BURBANK, CA (Warner Bros. Records) - Rap superstar
Mike Jones will release a new album, titled "The American Dream," in April on Swishahouse/Asylum/Warner Bros. Records. Fans of the Houston-born MC have been eagerly awaiting new music ever since Jones took the hip-hop world by storm in 2005 with his double-platinum, chart-topping debut "Who is Mike Jones?"
The album's addictive first single, "Mr. Jones," which was produced by Myke Diesel (Master P., Lil Romeo), features a shuffling synth and drum groove and Jones' confident rap: "You haters hate but they don't really wanna see the steel / Had a million in my bank before Asylum brought the deal / Before I came out they said the streets wouldn't feel / The s**t that I'm spittin', the s**t that's real."
The track will also appear in Jones' feature film debut, also titled "The American Dream," which is scheduled to come out shortly after the album is released. Executive produced by Jones, Warner Bros., and Asylum, the film, which Jones co-directed with Derrick Dixon (2004's "Survival of the Illest"), is loosely based on the rapper's life, depicting his rise from humble beginnings in Houston to hip-hop luminary.
After years of underground success, Jones broke through on a national level thanks to savvy self-promotion and the drowsy smash hit anthem "Still Tippin'," which featured fellow H-Towners Slim Thug and Paul Wall. Jones followed it up with "Back Then," which cracked the Top Ten on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks chart, scored heavy rotation on BET and MTV, and led to the double-platinum certification of "Who is Mike Jones?" With his gregarious personality, knack for self-promotion (his T-shirts emblazoned with "Who is Mike Jones?" and his actual cell phone number are legend), and guest star turns (Ying Yang Twins' "Badd," T-Pain's "I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)"), Jones became one of the first artists to break out of the Houston hip-hop scene in years.
In addition to filming "The American Dream" last fall, Jones also appeared on the Anger Management Tour, was featured on the Fox TV show "Prison Break," and opened a thriving club in the Houston Metro area called Ice Age, which has attracted celebrities such as Vivica A. Fox, Morris Chestnut, Meagan Good, Chingy, and Tracy McGrady.
