Singer and musician José James, born in Minneapolis, makes a contemporary mix of jazz, hip hop, r&b and soul.
José James broke through in 2008 with his universally praised debut album “The Dreamer”, released through Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings. The way the singer enriches his jazzy music with elements from hip hop, soul and r&b helped him find a massive international audience, including in the Netherlands.
What followed is a glorious career: he released no fewer than ten boundary-pushing albums, including through the iconic Blue Note label and his own record label Rainbow Blonde Records. James has also won an Edison and worked with numerous artists like Flying Lotus, Moodymann, Jeff Neve, Robert Glasper and the Metropole Orchestra.
For his 2020 album “No Beginning No End 2”, James found inspiration in neo-soul. He also recorded tribute albums with works from Billie Holiday and Bill Withers. Early 2023 José James released an ode to Erykah Badu with the album “On and On”.