Artist and producer Jae5 has already produced four Top 10 and 10 Top 40 singles in the U.K., thanks to collaborations with artists including J Hus, Dave and NSG. He first caught the attention of Joe Gossa, co-president of Black Butter, in 2015 via early J Hus demos. “The first question I asked Hus and his team was, ‘Who is doing these beats?’ From those early productions, I could see this guy was going to be a powerhouse,” he says. “I was blown away by what they were coming up with. It was original and exciting, and the combination of them working together was phenomenal.”

Gossa immediately wanted to meet this up-and-coming producer from East London, and Jae5 subsequently inked with Black Butter for publishing. A few years later, he signed to the label as an artist. “It took a minute for Jae to make the transition, as he was so busy,” says Gossa. “We were talking about it for a couple of years, but when he finally had the time to focus on it, the switch was effortless. He’d already had huge success with Hus, Dave, Burna Boy and NSG and was so instrumental in the scene that he was already looked upon as an artist-producer anyway. He was as much a part of the emerging scene as any of the leading rappers were in the U.K.”

Alongside his singles success, Jae5 worked on J Hus’ platinum-selling debut, Common Sense, which hit #6 in the U.K. in 2017. That was followed up by a #1 with Big Conspiracy in 2020, which has hit gold sales status. Last year, Jae5 was crowned Producer of the Year at the MOBOs and won the same title at the 2022 GRM Rated Awards. As an artist, he has released singles featuring Dave, BNXN and Skepta, as well as guesting on Tion Wayne’s “Who’s True” last year. Next up, expect “more amazing global collaborations, DJ sets and live shows,” says Gossa.

STATS

• Four U.K. Top 10 singles and 10 Top 40s as a producer
• Hit Top 40 as a lead artist with “Propeller” f/ Dave and BNXN in August 2022
• #1 album with J Hus’ Big Conspiracy and a #6 with Common Sense

TEAM

• Management: Kilo Jalloh and Moe Bah, 2K Management
• Label: Joe Gossa, Black Butter
• Live: Promised Land Music and N4 Music
• Publishing: TBA