Lil Def

Mike Jones
The American Dream



Truth be told, if skills sold, Mike Jones would have the commercial success of Talib Kweli. More style than substance, the Houston advocate shot to stardom two years ago, while superior lyricists were left watching his videos on their idiot boxes. Haters may remain salty, but in reality, Jones’ success is quite deserved. What the Ice Age CEO lacks in lyrical wizardry he makes up for in an uncanny marketing sense and corporate grind. The wide-eyed entrepreneur crashed rap’s party by utilizing never-done-before tactics, broadcasting his personal telephone number and encouraging first-person interaction. This business acumen timed with the genesis of his hometown’s nationwide takeover, and Mike Jones became an unexpected heavyweight.

A rarity for rookies nowadays, Jones’ 2005 debut, Who Is Mike Jones? gave the upstart a platinum seller right out the gate. Powered by the monstrous anthems “Still Tippin’” and “Back Then,” the album contained chopped-and-screwed hooks and inventive, trunk-rattling production that placed Mr. Jones’ underdeveloped prose on the back burner, temporarily. The days of superlyrical MC domination are indefinitely paused, making subpar rappers with hitmaking flair excusable for some. But for Jones to gain all-around respect, evolution is crucial. Sadly, his even more accessible follow-up, The American Dream, shows about as much growth as an adolescent Bushwick Bill.

Mike Jones does, however, know how to pick beats. The instrumentals here are mostly top-shelf, with Salih, one-half of H-Town production duo Carnival Beats, stealing the show. On the off-kilter “Like What I Got,” his creeping, robotic track makes Jones’ egotistical flossing sound almost progressive. Salih’s left-field beat work continues on “Turning Headz,” where amped-up synthesizers aid MJ’s humorous wit (“They used to laugh at my belly, now they wanna rubbbb/On my belly every Sunday to get in my clubbbb”). Equally tight is the N.W.A-sampling “My 64,” a violin/808 marriage complete with potent verses from guests Snoop Dogg and Bun B.

Once the soundtrack falters, however, our host’s mic deficiencies become tougher to ignore. Take the wannabe-Jeezy record “I Don’t Play Around,” where TA’s faux DJ Toomp horn-and-string medley derails alongside Jones’ failed defiance (“They say I can’t rap, because I repeat shit, what the fuck?/Let me put ’em in they place, I make five million bucks”). Even worse is the laughable “Groupie,” which oozes unoriginality thanks to an overtly blunt chorus that, supposedly, appeals to girls “that will do me and not ask any questions.” Perhaps the clearest example of Jones’ immature execution is “Grandma II.” More uninspired remake than elevated sequel, the Mike Dean–tracked attempt at mirror music offers the exact same sentiments as its predecessor, only with less impact.

Opting to rehash rather than re-up, repeating of bars still runs rampant, but he wisely enlists the help of notable R&B divas Lil’ Mo (“I’m Sorry”) and LeToya Luckett (“Bonnie & Clyde”) to make the whole ordeal more digestable. On the latter, in fact, LeToya actually splits bars with Mike as the pair navigate their way through Mannie Fresh’s sound-bed of chopstick chords and flat snares.

Sophomore discs are always dangerous ground, even more so for those with questionable talent. The public will either foolishly fall for the gimmick once again or demand some sort of artistic development. Therein lies Jones’ dilemma. With his smoke-and-mirrors act barely cutting it this time, he better be careful before people wake up from this American dream asking, who was Mike Jones? —MATT BARONE



Link:
Source: XXLMag

savageassnigga

Fuck Mike Jones !!!!!

Jewelz510

Why????????????

__________________

savageassnigga

I Dont Like Him Any More

coookthvs101

whyyyyy fucking hater

quick19

very honest review im debating gettin this cd

HoodstarSwish

Wrong thread but propz on this!

__________________
I Get Money, Money I Got, I-I Get It!

DenDanskeSimon

Man i be glad if he aint switched up his style. i had his old cd in my car for over 2 months straight and i didnt never use the radio

sofis2cated

What????? your gay!!! What??? your gay!!! LOL j/k dawg

Money M.I.C.

Mike is not bad... i seriously don't hate on tha dude, i respect him... he may not be that lyrical, but he sure as hell has got a good flow... and his business tactics are good

__________________


and all the gibberish you was spittin, u need to kill it...
coz ur style is like dying in my sleep, i don't feel it... E

celticspride

word i dont like all of his shit, but accept a good track for what it is, and hes made some good tracks, however i hate the repetative lyrics.

iMaGe

i fuckin love mike jones............ love him or hate him he made one hell of an impact with his first album mane................ i mean got dam he got H-Town bangin again............. still tippin got Houston pumpin again, true story

Pretty Soney

i fuckin hate his repetitive lyrics...shit pisses me off sometimes, but still tippin was something else man...that was a sick track...i give him respect 4 that

all these people with great lyrics and shit dont produce many tracks like that and if they do then they start pulling in the dollar like mike jones

bet alot of rapper out there wish they had thought of his promotional techniques aswell

hope this new album has some tracks on still tippin's level and not some gay shit which he tends to do alot

celticspride

yo u know who came up wit that track still tippin, it was slim thug he had the beat and did the hook and his verse then mike jones and paul wall jumped on it and gave it to mike jones for his album

Mr. 416

I like him, he's different in a weird way, but it I really think about it, even though he may not be the best, I still like his songs, which really is what matters in my opinion

G-Unit Bear

that "my 64" song is tight. and snoop and Bun B part fit good with it. he made up with this compared to his first song that i can't stand.

scool

lol they destroyed mike jones with this

Dan Flava

i think it's funny to hear a mike jones song
" first i leeeeeaaaaan, then i rock (I said) first i leeeeeaaaan then i rock "
(my 64)

lol, musta asked Fabo for help to write dat line

that-damn-good

LMAO they owned him in this, and thats one of the worst lines ive heard from him shit doesnt even make sense...man fuck dyke jones i dont see how he even got a L, should be a S but wtv, hope he flops

__________________

Pineapple

mr jones iz illlll

Obey Me

i aint gonna buy it but im definitely dloadin this shit!!

Tha Carter 3

i think this album is probably tougher than his 1st album cuz his 1st was garbage

__________________

ztay44

we will see how his album does

pujols4mvp

Cant wait Ive bought all of H-Towns stuff this year so far.

Famoz

i back on these tracks bout to sell another meeel
str8 out of houston hit ya wit da steeelll11 LOLLLL