Listen Up: Denver Rapper The Jones Has a Lot to Say on New Album

Jarrell Jones, who moved up to Denver from his hometown of Las Vegas four years ago, is ready to share whatever’s on his mind.

Not that he’s ever restrained himself in that sense creatively, but the hip-hop artist known as the Jones really didn’t hold back on his latest album, Project Jones, released independently via Hidden Mind Music on August 1. The ten tracks are also the first to take inspiration from his new surroundings and life in the mountains, he adds.

“The past two years, a lot of things happened. I had a breakup. There were other people who I don’t really mess with anymore,” Jones, 36, says. “I just started venting about things that irritated me, just being very vulnerable. I’m going off on these situations and just writing what I feel. That’s basically what the album was.”

Growing up in Las Vegas, Jones found himself surrounded by music, from his father introducing him to A Tribe Called Quest at an early age to hanging in his uncle’s home studio.

“I remember my dad played me A Tribe Called Quest, The Love Movement album. When I first heard that album, that’s when I realized I wanted to do music,” he recalls, adding that being at his Uncle Tiger’s place allowed him to get a feel for what goes into music-making behind the scenes, too. “He was the first person I knew who had a house studio," Jones reflects.
Jones began writing and performing at seventeen, then started releasing his own music in 2011. But he found himself in a rut recently. That’s when he knew he needed to exorcise some demons.

“I didn’t drop any music last year. I was just going through the motions last year, then finally got something going, and I just went off on those moments and just wrote and said, ‘Okay, I’m going to let it all out there,’” the soft-spoken Jones explains. “I do write music like that, but this time it was more like a different approach because I never really opened up like this.”

For different reasons, the hardest songs to create were “The Other Side,” which is about his grandfather who passed away in 2009, and “FB’s” (short for “fuckboys”), a lovesick tome about navigating the dating scene in a new city.

“On the second verse [of ‘The Other Side’], it’s a subject of death that I’ve never heard a rap release or rapper really touch on: How do you move on after a loved one is gone? What’s the day-to-day struggle after a loved one is gone?” Jones shares. “It was extremely hard. My grandfather passed in 2009, and I’m just now talking about it. It took a while to even do that. I just needed a time where I felt where I was really, really, really comfortable with doing it.”

As far “FB’s,” he adds, “I thought people were going to hate me for it — that’s why it was hard to do. But people love it."

“I’m telling you: The songs I was most nervous to put out did the best,” Jones emphasizes.

Jones is now looking forward to sharing his stories from the stage, including at two shows this month. Jones is part of the We the Wave Showcase presented by What’s Left Records and Hidden Mind Music at What’s Left Records in Colorado Springs on Friday, October 11. EKYM1536, Tre Millz, ZET, Face Defeat, Tall City, Ill Se7en and Tarikh are also on the bill. “The mission to this show is to connect Denver and Colorado Springs artists,” he says, adding that Face Defeat’s set will also be an open mic, during which “people can come up and freestyle while he’s playing beats.”

Jones is also opening for Rittz and DJ Chris Crisis at the Roxy Theatre in Denver on Friday, October 25.

In the live setting, Jones prefers to keep it fresh for himself and the audience by employing different styles, from a more machine-gun delivery to a calmer, storytelling flow, depending on the vibe of the night.

“I just go with how I feel,” he says. “Man, one thing about me: I consider myself an old-school performer, because all I do is study performers from the ’90s.” He names Busta Ryhmes, LL Cool J and Tech N9ne as his top influences.

As far as the future goes, Jones feels comfortable contributing more and more to the local scene, which he believes is on the precipice of blowing up. That continues to motivate him, so keep an eye out for the Jones.

“I’ve been a part of it for the past four years,” he concludes. “I will definitely let the world know that Denver has been an influence to my career.”

The Jones, 7 p.m. Friday, October 11, What's Left Records, 2217 East Platte Avenue, Colorado Springs (tickets are a $10 donation at the door) and 7 p.m. Friday, October 25, Roxy Theatre, 2549 Welton Street (tickets are $20-$100).