Mike Jones Drops New Mixtape 'Money Train,' Stream All 15 Tracks from the Houston Rapper [LISTEN]

Houston rapper Mike Jones released a mixtape to start off the New Year, marking a return of sorts to the recording scene. All 15 tracks on Money Train are available as a free download via DatPiff.com. The effort features Slim Thug, A1 The Supergroup and Yung Deuce. The effort is a mix of new songs and freestyles, Vibe notes.

Jones is still working on his third studio album, Where is Mike Jones?, a follow-up to 2009's The Voice. With a mixtape this early in the year, the rapper could be planning a big move for 2015.

The "Still Tippin'" wordsmith spoke with The Boombox in August, talking specifically about his hiatus and his glory days in the mid-2000s.

According to the piece, the new record was more than halfway complete at the end of the summer. Label negotiations are holding up the release.

"It's a movement," he said about the hold-up. "It's just a group of people who are all about making money and having money. Once people really understand what the Money Train is, then they'll be onboard with it."

Jones was able to shed 100 pounds during his vacation from the limelight. During that time, artists like Drake and A$AP Ferg adopted the Houston style that Jones had perfected on his 2005 debut LP, Who is Mike Jones? He takes it all as a compliment.

"Two things: one, it's love because what we created, what we came out with," he said. "People were trying to say it was dead and over with, worn out ... That was a lie. 'Don't nobody wanna do this or talk about this no more.' But now, everybody's on that. And two, I just look at it as if they're just showing love."