Ro James
Ro James | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ronnie James Tucker November 19, 1986 Stuttgart, West Germany |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | rojamesxix |
Ronnie James Tucker (born November 19, 1986)[1] professionally known as Ro James, is an American R&B singer. He is best known for his 2015 single "Permission", which peaked at number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. He signed with Mark Pitts' ByStorm Entertainment, an imprint of RCA Records to release his debut studio album, Eldorado (2016).
Career
[edit]Born in Stuttgart, West Germany,[1] James is of Panamanian[2] and African-American[3] descent. Throughout his childhood, James would sing regularly, but never in public.[4] He eventually moved to New York where he was influenced by his aunt Rosie Gaines, a former singer for Prince.[5] His love for the album Purple Rain landed him in a studio at the age of 19.[5] 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[6] after forming a bond with him on MySpace.[7]
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.[4] The EP featured songs that included "A.D.I.D.A.S." and "Pledge Allegiance". It also featured Asher Roth on the song "Lisa".[8] 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.[9] His debut album, Eldorado was released May 27, 2016. It debuted at number 71 on the US Billboard 200[10] and at number eight on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[11] It subsequently earned him his first nomination for Best R&B Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards in February 2017.
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] |
US R&B /HH [11] |
US R&B [12] | ||
| Eldorado |
|
71 | 8 | 3 |
| Mantic |
|
— | — | — |
EPs
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Coke, Jack, and Cadillacs |
|
| Smoke |
|
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [15] |
US R&B /HH [9] |
US R&B [16] | ||||
| "Permission" | 2015 | 17 | 37 | 12 | Eldorado | |
| "Plan B" (with Brandy)[18] | 2020 | — | — | — | Mantic | |
Tours
[edit]Headlining tour
[edit]- XIX Tour (2017)[19]
Co-headlining tour
[edit]- The R&B Tour (with BJ The Chicago Kid) (2018)[20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Ro James". AllMusic. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ "Getting To Know Ro James". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ Gold, Johnson (April 6, 2017). "PAUSE Meets: Ro James". Pausemag.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Platon, Adelle (January 15, 2016). "R&B Bad Boy Ro James On His Influences & Upcoming Debut 'El Dorado'". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ a b "New Artist Spotlight: Ro James". Urban Bridgez. January 30, 2016. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ Leight, Elias (November 25, 2014). "jade de LaFleur, '405' Featuring Ro James". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ "Ro James Discusses Upcoming EP And Working With Miguel". Vibe.com. April 9, 2013. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ Platon, Adelle (December 17, 2016). "Ro James Makes Magic on Sexy Jam 'Already Knew That'". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ a b "Ro James - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "Ro James - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. April 4, 2016. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ro James - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Ro James - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Ro James - ELDORADO - Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "ELDORADO by Ro James on Apple Music". iTunes. May 27, 2016. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Chart Search for Ro James | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
- ^ "Ro James - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016.
- ^ "American single certifications – Ro James". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ "R&b Star Ro James releases his brand new single "Plan B" featuring Brandy". Outnowmagazine.com. July 7, 2020. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ "Ro James To Embark On Headlining "XIX" Tour In 2017 - Nominated For A GRAMMY For Best R&B Performance For "Permission" From Debut Album "ELDORADO"". RCA Records. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Ellis, Stacy-Ann (April 12, 2018). "Ro James And BJ The Chicago Kid's "R&B Tour" Is Coming To A City Near You". Vibe.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.