Meet James Burgos of Mid-City

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Burgos.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I had always been fascinated with music but did not start making songs until 8th grade. Funny enough, the first song I ever made was with some friends on our school field trip from California to New York/Washington D.C. We continued to make songs together after coming home, and we continued to do so through our first couple years of high school. Shoutout to all of those guys (Jaden, Raymond, Ryan, Ben, Tommy, and Blake), for pushing me to try new and creative things throughout my early days of making music and even to this day.

At the same time I was teaching myself how to produce and record songs on my own, so by junior year of high school I was beginning to try different styles and also push out my own solo music. Right before music I produced and recorded my biggest song to this day, “Crossy Roads”. I had no expectations at the time and no one was really listening to my music, but it just happened to catch on. The newfound traction coupled with the fact that the pandemic began not long after, I had plenty of time to just make music. I found myself meeting new artists, working with new producers, and creating so many relationships online that continue to this day.

I continued making music even through my entire college career through graduation (shoutout San Diego State), and my love and passion for music and entertainment is what ultimately brought me out to Los Angeles where I am now. Long story short I’d truly credit where I am now to my friends and family close to me. My parents always supported my passion for music, my friends from home kept music fun and pushed me to be more creative, and I was always surrounded by driven people in college that made me want to do better for myself. Definitely a collective effort and an amazing journey that I want to continue building on!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would say some of the struggles have definitely been budgeting time for music as well as the other things I care about in my life. Between jobs, friends, other hobbies, relationships, travel, and especially college at the time, I found it difficult to make time for everything, and I still do sometimes. I didn’t want my passion to become work for me, but I had to realize that passions need to be actively worked on in order to see progress and growth. Not everything is just going to be given, it has to be earned.

I also find it hard to be appreciative of how far I’ve gotten, it’s very easy for me to get stuck on the next milestone or goal I want to achieve or be hard on myself because I’m thinking forward. I have to remember that already gotten so far and take a step back and look at the amazing journey I’ve been on.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been an independent music artist for almost 7 years now, being self-taught in writing, recording, producing, and mixing all from my little bedroom studio, all which stemmed from a pure love for music. My genres include aesthetic rap, underground rap, and phonk, and I’ve worked with artists such as Sadfriendd and lilbubblegum. I’ve accrued hundreds of millions of streams across online platforms, with 12 of my songs having over 1 million streams on Spotify.

I would say that my proudest moments go hand-in-hand with what sets me apart from others. Most artists choose to keep their personal lives private or present a certain image for themselves on their social media platforms, but I love to show people what I have going on outside of music. I love showcasing my friends, family, travels, and hobbies away from music, as I feel like it is more genuine to me and my character. I feel like people in artistic fields sometimes want to be seen as mysterious or nonchalant, but I find it fun being able to connect with supporters in everyday things that we share in common.

My proudest moment has to be when a fan reached out and said they wanted to do well in school and ultimately go to college because of me. They saw the great experiences and memories I had the privilege of having with my friends, and wanted to experience that for themselves. I know I sound like a cornball but to inspire others to do whatever it is they want in their own life is one of the best parts about being in the position I’m in now, I’ll never forget that interaction.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I could credit so many so I’m just going to make a list:

– Mom/Dad: For being great role models, friends (I know my mom hates when I call her a friend), supporters, and never doubting my ability to do what I set out to do.
– Raymond’s House (friend group from back home they know who they are): For always keeping music fun and still holding it down to this day
– College Roomies: You guys pushed me to be work hard and play hard, I admire all of your work ethics and want to follow suit.
– LA Friends: Moving to a new city alone was terrifying and you guys have helped me settle in, and allowed me to continue working on what I love doing.
– The people on my Instagram Close Friends: I know I haven’t seen some of you guys in what feels like forever but everyone on here made a profound impact on my life at one point or another, appreciate and love each and every one of you guys I do what I do because of you all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/thenameislames
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jurgosbames
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burgosjames/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lames4190?si=-JNub2cIRa-w00jf
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/breadlames
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0YOqUYaXpo6wSaYPn3jbyy?si=CIGxlxe3R7OCKmRk9dAJwA