So-So Topic

-topic is a peculiar spirit. A staple in the local hip-hop community since 2011 -- known as the charismatic, backpack rapping, back-flipping MC often found sipping green tea and palling around with his eccentric clan of roots rap aficionados -- his full story is one rarely told. His mile-wide smile is as much felt as it is seen; it's hard to believe that even as he established deep roots in the scene with the release of Finally Confident, he was living on a couch in Oak Cliff -- shared with Fresh Kaufee creator and best friend, Joonbug McIntosh -- eventually relocating to what has become Dojo 45. With nothing more than notebooks full of raps and an air mattress, -topic recorded some of his most beloved material on shaky equipment inside of his closet. - Rodney Blu

Dallas rapper -topic is crouched low, sitting on his heels, his weight resting on the balls of his feet. He's at Fun Fun Fun Fest, behind about four fences he really shouldn't be behind, and standing fifteen feet away is Lupe Fiasco. -topic has a CD in his hand. - Dallas Observer

These days, it feels like -topic is as deeply ingrained in the Dallas hip-hop as seems physically possible. But he's more than just a dude with connections. He's one of the region's more innovative production ears. And, more than that, he's multi-talented -- he easily ranks among of the city's best rappers, too. His beats and his raps are wholly his own, and, before we know it, he could be redefining Dallas' sound singlehandedly. Basically: He's not to be slept on. - Central track

-topic started off the night with a lively, well-received set that met and fed the crowd's energy level. Ever the masterful self-promoter, -topic landed the gig with Texas rap powerhouse Scoremore by starting a Twitter campaign. After a persistent barrage from the lyricist's loyal fans and followers, -topic was added to the bill. You're going to want to keep an eye on this guy; he's extremely talented and making moves.
- Dallas Observer

-topic, born Tommy Simpson, is a spoken word artist/self-taught producer out of Dallas, TX. As the leading man of a small collective entitled TeamFromNowhere (a team of creatives ranging from singers & poets to multimedia content creators), -topic has shared his story in multiple academic settings, among them TEDxSMU (in conjunction with Daverse Lounge), the Dallas Museum of Art with U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Haas, and presented performances alongside todays’ innovators of creative culture, such as Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, and Thundercat. -

On September 7, 2011, -Topic and his collaborators, in the middle of traffic, hatched a sudden plan to open for Black Star, who was set to perform in a few hours at the House of Blues. The group had merchandise in the car, a very legitimate MC in -Topic, and apparently the composure to convince House of Blues staff that a mistake had been made and -Topic was supposed to open up the show. - D Magazine

. Topic and his crew started the show off strong, spewing energetic rap that was both honest and fun. Topic and his crew didn’t seem to be all about the flashiness and excess that surrounds so much hip-hop these days; instead they wanted to be one with the crowd. The set reached its climax when Topic took two back flips from the stage into a very warmly receiving crowd, followed by the closer, whose hook of “I don’t wanna party, I just want to chill” summed up the attitude of the set.  Being the fun-loving guy he is though, Topic couldn’t resist showering chips onto the audience before he left the stage. - Radioutd.com

With wit for days and a live show that usually leaves audiences hungry for more (also literally, since he usually fills his backpack with ready-to-share snacks), -topic's fast making a name for himself with his eclectic wordplay and meaningful messages. - Central Track

The Cannabanoids produce a compelling hour on their own but it's clear that they really are providing an inimitable palette for a lead vocalist or MC to perform. This was evident when Dallas rapper -topic took the stage, joined by a few members of the Team From Nowhere collective. It was an excellent, if brief, collaboration. -topic was as energetic as ever and Team from Nowhere were dancing like they were at a house party. - Dallas Observer

Badu's own live production crew and backing band The Cannabinoids followed, doing their live beat-making thing on-stage, as expected. But their set, too, which served as more of a standalone than the usual ramp-up to Badu that we've seen in the past, featured a surprise, as local emcee -topic joined the group on stage for a brief offering of his own, well-deserving material. - Central Track

Tommy Simpson has no use for the wealthy pretensions of hip-hop that glorifies the bling, benjamins and Benzos lifestyle. He’s not rapping about Ciroc Vodka. He’s keeping it earthy, completely eye-level with his audience.
As Topic, the Dallas-born and -raised Simpson chose his hip-hop moniker well. He’s all about staying on the pulse of everyday people. Stylistically and lyrically he’s in the same mode as thoughtful rapper Common. But Topic is only 22, so there’s definitely a little bit of whimsy to go with his socially conscious rhymes.
“My goal with music is to let everybody know that I am a human being and it’s cool to be a human being,” Topic says. “I am not the most wealthy person. I don’t have everything. I go through issues like everybody else. I think people want to hear something they can relate to other than a song that has them wishing forever. I don’t want to rap about fancy cars. I want to make people smile, make people feel some kind of emotion. People are getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over. Just be honest with people.”
Be real, Topic believes, and listeners will naturally see themselves in you.
“As delicious as ice cream is, you cannot survive on ice cream alone,” he says. “You need something that is going to enhance what you do, what you want to do, something that benefits mankind overall.”
A hip-hop collective music festival could do just that. Topic is the mastermind behind April Foolin’, the April 6 event at Club Dada that showcases a smorgasbord of local hip-hip and eclectic artists including Tunk, Kozmic Sisters, BrainGang, Raw Elementz and many others. There will be a Topic performance as well, of course.
“I was trying to make it more of a festival than just a hip-hop show,” he says. “There are other genres of music that I also enjoy — rock, electronica, experimental stuff. It’s a bunch of music that I enjoy, and I thought it would be good to use both stages, so why not? This is something that I have always wanted to do.”
There’s no better time to do it. Dallas’ hip-hop scene is at its peak in terms of great artists with solid fan support. The late-January CD-release party for Dallas’ rap duo A.Dd+ held at the Granada Theater featured Topic as one of several special guests. You’ll see many of the same players at April Foolin’. Topic has high hopes for today’s crop of Dallas hip-hop artists.
“I believe it is at its healthiest,” he says of local hip-hop. “We have artists that are serious about their crafts. Everybody outside of Texas thinks we have nothing but cowboy hats, so it’s good to let them know that there are artists of substance. It was at a rough place for a while. Nobody wanted to hear any hip-hop artists that came out of Dallas for a long while. Now the avenue is open, and we just want to seize the moment. Everybody is bringing their A-game to the table right now.”
So is Topic. He is working on a couple of projects for release this year. The first is Time to Feed the Birds, a two-part effort divided into an R&B first half dubbed “Smoking With Tigers” and a second half of raw, stream-of-consciousness rap called “Stories of Dead Kings.” It’s a 10-song, 45-minute album he produced that should be out May 15, his birthday.
Then there’s Be Good and Do Well, set for release this fall. The introspective full-length album focuses on “the downfall of man and how to prevent yourself from falling,” he says. “It’s a handbook for how to do better.”
That’s the thoughtful Topic at work again.
April 6 at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., Dallas. Doors open at 5 p.m. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. aprilfoolin.splashthat.com. - Dallas morning news

That brings us to -topic, the Dallas artist whose newest collection of songs, Time to Feed the Birds, just posted online - D Magazine

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That entrepreneurial local hip-hop poet -topic (yes, he spells his name just like that) brings his creative collective Team From Nowhere, a loosely unified group of singers, emcees and poets, as well as a bunch of other rhyming buddies to April Foolin’, a large-and-in-charge party happening April 6 at Club Dada.

Joining -topic on two stages are Cutter, Tunk, The Kozmic Sisters, BrainGang, Raw Elementz, Alsace Carcione, Taylor “Effin” Cleveland, Glo Gaines, Mga-Czar, K. Kelley and a slew of other special guests that will make your head spin. -topic was part of the recent A.Dd+ CD release party for DiveHiFlyLo at Granada Theater. But this is his show. He’ll be emceeing and performing.

There will be food and drinks for sale. Two stages at Club Dada will be cool, too. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. To get tickets, go here.

By the way, -topic advises all April Foolin’ fans to “bring your play clothes.”
- Dallas Morning News

-topic started off the night with a lively, well-received set that met and fed the crowd's energy level. Ever the masterful self-promoter, -topic landed the gig with Texas rap powerhouse Scoremore by starting a Twitter campaign. After a persistent barrage from the lyricist's loyal fans and followers, -topic was added to the bill. You're going to want to keep an eye on this guy; he's extremely talented and making moves.
- Dallas Observer

Following the longtime Dallas stalwarts in this week's local rankings is a surprising up-and-comer: Local rapper -topic, who was featured in the first installment of our new Local Celebrity video series this week, also had the privilege of opening up for the sold-out Kendrick Lamar show at South Side Music Hall last night along with fellow list-maker Dustin Cavazos. Judging from the emcee's rising stock and quickly improving skills, we'd venture to guess he'll earn himself the top spot sooner than later. - Central Track

Following the longtime Dallas stalwarts in this week's local rankings is a surprising up-and-comer: Local rapper -topic, who was featured in the first installment of our new Local Celebrity video series this week, also had the privilege of opening up for the sold-out Kendrick Lamar show at South Side Music Hall last night along with fellow list-maker Dustin Cavazos. Judging from the emcee's rising stock and quickly improving skills, we'd venture to guess he'll earn himself the top spot sooner than later. - Central Track

Thanks to acts like A.Dd+, Dustin Cavazos and the Brain Gang crew, Dallas hip-hop is in something of a golden age at the moment. Better yet, the scene only appears to be improving.

Take, for instance, the work of talented up-and-coming rapper -topic, whose own, more off-the-wall efforts have started to make a somewhat different mark on the North Texas hip-hop scene.

His material is, well, a little out there, but, deservedly, he's starting to earn some shine for it. Tonight, for instance, he opens the sold-out Kendrick Lamar show at South Side Music Hall.

To get to know him a little better, we recently caught up with -topic at the Deep Ellum location of Buzz Brews to talk about his inspirations and his thoughts on the local. And, just because, he even offered up a little freestyle for us, too. - Central track

Thanks to acts like A.Dd+, Dustin Cavazos and the Brain Gang crew, Dallas hip-hop is in something of a golden age at the moment. Better yet, the scene only appears to be improving.

Take, for instance, the work of talented up-and-coming rapper -topic, whose own, more off-the-wall efforts have started to make a somewhat different mark on the North Texas hip-hop scene.

His material is, well, a little out there, but, deservedly, he's starting to earn some shine for it. Tonight, for instance, he opens the sold-out Kendrick Lamar show at South Side Music Hall.

To get to know him a little better, we recently caught up with -topic at the Deep Ellum location of Buzz Brews to talk about his inspirations and his thoughts on the local. And, just because, he even offered up a little freestyle for us, too. - Central track

"Dallas rapper -Topic has been bubbling up in the local scene and catching attention for some time now..." - Central Track

"I always love well done introspective albums. Albums that give listeners insight into the hearts and minds of an artist through a range of emotions thoughts and experiences are the ones that become timeless material. I know it just came out this year but I honestly think that Dallas Emcee/Producer Topic’s Finally Confident is one of those albums and I’m sure it will be just as good when I listen to it 5 years from now as it was when I first heard it earlier this month." - On The Heir

Although each has enjoyed a remarkable solo career as one of the most important names in hip-hop today, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are perhaps most loved when together as that unstoppable force known as Black Star.




And, last night, the two took their show to the House of Blues, only the second stop on their tour after the two did the summer festival circuit as a part of the Rock the Bells series.




To say that Dallas caught them at a great time would be understatement of the most severe magnitude.



The pleasant weather was probably a necessity for this one to be as enjoyable as it was, with the House of Blues main room already approaching capacity by the time that local opener Topic took the stage. But before the music even started, the giddy chatter that infected the room foreshadowed a night to remember. The attentive audience gave Topic a surprisingly warm reception as he professionally ambled through a 15-minute set of fly-talkin' emceeing. He showed an artistic range that neatly included both a party vibe as well as a deeply developed introspection. When he stepped off the stage, the crowd seemed impressed; Topic definitely stunned a few people. - Dallas Observer