Harlem rapper Jim Jones " new music video is a sign of the times

Harlem rapper Jim Jones is reaching beyond his usual fans - and becoming the first hip-hop artist to use sign language in his new music video.

The video for "Perfect Day" features a small pop-up box in the bottom right-hand corner that includes Jones and two other guests using sign language throughout the entire song.

Jones " motivation for the innovative music video came from someone close to him: The mother of one of his close friends is deaf.

"She asked, "Why don "t people in the music industry ever have people doing sign language in their videos because they love music, too? " They can feel the beat like anybody else," Jones told the Daily News in an interview at Empire Studio in the Flatiron District.

Jones decided "Perfect Day" would be the ideal song to incorporate sign language - and he wanted to learn it as well.

"And I "ve been running in the streets all day/And I "ve been looking at the stars all night/It got me thinking how can I get away/It got me thinking "bout a perfect day," the rapper signs in the video.

"I learned it like in five minutes," he said. "I would love to learn some more sign language. I think it "s kinda fly."

The song is featured on his new album, "Capo," released Tuesday.

The video has already been viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube.

Jones dedicated the video to soldiers fighting in the Mideast and to people battling cancer. Jones lost his grandmother to cancer, while his aunt recently beat the disease.

"I "ve personally dealt with all of these situations," said the rapper, who grew up in East Harlem. "The music video was different from most videos that I "ve done. I wanted to dedicate it to a few causes."

But things haven "t been so perfect for Jones recently.

In February, Jones was sued by two Texas women who were filmed topless in a promotional video that was shot in Miami and posted on the Internet.

The pair claimed they were filmed without their permission.

"I think my lawyer will handle it the way it should be handled; I "m not worried about that," he said of the suit that made the front page of the Daily News.

The rapper was also arrested last week in SoHo for driving with a suspended license.

"I travel so much...it was an honest mistake," he said.

Jones isn "t sure whether his new video featuring sign language will catch on with his fans - but he "s hopeful.

"The kids where I "m from are too eager to learn gang signs," he said, "so maybe they can learn sign language."

chk out the video below:

by Michael J. Feeney www.nydailynews.com Thursday, April 7th 2011