James A Benoit was born in Douala Cameroon in 1972, the third son of a pastor. Shortly after his parents moved to the united States in the early seventies, they separated while James Benoit was still a toddler. He and his brothers and sisters were raised by family members, friends and acquaintances. Parts of his childhood were spent as a homeless youth in the streets of Yaound� where most of his father's family was at the time, until he eventually moved with his older brother in Ebolowa, Cameroon. When James reached college age, his father who was still in the united states bought him a ticket back where he attended The University of Maine and where he lives to date.