''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 the debut single by American rapper Mike Jones (rapper), Mike Jones, released in 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' ...

" 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 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 Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

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

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'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 or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' 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" (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. Eazy-E is often re ...

**"

" (2004) by Mike Jones feat.

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...

and

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, or the Ice Man, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and ...

*"Flossin'" **We've Only Just Begun" (1987) by Glenn Jones *"Still Tippin'" **"

William Tell Overture The ''William Tell'' Overture is the overture to the opera '' William Tell'' (original French title ''Guillaume Tell''), composed by Gioachino Rossini. ''William Tell'' premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he w ...

" by

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...

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

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

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

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

*"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 ...

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

Personnel

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

. *Coota Bang – freestyle *DJ Paul – mixing *Michael Foster – mixing *Mike Frost – art direction,

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating 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 empl ...

*G Dash –

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

* 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 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