August 13, 2004 @ 2:01 pm

VIBE Magazine: NEXT > Jim Jones - Gotham City Hustler + "Certified Gangsta" Video

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If there was a framed motto on the wall of the Diplomats’ Manhattan office, it might read: He who cares least holds the most power. It’s a mantra that co-CEO Joseph “Jim” Jones, presently seated with his Timbs propped on a desk, strictly abides by. Jones’s business moves are calculated, but like his unkempt appearance, alm

Raised primarily by his maternal grandmother-Jones's Aruban mother was "young and indulging," while his late Puerto Rican father was absent-the 27-year-old came of age in Harlem's Taft projects, which he calls "the gutter within the gutter." After graduating high school, Jones went straight to a life of Uptown flossing with roommate Cam'Ron. When Cam leveraged street fame into the rap game, Jones rode shotgun. Since Damon Dash brought the Diplomats to Roc-A-Fella in 2002, Jones has gradually moved into the spotlight as a solo artist. "Jim has a very entrepreneurial spirit," says Dash. "His evolution as a rapper and businessman is phenomenal to me." And Jones's decision to personally finance his debut, The Diplomats Presents Jim Jones: The Ghetto's Advocate on My Way to Church, before bringing it to Koch was a strike at the majors. "Def Jam ain't never gonna put out my record," he scoffs. "I'll fuckin' George Michael this shit before those niggas strong-arm me." [Michael plans to quit the music industry and release his music for free on the Internet.] Meanwhile, the Eazy-Einspired lead single, "Certified Gangstas," featuring the Game and Cam'Ron, proves that the album is more grind than glamour. "When it's time to get up and hustle, whose CD they gonna put in they Walkman?" he asks. "That Jones shit!" Ultimately, Jones pictures Diplomats Records garnering the respect and success that Death Row Records had in the '90s. And once that's obtained, he can get some well-deserved rest. "I'm like Batman in the city-I don't go to sleep," utters Jones in between Nextel bleeps. "But, when I do, I want to have had a beautiful time." Video: Jim Jones - Certified Gangsta Hot 97 FM Interview with Mase (Jim Jones and Cam'ron call in to confront Mase) To Read More Stories Like This, Get A Copy of VIBE At Your Local Newsstand Now! Click Here! To Receive a Full Year of VIBE for $11.95!

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deanna says:

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deanna says:

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whats up iam feeling u i have watch every one of ur video

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