James Riles III

About

Celebrated musician, educator, composer, and multi-hyphenate performer best known for having founded the Atlanta Drum Academy in 2011. He shares videos of the academy's talent as well as educational drumming content on his ATLDRUMACADEMY YouTube channel, where he has amassed over 440,000 subscribers to date. 

Before Fame

He acquired his first drum set from his parents when he was only 5 years old and went on to continue playing throughout his youth, including in the Coffee High School jazz band "Trojectory." His talent helped him land a scholarship to attend Morris Brown College, where he was integral to the composition of the school's contemporary drumline material. 

Trivia

He has both composed for and performed in the films Drumline and Drumline 2: A New Beat. He has composed music for feature films including We Are Marshall, One Six Right, and Cheaper by the Dozen. He also composed music for the video game Black College Football: BCFX: The Xperience. 

Family Life

His sons, Sadarien and Darius, are also talented drummers and co-owners of the Atlanta Drum Academy. 

Associated With

He appeared in the 2002 comedy/musical film Drumline alongside Nick Cannon and Zoe Saldaña.