“…my music is real life…I’m not giving you some juiced up depiction of my upbringing, or an over-extravagant impression of the party scene…real people do real things, and that’s what I’m about…” Originality, flavor, blended with youthful exuberance and lyrical prowess are the popularly known ingredients of bona fide recording artists we know as emcees. Traditionally in hip hop, many recording artists are known for the controversy defining their history of being shot, selling drugs or being incarcerated or arrested with multiplicity. King James’s version of a rapper’s image does not fully negate from this, but the quality of his music and his respect for the art form is how he has chosen to establish his image. Born James A. Jones Jr. in St. Louis, Missouri, to an eventually separated Valerie and James A. Jones Sr., King would escape constant in-home turmoil for the false solace of the streets at an early age. Under the guise of his older brother, James would find that the streets would offer nothing less than various run-ins with the law and ultimately his brother’s long-term incarceration. James’s brother is often credited with cultivating his younger brother’s then loose dreams of becoming a celebrated rap star. These dreams gradually arrived at passion that was exuded by a swagger many in his studio, neighborhood and family environments would find unique and valuable to King James. In the midst of numerous yet to be resolved cases, James opted to redirect his decision making and embarked on a life changing aspiration to maximize his potential in his senior year of high school. This is where King James began to discover the solace that he desired for so long. After applying to various colleges James decided to attend Jackson State University in Mississippi. Broken home, experiences in the streets, run-ins with the law, and watching a brother become a statistic in the prison system didn’t deal James a band hand at life. He found himself fueled by life’s adversities and exhausted that fuel simultaneously while majoring in English and producing a highly touted catalog of mixtapes that built the type of image that James found rare in the hip hop community; an image that he’s not ashamed of. “I think education helps me better understand the science behind putting words together effectively”, says James of his Bachelor’s degree. Graduating Cum Laude from Jackson State University as a devout member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, respecting the culture of hip hop and remaining true to his acumen as a lyricist is King James’s version of his image of a rap star.