2016 is definitely the year of expansive music options. Artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak,  KAYTRANDA, and Solange give music lovers texture to black music. Each artists infuses historical socio-policial themes mixed with deep influences from the 70s and 80s to deliver a gumbo of music that reaches to the depths of the soul. Catching onto that wave, almost, instinctively is the young Topaz Jones, 23, from Montclair, NJ. The mutli-dimenionsal singer/songwriter/rapper delivers his sophomore project Arcade. 

Arcade is an compilation of influences from Jones’ upbringing. Son of a 70s funk musicians, his mother, an activist and Harvard scholar, and his grandmother created a Motown group, it’s without question Earth, Wind, & Fire, Marvin Gaye, and George Clinton are ingrained onto his smorgasbord of sounds. Arcade is a genre bending project bridging the gap between hip hop, R&B, rock, funk, and psychedelic vibes.

The 10 – track project is genuinely structured for movement. Opening Arcade with, “Howling’ To The Moon,” it sets the tone of what’s to be expected. Danceable productions, catchy hooks, and passion is traced from beginning to end on this project without trying to hard carve out his own lane. 80’s music was the soundtrack to our grandparents and parents adolescents, yet Topaz Jones seamlessly redefines who he is as an artist and what hip hop sounds and feels like for him.

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If you’re in NY and you still don’t have any plans for 4/20 (beyond the obvious), look no further. Performing at the well-known Brooklyn venue Baby’s All Right, Queens rapper Heems will be taking the stage along with such acts as Weekend Money, Topaz Jones, Kahli Abdu, and VHS Safari. Presented by Siren Sound & DoNYC, the Double Jointed event is sure to be one not to be missed. Try your chance at winning tickets for the event or just buy them here.

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Shout out to the University of Pennsylvania for getting the Ivy League excited about underground hip-hop. Last month they invited Brooklyn rap duo The Underachievers and Canada’s hottest new producer Kaytranada for a tag team performance that rocked Philadelphia’s Rotunda Theater. This month, their events planning committee hit fans with a triple threat–bringing together Ty Dolla $ign, Travis Scott, and Topaz Jones for what they are calling ” The Owl Pharaoh Beach Honeymoon Concert“.

With Ty$ as the headliner and Topaz and Travis warming up the crowd, it goes without saying that this show was nothing short of pure chaos. In fact, the Penn Campus Police nearly cut the concert short when Travis Scott invited the entire theater on stage and caused a small scale riot. Obviously, the Penn Police hadn’t done their research, since given Travis’s infamous history of trying to draw blood from his audience (see Trillectro Music Festival 2013), they should have been prepared for the wreckage. But luckily, after having dealt with crazy campus police the night before, Ty$ was fully prepared to talk the cops out of a complete shut down–just like he talked Virginia police out of putting him in jail for drug possession less than 24 hours beforehand.

Despite the rage that took place before his set, Ty$ managed to keep the crowd calm–but still hyped–when he exploded onto the stage with 2010’s west coast hit “Toot It and Boot It.” After making rounds with fast-paced crowd-pleasers like “Familiar” and “Irie,” Ty$ slowed it down for the ladies and invited one lucky chick up for quick serenade and slow grind. Finally, as expected, Ty$ ended his Saturday night to a chorus of singing fans with 2014’s radio hit “Paranoid.”

In spite of the drama the Penn Police made for themselves, The Owl Pharaoh Beach Honeymoon Concert was definitely a success. Who knew the Ivy league could party so hard? Check out RESPECT.’s exclusive photo recap from the show below and see for yourself.

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NYC group Episode unveil a dreamy world of melodic synths on “Dust,” their catchy single featuring Topaz Jones and Mree. The track’s smooth flow is perfect for the forthcoming warm weather, give it a listen below and keeps your ears open for more from Episode.

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Topaz Jones could totally be the name of a Black Dynamite character, so it was only right that this Thelonius Martin-produced  track get this title. Rapping over a sultry yet subdued guitar loop, Topaz goes in, utilizing various flows and a few well-placed harmonies to showcase his skills on the mic. The song is more style than substance, but Topaz‘s brief moments of discussing weightier subjects (“I hope that the fathers stay for the harvest/but the apples don’t fall too far from the tree and the branch and the leaves), show that he’s capable of doing more than just rapping well, which, of course, is nevertheless a feat in itself. Listen below.

The pair has more music coming in the near future, so keep your inboxes open. Also, check out our recent interview with Thelonius here.

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