JAE5

A British-Ghanaian producer with a genre-melding style, JAE5 rose to the forefront of the Afroswing movement in the late 2010s, producing hits like J Hus’ “Did You See” and Dave and Burna Boy’s “Location.” As the industry began to recognize his talent, he picked up MOBO and Grammy Awards, then launched his career as a lead artist with 2021′s “Dimension” featuring Skepta and Rema. “Propeller” with Dave and BNXN followed in 2022 ahead of 2024′s collaborative Loveless EP which he made with Lojay. He also teamed up with NSG, a collective that includes two of his brothers. Born Jonathan Kweku Awote-Mensah in Plaistow, East London, he spent three years living in Ghana, before returning to London at the age of 12. During his teenage years he began to develop his engineering and production talents, often collaborating with his musical family. In his early twenties, he began producing under the name JAE5, working with his uncle’s production company JOAT. This is where he met rapper and singer J Hus, and the two formed a tight musical bond, helping to pioneer the emerging Afroswing movement. Blending rap, Afrobeats, and minimalism, his production style helped draw attention to J Hus’ debut mixtape The 15th Day, and early releases by his younger brothers’ project NSG. His first significant hit as a producer was J Hus’ 2017 track “Did You See,” which reached the U.K. Top Ten. From there JAE5 began working with Burna Boy, Mr. Eazi, Rudimental, and many others. He produced the breakout hit “Location” from British rapper Dave’s 2019 debut album and continued working with J Hus, helming much of his 2020 album Big Conspiracy. Along with Ivor Novello, BRIT, and Mercury nominations, JAE5 took home Producer of the Year honors at the MOBO Awards and won a 2021 Grammy Award for his work on Burna Boy’s Twice as Tall album. Around this time he made his debut as lead artist, collaborating with Skepta and Rema on “Dimension,” followed a year later by “Propeller” with Dave and BNXN. He remained an in-demand producer, working with Blaqbonez, Koffee, Libianca, and others while continuing to push his own projects like 2024′s Loveless, a four-song release with Lojay. That same year, he teamed up with his younger brothers Kruddz and OGD in collaboration with NSG on “Spin da Block” and “Normally.” ~ Timothy Monger