foreign
first they didn't want him then he got hot and they were all on him houston-born rapper Michael
Allen Jones better known simply as Mike Jones originally wanted to be an NBA player as time
went on though it became more and more difficult for him to hone his athletic skills with one team
since his family moved so often eventually he dropped out of high school Mike ended up dabbling
in Street pharmaceutical sales for a short while but mainly stuck to working in various menial
jobs like fast food restaurants and selling cell phones he would begin his musical career
as a member of a hip-hop group called Suffolk using the name Sashay they only released one
album titled country Thuggin it didn't produce any significant results so Mike decided to leave the
group and pursue a solo career around this time he would form his own Independent Record label
called Ice Age entertainment where he promoted and distributed his music while trying to build
some hype around his work Mike found himself getting discouraged when people wouldn't be
interested interested in what he had to offer often asking who whenever he introduced himself
his grandmother would end up being a great support for Mike encouraging him to continue pursuing his
dream ignore the negativity and suggested that he used his real name so people would know who
Mike Jones is oh yeah she also suggested that he forget trying to capture the attention of
the male DJs he was peddling his mixtapes to and instead focus on appealing to strippers
Mike heeded her advice started spending a lot more time in strip clubs getting to know the
dancers and turn their life stories into popular songs that they would perform to Independent
Southern record labels Swishahouse founder Michael 5000 watts and president of anr T
Farris would eventually sign Mike to a record deal after noticing how popular his music was becoming
in the strip clubs at the time the label was also picking up other houston-based artists like Slim
Thug Paul Wall and Chamillionaire Mike released his first mixtape titled ball and underground in
2003 towards the end of the following year Mike's breakout single withdrop called Still Tippin
prior to this though it was also used as a single to promote Swisher House's compilation
album 2003's the day hell broke loose too the song features vocals from rappers Slim
Thug and Paul Wall and got so much AirPlay it caused many major labels to bid for a chance
to work with Swishahouse Asylum records Under the Umbrella of Warner Brothers would win in
the end and decide that the track should serve as Mike's debut single it peaked at
number 14 on the billboard rap songs chart and eventually go platinum now with backing from a
major label Mike could really promote himself the way he wanted to a few months later his
second single called back then dropped it did even better than Still Tippin going to
number 22 on the Hot 100 number six on the rap songs chart and also reaching Platinum Status
the track also featured what would become a very famous set of numbers that just happened to be
Mike's own personal phone number that later he claim had been dialed by fans upwards of 40
000 times a day in April 2005 Mike released his debut album appropriately titled who is
my Jones it quickly achieved Platinum Status eventually reaching double platinum and became
his highest selling album to date naturally due to all the success he was experiencing collaboration
offers became plentiful his best charting feature would be on T-Pain's I'm in Love With a Stripper
over the next few years Mike released several more mixtapes as well as an EP title the American dream
in 2007. two years later his second studio album was released titled The Voice Even though three of
the five singles drop and give me 50 cuddy buddy and next to you all made it on the rap songs chart
the album overall was no comparison to his debut selling a mere two hundred thousand units versus
his debuts Platinum success on a more positive note Mike was sporting a more spelled look on
the cover art at his highest weight he tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds he decided to
embark on a weight loss journey by eating lighter and hitting the gym harder shedding 100 pounds
then Mike went radio silent in 2012 he finally resurfaced on his YouTube channel and announced
his return to the music scene he explained the reason for his Hiatus being due to financial
disputes with his former label Asylum records to let other people tell it the real reason for
Mike's disappearance was due to his disloyalty and Burning Bridges with his people in H-Town
apparently that sentiment also had roots in his 2004 beef with Chamillionaire his 2008 physical
altercation with Trey the truth which left him with a broken nose and Paul walls Kurt
response about where Mike was in a 2010 magazine interview a couple of years later he announced he
was finally finished with his next album where is Mike Jones and also had plans to release another
mixtape Mike did release that mixtape titled Money Train in January 2015. that same year a
crazy rumor surfaced about him getting arrested in San Antonio on human trafficking charges
it all started with a report posted by a fake TMZ website they claimed that Mike forced his
victims to work as prostitutes from hotels while he collected the earnings the website
even went as far as posting a fake police report and quoting a non-existent cop the
story gained enough traction and was shared enough on social media that Mike had to reach
out to the San Antonio Special Victims Unit to clear his name a follow-up mixtape Money
Train reloaded was given several release dates in 2017 however it has yet to surface Mike got quiet
again for another several years until 2021 when he announced a new record deal with independent
hip-hop label RBC records he's also made a point to use his platform to educate other artists on
the importance of having a plan and understanding the terms of their contracts so that they'll be
able to have Financial Freedom for many years to come Mike speaks of what he knows since
he's talked at length about his many years-long battle to recoup the royalties and publish he's
old from his former label as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in overpayment from the IRS
Mike's long-awaited third studio album Now titled guap season was given a tentative
release date of May 2022 which has since come and gone fans shouldn't sweat it though since
Mike sure doesn't over the years he's always maintained his desire to just create great
music whether it gets released or stays in the vault he's never been in a rush to please any
record label or keep up with current Hayes foreign these days he stays busy and paid
by continuing to tour as well as expanding his brand Money Train LLC one recent money
move for the company came in the summer of 2022 when Mike partnered with restaurant and sports
bar franchise Buffalo Wild Wings to have his 2017 song sauce featured in their commercials