JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For Mal Jones, spoken word is more than music. It’s a mission.
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Jones describes himself as a hip-hop folk artist, educator, and documentarian.
“My work’s mission, why I do it, kind of go hand in hand,” Jones said. “It’s really to keep the tradition alive and my mother and father’s memory.”
Jones said he has people in his family who fought for civil rights for black people and never got to see this day come to fruition.
Rooted in a family legacy of the arts, Jones uses hip-hop to inspire young people and to teach.
“Giving them a microphone and letting them use their voice to actually express themselves like the griot, the West African tradition of oratory arts, like you remember everything. You don’t write it down in the book,” Jones said.
Through hip-hop and a message of positivity, he teaches kids to express themselves without promoting violence or hate.
He hosts The Lyricist Live at the monthly Art Walk in Downtown Jacksonville. It’s a space where people are free to express themselves through music.
In 2015, he started the state-funded Folklife Apprenticeship Program that teaches the traditional skill of freestyle rapping as an official state folk art for the first time in history.
Two of his apprentices were featured along with him on episode 26 of ABC’s Impact television series. The episode was about the violent music that’s latent in Jacksonville, contrasted with what Jones is trying to accomplish.
He also put on a spoken word performance on May 20 at the city’s official Emancipation Day Celebration to remind the community why these days matter.
“A lot of people still don’t understand what the importance of Juneteenth is,” Jones said. “We’re celebrating Juneteenth now, but we gotta keep it going. This fire has got to burn for a long time. Two years after slavery is a long time. Let’s keep it going for 200 years after slavery.”
Through rhythm, rhyme, and remembrance, he hopes to carry the message forward for generations to come.
Watch “Tracing the Roots: The Story of Juneteenth” on News4JAX or News4JAX+ at 7 p.m.