Masterpiece Theater with Joseph Jones II

“Only in the mind of Jim Jones,” said the Diplomat of his star turn on the stage. With the Dame Dash-produced Hip-Hop Monologues, Off-Broadway officially hit Capo status—complete with Playabills.

In promotion of his upcoming album, Pray IV Reign, Jim ditched the standard listening party-fare in favor of a theatrical production set to his music. Certainly ambitious, it followed Jimmy on a harrowing journey from the corner to the classroom (as part of court-mandated community service). Of course, Jimmy had to drop by the club on a couple of occasions—props for a small tribute to Harlem Renaissance-era jazz spots—before the climax in the courtroom.

The play had its moments, both comical and heart-wrenching (kinda). In particular, the scene of a lil’ Jimmy pumpin’ on the block usurped the overall lightheartedness of the play to deliver some real drama. “It shows why Jimmy is the way he is,” said writer-director J Kyle Manzay of the scene, adding, “too many times people don’t really understand why rappers behave a certain way.”

Performance aside, Jones managed to generate a buzz for an album that may have fallen off the radar in the midst of a loaded 4^th quarter. The packed house at the 37 Arts Theater—Harlem’s resident el Chupacabra, Cam’ron, was of course MIA—will now hotly anticipate the release, with the surefire #1 single “Where My Bitches” looming. Well, maybe. But in Jimmy’s world, most definitely.

-Devin Chanda