It was a question hip-hop fans had been asking for months: Who is Mike Jones? On April 19, 2005, the Houston rapper dropped his debut album, and fans finally had an answer.
Jones was part of the Southern label Swishahouse, known for bringing a new type of energy into the game - a mix of laid-back tempos and stuttering beats that became known as "chopped and screwed." As the style became increasingly prominent in the mid-'00s, its best-known practitioners rose through the ranks, too, including Jones, Slim Thug and Paul Wall - all of whom appeared on Jones' breakout single "Still Tippin'."
A master of self-promotion, Jones came to prominence thanks to a few hallmarks no one could ignore. He was fond of inserting his own name into songs as a hook - often punctuating it with a counterpoint of "Who?" - and even dropped his full cell phone number into the track "Back Then." (He later gave it away, but claimed it again in 2020.)
That combination of drive and talent helped Who is Mike Jones reach the Top 5 of the Billboard charts, selling more than a million copies. While he's been relatively quiet of late, last releasing mixtapes in 2015, fans have been clamoring for a new album, possibly titled - what else? - Where is Mike Jones?