Jim Jones

Jim Jones Wants Fans To Feast On New Mixtape

02 May 2012 11:44:18 EDT

'I picked, like, eight songs, and I've strung 'em along like movies,' Capo tells Mixtape Daily of project's upcoming videos.
By Rob Markman

Main Pick

Headliner: Jim Jones

Representing: Harlem, New York

Mixtape: Vampire Life 2: Feast (The Last Supper)

Real Spit: Don't let Jim Jones' chiseled physique fool you, the Harlem hustler loves to eat.

A true hustler in every sense of the word, the Dipset capo went from a background player to the star of his team, directing videos, running labels and then jumping to the forefront as a rapper. And his new mixtape, Vampire Life 2: Feast, is a culmination of all of his respective hustles.

"I've been working on the mixtape called the F.E.A.S.T.; [it stands for] 'family eatin' and stayin' true,' " Jones recently told Mixtape Daily. "We've got a dope group of individuals. Some you've seen before, some new faces."

Jones isn't stopping with music either. He plans to release a number of cinematic music videos for Feast.

"I picked, like, eight songs, and I've strung 'em along like movies," he explained, "Something good for people to look at. I haven't seen something like that in a minute. I think it'll be very interesting."

It's all very fitting because the mixtape is cinematic from the start. On "F.E.A.S.T. Prelude," Jim brags about his money-making ventures over a dramatic backdrop, setting the listener up for what they're about to hear. "60 Rackz" is as rich as the title suggests. Over a bouncy synth track, Jimmy and newcomer T.W.O. spend cash with reckless abandon. "I got my top back when I lean, got that in my genes/ Can't believe I put 60 racks in the pocket of my jeans," Jones raps of the $60,000 cash that he keeps on hand.

Fifteen of the 17 tracks on the tape feature guest rappers, but Jimmy doesn't use them as a crutch. For the most part, Feast introduces us to a new cast of characters, including T.W.O. and Ryder. Sen City and Mel Matrix make appearances as well, but it's clear that Vampire Life 2 is strictly a family affair.

Capo continues to flaunt his riches alongside Trav on "Show Off" and then pledges allegiance to the hustle on "Sleep When You're Dead." Lyrically, the mixtape doesn't vary much, but musically it's rich. "Forgive," with lush instrumentation, allows Jimmy to deliver one of his more introspective rhymes. "The coke so high it's hard to come up/ Tryin' hard to make it home before God let the sun up," he spits about the downside of his former street hustles.

Jim Jones is a hustler at heart, but rather than keep all of the spoils to himself on Feast, he splits the pie with a number of rap newcomers.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Jim Jones Prepares To F.E.A.S.T. With New Mixtape

27 Apr 2012 19:33:20 EDT

Mixtape Daily previews Jones' new tape, which drops Tuesday.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Michael Primo

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive
Jim Jones has quite the street catalog. From his 2002 mixtape Ryder Muzik to his original M.O.B. tape with ByrdGang in 2006 and The Ghost of Rich Porter in 2010, Jim has no shortage of quality underground material.

On Tuesday, Capo plans to follow tradition when he drops F.E.A.S.T.

"I've been working on the mixtape called the F.E.A.S.T.; it's called 'Family Eatin' and Stay True,' " Jones told Mixtape Daily. "We've got a dope group of individuals. Some you've seen before, some new faces."

Jones isn't stopping with music. For F.E.A.S.T., he plans to drop a number of cinematic music videos. "I picked, like, eight songs, and I've strung 'em along like movies," he said. "Something good for people to look at. I haven't seen something like that in a minute. I think it'll be very interesting."

Check back with Mixtape Daily on Tuesday to see more on Jim Jones' F.E.A.S.T., and check out the tape's track list below!

1. "F.E.A.S.T Prelude"
2. "No Way" (featuring Trav)
3. "Paper Chase" (featuring Trav)
4. "Comin From" (featuring T.W.O and Sen City)
5. "Get Mine" (featuring Sen City)
6. "True Religion" (featuring Ryder and Hynief)
7. "60 Rackz" (featuring T.W.O)
8. "Show Off" (featuring Trav)
9. "Don Juan" (featuring Mel Matrix)
10. "Don't Judge Me" (featuring Future)
11. "Top of the Year" (featuring Sen City, Mel Matrix, T.W.O, Lady H, Trav, Shoota, Chris Luck and Pure)
12. "Suicide" (featuring Ryder, T.W.O and Sen City)
13. "Forgive" (featuring T.W.O)
14. "Youu" (featuring Sen City)
15. "AirOnes" (featuring Ryder)
16. "Sleep When You're Dead" (featuring Trav, Mel Matrix and Shoota)
17. "Vamp Life"

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Wolfgang Gartner: The 'Weekend' Trip

20 Sep 2011 18:00:58 EDT

Wolfgang Gartner: The 'Weekend' Trip
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Diplomats Reunion Album Coming 'Slowly But Surely'

16 Sep 2011 13:47:05 EDT

Diplomatic Immunity 3 being stalled by 'contractual obligations,' Jim Jones tells 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

It's been a year since the Diplomats reunited, and though they haven't yet turned around their long-awaited Diplomatic Immunity 3 album, the crew's Capo tells fans to be patient.

"Everybody's been working," Jim Jones said Wednesday on the "RapFix Live" one-year anniversary show. "We took a brief hiatus; we came back together. When we came back together, there were still things that we had to figure out.

"And everybody's on the same page, but above all we all still have contractual obligations, so it kinda makes it a little difficult to get what we want to do done because we want to put total efforts and total concentration on the new things."

In 2007, Jones began speaking publicly about a rift between himself and Dipset head Cam'ron. A number of interviews revealed that both Jones and Juelz Santana had been estranged from the Harlem hitmaker.

By 2010, the childhood friends had put their differences aside and reunited, performing together in concert. In January 2011, Dipset (minus Juelz, who was dealing with a legal issue) appeared on "RapFix Live," but aside from their 2010 single "Salute" and a few street tracks here and there, the group doesn't seem any closer to releasing its album.

"We been recording slowly but surely," Jones explained. "Me and Cam been going back and forth. Juelz been trying finish his obligation up with Def Jam — he got a lot of pressure on his back.

"But, above all, we here. Me and Cam gonna put out a Fly Boys album, because we got a little bit more leeway right now than Juelz, per se, because he's caught up with a hell of a workload."

Much of the delay is due to the solo contracts each group member signed, but Jones said he's ready. "I'm done, I'm a free agent, so I'm just waiting for everybody else to join," he explained. "But it's definitely coming: Diplomatic Immunity 3. The camaraderie is there; the brotherhood is back. It feels good."

Are you awaiting the Diplomats' reunion album? Tell us in the comments below!

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Lloyd Banks, Maino, Jim Jones Pop Champagne On 'RapFix' Anniversary

14 Sep 2011 22:31:58 EDT

Consequence, Outlawz, more join host Sway for all-star celebration of premier hip-hop show's first year in the game.
By Rob Markman

It's a party, it's a par-tay! On Wednesday (September 14), "RapFix Live" celebrated its one-year anniversary in all-star fashion. Maino, Lloyd Banks, Diplomats capo Jim Jones, Consequence, the Outlawz and Reek Da Villian all made their way onto the "RFL" couch to toast to MTV News' premier hip-hop show.

Reek set things off with a spirited "RapFix"-themed freestyle, making way for the show's first guest, Maino, who chopped it up with Sway about his favorite show moments. The hard-nosed Brooklyn rapper recounted some of his more memorable ones, including Ja Rule appearing just before he turned himself in for his jail bid, and Nicki Minaj's and Lil Kim's separate appearances.

G-Unit's Lloyd Banks came in to rep for Queens, New York, and clued Sway in on his upcoming mixtape Cold Corner 2. Banks also revealed that after dropping his H.F.M.2 (Hunger For More 2) last year, he has satisfied his contractual commitment to EMI, making him a G-Unit free agent once again.

When he first appeared on "RapFix Live" back in May, Consequence made headlines, going into detail about his falling-out with former friend Kanye West. This time, the Queens MC turned the tables and revealed that he has since spoken to 'Ye and the feud is over. After a heated email exchange between the two, 'Quence claimed that West eventually told the ex-G.O.O.D. Music artist that he "loves" him. That wasn't all: Cons TV also brought his newborn son, Caiden, onto the set and introduced him to the viewing audience.

Although scheduled guests Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey missed their flight to New York City, Jim Jones represented for his Diplomats crew and talked about their reunion. He assured fans that the long-awaited Diplomatic Immunity 3 is coming, as is his Fly Boys collaboration album with Cam'ron.

The "RapFix Live" anniversary show also paid homage to the late Tupac Shakur. September 13, marked the 15-year anniversary of the death of the fiery rapper, and his protégés the Outlawz — E.D.I. Mean, Noble and Fatal — came through to honor the fallen hip-hop hero.

Together with Sway and 'Pac devotee Jim Jones, the group watched some classic 'Pac footage from the 1996 MTV VMAs and weighed in on his legacy. The group also humbled "RFL" host Sway when they told him of the love Shakur had for him.

For the grand finale, Sway brought out a few of the show's Get in the Game alumni — Feev, Sean Rose, the Boy Illinois, Gerald Walker and the Incomparable Shakespeare — to spit in a freestyle cipher. Banks, Maino, Jim Jones and Consequence popped champagne and looked on as DJs Love Dinero and Superstar Jay spun the beats as the new generation of artists spit the rhymes. But before the curtain closed, it was Cons who took the show out, performing his latest single "Mr. RapFix."

Bring on year two!

Share your favorite moments from the "RapFix Live" one-year anniversary show in the comments section!

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Queens MC Nyemiah Supreme Poised To Take Her Talents To The Top

05 May 2011 15:20:11 EDT

The up-and-coming rapper delivers a standout ad lib in the latest Jim Jones video, 'Everybody Jones.'
By D.L. Chandler

Fire Starter: Nyemiah Supreme
In Jim Jones' new video for his latest banger, "Everybody Jones," amid the bevy of babes and model types stood out one stunning beauty who assisted Jimmy on the hook with an MC Lyte-inspired "funky fresh, dressed to impress, we at the party" ad lib. Hailing from the south side of Queens, New York, artist Nyemiah Supreme is a modern-day renaissance woman. Mixtape Daily caught up with Nyemiah and she talked about her rise as a rapper, her diverse talents and her already-solid connections with Dipset and G-Unit's Tony Yayo.

Although she's been grinding on her own, Nyemiah's star-making turn as Jones' capable co-star was born of an earlier working relationship with one of the Capo's cohorts. "Actually, I used to work as an assistant for Juelz Santana and through him I met Jim Jones," Nyemiah revealed. "I was around that whole movement, and Jones had me doing a couple of rap tracks that didn't make the album, so he put me on that ad lib for 'Everybody Jones.' " Nyemiah went on to say that she's affiliated with the Dipset thanks to the Harlem crew's ties with her management team, SlowBucks.tv, but overall she is an independent artist.

Visits to Nyemiah's Tumblr site and YouTube page reveal more than just a beautiful woman who happens to rap. The sites show the drop-dead gorgeous Nyemiah practicing athletic dance moves and also gracing the runway in true top-model fashion. She revealed that her path to rap was preceded by her other passions. "I'm originally a dancer. I've been dancing since I was 7 years old," Nyemiah shared. "I went on tour for the rapper Lil Mama a few years ago. I was touring with her and I was also dancing with Remy Martin. Modeling — I did some work with Patricia Fields and I did do freelance modeling work for my photographers that I know." The leggy rapper also does college runway fashion shows in her spare time.

Nyemiah Supreme may wear many hats, but she admits freely that being a rapper is more her focus. "Rapping has just totally taken over [so] that I don't have time for any of the other things that I like to do," she said. Her debut mixtape, Limited Edition, released in conjunction with SlowBucks.tv, has slowly gained her some notoriety, plus a cameo from Tony Yayo on the track "Money" is certainly noteworthy. The soft-spoken and surprisingly humble Supreme says she's working hard on her next project, and that fans can expect some great work from her in the future. "I want to get some visuals for some songs from my own current project and I want people to get to know me as an artist and not a feature. I'm working on a new mixtape, Supremacy, and it's coming this summer for sure." said Nyemiah, confidently.

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Jim Jones Didn't Pass On A Plea Deal, Lawyer Says

27 Apr 2011 13:13:30 EDT

Rapper plans to pay his outstanding fine and then 'negotiate' with the DA's office, Marianne E. Bertuna tells MTV News.
By Alvin Blanco

Jim Jones is not copping any pleas. The Harlem rapper was arraigned Tuesday (April 26) in a New York County Criminal Courthouse for charges of driving with a suspended license. MTV News spoke to Jones' attorney Marianne E. Bertuna, who refuted reports that her client had passed on a plea deal.

"Everyone refers to it as a plea deal, but ... the District Attorney's office [offered] him what's called a plea to the charge," Bertuna told MTV News. "The charge is a misdemeanor. If they had made him an offer of, let's say, a traffic infraction or a violation, then that would be a plea deal, because that's a lower charge. They said, 'Well, he could plea guilty to the misdemeanor,' but that was just our first appearance."

Tuesday's court visit stems from Jones' arrest March 30 in New York's SoHo neighborhood. Jones was spotted by cops driving a Bentley in a bus lane and was arrested when authorities discovered that the rapper's license had been suspended over an unpaid parking ticket.

Bertuna said Jones was unaware of the outstanding fines that led to the suspension of his driver's license. Jones did not enter a plea and plans to settle any outstanding fees with the New York DMV before his next scheduled court date on June 15.

"He's been made aware that there's an outstanding fine that needs to be paid. It's really not anything excessive, and he'll pay it," Bertuna said. "Hopefully, when he does that, we will be able to negotiate with the DA's office to make him a lower offer, meaning a traffic infraction, which would not be a crime."

Last year, Jones pleaded guilty to an assault charge from a previous incident when he allegedly attacked another driver and was sentenced to anger-management classes. Also, a pair of Houston women who claim they were unwittingly filmed topless for Jones' "Summer Time" video are currently suing the rapper.

The "We Fly High" MC recently reunited with the Diplomats (Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, Freekey Zekey). The group is finalizing a new record deal with Interscope Records and plans to release an EP called Independence Day this summer.

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Jim Jones' 'Everybody Jones' Video Fashionista Explains Cameo

26 Apr 2011 16:54:03 EDT

'Jim said, 'OK, so this is what I hear in my head,' ' style scribe Faran Krentcil tells MTV News of her 'Clueless'-riffing skit.
By Rebecca Thomas

So how does a downtown fashion writer who worships guitar heroes like the Kills' Alison Mosshart link up with an uptown MC known for bottle-popping street music? Jim Jones and producer Aaron LaCrate were still working on "Everybody Jones," when the Harlem rapper decided the song needed a girl who sounded exactly like the 90210-ers in the classic flick "Clueless." LaCrate knew just the girl.

"Aaron said, 'Oh, well, I know that girl. I know exactly who you should talk to,' " Nylon magazine's digital director, Faran Krentcil, recalled with a laugh last week about MTV Jams' current Jam of the Week. "[Aaron] just texted me one day and said, 'I'm doing work for a client, can you help me out? Can you come to the studio for an hour?' Krentcil was eager to help out her good friend and East Village Radio show partner. "I said, 'Sure, why not? Sounds like fun.' "

The style scribe was quickly initiated into the peculiar studio habits of rappers. Krentcil and crew hung out "for hours," even stepping out at one point to make a pizza run. As the clock ticked, the writer assumed the recording would be rescheduled. "Then at like 2, maybe 3 in the morning, Jim starts texting, like, 'Where are you guys?! We're ready to record. Let's go!' "

Krentcil dropped her lines for the Capo single sans script, just a few notes — Jim thought it'd be cool if she mentioned one of his songs, for example — from the Dipset captain before she strolled into the booth.

"Jim said, 'OK, so this is what I hear in my head. I think it should just be this really, really white girl [Laughs]. I want her to be talking to her friends the way girls talk on the phone about [this guy] Jim Jones, and isn't he cool?' So I said, 'Sure, that's what I would be telling my friends if I was on the phone right now anyway.'

"So they threw me in and they started playing the track and they said, 'Whenever you're ready, just vibe on top of it,' and so I threw out a bunch of stuff."

A sampling of Krentcil's hilariously improvised skit includes bon mots like calling Jim Jones "popsicle-hot." "I couldn't really see anybody," she remembered. "I couldn't see their reactions, so I just kept talking. And then I realized maybe I was doing something really dumb that they didn't like, so I came out of the studio and they go, 'No, no, no: Get back in!' ... When I came out, everyone was laughing, like tears, like laughing so hard they were crying."

Next up, the "Everybody Jones" video, directed by Jones and filmed in Krentcil's 'hood, New York's trendy Soho. The concept was simple: a gang of girls on their phones. Faran showed up on set, phone in hand, dressed in the same leopard-print lace frock she rocks in the clip; a makeup artist dabbed some gloss on her pout and sent her off. "They just threw me in front of the camera," she explained. "That was actually the hardest part, because since it was all improvised and it was done very late at night and kind of on a whim, laughing the whole time, I had no idea what I'd said!"

In the social-network-inspired vid (even the re-tweet symbol has been repurposed into a background set), magazine maven Krentcil and her online alias pop up onscreen, along with some leggy models and upstart femcee Nyemiah Supreme, vying for Jim's attention. But Jones didn't tell her the visual would include her real Twitter screen name. She found out what he'd done, well, via tweet.

"I've been getting a lot of Twitter messages, which is hysterical," she told us.

And though Krentcil's video debut has friends she hasn't heard from since high school hitting her up, she said she hadn't spoken to "busy" Jim since the clip dropped. But she's relishing her newfound rap cred, "one of those only-in-New York moments. It was a blast."

What do you think of Jim's "Everybody Jones" video? Tell us in the comments!

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Jim Jones Arrested For Driving With A Suspended License

30 Mar 2011 14:36:34 EDT

Diplomats rapper has yet to be charged, a rep tells MTV News.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Jim Jones was arrested in New York on Wednesday (March 30) for driving with a suspended license, according to TMZ.

An official for the New York Police Department could not confirm any details "yet," he told MTV News when contacted about the Diplomats rapper's arrest.

A rep for the Harlem artist confirmed that Jones was still in custody as of press time and had not been charged. The rep told MTV News that Jones would be out "in an hour."

Late last year, Jones pleaded guilty to an assault charge stemming from another traffic incident, when he attacked another driver. He was sentenced to anger-management classes. Currently, Jones is promoting his next solo effort, Capo, due next month.

Jones and the rest of the Dipset crew are still negotiating a deal for the collective to put out their next album on Interscope Records. Cam'ron, Juelz Santana and Jones have already been in the studio with Dr. Dre, who is signed to Interscope.

Jones talked about working with the legendary producer, calling the experience "incredible."

"Dr. Dre came to our studio, which was even more incredible. That was dope. We got to do a few songs with him. He coached me a bit," Jones told MTV News last year. "Jimmy Iovine gave us the link to him. That's a good man."

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'Love & Hip Hop' Stars Talk Fabolous, Jim Jones, 50 Cent

14 Mar 2011 17:40:49 EDT

Emily, Chrissy and Olivia spill all to MTV News before the Monday night premiere of their brand-new reality series.
By Rebecca Thomas

Hip-hop is a lot like the title of Jim Jones' "Blow Your Smoke." For all of us ardent followers of this rhyming circuit of storytellers who weave aspirational fantasies about Bentleys and shopping sprees, it doesn't matter much that the German luxury car is a loaner or that the fresh-from-the runway Lanvin frock is going back to a publicist. To paraphrase the Diplomat boss, sometimes it's just about blowing smoke.

If anyone knows that rap is as much caked-in grime as it is glossy surfaces, it's the cast of VH1's brand-new docu-series "Love & Hip Hop," officially premiering Monday night (March 14) at 10:30 p.m. ET. On Friday, MTV News caught up with three of the principal castmembers — Chrissy Lampkin (longtime lady of Jim Jones), Emily Bustamante (mother of Fabolous' son) and Olivia Longott (ex-G-Unit songstress) — and they spilled details about their lives and the show.

"For me, the struggle is mostly the image struggle, keeping up with the image," Emily said, when asked what the biggest challenge was about being in a relationship with a famous rapper.

In the weeks since the "Love & Hip-Hop" teaser trailer hit the Net, viewers have been chirping about the women behind the MCs. But the biggest surprise for many fans is that these rappers have been in serious relationships at all. Seeing iconic or veteran rappers on shows like MTV's "Run's House" or E!'s "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood" is one thing, but the idea of a domesticated Fab, whose legion of female fans get worked up over his chipped tooth, is another.

"Me as a wardrobe stylist, I dress these guys, when they put on their bling and their clothes and their shades, they turn into a character," Emily explained. "So that's the biggest struggle for me, the image thing, having to deal with that."

Emily, who describes herself as Fab's "secret" in the premiere episode, recalled being approached by the execs behind "L&HH." She was sold on the chance to brand herself as wardrobe stylist "Emily B." So was Loso supportive?

Emily paused for a moment. "Was he supportive? ... He said, 'Eh, I don't know if that's a good idea.' ... He said, 'I'm not gonna tell you not to do it, but I don't know if it's a good idea.' So maybe he was right," she laughed, adding quickly, "For him!"

Meeting Chrissy helped cement the decision, and though Fab and Jim traded barbs on Twitter last April, their female counterparts proved fast friends.

"In the beginning, it was a pilot about me and Jimmy ['Jim and the Family Jones'], and he wasn't really comfortable with that," Chrissy explained. VH1 producers volunteered to bring in "some more females, make it more interesting," and eventually Emily, Olivia and aspiring rapper Somaya Reece were added to the cast; Emily's close friend Mashonda Tifrere (ex-wife of Swizz Beatz) also appears.

"If I don't have to work with Jimmy every day, I'm with it!" the ever-bouncy Chrissy, who actually proposes to Jim on the show, laughed. "He didn't want to be bothered with the cameras every day."

According to Olivia, best known for her turn on 50 Cent's G-Unit roster, including a feature spot on her ex-boss' hit "Candy Shop," the series is also about re-charging her music career.

"A lot of people don't really know the real Olivia. I felt like I was kind of sheltered being in the Unit, so this was a way for everybody to see my personality and see how I really am, especially when you see me with these two women," she said gesturing at Emily and Chrissy. " 'Cause we have a lot of scenes together. So you get to see the relationships and how we bond. ... It's a big deal for me because a lot of people also don't know that really I can sing, sing."

With fame in the balance — and all the negative press that can come with it already rearing its head — the ladies said they're just beginning to adjust to the media glare.

"I'm not really in the belly of the beast when it comes to the industry. I've been playing a supporting role to somebody who's going through all types of pitfalls, losses and gains," Chrissy said. "So I can see what it does, but I don't know what it truly feels like — until now, but this is very new, it's premature."

Will you be watching "Love & Hip Hop"? Tell us in the comments!

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