The abundance of young talent that is rising in the Hip Hop game is truly amazing! We have individuals from all walks of life who at an early age knew that they’ve wanted to enter the rap arena either with their parent’s guidance or just pure god given passion for the game. One budding star that I’ve recently gotten acquainted with is the New Jersey native long-locked lyrical assassin Topaz Jones who attends NYU‘s Tisch School of The Arts!
I came to know about the young spitter a couple of months back when I viewed the visual of his single ”Shockamuni” shot by our mutual friend Simon Davis who attends the university’s prestigious film program. At first I thought the song was pretty cool but it wasn’t until a week ago I heard a collaborative track with fellow jersey lyricist Moruf entitled “Miami Nights” that really made me pay attention to his immense wordplay prowess!
Topaz Jones – Shockamuni from Simon Davis on Vimeo.
What also impressed me about Topaz is his knowledge of music as a whole not limiting himself to just one genre. This can clearly be seen in his latest project Hello My Name Is which is full of soulful samples. I had a chance to sit down with the rising star about his musical origin and here is what he had to say:
“ I started around 8 really writing songs and working on developing some skills. I knew it was what I wanted to do even back then but I began to really take it seriously around 13. I grew up around a father who came from the funk/R&B group Slave and later Aurra. Furthermore, 5 of my great aunts being in a Motown group named The Davenport Sisters which made music second nature to me! My parents were very encouraging of me making music but I had to do alot to prove them that I was serious about pursuing it as a career.”
There is no doubt in my mind that Topaz will surface as one of the best rookies in the mainstream rap arena! Keep your eyes peeled for a slew of new material which includes an amazing visual of the second single “Study Hall” from his latest tape. For now, indulge in the smooth sounds of “Miami Nights” below:
