J-Wess

James Wesley Essex, better known by his stage name J-Wess, is an American-Australian hip hop and R&B music producer. J-Wess is currently in the studio working on new music to follow up his most recent single titled 'Get Down'. He is based out of Los Angeles, California and Melbourne, Victoria. His sole album, J-Wess Presents Tha LP, reached the top twenty in Australia in 2005, and included three hit singles.

Early years

J-Wess was born in Los Angeles, California and played basketball in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) while studying business finance at college. In 1999, J-Wess was invited to Australia to train with the Gold Coast Rollers, a National Basketball League team based on the Gold Coast, Australia. The Gold Coast Rollers folded shortly after he arrived and he moved to Adelaide to play with the Woodville Warriors and the South Adelaide Panthers in the subsidiary Australian Basketball Association.

Music career

In the middle of 2003, J-Wess's first single, "Bang This", was released. It garnered airplay on Australian radio and Australian video programs, peaked at No.18 on the ARIA singles charts, and reached the top ten of the Australian urban and dance charts.