James Ayo: Power Up Industry Professional
James Ayo
As a young boy I was known as a troublemaker, I was lively and had a hard time staying on task at school. As I got older I began to get into fights, which further solidified my bad reputation, and eventually I began to feel like that is what life had to offer for me, as a young black boy born and raised in London. It wasn’t until I ended up in prison that I truly realised the negative power of my actions.
When I finally had the courage to make a change in my life, I moved to Belfast in Northern Ireland. The first thing that struck me about the place was the sense of peace that came with living in a smaller and more rural country. I loved it, and eventually decided to stay here and make a name for myself within the music scene.
I began as a producer, working with local artists and moulding their sound into something more marketable. I soon realised that there was no space for artists within the urban genres of hip-hop, grime and r&b, so I opened Hotbox Entertainment, a studio and entertainment platform in Belfast city. Since then Hotbox has worked with over 200 local artists, been featured on press such as the Belfast Telegraph, and completed several large scale music projects.
We are now planning to open the second Hotbox location, which will reach even more Northern Irish artists and open the door to projects and growth.