Despite being a well-known rapper for the past 20 years, Jim Jones has self-admittedly been equally (or even more) well-known for his antics outside of music. From feuding with his fellow Diplomats (and French Montana) to appearing on gossip-baiting reality television, Jones musical ambitions seemed to take a backseat to his hitmaking potential, despite having an absolute banger like “We Fly High” on his books. However, in recent years, he’s refocused his efforts on hip-hop, making a marked jump both in output and the quality thereof.
In this week’s episode of Fresh Pair, Just Blaze asks him about his commitment to making music over headlines, receiving an earnest, self-effacing answer that really illustrates Jones’ personal growth. “It’s something personal I’ve got to prove to myself,” he says. “I’ve been in this sh*t for a long time and for the most part, my actions were louder than my music. Now it feels like my music is just as loud as my actions.”
He explains why he used to shy away from music as his primary focus, saying, “Before, I used to consider music like homework and now, I’m more eager to do it than I used to do it before.” It really shows, as the four projects he’s released since 2019 have all been aimed more at proving his rap skills and generating attention for those rather than his extracurricular activities.
Watch this week’s full episode of Fresh Pair featuring Jim Jones above.