The first unambiguous reference to him is from the late 1530s, when Pierre Attaingnant published a collection of his chansons in Paris.
Jacobus Clemens non Papa (tudi Jacques Clément ali Jacob Clemens non Papa) je bil rojen med letoma 1510 in 1515, verjetno v kraju Ypres, umrl pa je v letu 1555 ali 1556, verjetno v kraju Dixmuide.