Basal Jones is a 25-year-old Madison native. His early childhood wasn’t easy, but it was culturally rewarding and enriching. He was exposed to and integrated into families with different religious beliefs, socioeconomic backgrounds, and identities.

He drew inspiration and purpose from all of them, and around 13 he found love in learning to rap, squarely on a Nicki Minaj instrumental. Artists such as Eminem, Kanye, Azealia, Heatbox & Minaj shaped the budding musician’s way he formed metaphors or flows. Other artists such as Madonna, Mike Patton, Justin Timberlake & TLC shaped the way he approached songwriting or vocal stylings.

When he first began, Basal entertained in a short-lived R&B & Rap supergroup in middle school before moving on to solo work. Despite a lack of studio access, he continued to find connections and establish his artistry and presence in many ways (most often through protests, demonstrations, and community work). He cultivated a sound fairly unique to his own but evocative of the historical body of queer music in a way that will appeal to various ages of listeners.

Finally in 2020, he released a string of singles, playing with a kaleidoscope of sounds behind his bass vocal. He would touch on topics like police brutality in his collaboration with local artist Janae Mosley in “Law & Order.” “Pass The Test” goes into a tongue-and-cheek pop-rap song about fetishization, and Basal even has a fiery bilingual moment with his song called “Zoo.” In 2021 and 2022, he released songs “Run The Haus” (which has captured fans internationally), and “Partner” which was his first paid promotional song for a product. This year Basal has been focusing on booking shows and is now signed to a marketing and promotion team as well as securing a publishing deal.

Basal is preparing to drop his first full-length project some time this year and is mapping out a couple of features from friends and other artists. You can look forward to him further experimenting in genre-bending sounds ranging from trap to house music. In addition, he is in the process of developing a short film in which he will act, direct, and provide a soundtrack. The project is currently untitled, but we can look forward to a thought-provoking experience featuring an emphasis on human performance.

2023 Great Madison+ LGBTQ+ Artist Survey

Cynthia Mooseknuckle, Drag
Rat Bath, Band
T.L. Luke, Illustrator
Bruce Seeds, Quiltmaker