Let’s take history way back to the ice ages when Mother Earth was plagued by a chill factor that exterminated the mighty dinosaurs. Let’s forward to one of the many new faces of the music millennium, Ice Age Entertainment as headed by Mike Jones and the House that Swisha built.
So who is Mike Jones, because that is the queston the rapper presents in his ghetto marketing plan? Yeah, yeah, yeah…Who is Mike Jones? For clarification Mike Jones is a Houston hustler that says his name way too much. However in defense, Mike Jones is the sort of individual that relies on Mike Jones’ gut instinct and creates a tremendous demand for Mike Jones’ southern slang music by sheer branding.
Mike Jones, forever grinding, is running his independent game like Interscope runs the majors. Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin” single is in heavy rotation nationwide and Mike Jones has the hood leaning. Despite beefs with former affiliates, Mike Jones’ goal is just to brand Mike Jones and Mike Jones’ Ice Age Entertainment. And if you still don’t know who Mike Jones is, read on.
AllHipHop.com: There are a lot of people that know the name Mike Jones but don’t know the story behind the name?
Mike Jones: Well I came from a place where a lot of people didn’t believe in Mike Jones. But I put in the grind, the hope, the prayers, and stayed on it to get to where I’m at today. 90% grind and 10% sleep. You know what I’m saying?
AllHipHop.com: How did you hook up with Swisha House?
Mike Jones: In 2001 I formed my label called Ice Age Entertainment and in that year I blew up and made my CEO money. I was well known in my state and “The House” was checking up on me. They told me that they wanted to mess with me and could take me to the next level. To me they were like a major label. So I got on board with them and grew even bigger. Now that Swisha House has hooked up with Asylum Records (of Atlantic Records), we’re about to take it up another notch. It’s a constant growth.
AllHipHop.com: Why did you come up with the concept of making your phone number accessible to the public?
Mike Jones: My name started to get a bad reputation. Promoters started booking a lot of fake Mike Jones shows charging $20 – $25 per ticket. I wouldn’t be there [at shows] because I didn’t know about it. Because of that people said they didn’t like me because I never showed up to any shows. I had to do show’s for free to make up for it. So I started to give my number out to everyone and told them to just call me if it happens again. People started calling me to say what’s up, or to say they just saw the video, or to ask about the website. To people I’m more than just a rapper. I’m a friend and a homie. Because of this they’ve been showing me a lot of love.
AllHipHop.com: I went to the website and checked out the whole AOL Instant Messenger angle. Who came up with that idea?
Mike Jones: I came up with that myself! I got so many things lined up that you’re going to be like “damn!” But you’ll see when the album drops. If you go to whomikejones.com you will be able to see my Instant Messenger screen name that you can click on and add to your buddy list. If you send an instant message to me it will go directly to my T-Mobile Sidekick. So you can holla at me wherever I am and we’ll stay in touch.
Mike Jones: Can you describe the Texas vibe?
Mike Jones: We are not complex. We like to keep thangs simple. For instance, you can understand every word I’m saying, even though you may not know the meaning of all the slang. We say things like “I came from the bottom up” which means I wasn’t hot before, but now I am. In New York, ya’ll have Timbs and fitted hats. Down in Houston, we have the “lean,” the “candy paint,” the “screens falling” and the “swangas”. Rims are real popular where I’m from too.
AllHipHop.com: So you are basically trying to capture that lifestyle on wax correct?
Mike Jones: Yeah definitely! The single we have out now, “Still Tippin,” blew up because we’re representing Texas with that song. Everybody in Texas can relate to it because that’s what we do, and people are already on the whole “Dirty South” thang. So we’re coming up.
AllHipHop.com: What ambitions do you have as being a businessman?
Mike Jones: Whew! I want to create my own clothing line and put my people on so they can be their own CEOs. The money I make from what I do now, I will invest in the clothing line. The money I make off of Ice Age, I’ll keep in the company. I’m trying to look out for everybody. It’s all about everybody having their own businesses. I’ll let people use my name to get that niche.
AllHipHop.com: How important is it to brand yourself?
Mike Jones: Man, I’m going to say this. For all the people that say, “He says his name too much,” I don’t say it just to be saying it. There is a story behind it all. I used ask DJs to check out my single and they would ask, “Who are you?” I would say “Mike Jones.” They would ask “WHO IS Mike Jones?” I took the whole situation and named my album after it. I see a lot of DJs today and I tell them I got the concept from them. I thank them.
AllHipHop.com: For those that are not up on it…can you explain exactly what the expression “Chopped & Screwed” means?
Mike Jones: Screwed means to slow the record down, and Chopped is when the DJ brings back your favorite line in the record causing a chopping-like effect. Even in New York I’ve seen a lot of DJs doing that but ya’ll don’t call it that. Chopped and Screwed is real big in places outside of Texas please-believe.
AllHipHop.com: What is a typical day in the shoes of Mike Jones?
Mike Jones: I wake up and get on my Tmail and my phone. I holler at DJs for drops and freestyles. I’ll hit the studio up and work on making some hit songs. If I’m not doing that I’m performing somewhere, or hollering at the fans. Some people will say “Mike Jones, you answer your phone more on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays than Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.” That’s because I’m extra busy on those days.
AllHipHop.com: Where is Mike Jones going to be 5 years from now?
Mike Jones: You know what’s crazy? I got a song called “5 Years From Now” and I’m going to kick the hook right now. Straight exclusive!
Where would I go, who would I see 5 years from now
How would I live, will I have some kids 5 years from now
Will I be locked up, or will I be on the grind 5 years from now
Tell me what my future holds
What’s there not to know?
What I will be doing 5 years from now
I got Anthony Hamilton singing on that song. I’m glad you asked that question because it scares me not to know the answer. I put it in God’s hands and let it go. That’s why I made the song to begin with.
AllHipHop.com: What can we expect from the new album?
Mike Jones: I got a lot of street bangaz on the album. The song “Got It Sowed,” is a street hit. I got some real hits on there that can damn near get me a Grammy! I got Nelly on a track, a track with Trina produced by Lil Jon, and a hot joint called “Dreams” featuring Mya. So you won’t be disappointed.
AllHipHop.com: What advice would you give to the cats trying to come up in the game?
Mike Jones: It is always good to listen to people’s opinion. But if you believe in your vision and what is in your heart, just run with it. From the beginning people always said, “Nah man that’s not going to work” and “don’t say your name so much” or “don’t give out your number.” If I had listened to them…you and I probably wouldn’t be sitting here doing this interview right now. My heart was telling me something different than what the others had to say. I listened to my heart and went all out. My advice is if you have a dream run with it! Stay on your grind and your dreams will come true.