Mike Jones

Dropping Today

Houston Rap: Kicked to the Curb?

Last Night: The Straight to DVD Movie Premiere of Mike Jones’s The American Dream

This Just In: Drama at the Ozone Awards

Five Spot: Five Reasons Not to Mess With Trae

Los Magnificos: Like a Live H-Town Mixtape

Los Magnificos 2008 bounces into Reliant Center Sunday. Bun B Whip, ride, slab, some bit of street slang Rocks Off won't even hear for another eight months - cars are as essential to hip-hop as crossfaders and lyrics that rhyme. But no city's rappers place their wheels on a higher pedestal tha ... More >>

Sold!

Houston is the epicenter of Texas' auction world. But buyer beware -- some auctioneers may only be selling a bill of goods.

Mike Jones Wants to Get "Next to You"

Asylum RecordsWho is Mike Jones? Well, not long ago, he was Trae's punching bag at the Ozone Awards, which at least reminded people he was still alive. Well, Jones has a new single, "Next to You," from his forthcoming album The Voice (due April 14), and it's probably not going to enhance ... More >>

Brick House Tavern & Tap

Asylum RecordsWho is Mike Jones? Well, not long ago, he was Trae's punching bag at the Ozone Awards, which at least reminded people he was still alive. Well, Jones has a new single, "Next to You," from his forthcoming album The Voice (due April 14), and it's probably not going to enhance ... More >>

A New Class of Rappers Finally Bucked Houston's Syrupy Stereotype This Year

It Is What It Is

Sayonara , Matt Sonzala

Talking SXSW and rap's current malaise with a soon-to-be ex-Houstonian

2007 Turkeys of the Year

Priscilla Slade is the biggest gobbler of them all

Houston's Ten Worst Songs

…and we're still not as bad as Dallas

Sean Kingston, Lil Scrappy, Slim Thug, Paul Wall

…and we're still not as bad as Dallas

Houston Hip-Hop

Mike Watts and his stable of northside rappers take a southside legend's style to the masses

Hip-hop as She Is Rapped

Translating the German Wikipedia entries of Houston's top MCs

Spank Rock

Yoyoyoyoyo

Fat Beats

The real reason Houston stays near the top of the chunkiest-city charts

Farewell to the Twenty Nickel

Looking back on the '05 and dreaming in the '06

Hip-hop, Year Two AJ

Still no Jigga, but Kanye, some lovable limeys and a great Beyoncé substitute held it down

Best Beats from the Bayou

H-town's top ten rap jams

Who Is Mike Jones?

The smash single "Still Tippin'" and his major-label debut have answered that question for the nation

Making the Videos

Rub elbows with the pros at the HBCU Film Festival

Where's the Beef? Right here in H-town

T.I. and Lil' Flip rumble in Cloverland, bringing one of the great rap feuds of recent years to a head

¡Viva H-town!

Latinos come to the fore in this year's music awards

Defending the Dirty Thirty

And coping with Yankee slander

Local Album of the Week: Mike Jones' The Voice

Mike Jones The Voice www.whomikejones.comHere's the thing about The Voice, Mike Jones' follow-up to double-platinum debut Who Is Mike Jones?: People automatically want to hate it. Perhaps even more interesting, though, is that Jones knows this. The Voice's most meaningful song is a cathartic track a ... More >>

Local Self-Described Rap Supergroup Admires... Nickelback?

Photo by Paul Knight Young Problemz, a self-described "supergroup" of local rap talent, joined Mike Jones Monday evening at the Arena Theatre, and the group's "Boi" was one of the high points, if not the high point of the night. The five Houston-bred performers - Chyco, Just-O, JM, J Yung and Star S ... More >>

Mike Jones: The Voice

Photo by Paul Knight Young Problemz, a self-described "supergroup" of local rap talent, joined Mike Jones Monday evening at the Arena Theatre, and the group's "Boi" was one of the high points, if not the high point of the night. The five Houston-bred performers - Chyco, Just-O, JM, J Yung and Star S ... More >>

Mike Jones! Who?

The story of a Houston rapper who got bigger and bigger until he shrank back down to earth

Catfish Reef: The Rise of Swishahouse

[Note: this is the second in a series on the origins of Houston rap, to go along with this week's feature on wayward star Mike Jones.]Mike Giglio​As a local hip-hop writer and radio host, Matt Sonzala (also a former Houston Press Music Listings Editor) did what he could to promote Houston rap to a ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown: Setting the Table

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. For the next six months, we'll be counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.​For the last few weeks we have pored over ... More >>

Mr. Boomtown, On Directing Slim Thug And Mike Jones

​Most people in the world of music videos may not recognize the name Nahala Johnson, but lately, they've recognized his nom de film: Mr. Boomtown. The Port Arthur native (he now splits his time between Houston and Dallas) is a nominee for the BET Hip Hop Awards' Director of the Year. The ... More >>

Chatting With "Mr. Boomtown" About Directing Mike Jones, Slim Thug and More

​Most people in the world of music videos may not recognize the name Nahala Johnson, but lately, they've recognized his nom de film: Mr. Boomtown. The Port Arthur native (he now splits his time between Houston and Dallas) is a nominee for the BET Hip Hop Awards' Director of the Year. The ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 15: Chamillionaire's Original Mixtape Messiah, or 20-Plus Ways to Dis Mike Jones

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. "You drop one track, he's still alive." - Chamillionaire, on why he ai ... More >>

Ask a Rapper: Karina Nistal Loves Common, Mike Jones Not So Much

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducinglisto ... More >>

Turning the Screw: K-Rino, Bun B, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, Lil' Kim, Flavor Flav, Guccie Mane, Mike Jones, etc.

Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: "Phony," K-Rino Wire To Wire Always good to read something from Bun B. K-Rino had an album release part ... More >>

Five Spot: Inside E.S.G.'s Everyday Street Gangsta

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It's five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​After you interview somebody in preparation for writing something about th ... More >>

Poison Pen Reading Series

The Gulf Coast Magazine editors offer some quick reads

The H-Town Countdown, No. 1: Mike Jones' Who Is Mike Jones?

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Mike Jones Who Is Mike Jones? (Asylum, 2005) ​Before you fire off some ... More >>

The Best Slap-Fights, Verbal Or Otherwise, In Houston Rap History

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it's either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​Last week, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall kicked off their 20-city "In Love Wit My Money" reunion tour in d ... More >>

What Is Houston Rap's Best Diss Song Ever?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Fat Tony, Renzo, Kyle Hubbard, Brad Gilmor ... More >>

Slim Thug Pranks Mike Jones In New "Still Ringin'" Video

Slim Thug: Not Tommy Tutone either.​Besides "Still Tippin'" and the word "who?" one constant that's become synonymous with Mike Jones' career is "punching bag." Trae literally punched him at the Ozone Awards a couple years back, and Slim Thug now delivers a metaphorical punch via a new parody ... More >>

The Stories Behind Five H-Town Rap Anthems

​You know the song as soon as the beat drops. You rap them better than the artists themselves do at concerts. You'll slap your little brother for butchering the lyrics. But do you know the real life stories behind these five H-town rap anthems? Pull up a chair, grab a bag of popcorn, and a co ... More >>

R.I.P.: Notable Passings Of 2010

​Editor's Pick: Dio, man. Neph Basedow: 2010 commenced on a sad note with the passing of Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard (aka Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.). I'd seen him play a tiny show at Chicago's Empty Bottle in 2008 and still consider it one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was definitive ... More >>

The Seven Most Memorable Rap Beatdowns

Wreckx-n-Effect went New Jack Swing on A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip in 1993.​When pop stars and Hollywood types need to settle a score, they take it to the courtroom. Hip-hop, however, operates by a different code: If you act up, you will get smacked up. Rocks Off was reminded of this when a m ... More >>

Kickass Names For MetroRail's Newest Train Stops

Metro is throwing a competition to name 20 new stations along the upcoming East End, North and Southeast lines. Quoting their press release, or at least the one they released yesterday, Metro wants "to make sure these stations accurately reflect the character, culture and history of the vibrant comm ... More >>

Rap Boom Reload

In 2005, rappers put Houston on the map. Then the spotlight moved on. Some musicians are working hard to turn it back this way.

Rap Boom Reload: Thanks and So Forth

​Every time somebody writes a cover story, there's an accompanying blog post that goes with it, giving some sort of back story or little anecdote or whatever. That's what this is. This week, there will be, including the sidebar, a 4,000-word story in the paper tying what happened with Housto ... More >>

Hip-Hop, Interrupted: 7 Rappers That Should Be More Active

Photo via GizmodoDr. Dre - the poster child for eternally delayed hip-hop albums, but he's not alone.​Hip-hop is a genre full of guys who put out a new album or mixtape seemingly every single month. They just can't stop, even when they're incarcerated in some cases (see: Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, ... More >>