Ro James | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ronnie James Tucker |
Born | Stuttgart, West Germany |
Origin | New York City, U.S. |
Genres | R&B |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 2011–present |
Labels | |
Website | rojamesxix |
Ronnie James Tucker, better known by his stage name Ro James, is an American R&B singer. He is best known for his single "Permission", which reached number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. He is signed to ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Records and released Eldorado, his first album under a major label, in 2016.
Born in Stuttgart, West Germany, James is of Panamanian[1] and African-American[2] descent. Throughout his childhood, James would sing regularly, but never in public.[3] He eventually moved to New York where he was influenced by his aunt Rosie Gaines, a former singer for Prince.[4] His love for the album Purple Rain landed him in a studio at the age of 19.[4] His skills as a songwriter began with the song "Portrait", leading up to a credit on the single "Use Me" by R&B singer Miguel[5] after forming a bond with him on MySpace.[6]
James performed in and around New York with artists such as Luke James and Wynter Gordon. In 2013 he released his first EP, a three-part entitled Coke, Jack and Cadillacs. Each part represented important themes in his life - first love, first drink, first car.[3] The EP featured songs that included "A.D.I.D.A.S." and "Pledge Allegiance". It also featured Asher Roth on the song "Lisa".[7] James signed with ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Records in 2015 and subsequently released "Permission", his first single from a major record label, reaching number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[8] His debut album, Eldorado was released May 27, 2016. It debuted at number 71 on the US Billboard 200[9] and at number eight on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[10] It subsequently earned him his first nomination for Best R&B Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards in February 2017.
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] |
US R&B /HH [10] |
US R&B [11] | ||
Eldorado |
|
71 | 8 | 3 |
Mantic |
|
— | — | — |
Title | Details |
---|---|
Coke, Jack, and Cadillacs |
|
Smoke |
|
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Bub. [14] |
US R&B /HH [8] |
US R&B [15] | ||||
"Permission" | 2015 | 17 | 37 | 12 | Eldorado | |
"Plan B" (with Brandy)[17] | 2020 | — | — | — | Mantic |