[1] Tha Realest is also known, often in a negative light, for his strikingly similar voice to deceased rapper and former label-mate, Tupac Shakur.
Jones began his association with Death Row Records in March 1996 when he auditioned for Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas.
[2] He made his musical debut on the Gang Related soundtrack, appearing in two songs with rapper J-Flexx under the pseudonym Tenkamenin, sharing his name with the eponymous ruler of the Ghana Empire.
On October 17, 1999,[5] after working on Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000, Tha Realest sustained relatively serious injuries to the foot, having been shot in a drive-by shooting after leaving the studio in which he had just finished recording a song with Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz Dillinger).
[2] Tha Realest had difficulty obtaining a contract as labels were unwilling to associate with a former artist of Death Row Records and the notoriety it accumulated over the years.
[7] Tha Realest was signed to Tru 'Dat' Entertainment in 2006, a company founded by Hysear Randell to seek and recruit talented individuals in film, music, fashion and sports.
It features cameo appearances by C-Bo, Yukmouth, Nutt-So, Young Hogg, Big C-Style and Ray J.
[1][10] Tha Realest made the following comment about the album: They say: 'good things come to those who wait,' the position I was in at Death Row wasn't right for me.
I put so many songs on Witness Tha Realest because so many people have been waiting so long for my CD to drop.
The Realest also appeared in a low-budget film titled Slumber Party which was released in 2005 and also featured several former Death Row Records performers such as Daz Dillinger and Crooked I.