BJ The Chicago Kid

BJ the Chicago Kid might have seemed like a newcomer when he earned Grammy nominations for "Studio" (2014), his Top 40 collaboration supporting <a href="spotify:artist:5IcR3N7QB1j6KBL8eImZ8m">ScHoolboy Q</a>, and for In My Mind (2016), his debut album for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a>. However, the singer and songwriter had been developing his streetwise mix of vintage and modern R&B styles for nearly a decade, gathering experience as a background singer, guest vocalist, and songwriter with work for the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:7guDJrEfX3qb6FEbdPA5qi">Stevie Wonder</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0uNEy4544VZq2KOl7BsLuo">Lalah Hathaway</a>. Since emerging as an acclaimed headliner in his own right, BJ's secondary discography has expanded with appearances on prominent LPs by <a href="spotify:artist:2auiVi8sUZo17dLy1HwrTU">Solange</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6NL31G53xThQXkFs7lDpL5">Rapsody</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3jK9MiCrA42lLAdMGUZpwa">Anderson .Paak</a>, and the artist has issued the follow-up 1123 (2019), likewise a deeply collaborative work. Along with several singles, he issued the 2021 EP 4 AM and collaborated with producer <a href="spotify:artist:4Fs2djDq0X8khwWIK22DQ1">Yeti Beats</a> on tracks like 2023's "Forgot Your Name" with <a href="spotify:artist:4r6kJJH31uyMF4uWBvnOkh">Corey Henry</a>.

Born to church choir directors on the South Side of Chicago, BJ the Chicago Kid (Bryan James Sledge) relocated to Los Angeles at the age of 19, when he became a backup singer for contemporary gospel stars <a href="spotify:artist:12Kgt2eahvxNWhD5PnSUde">Mary Mary</a>. Over the next several years, he appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:7guDJrEfX3qb6FEbdPA5qi">Stevie Wonder</a>'s A Time to Love and <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a>'s "Impossible," and wrote material for numerous R&B and gospel artists, including <a href="spotify:artist:5AfDeAE9DebBuxecThmRsf">Crystal Aikin</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5hrUVXJsPParZB87QtAz1R">Shirley Caesar</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0uNEy4544VZq2KOl7BsLuo">Lalah Hathaway</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3zTOe1BtyTkwNvYZOxXktX">Joe</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3RDl7kNfhB72Ojsc2qiyfy">Kindred the Family Soul</a>. Major progress was made in 2012. That February, he released Pineapple Now-Laters. The hefty introductory showcase featured <a href="spotify:artist:2YZyLoL8N0Wb9xBt1NhZWg">Kendrick Lamar</a> on two tracks, including an update of <a href="spotify:artist:3ICyfoySNDZqtBVmaBT84I">War</a>'s "The World Is a Ghetto." This led to a deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a>, which released the Pineapple track "Good Luv'n" as a single that October. As a featured artist, BJ achieved his first hit in 2014 with <a href="spotify:artist:5IcR3N7QB1j6KBL8eImZ8m">ScHoolboy Q</a> on "Studio." A number ten R&B/hip-hop hit, the single also crossed into the Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. A commercial mixtape entitled The M.A.F.E. Project arrived that November with <a href="spotify:artist:5IcR3N7QB1j6KBL8eImZ8m">ScHoolboy</a> returning the favor on "It's True," his second official <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a> single.

BJ continued to work toward the release of his first proper album the following year with a slew of singles and featured appearances on tracks by <a href="spotify:artist:2P5sC9cVZDToPxyomzF1UH">Joey Bada$$</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0cGUm45nv7Z6M6qdXYQGTX">Kehlani</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6DPYiyq5kWVQS4RGwxzPC7">Dr. Dre</a>, among several others. In My Mind, BJ's full-length <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a> debut, finally reached retail and streaming outlets in February 2016. The LP entered Billboard's R&B/hip-hop and pop charts respectively at numbers seven and 43. Grammy nominations followed in the categories of Best R&B Album, Best Traditional R&B Performance (for "Woman's World"), and Best R&B Performance (for "Turnin' Me Up").

Visible primarily as a collaborator for the next few years, BJ took park in sessions for high-profile releases such as <a href="spotify:artist:2GHclqNVjqGuiE5mA7BEoc">Common</a>'s Nobody's Smiling, <a href="spotify:artist:2auiVi8sUZo17dLy1HwrTU">Solange</a>'s A Seat at the Table, <a href="spotify:artist:6NL31G53xThQXkFs7lDpL5">Rapsody</a>'s Laila's Wisdom, and <a href="spotify:artist:3jK9MiCrA42lLAdMGUZpwa">Anderson .Paak</a>'s Oxnard and Ventura. Intermittent headlining singles and a three-track EP preceded the arrival of BJ's second album for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a>, 1123. Released in July 2019, 1123 featured a bevy of guest spots, including <a href="spotify:artist:3jK9MiCrA42lLAdMGUZpwa">Paak</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6U3ybJ9UHNKEdsH7ktGBZ7">JID</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7ibAWtDtmEfaVhc1FJ3Vl9">Eric Bellinger</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1sBkRIssrMs1AbVkOJbc7a">Rick Ross</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4DdkRBBYG6Yk9Ka8tdJ9BW">Offset</a>, and others. It picked up a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.

Another spate of singles and guest appearances marked his output over the next two years and included a track "Letter 2 U" on the Judas & the Black Messiah soundtrack. He also delivered another EP in 2021's 4 AM. In 2023, BJ returned with two singles, the upbeat "Forgot Your Name" (featuring <a href="spotify:artist:4r6kJJH31uyMF4uWBvnOkh">Corey Henry</a>) and the ballad "Liquor Store in the Sky (featuring <a href="spotify:artist:0Y4inQK6OespitzD6ijMwb">Freddie Gibbs</a>). Both tracks heralded his full-length collaboration with producer <a href="spotify:artist:4Fs2djDq0X8khwWIK22DQ1">Yeti Beats</a> as part of the rapper's contract with <a href="spotify:artist:4Fs2djDq0X8khwWIK22DQ1">Beats</a>' Reach the World Records and Sony RCA. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi