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Joseph Guillermo Jones II (born July 15, 1976 in The Bronx, New York), better known by his stage name Jim Jones (formerly Jimmy Jones), is an American hip hop recording artist. Jones, an original member of hip hop collective The Diplomats (also known as Dipset), is also the co-CEO of Diplomat Records, alongside longtime friend and fellow Harlem-bred rapper, Cam'ron. Jones is also a noted music video director under the pseudonym CAPO, having directed videos for artists including Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, Remy Ma and State Property.
Jones was raised in Harlem, New York by his maternal grandmother. His mother Nancy Jones is from Aruba, while his father Joseph Guillermo Jones is from Puerto Rico. his mother would allow him to ride the train from their residence at 176th Street and Jerome Avenue to 110th Street and Lexington Avenue. He attended Catholic school but later began skipping church to loiter and play hooky at the train station.
In 2004, he released his solo debut album On My Way to Church. The release of his second album, Harlem: Diary of a Summer in 2005, coincided with Jones landing an executive position in A&R at E1 Music. A year later he was on his third album Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) (2006), which spawned his biggest... Read More ... single to date, "We Fly High". The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In 2006, Jones also formed the hip hop group ByrdGang and launched ByrdGang Records. The group released their debut album M.O.B.: The Album, under the newly found label in 2008. Jones followed up with his fourth solo album Pray IV Reign, which was released in March 2009, under Columbia Records. The album spawned the hit single "Pop Champagne". In April 2011, Jones released his fifth album, Capo, which was supported by the lead single, "Perfect Day".
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