Jim Jones

Joseph Guillermo Jones II born July 15 1976 better known by his stage name Jim Jones formerly Jimmy Jones is an American rapper record executive music video director and entrepreneur He is best known as a founding member of the hip hop collective the Diplomats Dipset alongside Camron Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey Jones also serves as coCEO of Diplomat Records and has directed music videos under the pseudonym CAPO Born in the Bronx New York City and raised in Harlem Jones grew up in a multicultural household with an Aruban mother and a Puerto Rican father He was largely raised by his maternal grandmother As a youth he attended Catholic school but was later expelled and became closely associated with fellow rapper Freekey Zekey during his upbringing Jones began his music career as a member of the Diplomats initially gaining recognition as a hypeman and video director for the group He released his debut solo album On My Way to Church in 2004 which achieved moderate success His second album Harlem Diary of a Summer 2005 marked a commercial breakthrough reaching the top of the RBHipHop Albums chart His third album Hustlers POME Product of My Environment 2006 brought him mainstream success largely due to the hit single We Fly High which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum The song became widely recognized for its cultural impact and signature ballin gesture Jones continued his success with albums such as Pray IV Reign 2009 Capo 2011 and El Capo 2019 In addition to his solo work Jones founded the group ByrdGang in 2006 releasing the album MOB The Album in 2008 He has also released numerous mixtapes including entries in his Vampire Life series Beyond music he has held executive roles in the industry including a position in AR at Entertainment One Music Jones has also pursued ventures outside of recording He has directed music videos launched fashion brands such as Nostic and Vampire Life and appeared in film and television including roles in State Property 2 The Wire and reality series such as Love Hip Hop New York and Chrissy Mr Jones He has also been involved in sports management and business including part ownership of a professional indoor football team Throughout his career Jones has been involved in several public disputes within the hip hop industry though some of these conflicts were later resolved He remains an influential figure in East Coast hip hop known for his entrepreneurial activities as well as his contributions as a recording artist