April 04, 2005 @ 7:22 am

Online Exclusive: Getting the 411 on Mike Jones

by: Alyssa Rashbaum

Watch the video for Mike Jones' single,
“Still Tippin” featuring Slim Thug and Paul Wall

You know his name and by now you've probably dialed his number at least once, but how much do you really know about Mike Jones?

The rapper, who releases his debut album Who is Mike Jones? on April 19, took some time out of his busy schedule (which you can hear all about on his voicemail message), to chat with VIBE.com about making the move from an independent label to a major, how his oldest fan – his grandmother - helped him kick-start his career, and his methods of managing the thousands of calls he receives every day, including tempting propositions from female fans.

You know his name and by now you've probably dialed his number at least once, but how much do you really know about Mike Jones? The rapper, who releases his debut album Who is Mike Jones? on April 19, took some time out of his busy schedule (which you can hear all about on his voicemail message), to chat with VIBE.com about making the move from an independent label to a major, how his oldest fan - his grandmother - helped him kick-start his career, and his methods of managing the thousands of calls he receives every day, including tempting propositions from female fans. First off, congratulations - your single, "Still Tippin'" was the Billboard Hot 100 top debut at #74. Are you serious? That's crazy. How do you feel? I feel good. I didn't even know that. I'm happy to know. It's growing? Aw, man. I'm trying to feel my buzz so I can be on your cover one day. Given that you basically created this massive buzz around yourself, by yourself, is this kind of success particularly rewarding? Yeah, it feels good to know that I've been accepted like that. My thing about that is, if you do it independently, it'll mean so much more. All it takes is one person to change the world. You started your own label. How was it self-distributing? How did you do it? I started out with my own label, Ice Age Entertainment. That was the first thing. That was the beginning. I got hot off that, off the independent work. That made Swisha House come to me and want to sign me from that. I was already hyped from the Ice Age. Then I got in with Swisha House and for three years I been pumpin' that up. Then I got the deal with Warner Brothers. I got the Who is Mike Jones? dropping April 19. Now I'm doing the Ice Age stuff but underground. How is it being on a major now? It's the same. It's just more photos, more interviews, more pop-up schedule changes than I ever imagined, but it's still the same. The only thing different is that they'll tell you one thing and tell you and it'll be cool and then you plan something and they'll just totally do the opposite last minute and then you have nothing to do but go with the flow, you know what I'm saying? With the underground, it was just like ok, your show is at 10:00, be there at 9:30. But it's still the same. Performing everywhere is still the same. Do you feel you have less control over your career? Nah, I have control of my career. It's just that when it comes to my songs and who I want on it and that stuff, I control it, it's just with the magazines and the photos and the interviews and photos and all that. It's just a little more different now. What happened to you when you were tyring to get recognized that made you call your album Who Is Mike Jones? When I was doing the Ice Age thing, when everyone was neglecting it before the buzz came, my grandma used to always tell me, "Keep doing it. Don't worry about what nobody else will say, keep doing it. Cause pretty soon the world gonna want to know who is Mike Jones." And she was right. She passed on right before everything took off. You have a song about her on the album right? Yeah, it's gonna be a single too, so it's gonna be really crazy. It's called "My Grandma." You include your phone number in your lyrics and on t-shirts. I called your number today and heard a message that basically told me everything I'd need to know to keep tabs on your career from your appearance on "106 & Park," to the album release date, to your web site address. Do you credit that strategy with getting you widespread recognition? Oh yeah, that's the most important thing with the fan base. The fan base wants to keep up with who they really feeling right now. Right now everyone's feeling Mike Jones. I've been giving out that number for three years and right now I want to make sure that everyone is on to what I'm doing, step by step. Do you change that message every day with different information? Yeah, every day. Do you think that as you get bigger, you'll still regularly update that message? Oh yeah, most definitely. I've been doing it for three years, and for my whole rising career, the only thing that's changed is just that more interviews, more phoners, more press. But the number, if I get bigger, it's still the same. Was there ever a time when it was you answering the phone and talking to people? Oh, I do that all the time. I get like 20,000 calls. But sometimes you might call and get the voicemail cause like right now, I'm on the phone with you and it might be ringing but I ain't gonna try to be rude and talk to two people. I'm on "106 & Park" or I'm on the plane, it's times like that I'm not able to do it. But in the time I do have, I'm picking it up every time I see it ring. So what are the kind of things people ask you when the call you? "Mike Jones - I seen you on TV. Is this really your phone number? Just calling to see if it's real." And stuff like that. "When are you coming to my school?" "When are you coming to my city?" What was the weirdest thing someone asked you when they called? Well, it's mainly girls. Like they be telling me that when I come to their city, they want me here, you know? I'll be like man, I appreciate it, but you know I gotta be on my own right now. The message also said you are going to be doing an Ice Age Volume 2. Tell me about that. Are you already working on it? Who are you working with? Oh yeah. Check out www.whomikejones.com, you'll see we got a lot of artists on there besides Ice Age. Lil Wayne came to the studio, Xzibit, Slim [Thug], Jackie-O. We gonna hold it down with people besides those already on the label. Any plans to tour behind the albums? Yeah. We got the "Who Is Mike Jones? Tour," the "Ice Age Tour." The "Who Is Mike Jones? Tour" is going to start between now and next month. "Ice Age Tour" is going to start right after the "Who Is Mike Jones? Tour." Are you taking anybody out on the road with you? Most definitely. The whole Ice Age family. You're from Houston and the scene there is getting major recognition right now. Which artists do you credit, besides yourself, with helping to put it on the map a little bit more? Geto Boys, Scarface. The whole Rap-A-Lot bunch. I listen to a lot of everybody. Texas is my home but I listen to everybody outside of Texas. If you jamming, you jamming. Why do you think the recognition is happening right now? I guess people just finally realized it was our time. People will be like 'Yeah, ok, it's a Texas thing.' But it's bigger than Texas and now they're starting to see that it's for real. Do you think that now that you're getting bigger, as your album is about to drop, and as all this stuff is going on with you, that people will be able to start answering the question Who is Mike Jones? on their own? Oh yeah, once the album drops they will know who Mike Jones really is. Oh yeah. What else should people know about Mike Jones? Hit me up on my cell: 281-330-8004. And Who is Mike Jones? on April 19.

Article tags: Online, Exclusive, Getting, 411, Mike, Jones