Back in February, Topaz Jones announced that his sophomore album was on the horizon by dropping a single called “Herringbone”. Now, the rapper has officially unveiled the record’s release date alongside another preview track called “D.I.A.L.”.
Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma is due to arrive in the world on April 23rd. It’s the New Jersey artist’s sophomore album, following his widely-regarded 2016 debut Arcade. Like many artists these days, Jones is choosing to keep many of the record’s details (tracklist, artwork, potential guest features, etc.) under wraps until we get closer to its street date, but at least he’s giving us a taste of what it’ll sound like.
Whereas “Herringbone” saw Jones channeling College Dropout-era Kanye over a luscious jazz-rap instrumental, “D.I.A.L.” feels more in-line with soulful contemporaries like EarthGang and Anderson .Paak. Jones has a smooth flow and he knows when to turn up the heat on his delivery, but he can also croon out a super suave hook that channels the relaxing vibes of a lazy afternoon in the sunshine.
Check out “D.I.A.L.” and “Herringbone” below.
These songs are promising, but music is only one-half of Jones’ latest conceptual project. On the same day that Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma the album drops, Jones will also unveil its accompanying short film, which shares the same title. The flick examines the Black American experience from the ’70s to now through the lens of words, and it’s already racked up a win in the Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction at this year’s Sundance Festival.
You can watch the trailer below after taking in Jones’ new songs.
