By: Todd “DG” Davis
Rapindustry.com
Following the release of his indie ’95 debut, I Won’t Be Denied [Big Boy Records], native New Orleans, Louisiana, rapper-songwriter-producer Fiend, née Richard Jones, inked with Master P’s No Limit Records. His gold certified sophomore collection, There’s One in Every Family, dropped in May 1998. The self-proclaimed International Jones’ third and final recording as a NL Soldier, Street Life, which peaked at number 15, arrived just over one year later.
In ’01 came a short stint with Ruff Ryders Entertainment, before forming the Hip Hop collective, Da Headbussaz, alongside Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J and DJ Paul. A collaborative effort, Jet World Order, with Curren$y’s Jet Life Recordings, bowed in Fall 2011. We recently caught up with the one and only International Jones to see what’s craccin.
First things first, let’s hop into this Fawesome.tv docu-series, ‘The Baddest Alive’ — Conceptually, what does this title represent both to and for you?
‘The Baddest Alive’ documentary represents a time capsule of goals I set to achieve while all along dealing with the death of my brother, growing pains and therapy. It’s my offering to the viewers pursuing their dreams and facing challenges to know you are not alone, plus to keep going.
For someone who has yet to view an episode, what exactly is the documentary’s premise?
The premise of the documentary is, you want to see what facing adversity is while doing it at the highest level. Well…click the link, and prepare to be motivated by real life.
That said, what all else are your future plans and / or goals for the (remainder of the) 2025 season and beyond?
My goals for the remainder of 2025 is to get awareness to my documentary so the world can see it, supply the music to these unique visuals and do it again. Film / TV Jones is where we headed, lol.
Now August 11th 2023 marked the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop — What does that mean to and for you?
The 50th year of Hip Hop means a genre and lifestyle raised me, and still allows me and others who love the culture to make a living off it and enjoy it. Good to know it’s not going nowhere.
To quote the late, great The Notorious B.I.G., “You never thought that Hip Hop would take it this far!” — Was this something that you ever could’ve imagined?
Biggie really said it best; you can’t really picture all of it happening, but because of the powerful culture you can imagine a better life happening from this and you can; it’s possible!
What are some of your fondest, most stand-out moments / memories during your lengthy tenure in this thing called Hip Hop?
Some of my fondest memories are when I release a song and your whole city know it by heart, recording a song with UGK and Snoop Dogg, buying my mother a car from music royalties, going gold the first week once There’s One in Every Family dropped to name a few.
Switching gears here, what exactly do you want people to get from your music?
I want people to get from my music is that you are not alone, pain don’t last forever only winners do and stand strong with your inner voice of purity because it cuts through all the noise that could be keeping you away from your better self.
If you could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would love to record with Stevie Wonder or Sade because I would love to make something jamming for the world that could heal, too.
If you could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?
If I could play one venue it would be somewhere overseas, reason being it’s a bigger world out there and these Jazz, Soul, Funk and Hip Hop vibes would do great over there.
On a more serious note, are you happy with the current state of Hip Hop?
Am I happy with the current state of Hip Hop? Yes and no; yeah, that it still thrives to take care of so many people that look like or feel like me and, no, because the money and love for it from adults as consumers isn’t there enough to make a great living off of it.
What do you feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity?
The key to my longevity is being able to hear my inner voice and express it, plus originality is where it’s at and it’s only one International Jones.
Do you have any other outside / additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from entertainment?
My future work will be in TV / Film, licensing / syncing, voice-overs and being an example young people can see; that’s what a man supposed to be like.
You also have fde [forever determined entertainment] — What are some of your upcoming objectives for / with this venture?
FDE will continue to be a boutique size label that distributes the coolest content from this side of the world.
What’s an average day like for you?
Average day…up at 5am, help get my kids off to school, head to work to make sure our trucking business start with clear passage.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans…
What up, Play Boy, good to meet you, too. Let’s get a pic; you never know when we will see each other again.
What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?
Some bad things about the job is the people; a lot of them are out for self. The good thing is being able to inspire people that didn’t know it was possible.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
If you want to follow in my footsteps, I would say less distractions and more actions, plus make no decisions while being emotional. It don’t belong on business.
Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you see yourself?
I see myself thriving in a few other businesses, content being one, being an amazing entrepreneur, husband, father, son and friend.
What’s next for International Jones?
What’s next for me is the world and everything in it, Chico, lol. Big money, happy businesses I have with my friends.
Do you still keep up with Master P? And, what about your friends and former No Limit Records’ soldiers / label-mates?
I don’t keep up with P as much off tour, but wishing him continued success and happiness. I talk to some of the label-mates for sure, and some of the producers as well.
Is there anything I left out or just plain forgot to mention?
Most forget I produce and am successful at that as well. Be looking out for new production from Billionaire Rick, my producer name alias.
Lastly, any “parting” words for our readers?
Lastly, go watch my documentary and follow me on social media. We have new memories to make, see you there!
