# The Bullitts
**The Bullitts** is the musical project and stage name of the London-born singer, producer, and filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, who uses it for music that fuses soundtrack traditions with hip-hop. Samuel, born 1979 in London, England, describes the Bullitts material as genre-defying; AllMusic lists his styles as alternative rap, soundtracks, left-field rap, and original score, among others.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) The name was chosen in honor of *Bullitt*, the 1968 [Steve McQueen](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-mcqueen) film famous for its car chase.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic) Samuel is also a filmmaker who went on to direct the 2021 Netflix Western *The Harder They Fall* and the 2023 film *The Book of Clarence*, and he is the brother of the singer Seal.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) • [3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/filmmaker-spotlight-jeymes-samuel/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist | Creative brainchild and stage name of London-born producer, singer, and filmmaker Jeymes Samuel (born 1979)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) |
| Name origin | Chosen in honor of *Bullitt*, the 1968 Steve McQueen film famous for its car chase[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic) |
| Debut | 2007 single "The Bullitts Theme" on the Little League label[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) |
| Signature release | Debut album *They Die by Dawn & Other Short Stories* (2013), self-produced and tied to Samuel's short film of the same name[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) |
| Concept character | Amelia Sparks, a woman on death row, played and narrated by actress Lucy Liu[4](https://theboombox.com/jay-electronica-links-with-lucy-liu-on-new-song/) |
| Notable collaborators | Jay Electronica, Lucy Liu, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Idris Elba, Tori Amos[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic) |
| Musical approach | Fusion of classic film-score sounds (spaghetti western, orchestral) with hip-hop[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic) |
## Origins
Samuel began making music as a teenager after early experiments with filmmaking; he released the 12-inch "When It Rains" under his own name on the [Giant Steps](https://www.edgepedia.org/giant-steps) label in 2000, and the hip-hop-based album *Urban Folk Music: The Prequel* on Little League in 2006. Little League then debuted the Bullitts project in 2007 with the single "The Bullitts Theme."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073)
In 2010 the project began uploading a series of "FlixTapes" videos to the internet, on which Samuel added new vocals to his favorite movie and television themes.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) The Guardian's band profile described the enterprise as a mixtape form taken in an idiosyncratic direction, with contributors including [Wretch 32](https://www.edgepedia.org/wretch-32), [Passion Pit](https://www.edgepedia.org/passion-pit), and [Róisín Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/roisin-murphy) rapping and singing over retro TV theme tunes such as *Taxi* and *The Professionals*.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic)
## Amelia Sparks and the multimedia concept
The Bullitts was designed from the start as more than a record. Samuel framed the debut album as "a full-blown illustrated interactive story, turned album, turned film," telling the Guardian it was "like a 5D movie. You can read it, listen to it, watch it."[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic)
The story centered on Amelia Sparks, a fictional murderer on the run played by [Lucy Liu](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucy-liu). Liu, confirming the project on the talk show *Chelsea Lately* in December 2010, described the premise: the character is a woman on death row being interviewed before her execution, and Samuel mixed her interview segments with [Jay Electronica](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-electronica)'s contributions. Sparks's diary leading up to her execution was also published through the group's Twitter page. Liu said she was on the entire album, in a narrative, spoken-word role.[4](https://theboombox.com/jay-electronica-links-with-lucy-liu-on-new-song/)
The guest list drew wide attention for a then-unknown London act. Alongside Liu and Jay Electronica, the album's announced contributors included the rapper [Mos Def](https://www.edgepedia.org/mos-def) (later Yasiin Bey), the actor [Idris Elba](https://www.edgepedia.org/idris-elba), and the singer [Tori Amos](https://www.edgepedia.org/tori-amos).[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic) Samuel said he was not especially well connected and simply sent managers the concept and music: "they just got it. They really wanted to be a part of it."[5](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/dec/11/whay-we-are-watching-the-bullitts) The Bullitts and Jay Electronica performed together at the Big Chill Festival in Herefordshire in August 2011, in a lineup that also included Liu and Elba.[6](https://hypebeast.com/2011/8/soul-culture-tv-jay-electronica-the-bullitts)
## Singles and the debut album
The single "Close Your Eyes," featuring Liu and Jay Electronica, was released in 2011; its music video, which featured neither performer, was a recreation of the 1929 surrealist film *Un Chien Andalou* by [Salvador Dalí](https://www.edgepedia.org/salvador-dali) and [Luis Buñuel](https://www.edgepedia.org/luis-bunuel).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) • [4](https://theboombox.com/jay-electronica-links-with-lucy-liu-on-new-song/) The single "Supercool" followed later in 2011.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) A 2011 Bullitts release, "Run & Hide," featuring Jay Electronica, later surfaced on Jay Electronica's 2020 album *Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn)*, where the 2012 tracklist had billed the song as "guest-starring The Bullitts."[7](https://themusic.com.au/features/the-long-and-winding-road-to-jay-electronica-s-new-record-act-ii/Qmn4VFdWWVg/28-10-20)
The debut album, the self-produced *They Die by Dawn & Other Short Stories*, arrived in mid-2013. It was a tie-in to *They Die by Dawn*, a short Western film written and directed by Samuel, who also appeared in it alongside [Rosario Dawson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rosario-dawson) and [Giancarlo Esposito](https://www.edgepedia.org/giancarlo-esposito); the film's cast also included [Michael K. Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-k-williams) and Erykah Badu.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) • [8](https://djbooth.net/songs/the-bullitts-they-die-by-dawn/) The title track featured Yasiin Bey, Jay Electronica, and a spoken-word contribution from Lucy Liu over a western-styled instrumental; Pitchfork described the backdrop as "Morricone-lite," referencing the composer Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-western sound.[8](https://djbooth.net/songs/the-bullitts-they-die-by-dawn/) • [9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/15173-the-bullitts-they-die-by-dawn-ft-yasiin-bey-jay-electronica-and-lucy-liu/) NME's review noted that Liu and Rosario Dawson delivered monologues and vocals over the mariachi-tinged hip-hop of the title track, and rated the album three out of five.[10](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-the-bullitts-14627-325164)
## From music project to film career
The Bullitts project foreshadowed Samuel's directing work. The short film *They Die by Dawn*, a "black western," was his first foray into the genre he would revisit in his feature debut, *The Harder They Fall* (2021), whose story he said had come to him about ten years earlier.[11](https://lwlies.com/interviews/jeymes-samuel-the-harder-they-fall) In 2013, the same year the Bullitts album appeared, Jay-Z and director Baz Luhrmann enlisted Samuel as Executive Music Consultant on Luhrmann's film adaptation of *The Great Gatsby*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073) Samuel's later film work includes the original score for *The Harder They Fall*, released on Geneva Club/Roc Nation in January 2022, and the writing, directing, and co-producing of *The Book of Clarence* with Jay-Z, James Lassiter, and Tendo Nagenda, for which he also composed the score and soundtrack.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073)
## References
1. [Jeymes Samuel — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic (David Jeffries)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeymes-samuel-mn0000330073)
2. [New band of the day: The Bullitts (No 1139), The Guardian (Paul Lester, 1 November 2011)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/nov/01/popandrock-electronicmusic)
3. [Filmmaker Spotlight: Jeymes Samuel, Casting Networks (12 October 2021)](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/filmmaker-spotlight-jeymes-samuel/)
4. [Jay Electronica Links With Lucy Liu on New Song, The Boombox (Latifah Muhammad, 13 December 2010)](https://theboombox.com/jay-electronica-links-with-lucy-liu-on-new-song/)
5. [Why we're watching... The Bullitts, The Guardian / The Observer (Shahesta Shaitly, 10 December 2011)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/dec/11/whay-we-are-watching-the-bullitts)
6. [SoulCulture TV: Jay Electronica & The Bullitts, Hypebeast (Davis Huynh, August 2011)](https://hypebeast.com/2011/8/soul-culture-tv-jay-electronica-the-bullitts)
7. [The long and winding road to Jay Electronica's 'new' record, Act II, The Music (28 October 2020)](https://themusic.com.au/features/the-long-and-winding-road-to-jay-electronica-s-new-record-act-ii/Qmn4VFdWWVg/28-10-20)
8. [The Bullitts ft. Yasiin Bey, Jay Electronica & Lucy Liu – They Die By Dawn, DJBooth (2 April 2013)](https://djbooth.net/songs/the-bullitts-they-die-by-dawn/)
9. [The Bullitts: "They Die by Dawn and Other Short Stories" Track Review, Pitchfork (Jonah Bromwich, 25 March 2013)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/15173-the-bullitts-they-die-by-dawn-ft-yasiin-bey-jay-electronica-and-lucy-liu/)
10. [The Bullitts – 'They Die By Dawn & Other Short Stories', NME (Matthew Horton, 26 July 2013)](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-the-bullitts-14627-325164)
11. [Jeymes Samuel: 'Movie westerns have lied to us our whole lives', Little White Lies (7 October 2021)](https://lwlies.com/interviews/jeymes-samuel-the-harder-they-fall)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Indie and alternative pop, 2010s to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license