[1][2] She wrote songs at age of five and three years later managed to enter clubs where her father played guitar.

[2] For many years she worked pianist Nate Morgan, guitarist Ronald Muldrow, and drummer Sherman Ferguson.

Prove It On Me (2008) is a soundtrack from Dee Jae Cox's play of the same name in which J'ai starred.

Her theatrical appearances include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, C'est Bon, and Spunk.

She co-wrote and starred in the play 3 Women: A Dramatic Tribute to the Divas of Jazz and wrote the film Bessie, Billie & Ruth, which was chosen as the official selection at the Pan African Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS.