Q&A with jazz singer Jose James

Jose James describes himself as "a jazz singer for the hip-hop generation." Unlike most jazz singers, he didn't discover the music by being exposed to the all-time greats. He got into it by listening to acts like A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets, and then learning about the jazz artists they were sampling.

James melded his influences together into a soulful sound reminiscent of D'Angelo or Erykah Badu.

amNY spoke with James.

It's an elitism. They think hip-hop is not actually music. They look at it as a bunch of guys sitting around stealing ideas in terms of sampling and making a beat. They obviously haven't spent time with it or tried to make a beat. There might be some jealousy too. You see these dudes making crazy money, so you hate on 'em a little bit.

Absolutely. For so many reasons. Jazz covers so much territory, from avant-garde stuff to Michael Bublé. Industry-wise, people have made jazz so confusing and marketed to old people, it's like "Why bother?"

I feel like I'm doing it in a more subtle way. I don't want to hit people over the head with the jazz stick. ... But I do keep the subtleties of jazz. I probably won't ever write straight-up pop stuff. I think of it like Quincy Jones has done it. Don't dumb it down, but also go for as broad of an audience as you can.

Opportunity. Minneapolis is a great place for artists to get started, but you hit a ceiling very fast, especially as a jazz singer. NYC is ... where the best musicians in the world ... record and play.