"Still Tippin" is a song by American rapper
Mike Jones, released on November 12, 2004 as his debut and lead single from his album ''
Who Is Mike Jones?'' (2005). Prior to this, it was also used as a single to promote Swisha House's compilation album, ''
The Day Hell Broke Loose 2'' (2003). The song features vocals from rappers
Slim Thug
Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...
and
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...
, the latter in his first single appearance.
The beat was produced by Salih Williams, featuring a hypnotic refrain from a Swishahouse song of Slim Thug from years past. In an interview with
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, Jones stated that the "tippin'" of the title is a synonym for "
cruising" (i.e. driving). He also added that "tippin' on four 4s, wrapped in four Vogues" refers to rims with "the spokes that you see sticking out" wrapped in Vogue tires, which he explains "were made in 1984 by Cadillac and those were the most popular ones at the time". Furthermore, the line is a reference to the slang for the Acres Homes area of Houston, Texas where the "fo-fo" comes from the Metro bus route number 44 which goes through the community.
The song's music video was directed by
John "Dr. Teeth" Tucker, earning him an
MTV Video Music Award
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
nomination. The last verse was given to rapper Paul Wall after a feud between Jones and fellow artist
Chamillionaire, resulting in Chamillionaire's departure from Swishahouse.
Song versions
Original version
The version of "Still Tippin'" released on Mike Jones's album (which contains a string piece sample taken from a 1990 recording of
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
's "
William Tell Overture
The ''William Tell'' Overture is the overture to the opera '' William Tell'' (original French title ''Guillaume Tell''), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. ''William Tell'' premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, a ...
" by the South German Philharmonic Orchestra and Alfred Scholz) is actually a remix of the original version featuring
Slim Thug
Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...
,
Chamillionaire and Mike Jones. When Chamillionaire and Mike Jones started their rivalry, Jones took the track, placed it on a different beat and cut Chamillionaire off it. He then got Paul Wall to record a verse and used it as a substitute for the cut verse. The original version of the song is sampled from Slim Thug's own song "I'm a Hoe (Freestyle)" (from his 1998 album ''I Represent This''), and can be heard on the
Rap-a-Lot Records
Rap-A-Lot is a hip hop record label co-founded by James Prince and Cliff Blodget in 1986. Smoke-a-Lot Records is a subsidiary.
Rap-A-Lot was first distributed by A&M Records with the release of Raheem's 1988 debut ''The Vigilante''. The label w ...
compilation, ''
The Day After Hell Broke Loose''.
Other versions
According to CD Now, the song was released in 2003 on
Swishahouse
Swishahouse is an independent Southern hip hop, southern rap record label and hip hop collective based in Houston, Texas.
History
Swishahouse was founded in North Houston in 1997 by founder and CEO Michael "5000" Watts and OG Ron C as a response ...
's ''The Day Hell Broke Loose 2 AKA Major Without A Major Deal'' album, but due to
word of mouth
Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
, and the infamous X-rated version seen on ''
BET: Uncut'' released in spring of the following year, by late 2004 the song received major radio rotations, and an edited version of the video was released. The official remix known as the "Underground Remix" features
Screwed Up Click
The Screwed Up Click (or S.U.C.) is an American hip hop collective based in Houston, Texas, that was led by DJ Screw. Its most notable members include DJ Screw, Big Hawk, Big Mello, Big Moe, Big Pokey, the Botany Boyz, E.S.G., Fat Pat, Lil ...
members
Lil' Keke
Marcus Lakee Edwards (born March 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Lil' Keke, is an American rapper and original member of the Southern hip hop collective Screwed Up Click.
Biography
Music career
Lil' Keke gained national attention with ...
&
Big Pokey
Milton Powell (born November 29, 1977), better known by his stage name Big Pokey, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. Pokey is associated with chopped and screwed music, and is one of the original members of the Screwed Up Click.
Rap c ...
.
A remix of the song, called "Bitch What U Know About", features
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
,
Young Buck
David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He heads his own record label, Cashville, and was a member of the former hip hop group G-Unit.
Early life
Brown was born in Nashville, Te ...
and
Spider Loc
Curtis Williams (born January 19, 1976), more commonly known as Spider Loc, is an American rapper and actor. He was formerly signed to Interscope Records and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.
Biography
Spider Loc was discovered by Suge Knight and ...
. A freestyle by
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
is included on the mixtape ''
The Preview'' called "Still Spittin'". Another official remix titled, "Still Tippin (It's a Man's World Remix)", featuring singer
Nicole Wray
Nicole Monique Wray (born May 2, 1979), also known as Lady Wray, is an American singer and songwriter. Her 1998 debut single "Make It Hot" was certified gold.
Early life
Nicole Monique Wray was born on May 2, 1979, in Salinas, California, to ...
can be found on the soundtrack of the movie, ''
Hustle & Flow
''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain. It stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper. It als ...
''. The beat for the song "Still Tippin", was also used on
Lupe Fiasco's mixtape in a song called "Switch". It is one of Lupe's most popular mixtape songs, garnering millions of views on YouTube.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Paul Wall
2004 songs
2004 debut singles
2005 singles
Mike Jones (rapper) songs
Slim Thug songs
Paul Wall songs
Asylum Records singles
Warner Records singles
Songs written by Paul Wall
Songs written by Mike Jones (rapper)
Songs about Texas