BJ The Chicago Kid

BJ the Chicago Kid is a Grammy-nominated R&B singer who earned his first hit with "Woman's World," a Top 20 single that appeared on his Motown debut, In My Mind, in 2016. He was born as "Bryan James Sledge" on November 23, 1984, in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were choir directors, and Sledge discovered his own vocal talent at a young age. He initially worked as a backup singer, touring with the gospel duo Mary Mary and, several years later, contributing vocal harmonies to Stevie Wonder's 2005 release A Time to Love. One year later, he collaborated with Kanye West on "Impossible," a minor hit from the Tom Cruise film Mission: Impossible III. His debut mixtape, A Taste of Chicago, followed in 2009, and Sledge independently released a full-length record, Pineapple Now-Laters, two years later. After signing a record deal with Motown in 2012, he 2016's In My Mind, a studio album that hit number 7 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 43 on the Billboard 200. He also appeared on Schoolboy Q's "Studio," a crossover hit that cracked the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. BJ earned a Grammy nomination for "Best R&B Album" with his 2019 release, 1123, and returned to the Billboard charts several years later with 2024's "Spend The Night." The song reached number 23 on Adult R&B Songs and appeared on Gravy, his collaborative record with producer Yeti Beats.