Preceded by the mixtapes #Luke (2011) and Whispers in the Dark (2012), the album spawned the single "I Want You," which was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

[2] His 2017 single, "Drip" (remixed featuring ASAP Ferg)[3] served to promote the independent release of his second studio album, to feel love/d (2020), which marked his return to music following a two-year hiatus.

Since then, he has performed in Regina Hall and Will Packer film Little,[9] in FOX's Star, HBO's Insecure,[10] USA's Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.,[11] and BET's The Bobby Brown Story.

"[15] As a child, James was inspired by several recording artists and musicians such as Marvin Gaye, Willie Nelson, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Alabama, among others.

[16] While in St. Augustine, he joined a musical trio named Upskale with Quinten Spears (known as Q) and Tah for a brief period, which introduced him to his longtime manager, director, and choreographer Frank Gatson.

After disbanding, James honed his skills as a songwriter, quickly hooked up with producer Danja, and began to craft hits for those in the pop, R&B and soul genres.

[14] In addition to writing for Brown, he also wrote (or co-wrote) hits for pop artists such as Justin Bieber ("That Should Be Me"), Britney Spears ("Kill the Lights") and Keri Hilson ("Do It").

[16] On January 8, 2013, the album's first single, "Make Love to Me",[19] was released to iTunes one month after the music video directed by Frank Gatson.

[27] In 2016, James auditioned for the role of Singer Johnny Gill in the BET Biopic Miniseries The New Edition Story, after being considered by long time music associate Elijah Kelley.

[28] From 2017 to 2019, James played Noah Brooks in the main cast of Lee Daniels' Musical Drama, Star on FOX.