Atlanta-born, Detroit-raised rapper Boldy James drops gritty rhymes over cinematic beats cooked up by producers like The Alchemist and Sterling Toles. • Born James Clay Jones III, he added “Boldy” to his stage name to honor a murdered friend who went by that nickname. • The rapper earned his first major placement in 2009, when he landed two songs on The Cool Kids and Don Cannon’s Merry Christmas mixtape. (Cool Kids member Chuck Inglish is James’ cousin.) • The rapper linked up with crate-digging producer The Alchemist for his gloomy 2013 debut album, My 1st Chemistry Set. • James reconnected with The Alchemist for the 2019 EP Boldface and the revered 2020 album The Price of Tea in China, released within two months of each other. • In 2020, he teamed up with jazz-loving producer Sterling Toles for Manger on McNichols. That same year, he signed with the Buffalo crew Griselda and dropped The Versace Tape.