Mike Jones and Sitcom Rap

Mike Jones has gone platinum! Who? Mike Jones!! Who? Mike Jones!!!

Mike promises that going plat won't give him a big head. Though every celebrity says something like that, I actually beleive Mike. He seems like the type of dude who you want to kick it with. Like he's one of your boys. A normal guy.

Mike seems much different than other rappers who try to project themselves with larger than life personas. 50 Cent is a super-thug. Jay-Z is a super-hustler.  And Mos Def is super-conscious. When we listen to these guys we don't actually relate to them. It's more of a fantasy thing for fans.

However, as I've predicted again, and again the "Normal Guy" will step into the gap left by the bloat of image conscious emcees who are afraid to reveal their real side on wax. The Normal Guy won't spit positive or alternative lyrics. He'll just keep it real in the realest sense of that phrase.

From a usual rapper "back then hoes didn't want me, not I'm hot, hoes all on me" would be a boast. With Mike it's a complaint. But you and I would complain too. And you and I still wouldn't turn those "hoes" down, just like Mike doesn't claim to in the song.

My friend at SOHH.com calls the Normal Guy stlye "Sitcom Rap." Normal Guy rapper Murs explains sitcom rap this way:

"Being able to take elements from everyday life and make it entertaining"

Not exactly what Mike Jones does, but close enough.

Comments

[dj mirateck]

damn! i was just gonna post on this board about mike jones going plat !!! i guess great hiphop minds think alike.

yes, it is astonishing how fast mike jones has risen up the charts. or is it? after finally listening to his album, i understand. he's an everyday dude, the guy you know from 'round the block that messes around with his MPC all day and has his DJ friends sneak in his record at the local joint.

as much as folks love to hate him, its guys like mike jones that are keeping hiphop fresh and entertaining.

mike jones!

[obifromsouthlondon]

heard an interview and dude did come across regular. it's just those celly digits man. "Normal Guy" could just be another marketing gimmick. strategic.

Mos def "super conscious"? gimme some of that shit you be smoking rude boi lol!

[Aphim]

Would you classify Common as a Normal Guy Rapper? I think you did in the past.

[Hashim]

Common on his new album is Normal. He raps about the unglamorous "Corners" then turns and makes a song about his sexual fantasies on "GO"

Is he a corner hugging thug? Is he a sex loving pimp? Nope. He's normal.

[Big Herv]

Is Mike Jones really normal? I guess if you compare him to those other rappers. Most people can probably relate to him better, because what he says does have some truth to it. It is a funny scene in his video when they show the girls ignoring him with his pot belly - then fawning over him when he starts flossing - 'cause that's what really happens in real life. It's all about how much money, power and respect you have.

[Hoop]

Are any of you from TX? Have you heard Mike's underground shit? Notice that he's talkin' about the same shit if you AREfamiliar with him. He infiltrated the Swisha House of NorthSide, Houston, TX. The repititious chanting of his name, i believe, was a master-marketing scheme by him. I have never seem anyone go from underground to mainstream in 7 months. He'd been giving his celly number months before his album came out (281-330-8004), which he'd promise on every freestyle it seemed as "coming soon." It became a catch phrase almost "My Album, WHO IS MIKE JONES, COMIN' SOON." The nigga is like a subliminal messaging genius or somethin. If you were a true fan of Swisha House before the Swisha Blast revolution with Mike Jones and Magnificent then you might be able to sympathize how classics like Choppin' Em Up 3 and Northside 10 with the likes of Lil' Mario and Big Tiger wreckin tha mic with that straight up Texas flo that we loved from 1995 until the Mike's appearance compromised the whole style of Michael "2000" Watts' House. But I guess change is inevitable. I guess Mike is cool, but even though i don't like his music much, I liked him better when he was underground, on Choppin Em Up 7. I wonder why Chamillionaire never blew up? His flow was phenomenal. I dunno. Who? Mike Jones...Jones.

[cherryl with 2 R's]

mike jones can eat sh*t and die. he sucks!

[Tre]

I've done a show with Mike Jones before and Dude signed every autograph put in his face. And He didn't know me from any prior engagements and when I walked in for sound check the first thing he asked me. Was were the shoe I was wereing the first S.Dots. Dude is real Humble and down to earth. And works like a dog he deserves what he is getting.

[Tre]

I've done a show with Mike Jones before and Dude signed every autograph put in his face. And He didn't know me from any prior engagements and when I walked in for sound check the first thing he asked me. Was were the shoe I was wereing the first S.Dots. Dude is real Humble and down to earth. And works like a dog he deserves what he is getting.

[Marshani Lowe]

Hey Mike Jones,
I am doing a school project on you and i was hoping that you could give me some information. I love your music so much. A lot of people say that you are a repeted rapper meaning that you repeat yourself a million times, but that's what I love about yourself. You just want to get your point through.Me and my friend have a group named Private Property and we were wondering if you could help us out. We need someone to listen to us and hook us up with a deal us something. We thought you would be the perfect person to do that. Well i'm writing you from Athens, Ga. and I hope you can get back with us soon.

[Helium]

I heard Lil Mario signed a major deal with Asylum, is this true. I needs to know. That single Get buck with Magno is on the Radio in ATL, whats going on.
Helium

Repping Mississippi