A name that has been popping up on many albums and song credits is James Fauntleroy. The singer, songwriter, and producer hails from Inglewood, California. Although he is his own entity, he is also part of Cocaine 80’s, a collective of singers, songwriters, and producers that formed in 2011. The group includes notable members such as Jhene Aiko, Common, and No I.D. He is also a member of 1500 or Nothin, similar in nature to the Cocaine 80’s and is a former member of the songwriting group, the Underdogs. With James Fauntleroy mostly working behind the scenes, there is hardly any information on him. However, he makes up for it with his long list of writing credits and accolades. Fauntleroy co-wrote Justin Timberlake’s 2013 hit album The 20/20 Experience and he went on to win a Grammy for the song, “Pusher Love Girl”.
He wrote six songs on Rihanna’s Rated R, “Get It Over With” on her seventh album, Unapologetic, and has contributed to her latest release, Anti. James also wrote Destiny Child’s “Nuclear”, assisted on albums of Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, & Beyonce’s “Blow” on her self-titled album. He’s also written for Jay Z, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Jamie Foxx, Drake, Jordin Sparks, and a host of other artists. Outside of songwriting, he has released musical projects with Cocaine 80’s. The Pursuit and Ghost Lady were released in 2011 with Express OG following a year later. Their fourth album, The Flower of Life, was released in 2013.
Although James works well with others, he has managed to put out some pretty solid projects on his own. In 2014, he released String Acoustic Theory and The Warmest Winter Ever. A year later, he dropped The Coldest Summer Ever. Late 2016, he released followed up The Warmest Winter Ever with The Warmest Winter II. Being so multifaceted, Fauntleroy displays all the characteristics of a great artist. It’ll be exciting to see what he brings to 2017, whether that be more good songs of other artists we can jam to or some of his own music.
Follow James and listen to his recent tracks below:
