It’s springtime in Atlanta where live performances normally happen every night, but for the last year, living in a pandemic has made concert-goers crave the presence of live music and art. Rapper and show promoter Syd Jones gave us both on Friday, April 9, as the headliner of “Visions,” a live concert featuring artistic photographic images as well as performances by rappers DC DA Cause and La’ Don, singer Courtney Noir and spoken word artist Dominique Boyd.
Rolling out caught up with Jones at the Westside Cultural Art Center before the show.
Who is Syd Jones?
I’m from a small town in Georgia named Cartersville, where I was always quiet and taught to be hospitable. Now I’m trying to share my life experiences and things that I’ve been through in my formative years with music. I want to inspire small-town people who have big dreams. I know it’s hard to see your dreams being fulfilled when you’re from a rural area.
Tell us a little about Cartersville.
If you from there and you pull up, you’re going to see five to 10 people you know. It’s a real close-knit community, but it’s growing. We are very rarely mentioned [unless it’s something about] Trevor Lawrence the football player.
Did you move to Atlanta for the music?
No, not really… more [for] a relationship. But it all worked out because it moved me closer to my new music environment.
Were you involved in the music scene in Cartersville?
Not really. I rapped, but I didn’t move the way that I’m moving now. I wasn’t that serious. I’ve always been an introvert. It wasn’t until I went to therapy and had personal breakthroughs that I grew as a person, which made me a better artist.
How did you come up with the concert concept for “Vision”?
I met Sharica Brooks of Brooks Creative Group, and since our meeting, we always wanted to work together. I wanted to put on a live show, and Sharica came up with displaying photos of Cartersville and the name “Visions.”
What’s next for Syd Jones?
I would like to do another EP, and I would really like to produce another show surrounded by artwork.
Syd Jones and the rest of the crew put on a great show. The crowd, mostly from Cartersville, was thrilled and very supportive of its hometown hero.
Check out the gallery of event photos below. Catch Syd Jones live in concert Saturday, April 24, at 1 Friendship Plaza in downtown Cartersville.
Writer Sterling Reed also contributed to this report.
