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BJ THE CHICAGO KID RELEASES MUSIC VIDEO FOR “THE NEW CUPID (FEATURING KENDRICK LAMAR)”
TAPS KENDRICK, HANNIBAL BURESS, RAPHAEL SAADIQ& MORE FOR THE NEW VISUAL
“The best parts of “In My Mind,” BJ’s strong major-label debut album come when this young singer tasks himself with ethical responsibility…This is R&B about love, yes – loving yourself enough to go on, no matter how tough things get.”
“In My Mind is a musical delicacy, sweet for any neo soul lover’s palate. Reviving neo-soul with fluent Hip Hop understanding back to salvation, BJ’s Motown debut is undoubtedly the remedy to what the genre’s been missing.”
“In My Mind shows that BJ is the kind of artist that can shape a whole generation. Aretha, Luther, Whitney and Al Green all gave us a real glimpse into their soul, and, after teasing the track on social last night, BJ put the soul back into the game.”
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March 24, 2016 — New York, NY — Today BJ The Chicago Kid premieres the music video for his popular track, “The New Cupid (featuring Kendrick Lamar.)” In the video directed by Matt Barnes (Aloe Black “I’m the Man”), actor/comedian Hannibal Buress [Broad City, The Eric Andre Show] is a lousy, mullet-weave wearing Cupid, Kendrick Lamar laments his parking lot pimpin’, and Raphael Saadiq — whose “Oh Girl” is sampled on the track — adds cool vibes. View it HERE.
“Cupid’s too busy in the club, at the bar, rolling up,” sings BJ. With real love slowly disappearing, the GRAMMY® Award-nominated Chicago soul music beacon feels compelled to save it. True, the music he makes will force you down even faster into love.
Hannibal Buress tells Rolling Stone of the clip: “The video shoot was a spiritual experience. We’re gonna change lives with this one. BJ was telling how the video was missing one piece. It was me. I came into the picture and made this project whole. The cherry on top. The final stroke of the paintbrush on a masterpiece.
“A lot of people have been asking about my compensation for this project,” Buress says. “BJ paid me in a lifetime subscription to Tidal and 3 ghostwritten 13-bar verses about any subject matter of my choosing.”
BJ The Chicago Kid concurs, telling Rolling Stone: “Working on this video was a dream come true, from Hannibal agreeing to play the new Cupid, to Raphael providing the music, IAMSU lending us his acting skills and Mila J stopping through to lend us her smile and beauty.
“I have to say I have a great group of friends. Even Kendrick paused everything he had going around the Grammys to make sure we had what we needed.”
Upon release, IN MY MIND debuted at #7 on Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. Pitchfork claims, “Sledge is in the zone when he’s singing to women, about women, and especially in praise of women,” and The Source claims “luring listeners into a musical playground of ecstasy, the project shines with glints of excellence. BJ‘s thick, velvety voice reeks of showmanship and elegance.” Vibe says, “All the things that made him shine on Pineapple Now-Laters has been polished to a blinding glow on In My Mind,” while HipHopDX concludes “BJ has put forth a project that speaks louder than any other outlier that dictates what rides the trend. A true soulful artist wouldn’t have it any other way. An R&B maestro would actually demand it.”
Anointed by his peers with collaborations with everybody from Dr. Dre, Kanye West, ScHoolBoy Q [marking his first Grammy nom], Kehlani, Chance The Rapper, Ty Dolla $ign, Anderson .Paak, and many more, BJ‘s voice never fails to seduce listeners. PINEAPPLE NOW-LATERS and mixtapes including The Life of Love’s Cupid and The M.A.F.E. Project solidified him as an underground sensation. Now, IN MY MIND is 15 tracks of unadulterated, unbridled, and undeniable soul R&B held together by his immediately recognizable voice that carries on in the tradition of “old-school stars that came long before him, like Marvin Gaye or Willie Hutch, Babyface or D’Angelo. (Chicago Sun Times).”
“Al Green with the vest on and the gold chains and no shirt”- One to Watch
“BJ The Chicago Kid breathes soul and gritty storytelling into his music. The sound comes from an honest place with some experiences clearly personal while others teeter on observation. He enjoys delivering the art sans compromise.”
“BJ The Chicago Kid stands as a beacon for soul music.”
“BJ the Chicago Kid has sung backup for Usher, written songs for Mary J. Blige and had been sampled by Kanye West. But on his new album, In My Mind, his own voice and lyrics are the main attraction.”
“BJ The Chicago Kid is one of those under-the-radar R&B singers who still has the potential to bubble up into mainstream stardom at any time.”
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