Before his name and number became a national phenomenon Mike Jones had to grind like everyone else. His diamonds are gigantic and some will even say that his ego is the same way. However, in Mike’s eyes, he deserves more credit than he’s received and a little less criticism.

Placed in a Houston rap scene that already boasted a share of local heavyweights Mike Jones found the struggle to be overwhelming and truthfully wanted to quit pursuing his rap career. If it hadn’t been for his grandmother’s constant advice we wouldn’t even know who Mike Jones is. He gives his grandmother the credit for all his success and it would seem corny if he wasn’t so sincere about the matter. In fact, he sounds sincere about everything almost to the point where you might agree with him if you got the chance to speak with him.

Other talking about his grandmother’s influence on him Mr. Jones spoke on the Houston rap scene and his place on the totem pole. His perspective is almost Hollywood when he talks about himself, however there’s a presence or characteristic that keeps his opinions seemingly well-founded. It could leave you thinking that he was right for leaving Swishahouse and starting his own label. It could leave you with an understanding of why he made a movie to complement his album. You just might see why he wears all the jewelry. When you see where a man came from you can see where a man is coming from. Don’t you remember back then?

Q: What's good with Mike Jones these days?

Mike Jones: "I'm CEO now; I got my own label, Ice Age. I got a club down in Houston called Ice Age too. I'm ready to drop my new album 'The American Dream;' and it comes with a movie called 'The American Dream."

Q: Who's on the album?

Mike Jones: "I got Snoop Dogg, Bun B, Pimp C, Lil' Flip, Letoya Luckett, T-Pain..."

Q: Where did the movie concept come from?

Mike Jones: "I did the movie because in interviews people would ask me, 'Who is Mike Jones?' I wanted to show the people who I am, where I came from, and how I grinded to get where I am today. I didn't blow-up overnight, I wanted the people to know that and see my struggle."

Q: Do you feel like the teens should know more about life than the price of things rapper's talk about?

Mike Jones: "I don't wear the grill no more. I took it out because it started to takeover (my image). I'm real light on the jewelry, but I love my pieces (holds up chain that showcases his ridiculous charms.) I don't wear the jewelry to show off; I wear it to show people if you work hard, you can have nice things too. Even though I did sell 2 million records, I'm still close to my people. I sign autographs until the last person is taken care of and you can ask anybody that's had me do stores."

Q: With artists coming in and out of the industry all the time, what do you do to make sure that you're one of those people?

Mike Jones: "I don't over saturate the market with myself. I only do that when it's my time to come out. When I came out with 'Who is Mike Jones,' all you heard was, 'Mike Jones!' After we sold the two million, I fell back. It took me a year and a half because of the movie project. It gave people a chance to come in and do their thing. Now I'm about to get them again. Labels and industry people said I was too chubby for TV, I was too ugly for TV, I wasn't marketable; but, the fans proved them wrong."

Q: When you worked at Jack-in-a-Box, did you think you would ever make it?

Mike Jones: "No. My grandmother gave me game and told me that I could do it. What my grandmother did to me, I'm trying to do for the world. It was a time where I was messed up and I never thought I would be something, but she told you can do this and do this. She the one that told me to say my name. If you watch the movie you'll see she behind the name and me saying my number."

Q: How do you feel about the Houston rap scene?

Mike Jones: "We've been doing our thing for some time before it blew the way it did. When I blew-up, I blew the whole culture up. I'm the reason everybody talking about lean, the candy paint, and the grills. I made the world know about us and the way we live down south. It wasn't just me making money either; I made everybody money in Houston. People that did the candy paint made money. People who sold grills made money; everybody in my city made money because of what the culture became."

--By Joe"JayRich"Robinson