BJ the Chicago Kid

BJ the Chicago Kid, born Bryan James Sledge in 1984, is an American R&B singer-songwriter from the South Side of Chicago. He built his reputation through session work and guest appearances long before releasing solo material, singing background for Stevie Wonder and appearing on tracks by Dave Hollister and Kanye West in the mid-2000s. That path through the industry shaped his sound, a warm, church-rooted voice steeped in gospel phrasing and classic soul, applied to modern hip-hop and R&B production.

His mixtape run in the late 2000s and early 2010s, including A Taste of Chicago and The Life of Love's Cupid, built a cult following before his independent debut album Pineapple Now-Later. He became a fixture of Chicago's hip-hop scene through his work with Chance the Rapper, most notably his feature on Acid Rap, and his continued presence alongside Kendrick Lamar going back to early collaborations.

Signed to Motown, he released the acclaimed In My Mind, which cemented his standing as one of contemporary R&B's most respected vocalists, praised for pairing old-school soul delivery with hip-hop's collaborative culture. He remains best known for bridging gospel-inflected singing with the Chicago rap scene that surrounded him.