The Bullitts facts for kids

Jeymes Samuel (born on July 27, 1979), also known as The Bullitts, is a talented British filmmaker, singer, songwriter, music producer, and composer. He won a big award, the 2021 BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, for his first full-length movie, The Harder They Fall, which came out in 2021.

Life and Creative Journey

Jeymes Samuel started making films when he was just eight years old. He later began making music at 13. In the year 2000, he released his first song, "When It Rains," under his real name. A couple of years later, in 2002, he released a music project called Urban Folk Music: The Prequel. That same year, he sang background vocals on a song for American rapper Talib Kweli. In 2004, he wrote "Serenade" for Icelandic singer Emilíana Torrini. Later, in 2007, Samuel started using his new stage name, The Bullitts, and released a song called "The Bullitts Theme."

In 2009, Samuel helped write and produce three songs for British singer Mr Hudson's album Straight No Chaser. In March 2010, he joined a choir called The Purple, The People, The Plastic Eating People. This choir sang background vocals on two songs from the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach.

In 2010, Samuel began uploading videos called "FlixTapes" to YouTube. He used the name The Bullitts, inspired by the 1968 movie Bullitt. In these videos, he added new vocals to his favorite movie and TV show themes. The first video, "Tales of the Unexpected," came out in November 2010.

His song "Close Your Eyes" was released in April 2011. It featured narration by American actress Lucy Liu and a rap verse from Jay Electronica. The music video for this song was a new version of an old film called Un Chien Andalou. In May 2011, his second song, "Landspeeder," was released. This song was later used in the movie Demons Never Die.

In July 2011, he released a short film called "Weirdo," starring Jesse Williams. It showed two young lovers in paper-bag masks having an adventure in London. Samuel also directed a film noir style video in Paris for Jay Electronica's song "Run and Hide." He performed at The Big Chill music festival in August 2011, joined by Lucy Liu, Jay Electronica, and actor Idris Elba.

The third song from his album, "Supercool," was first played in October 2011. Its music video showed him dressed as a homeless person, dancing with actress Rosario Dawson in London. In 2011, he co-wrote "Wonderful Life" for Estelle Swaray's album All of Me. In late 2012, famous director Baz Luhrmann and musician Jay-Z chose him to be an Executive Music Consultant for the soundtrack of the movie The Great Gatsby.

In early 2013, Samuel wrote, directed, and scored a short film called They Die By Dawn. It had a famous cast including Michael K. Williams, Erykah Badu, and Rosario Dawson. The film was a Western story about black cowboys in 1890 Oklahoma. Samuel's first album as The Bullitts, titled They Die By Dawn & Other Short Stories..., was released on July 9, 2013. He produced the entire album himself, and it featured other artists like Jay Electronica, Lucy Liu, and Tori Amos.

In 2021, he directed and co-wrote The Harder They Fall. This movie was a new take on Westerns and starred Jonathan Majors and Zazie Beetz. The film had been in the works for many years.

In 2022, Netflix announced that Samuel would direct movies based on the comic books Irredeemable and Incorruptible. Also in March 2022, it was announced that musician Kid Cudi would direct a film called Teddy, with Samuel as an executive producer alongside Jay-Z.

Artistic Style

Jeymes Samuel has said that he sees himself as a folk musician at heart, using his voice and acoustic guitar. His music often has a movie-like feel, and he has made short films to go along with most of his songs.

In an interview in November 2021, Samuel shared his wide range of musical influences. He mentioned listening to hip-hop artists like Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z when he's out, and folk artists like Crosby, Stills and Nash and Joni Mitchell when he's at home. He explained that he mixes all these different styles together in his film and music work.

Family Life

Jeymes Samuel's older brother is Henry Samuel, who is famous as the musician Seal. Their mother, Adebisi Ogundeji, is from Nigeria, and their father, Francis Samuel, is Afro-Brazilian.

Discography

The Bullitts has released one studio album, three soundtrack albums, one extended play (EP), one mixtape, and nine singles.

Studio Albums

• They Die By Dawn & Other Short Stories... (Released: July 9, 2013)

Soundtrack Albums

• The Harder They Fall (Original Score) (Released: January 14, 2022)
• The Book of Clarence (Original Motion Picture Score) (Released: January 11, 2024)
• The Book of Clarence (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Released: January 12, 2024)

EPs

• Supercool (Released: April 8, 2012)

Mixtapes

• Urban Folk Music: The Prequel (Released: January 1, 2002)

Singles

• "When It Rains" (2000)
• "Who Write the Songs" (featuring Canibus) (2003)
• "Baby Don't Cry" (featuring Kool G Rap) (2003)
• "The Myspace Song" (2006)
• "The Bullitts Theme" (2007)
• "Close Your Eyes" (featuring Lucy Liu and Jay Electronica) (2011)
• "Landspeeder" (2011)
• "Supercool" (2012)
• "World Inside Your Rainbow" (2012)

Filmography

Movies

Jeymes Samuel has worked on several films as a writer, director, producer, and composer.

Awards and Recognitions

Jeymes Samuel has won several awards for his work, especially for his film The Harder They Fall.