''Who Is Mike Jones?'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Mike Jones, released on April 19, 2005 in the United States. The singles from the album are "

Still Tippin' "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 al ...

" and "

Back Then "Back Then" is a song by American rapper Mike Jones, released in February 15, 2005 as the second single from his debut studio album '' Who Is Mike Jones?''. Peaking at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the single gave him his first and on ...

". 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 Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the early 1990s by DJ ...

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 The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, two months after its release. The songs "Got It Sewed Up (Remix)" and "Back Then" are featured in the 2007

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' called the album "a fine introduction to this Texas mess."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'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 A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' 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 ix# Screw Dat ix# Cuttin' ix# Still Trippin' ixfeaturing Slim Thug and Paul Wall # Back Then ix# Know What I'm Sayin' ixfeaturing Bun B and Lil' KeKe # Laws Patrolling ixfeaturing CJ, Mellow and Lil' Bran # Turing Lane ix# Grandma ix# Flossin' ixfeaturing Big Moe # Scandalous Hoes ixfeaturing Lil' Bran # What Ya Know About... ixfeaturing Paul Wall and Killa Kyleon # 5 Years From Now ixfeaturing Lil' Bran

Sample credits

*"Back Then" **"

Boyz-N-The-Hood "Boyz-n-the-Hood" is the debut single by Eazy-E, then leader of a new rap group, N.W.A. Released in March 1987, the single was a local hit, reissued, by year's end, on N.W.A's EP titled ''N.W.A.'' and on the unauthorized compilation album ''N.W.A ...

" (1987) by

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred t ...

**"

" (2004) by Mike Jones feat.

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, h ...

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 ...

*"Flossin'" **We've Only Just Begun" (1987) by

Glenn Jones Glenn Jones (born September 27, 1962 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American R&B/soul singer. He is best known for his songs "Show Me", "We've Only Just Begun (The Romance Is Not Over)" and "Here I Go Again" which reached No. 1 on the Billboa ...

*"Still Tippin'" **"

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, af ...

" by

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 f ...

(from a 1990 recording by South German Philharmonic Orchestra and Alfred Scholtz) *"Got It Sewed Up" **"

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

, Act 2, No 1: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" (1892) by

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

*"Scandalous Hoes" **"Thank You Baby" (1975) by

The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of ...

*"Grandma" **"Keep Dancing" (1979) by Al Hudson and the Partners

Personnel

Credits for ''Who Is Mike Jones?'' adapted from

. *Coota Bang –

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

*DJ Paul – mixing *Michael Foster – mixing *Mike Frost –

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

*G Dash –

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

Brian "Big Bass" Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance- ...

– mastering *Juicy J – mixing *Kojack –

audio production Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

*Archie Lee – freestyle *Mike B. – audio production *Towdown – mixing *Michael Watts – audio production *Salih Williams – audio production *Young Sears – audio production

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 2005 debut albums Mike Jones (rapper) albums Jive Records albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by DJ Paul Albums produced by Juicy J