Harold "Hi-Top" Jones was the son of Angeltop and an unnamed African-American jazz singer (whom she had killed). He lived with an aunt, his father's sister. He was also the grandson of the infamous Flattop.
Hi-Top's name was derived from his "hi-top fade" hairstyle. He shared some of the physical characteristics of his family, specifically heavy eyelids, freckles, and pronounced lips. Hi-Top had a habit of speaking in rhyme (and thought balloons also revealed that his thoughts were in this format as well).
When he first ran afoul of Dick Tracy, Hi-Top was an inner-city teenager who was affiliated with a street gang called the Crypts. Hi-Top killed Tim Vick (another teenager) for his sneakers. This brought inner-city violent crime to Dick Tracy's attention.
Hi-Top received an invitation from Little Boy (who claimed to be the grandson of Big Boy) to join his new criminal empire. When Hi-Top arrived at the meeting place, he was assaulted by Mousse, a henchman of Little Boy. Hi-Top subdued his large assailant, which impressed Little Boy.
Recruiting Restless[]
Little Boy's goal was the unite the various rival gangs into one organization, and he believed that Hi-Top was essential to that plan. Hi-Top had recently transferred to a suburban high school and he helped recruit another student into Little Boy's organization: Restless Mahoney, the niece of Breathless Mahoney.
Hi-Top was arrested by Tracy after being questioned about dealing drugs. Tracy noticed Vick's initials on the bottoms of Hi-Top's sneakers and held him on suspicion of murder. Hi-Top was released bail soon after, which was paid by a lawyer provided by Little Boy.
Moving Up[]
Around this time, Hi-Top began to dress in a more sophisticated style, eschewing jeans, sneakers, and windbreakers in favor of a suit and tie.
Tracy and the Major Crimes Squad raided Little Boy's hideout. Tracy was captured and Hi-Top and Little Boy planned to kill him, but Restless turned on the two young men. She held a gun on them and demanded that they free Tracy. Hi-Top fled the scene but was arrested. Having just turned 18, he was now old enough to be jailed and tried as an adult.
Later Life[]
Hi-Top was mentioned by Sam Catchem during the investigation of a possible affiliation between Blowtop Jones (Hi-Top's great-uncle) and Stiletta Jones (Hi-Top's grandmother). Tracy commented how few of the surviving members of the Jones family had a good relationship with the police, but he did not specify if Hi-Top was still in prison.
Notes[]
Hi-Top's hairstyle was inspired by that of Christopher "Kid" Reid of the popular hip-hop group Kid 'N Play.
The storyline and relationship dynamic of Little Boy/Hi-Top/Restless was crafted to mimic the relationship that those characters had in the 1990 Dick Tracy feature film that had debuted in theaters that year.
While Hi-Top expressed a dislike for police in general and Dick Tracy in particular, he does not seem to be motivated by a desire to avenge his family members. He therefore does not meet the criteria of a "Revenge-Seeking Relative".
The fact that Hi-Top's last name was "Jones" (his mother's name) may indicate that his parents were never married, but this has not been confirmed.
