Mike Jones

Michael Ansara "Mike" Jones[1] (born January 6, 1981)[2] is an American southern rap artist, who initially was affiliated with the record label Swishahouse, then left to be the owner of Ice Age Entertainment. Before he was on Swishahouse he was in a group called Souf Folk and his alias was "Sache". He has released one album with Souf Folk called Country Thuggin.

Jones originally wanted to be a National Basketball Association player who rapped on the side. Jones transferred many times, forcing him to only play in YMCA leagues due to transfer rules after the 9th Grade. Jones dropped out of high school and briefly took jobs at fast food restaurants. Jones worked at a Compaq plant and sold cell phones from an apartment on Antoine Drive. T. Brown, Jones's partner in several financial ventures, said that he sold some "dimebags" for six months, but they mainly bought "T-Mobile Sidekicks" and sold them for an inexpensive price.
Jones often visited his grandmother's house in the Studewood area of Houston. Jones credited her for giving him the ideas to pursue rap, to use his real name, and to write songs about strippers.
Jones got his first big break by making songs for strippers in Houston.

You could say that Mike Jones has ‘finally found his voice' in the years since he first emerged on the music scene in 2005 with a platinum grill and an infectious call-and-response slogan (‘Who? Mike Jones!'). These days, the Houston-born rapper is more mature and focused; he's making business deals and giving back to his community. And on his sophomore album The Voice (Ice Age/Swishahouse/Asylum), he wants you to know that there's more to Mike Jones than ‘tippin' on four fours.'

"This album is what I wanted my first album to be," says Jones. "On ‘The Voice,' I'm showing more of myself to the world, more of my writing skills and my personality. There are many sides to Mike Jones and I want my fans to get to know all of them."

Surely, fans are already familiar with Jones' playful side, which he readily displays on The Voice, especially on the song "Drop & Gimme 50" (feat. Hurricane Chris), a Southern-style party anthem sure to inspire the next dance craze.

It's also no secret that Mike Jones has a thing for the ladies. On the slow jam-inspired track "Cuddy Buddy,", Jones raps his penchant for no-strings flings over a Keith Sweat "How Deep Is Your Love" sample. The guitar-laden "Next to You" further demonstrates Jones' devotion to the girl in his life that "keeps it true."

Still, The Voice isn't all lovey dovey. Jones flexes his lyrical chops on the street banger "Done Did It" (feat. Lil Wayne):

"I see these haters tryin' to set me up/Plot on me to wet me up/They mad at me because I run H-town and I ain't lettin' up/I can't let up ‘cause I'm a playa/H-town, I'm the mayor/Switched it up to president/My car shine like peppermint/ Bentley on them fours, got ‘em coming to my residence..."

Fans have been anxiously waiting for an album like this from Jones, ever since his break-out single "Still Tippin'" introduced the world to Houston's style of cruising in tricked out "slabs." But Jones wasn't exactly an overnight success.

Back in 2001, he started his own independent record label, Ice Age Entertainment, with money he had saved to pay for beats and studio time. As he began promoting his music on the streets, to DJs and at strip clubs, word spread fast about the enterprising rapper and it wasn't long before Jones had a deal with local hit-making label Swishahouse. Jones released a series of independent albums and mixtapes under Swishahouse, and the sizeable following he garnered in the South and Mid-West landed him a deal with Warner/Asylum. His 2005 national debut Who is Mike Jones? sold over 1.5 million copies, and in 2007 he returned with the EP American Dream, which was accompanied by a straight-to-DVD movie of the same name.

Over the years, when Jones wasn't recording in the studio or performing on stage, he was securing business ventures like his recent partnership with ProConcept Marketing Group to release his own line of Cognac called "House of Dobbe'." He's also actively involved in his charities Ice Age for Kids and the American Dream Foundation, through which he's hosted community youth events and donated thousands of dollars to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Indeed, there's more to Mike Jones than the "good life" he often raps about. And with The Voice, you'll hear the creativity and evolution of a young man who has something to say.