Album Reviews

Album Reviews: This Is Jim Jones by Jim Jones

"I'm not really famous, but I bet all the famous people know me. I guess I moved past that," declares as he exhales a plume of smoke at the beginning of the new documentary This Is Jim Jones.

He's moved past all of that Hollywood glitter for sure, and that statement rings out louder than shots from a drive-by. If you know who Jim Jones is, you can't deny him.

Jones is an icon in the best way possible. The rapper/label exec/video exec doesn't try at all. He just is Jim Jones. Similar to his current masterpiece, Pray IV Reign, there's no pretense, no bullshit, no façade and absolutely no pulled punches in this film. This phenomenal down and dirty documentary shows Jim to be the man he claims to be—Harlem's most passionate and determined Capo.

This is Jim Jones traces Jim's journey from growing up surrounded by drugs and addiction in Harlem to his first taste of success with Cam'Ron and The Diplomats to becoming a solo artist to releasing Pray IV Reign on Columbia with a little help from Rick Rubin. The audience gets to see who Jim really is through a series of intense interviews Jim's mom, former Roc-A-Fella Records CEO and Jim's confidant Damon Dash, Hot 97's Angie Martinez and homies Juelz Santana and Freaky Zeeky. The one common thread is determination. Jim never gave up in the face of even his best friends telling him not to rap. He signed record deals and he's even the vice president of A&R; at E1 Music. It's inspiring watching Jim crush beats in the studio, but seeing his hectic schedule is even more motivating. Truthfully, this should be shown to anyone and everyone that wants to get into the music business. You have to hustle to get anywhere, and Jim's story proves that.

However, there is also intense drama igniting each one of those fiery raps. This Is Jim Jones allows Jim to bare his soul about the murder of his close friend Stacks and the death of his father. Jim's mom recounts her own struggles with drugs, and Dash outlines just how crazy the beef got with Jay-Z. Other scenes illustrate how tough some of those moments get backstage too. Jim's also hilarious—take the vignette where he litters in L.A. and curses out a scorning soccer mom for not driving a hybrid.

Then there are some touching moments. One comes when Jim takes his little boy to Nike store shopping and he runs into Dash and his son. It's another side of the complex Capo and the closest to who he is—a real hard-working dude.

In the end, this is a story of triumph. Jim keeps climbing, and eventually he'll be even bigger than all of those famous people that know him.

—Rick Florino
07.06.09