Eric Bellinger

After seeing Janet Jackson perform live, the young Bryan Sledge knew that performing music was what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, and moved from his native Chicago to Los Angeles when he was a mere 19 years old to pursue his dreams. Shortly after he arrived, he found plentiful work in the city's soul and gospel scene as a backing singer, first performing with Mary Mary before going on to write and record with everyone from Kindred the Family Soul to Crystal Aiken. It got to the point where he was such a respected side-man that he found himself featuring on Stevie Wonder's album “A Time To Love” in 2005, and a year later he collaborated with Kanye West for the first time on “Impossible”, the end credits song for Mission: Impossible III.

However, it wasn't enough for Sledge to remain in anyone else's spotlight, and in 2009 he took the name BJ The Chicago Kid and released his first mixtape “A Taste Of Chicago”. Over the course of his first three mixtapes he perfected his brand of hip-hop infused soul music, and in 2012, he independently released his debut album “Pineapple Now-Laters”. The following year, it was announced that Sledge had signed a record deal with Motown themselves, and ever since then, Sledge has remained one of the most singular talents in modern R&B. He's worked with everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Joey Bada$$ and has the brightest of futures ahead of him, for that, he comes highly recommended.