A Cinematic Night with Topaz Jones
CHICAGO, October 17th 2022
In support of his 2021 album Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma, New Jersey rapper Topaz Jones made his Chicago stop at Schubas Tavern on Monday night.
When I mentioned to my friends that I wanted to shoot Topaz Jones’s show in Chicago, I was met with confusion. Why would I, a Taylor Swift-raised-and-obsessed girl want to go to a rap show? (Because Brockhampton doesn’t count.) And the answer is somewhat simple: Topaz is a creative, genre-bending, and driven musician, and I wanted to be there to experience that excitement live.
Revisiting some of his earlier hits like Toothache and Tropicana, Jones filled the venue with electricity as he went through songs and snippets of his Sundance-winning short documentary, also titled after his most recent album DGTYM. The show was divided into acts, projecting highlights from the short film as transitions between music segments, giving the night a little bit of a drive-in movies atmosphere.
Topaz used the time in between songs to interact and bond -even if momentarily - with the audience, by talking about his life, the highs and lows, and the way he likes to approach it. “I like to dance to my depression” he said halfway through the set, making the Schubas crowd laugh.
His performance was delightfully accompanied by a band that had moments to shine on its own. TJ sat on the side of the stage and even stood by the crowd a few times, beaming as he watched his friends get some much deserved love from the audience.
Following the encore, Topaz Jones came back on stage once more, this time joined by his opener and childhood friend Thelonious Martin, closing the night with a candid performance as they reminisced about the early days of their music careers.
As someone who is used to attending shows mostly of a different genre, and therefore a different crowd, I wasn’t super sure what to expect. However, this feeling immediately disappeared as Topaz took the stage and created a dynamic in which every fan felt comfortable and seen. I hope to see TJ perform at larger venues in the future, and that his magic and authenticity remains intact as he gains the recognition he so deserves.
