Who Is Mike Jones? is the debut studio album by American rapper Mike Jones, released on April 19, 2005 in the United States through Asylum Records and Swishahouse. The singles from the album are "Still Tippin'" and "Back Then".

The CD also comes in a "limited edition" version, which includes a bonus CD featuring nearly all the tracks from the album chopped and screwed by DJ Michael 5000 Watts.

The album was a commercial success for the rapper, debuting at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with 181,000 copies sold in its first week and was certified Platinum by the RIAA, two months after its release.

The songs "Got It Sewed Up (Remix)" and "Back Then" are featured in the 2007 Xbox 360 video game Def Jam: Icon. Mike Jones is a playable character in the video game and provides his own voice and likeness.

Critical reception

Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews found Jones lacking in terms of charisma and topic matter as a rapper but praised the beats by Salih Williams throughout the record saying, "The bottom line is that Who Is Mike Jones? is a very enjoyable album if you're not paying attention too closely." Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone called the album "a fine introduction to this Texas mess." AllMusic's Andy Kellman said that the people throughout the record outshine Jones but found him accessible to listen to, concluding that "Jones is ultimately very likable, shown best in the closing track, a sweet tribute to his supportive late grandmother." Samantha Watson of The Situation praised the southern production, Jones's attention-grabbing delivery and the tracks for being lyrically different, concluding that, "This is a welcomed debut from the rapper Mike Jones. It may sound cliché, but with nearly every track echoing his name and with his sharp rhymes it will be hard to forget who he is." Julianne Shepherd of Pitchfork also praised the album's production and noted that Jones shows some empathy on tracks like "5 Years from Now" and "Grandma", saying that, "Who Is Mike Jones? is an ample showcase for Swishahouse producers Michael K. Watts and Salih Williams, but it'd be a better record if Jones diversified."

Track listing Original release

Chopped & Screwed version Got It Sewed Up [Mix] Screw Dat [Mix] Cuttin' [Mix] Still Trippin' [Mix] featuring Slim Thug and Paul Wall Back Then [Mix] Know What I'm Sayin' [Mix] featuring Bun B and Lil' KeKe Laws Patrolling [Mix] featuring CJ, Mellow and Lil' Bran Turing Lane [Mix] Grandma [Mix] Flossin' [Mix] featuring Big Moe Scandalous Hoes [Mix] featuring Lil' Bran What Ya Know About... [Mix] featuring Paul Wall and Killa Kyleon 5 Years From Now [Mix] featuring Lil' Bran

Sample credits Source:

"Back Then" "Boyz-N-The-Hood" (1987) by Eazy-E "Still Tippin'" (2004) by Mike Jones feat. Slim Thug and Paul Wall "Flossin'" We've Only Just Begun" (1987) by Glenn Jones "Still Tippin'" "William Tell Overture" by Gioachino Rossini (from a 1990 recording by South German Philharmonic Orchestra and Alfred Scholtz) "Got It Sewed Up" "The Nutcracker, Act 2, No 1: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" (1892) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky "Scandalous Hoes" "Thank You Baby" (1975) by The Stylistics "Grandma" "Keep Dancing" (1979) by Al Hudson and the Partners

Notes

The original version of "Got It Sewed Up" (under the title, Got It Sowed Up) can be found on The Day Hell Broke Loose 2.

The original version of Cuttin’ was previously released on 1st Round Draft Picks.

Personnel Credits for Who Is Mike Jones? adapted from AllMusic.

Coota Bang – freestyle DJ Paul – mixing Michael Foster – mixing Mike Frost – art direction, photography G Dash – executive producer Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering Juicy J – mixing Kojack – audio production Archie Lee – freestyle Mike B. – audio production Towdown – mixing Michael Watts – audio production Salih Williams – audio production Young Sears – audio production

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Who Is Mike Jones?Chart (2005)Peakposition

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Who Is Mike Jones?Chart (2005)PositionUS Billboard 20040US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)17

Certifications

See also List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2005 List of number-one rap albums of 2005 (U.S.)

References