Preferring a literate style over simple hooks or radio-friendly fodder, Detroit rapper
Boldy James delivers sharply focused rhymes that describe drug deals in acute detail. Some of his best-received work, including 2013's
My 1st Chemistry Set and 2020's
The Price of Tea in China, has been produced by
the Alchemist, whose minimalist production befits
Boldy's cold, unflinching narratives. 2020's
Manger on McNichols, a jazzy collaboration with
Sterling Toles, represented a new height in his artistry. He followed it with the Griselda-issued
The Versace Tape and further
Alchemist productions such as 2021's Super Tecmo Bo.
Born in Atlanta but raised in Detroit, where his parents were originally from, James Clay Jones III established
Boldy James as his stage name in tribute to his friend Boldy, who was murdered. The cousin of rapper/producer and
Cool Kids member
Chuck Inglish,
Boldy made appearances on
Cool Kids mixtapes before releasing his first tape, Trapper's Alley: Pros and Cons, in 2011. Consignment: Favor for a Favor, the Redi-Rock Mixtape followed in 2012, and the EP Grand Quarters preceded
My 1st Chemistry Set,
Boldy's
Alchemist-produced studio debut, issued by Decon in 2013.
Boldy became one of the first signees to
Nas' Mass Appeal Records in 2014. His output for the label included the 2015 mixtape
Trapper's Alley 2: Risk vs. Reward, 2017 EP
The Art of Rock Climbing, and 2017 mixtape
House of Blues. He went independent with 2018's Live at the Roxy (Tabs & Caps), then linked back up with
the Alchemist for 2019's Boldface EP and 2020's full-length
The Price of Tea in China. Soon after the album was released, Buffalo-based Griselda Records announced that they had signed
Boldy. Following
Manger on McNichols, a jazzy and long-gestating LP made with producer
Sterling Toles,
Boldy released his Griselda debut,
The Versace Tape. He capped off an especially prolific period with Real Bad Boldy, his fourth full-length project of 2020, self-issued by album collaborator
Real Bad Man. Two albums with
the Alchemist,
Bo Jackson and Super Tecmo Bo, were released in 2021. ~ Paul Simpson & David Jeffries