Mike Jones: Grind To Be King

Sitting down on a couch in a conference room in the Warner building in Midtown Manhattan -- rocking a white doo-rag and his now signature black tee, which reads "Property of Mike Jones" in white lettering and highlights his cell phone number 281-330-8004 -- 24-year-old Mike Jones acts and speaks with the demeanor of a successful businessman. "That was something I came up with," he says between sips of Diet Pepsi, referring to giving out Mike Jones t-shirts to BET's "106 and Park" audience the day before, where he performed his hit single "Still Tippin'" with label mate Paul Wall and Star Trak singee Slim Thug. That is self promotion at is best. He gets 20,000 plus calls a day, proving that his diligent work ethic is paying off.

Being the efficient businessman that he is, he started his own label Ice Age Entertainment in 2001 and created a buzz throughout Houston with his self-distributed Ice Age Vol 1. His music caught the ears of SwishaHouse owner DJ Michael Watts, so he opted to hold back his own label and sign an artist deal with the indie powerhouse.

Entertainmentonfire.com caught up with Mike Jones in the offices of Warner Bros to discuss his major debut, Who is Mike Jones?, as he explained that the answer to that question will come with the album.

Entertainmentonfire.com: Why did you choose to sign with major label Warner Bros.?

Mike Jones: Because right now -- from looking at their roster -- they don't really have anybody that's on the hip-hop side. They really want to break that market, and I felt by me signing, they would have more faith and focus on Mike Jones.

Entertainmentonfire.com: Why did you choose to use your government name instead of creating a rap name?

Mike Jones: My grandmother, she told me to just be me. I told myself Mike Jones is me, ya know what I'm saying? I started saying the who's in every flow, cause when I would go to a DJ and ask them to check out this song, they were like "Who Are You?" I'm like, "Mike Jones." They be like, "Who?" They used to be sarcastic about it. At first, I was going to give it up, but my grandmother told me to keep going, so I kept mashing with it.

Entertainmentonfire.com: A lot of New York heads, and fans outside of Texas got introduced to you on your single "Still Tippin'," what do you think we need to know about you that we don't just yet?

Mike Jones: Basically, I'm just a underground dude that got a buzz everywhere else besides Texas. It just took me a little more time to get to New York. People knew me on the underground level in New York -- not a lot of people but some -- because I was on DJ Clue's When Animals Attack. I just been staying on it. "Still Tippin'" is the door opener, but when ya'll here the next single, and the next songs after that, ya'll going to know who Mike Jones really is.

Entertainmentonfire.com: What is the whole Screw up sound about?

Mike Jones: Where we're from, [Screw] is a big issue. People like to hear [music] slowed up; some people like it regular, but they might put the screwed version in and find out they like the screwed version too. I think people wanna know what Screw is about. They've been hearing a lot about it, and they wanna experience it.

Entertainmentonfire.com: How did you link up with DJ Michael Watts and Swisha House?

Mike Jones: Basically, in 2001, it was basically me and my partner. We had our company called Ice Age Entertainment, and my name started blowing up really big in the streets. I started hitting strip clubs up, and getting a nice buzz in the strip clubs. T-Farris -- he is the Swisha house A&R -- came up to me and was like your buzz is crazy. We hearing about you; we want you to come down to Swisha house, so I got down with Swisha House. Everybody left SwishaHouse, at the time it was just me and this guy named Mag (Magnificent).

Entertainmentonfire.com: Your single "Still Tippin'" features two artists, does your album have a lot of collaborations.

Mike Jones: Not really, everybody wants to know who Mike Jones is, so I really just mainly kept it like that.

Entertainmentonfire.com: What producers did you work with on your major label debut, Who is Mike Jones?

Mike Jones: I worked with a lot of producers like Lil' Jon, Jazze Pha, and Mannie Fresh. I'm gonna use some of them for [Who Is Mike Jones?], and use a lot of them for the next album, cause I wanted to come out the same way I came out on the underground. I wanted to use a lot of Texas producers.

Entertainmentonfire.com: On "Still Tippin'", you say the line "Back then they didn't want me, now I'm hot, they all on me" four times. Is there a reason why?

Mike Jones: That's the next single.

Entertainmentonfire.com: What, "Back then?"

Mike Jones: Yeah

Entertainmentonfire.com: That's the hook?

Mike Jones: Yeah. The reason I say it 4 times is because I want people to really know. Everywhere I go people love that verse. When you hear me repeat stuff, that's the most important part, the moral of the story. When you have a book and you read all through it, and the moral of the book is this. If you listen to my verse, if I repeat anything that's the moral of that.

Entertainmentonfire.com: What does that line mean to you?

Mike Jones: (repeats the line) That's like... let's say you trying to holla at a girl a year ago and she didn't want to holla at you, now you pushing a Benz or you got your PHD, now she wants to holla at you. Back then they didn't want me, now I'm hot they all on me. That song is going to relate to more than just me, it relates to a lot of people. Not only in the entertainment game, but in the business game. People who graduating out of college, who's getting their life straight, somebody who turned them down. Now that person wants to come back and holla at them.

Entertainmentonfire.com: Your phone number is everywhere, in your videos, on your web-site. I heard you say on "106 & Park" that you get close to 20,000 calls per day. I called yesterday, and I got your voicemail, do ever actually get to pick it up yourself?

Mike Jones: Yeah, I pick it up 24/7. Believe me, when you call and I'm seeing the phone ring I'm picking it up. I get 20,000 calls, its so much. I'm unable to answer all the calls at the same time. I might be doing an interview, and the phone goes to voicemail. Right after I left "106 & Park," I ain't get a chance to sleep to 2:30am; [Warner Bros.] had me going from here to there. Like right now, I've been here since 10 a.m. doing one interview to the next; it's been real busy, but I got my homey picking it up. He's on the phone talking to them and handling it.

Entertainmentonfire.com: From fans?

Mike Jones: Yea, fans anybody across the globe. I have been having this number for like 3 years, and I get close to over 20,000 plus a day.

Entertainmentonfire.com: How much does your phone bill come out to, with that volume of callers?

Mike Jones: I have unlimited outgoing and incoming, so I only pay one bill. It's under 200 dollars so it's cool.

Entertainmentonfire.com: What are you bringing to the rap game?

Mike Jones: I bring me. I'm bringin' something different to the rap game, I make it where a lot of artists got to step their game up. They got to start promoting themselves better, instead of depending on the major labels, and go get it. This is me.

Entertainmentonfire.com: How would you describe your style, the way you rap?

Mike Jones: I'm a game spitter; I'm not really a lyricist. I just basically give people game and tell you how it go down. I tell you how it happened for me. People always want to know how did I blow, I'm telling you how I blew, and telling you how you can blow and still keep your change. I'm that game spitter, that person that's gonna give you the game to hold it down. I've gone through a lot of stuff, and I'm telling you stuff so you won't have to go through the stuff I went through.

Entertainmentonfire.com: I heard about the battle between you and Chamillionaire, how did you meet him?

Mike Jones: I never met him. Me and Paul [Wall], we been cool since back then. [Chamillionaire] and Paul were a duo at one time. What happened was that him and Paul would drop stuff, and me and Mag (Magnificent) would drop stuff as a duo as well. Other than that, I just been on my grind, everything has been cool since then. But I move on, I don't be on all that. I said what I had to say, and now I'm moving on.

Entertainmentonfire.com: Any tracks going at him on the album?

Mike Jones: There are no tracks going at nobody on the album. The focus is on Mike Jones.

Entertainmentonfire.com: What's your relationship with other Texas rappers like Lil Flip, the Geto Boys?

Mike Jones: I'm cool with Geto Boys. I never really met Flip. I'm cool with everybody else. Not saying I ain't cool with Flip, I never met him. Slim Thug is partners, Paul [Wall] is cool. I never seen Flip, maybe 'cause he be busy.

Entertainmentonfire.com: What rappers you listen to now, and who are your influences? What rappers you think are hot right now?

Mike Jones: The ones that are hot right now is 50 Cent, no doubt; I jam 50 cent. I like Nelly 'cause he proved that you don't have to have all these big name producers to sell a lot of records.

Entertainmentonfire.com: Where do you see you're self in five years?

Mike Jones: I got a song like that on my album, it's called "5 Years From Now," it's crazy. I can't really tell you [the answer to] that, I don't even know. When you hear the song you will see what I'm saying, only lord knows.

Entertainmentonfire.com: Do you feel competition with Paul Wall and Slim Thug to be the hottest rapper in Houston, since all three of you are dropping albums around the same time?

Mike Jones: Not really, 'cause the records sales are going to show. We are all not in competition. We represent the same city. We just drop albums and let the fans decide, and we have fun doing it.

Entertainmentonfire.com: Any final words for the readers?

Mike Jones: Hit me up on my real cell phone number 281-330-8004. Check out Who Is Mike Jones?. Be on the look out for Ice Age Entertainment, I'm dropping Volume 2 after the album. It's going down, WhoIsMikeJones.com, Yeah!