Biography

Born in Pomona, California and raised in Alta Loma James Guss launched his career as a recording artist and founding member of the rap group D.E.A. (Dope in Every Aspect). Inspired by neighborhood legends "Above The Law" and "Kokane", both early Ruthless Records signees, James soon pivoted behind the scenes, securing a role at Motown Records where he contributed to influential catalog box sets and compilation albums.

His career evolved with executive roles under industry heavyweights Tracey Edmonds and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds at Yab Yum Records and Edmonds Music Publishing. As Director of A&R, he contributed to the success of Jon B's "Cool Relax" and "Pleasures You Like" LP's, the "Hav Plenty" soundtrack, and "Light It Up" soundtrack-all achieving platinum success. With his comprehensive expertise, James went on to work with Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, and CAK Music Entertainment (Industry Legend Charles Koppelman and attorney David Fritz), honing his skills across A&R, publishing, and music supervision.

A natural progression into music supervision led to his breakthrough on the "Save The Last Dance" film and soundtrack, which won "Best Soundtrack" at the American Music Awards. His film work continued with Disney's "Bringing Down the House" and "MTV's Master of The Mix", each celebrated for innovative music collaborations.

Leveraging his industry network, James co-founded FairviewMBA with Walt Liquor Taylor. Their company empowers artists and executives to navigate music rights, sample clearances, and royalty collection, with a roster of high-profile clients including the likes of Anderson.Paak, Erykah Badu, and Aaliyah. Expanding into tech, FairviewMBA launched a forward-thinking music administration platform.

Today, James serves as Music Supervisor for Tyler Perry Studios' "All The Queen's Men" and Paramount/BET+ tv series "Average Joe" starring Deon Cole.
- IMDb mini biography by: James Guss