Club, the "super group" P.O.C., and The Toothpick Clique. The Cool Kids released their debut album When Fish Ride Bicycles in 2011, which features production by The Neptunes and artists such as Ghostface Killah. The album peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard 200, and No. 9 on Top Rap Albums.
Christian Talcott Webster, better known by his stage name Chris Webby, is an American rapper from Norwalk, Connecticut. Webster has released many mixtapes such as the DJ Drama-hosted Bars On Me (2012) and his EP There Goes the Neighborhood (2011), which peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200. He has worked with various artists such as Freeway, Mac Miller, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Apathy, Prodigy, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Jarren Benton and Kid Ink. In 2013 he and his label, Homegrown Music, signed a deal with E1 Music. He then released Homegrown, another EP, in November 2012. Webster released his debut studio album Chemically Imbalanced on October 27, 2014.
Quincy Williams, known by his stage name Peewee Longway, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his mixtape The Blue M&M (2014) and his 2013 single, "Loaded". He was also a member of the rap group "Felix Brothers", alongside Gucci Mane and Young Dolph.
This is the discography for American hip hop recording artist Chip tha Ripper, briefly known as King Chip.
Daniel Son; Necklace Don is the ninth mixtape by American rapper 2 Chainz. It was released on August 5, 2016 independently by 2 Chainz. The project consists of ten tracks, with guest appearances from Drake and YFN Lucci, with production from TM88, C4, Dun Deal, DJ Spinz, Bobby Kritical, K Swisha, Mr. 2-17, Southside, and Buddah Bless. Artwork was illustrated by Kid Graphic. Originally the seventh track on the tape, "Big Amount" was removed from the tracklist and included as a digital bonus track on his fourth studio album "Pretty Girls Like Trap Music".