YOUR FAVORITE RAPPERS FAVORITE MAGAZINE

DAVID BANNER

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YOUR FAVORITE RAPPERS FAVORITE MAGAZINE

DAVID BANNER

PIMP C SOULJA BOY

TWISTA

PATIENTLY WAITING
BIG RICH SAN QUINN YUKMOUTH GLASSES MALONE ONE LOVE:
plus OZONE WEST:

TH ANNUAL

EDITION

TOO $HORT UNITES THE BAY

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF // Julia Beverly CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER // N. Ali Early MUSIC EDITOR // Randy Roper FEATURES EDITOR // Eric Perrin ART DIRECTOR // Tene Gooden ADVERTISING SALES // Che Johnson PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR // Malik Abdul MARKETING DIRECTOR // David Muhammad Sr. LEGAL CONSULTANT // Kyle P. King, P.A. ADMINISTRATIVE // Cordice Gardner, Kisha Smith CONTRIBUTORS // Alexander Cannon, Bogan, Carlton Wade, Charlamagne the God, Chuck T, Destine Cajuste, E-Feezy, Edward Hall, Felita Knight, Iisha Hillmon, Jacinta Howard, Jaro Vacek, Jessica Koslow, J Lash, Jason Cordes, Jo Jo, Johnny Louis, Kamikaze, Keadron Smith, Keith Kennedy, Kenneth Brewer, K.G. Mosley, King Yella, Luis Santana, Luxury Mindz, Marcus DeWayne, Matt Sonzala, Maurice G. Garland, Mercedes (Strictly Streets), Mike Sims, Ms. Rivercity, Natalia Gomez, Ray Tamarra, Rico Da Crook, Robert Gabriel, Rohit Loomba, Shannon McCollum, Spiff, Swift, Wally Sparks, Wendy Day STREET REPS // Al-My-T, B-Lord, Big Teach (Big Mouth), Bigg C, Bigg V, Black, Brian Franklin, Buggah D. Govanah (On Point), Bull, C Rola, Cedric Walker, Chill, Chilly C, Chuck T, Controller, DJ Dap, David Muhammad, Delight, Derrick the Franchise, Destine Cajuste, Dolla Bill, Dwayne Barnum, Dr. Doom, Ed the World Famous, Episode, General, Haziq Ali, H-Vidal, Hollywood, J Fresh, Jammin Jay, Janky, Joe Anthony, Judah, Kamikaze, KC, Kenneth Clark, Klarc Shepard, Kuzzo, Kydd Joe, Lex, Lil D, Lump, Marco Mall, Mr. Lee, Music & More, Nick@ Nite, Nikki Kancey, Pat Pat, PhattLipp, Pimp G, Quest, Rio G, Rippy, Rob-Lo, Stax, TJs DJs, TJ Bless, Tim Brown, Trina Edwards, Vicious, Victor Walker, Voodoo, Wild Billo, Young Harlem DISTRIBUTION // Curtis Circulation, LLC SUBSCRIPTIONS // To subscribe, send check or money order for $ to: Ozone Magazine, Inc. Attn: Subscriptions Dept  Antone St. Suite  Atlanta, GA 0 Phone: 0-0-7 Fax: 0-0-27 Website: www.ozonemag.com COVER CREDITS // David Banner photo (cover and this page) by Ty Watkins; Twista photo by Parrish Lewis; Soulja Boy photo by Anthony Cutujar; Yela Wolf photo by Meca  ReVamp. DISCLAIMER // OZONE Magazine is published  times per year by OZONE Magazine, Inc. OZONE does not take responsibility for unsolicited materials, misinformation, typographical errors, or misprints. The views contained herein do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or its advertisers. Ads appearing in this magazine are not an endorsement or validation by OZONE Magazine for products or services offered. All photos and illustrations are copyrighted by their respective artists. All other content is copyright 2007 OZONE Magazine, all rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of the publisher. Printed in the USA.

patiently waiting
2  0      7 0   70     2 7 2  72 0 7 7 7  77 7   7  2 PISTOLS BELOW ZERO BIG KOON & HOLLYWOOD COUNTRI BOI COWBOY CUPID DERTY DEN DON PARMA DOUGHBOY GEMSTAR DA GOLDENCHILD GREEN CITY HOODLUM JOE HOUND JOZEEMO MAC-A-DON MODESTY XO MONTANA DA MAC P BATTERS PACHINO DINO PHOENIX THE FIRESTARTER RATCHET CITY RAW RESSE RAY LAVENDER ROCKO SINCERE SMALL WORLD SPORTY O STICK000 STREETZ TMI BOYZ WALE YELA WOLF YOUNG RALPH

monthly sections
7 0 2 2-2 0 2 2 20 00 7 22 02 2  - - 0 0 THINGS IM HATIN ON CAFFEINE SUBSTITUTES CHRONICLES OF PIMP C PHOTO GALLERIES SIDEKICK HACKIN CHAIN REACTION DOLLAR MENU MATHEMATICS DVD REVIEWS JBS 2 CENTS CHIN CHECK CD REVIEWS TRUE RAPS TATTED UP RAPQUEST FEEDBACK END ZONE

features
-2 OZONE AWARDS RECAP  MICHAEL VICK

interviews
   -7 NEW ORLEANS SAINT: ROSCI DJ PROFILE: DJ E-FEEZY PRODUCER PROFILE: JR ROTEM ROB G

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Send your comments to feedback@ozonemag.com or hit us up at www.myspace.com/ozonemagazine

I am so proud of OZONE. Im here in Oklahoma and its so nice to see someone covering the Southern music scene. Ive forcibly read The Source and XXL, hoping that each issue I came across would finally pay the South their just dues. And of course as you know, they dont. XXL tries, and we all know The Source is a joke. When my friend showed me a copy of OZONE I read it from cover to cover and loved every freakin page of it, real talk! Everything about the magazine is top notch. You have everything a true Southern Hip Hop head wants to see and read about. Wendys advice is golden. Charlamagne is a fool wit it, and JBs 2 Cents editorial is dead on. Ive never written to a magazine before and Ive been listening to and studying Hip Hop for a good fifteen years. Hell, the first rap single I ever bought (of all things) was Rampage by EPMD & LL. My first whole album I bought was Cypress Hills first album. I was hooked from there, and now with the South being the hottest thing in rap, Im basking in it, loving every money-makin second of it! Once again, thank you for providing a magazine thats well worth the paper its printed on. Dont ever stop! - Bigg Dave (Ada, OK) JB, your 2 Cents in the June issue makes sense to this 2-year-old virgin. I have been working on radio for six months now, which has brought back my hunger to be a part of the music industry. Im a big fan of OZONE and I love that theres an OZONE West section now too. Ive loved Hip Hop since I was young and Im trying to get into the game; I see myself as the female version of Ne-Yo. The only problem is this: I am not a hoe. I dont walk around the club with my hand out. I have a degree, I read, I pay my own bills, I care about politics, and Im saving myself for that special one. Its hard to find Hip Hop artists that understand that kind of female. I have to put a disclaimer up that I dont do overtly sexual hooks, moan, or say anything that is against my character. I feel like women like me have no real place in Hip Hop today. What I represent is the woman who will be down for a man whos down for her, one who can hold her own financially but still wants her man to treat her like a princess, and most importantly, a woman who values respect more than a designer label. I totally agree that if a female puts herself out like a hoe, she deserves to be called that, period. Its not a derogatory term when its correctly used. Ive never been called a hoe. Im 2 years old and still a virgin. Im waiting for the fellas to step up their game, cause I am not impressed with you doing something for me that I can do for myself. Youre exactly right when you say that women have the power. Real women have the power cause no dude can truly disrespect them. Hoes are hoes. They arent trading pussy for a touch of celebrity, they are trading it for their respect. Once you give up your respect, you cant get it back. Ladies should realize what theyre giving up and who theyre giving it to I cant understand a female wholl give it up to a member of the entourage. Thats just stupid. Keep up the good work, and Ive included a picture to show that Im a virgin by choice. Shanetta Little, Shanetta.Little@CoxRadio.com (Orlando, FL) I just got the June joint with DJ Khaled and everybody on the cover and this is definitely a hot issue! I know everyone missed Lil Duval on this one. The substitute wasnt funny at all. RapQuest was on point, and I see that New  // OZONE MAG

Orleans is finally back on the map! Thank God you didnt put Baton Rouge on there because Webbie and the rest of the country fam would have a field day. Wendy Day should write a book on how to make it in the music business. If she doesnt, Im going to steal all of her articles and make it myself! Prada looks like her breath may stink, among other things. I wouldnt tip. Yall need to put a stripper from She Shes in New Orleans up in there. They got that work! I really didnt know DJ Khaled was from New Orleans. Im never buying another Mike Jones album. I equate his record to someone selling bonk in the hood. Once you sell someone bonk (horrible product), youll never get your customers back. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Tell Diamond to holla at me if she wants to learn some new words. I made a .0 last semester and Ill take her under my wing. Paul Wall seems like the truest of all. Hes still reppin Swishahouse, unlike some others who allow them to put their logo on a CD. Like Ludacris said, The streets respect that cheddar. Paul Wall is a blueprint to getting paper. Fat Joe is the richest guy to never sell records! He can sit around and play as himself on video games all day wow! In conclusion, OZONE is the truth. Continue to hold it down for the South and everyone out here grindin. Derrick Francis, Derrick_francis0@hotmail.com (Virginia Beach, VA) Why in the hell would you put groupie confessions in a male-oriented book? I damn near threw up. Thats sick! I never see women reading your mag, only men. Why dont you find the guys that are bangin female artists and interview them? That would be more interesting. I wanna hear how wet Eve is or how tight Rihannas pussy is or which female artist takes it anal and who gives the best head. - 7772@pcs.ntelos.com

Editor Responds: Who said it was a male-oriented book?

I loved JBs 2 Cents in Issue # talking about New York. Even though Im not from the South, I feel exactly the same way about those snobby ass New Yorkers. I see how that shit must irritate yall down South theyre always jealous that someone else is getting their shine on. Thats exactly how shit is up here in Milwaukee. They cant accept the fact that they really just aint doing shit! I wish Milwaukee could be more like the South. Dont get me wrong, I love Milwaukee, but not too many people come together around here. And the fucked up thing is that if we in the Midwest came together like the South, we could be having our time to shine right now too. We need to do something for ourselves before blaming our non-success on what some other region is doing. Long live Southern rap, and any other region thats willing to put in the hard work to make raw music. Joe Wiggles (Milwaukee, WI) OZONE is an air-tight magazine. Im from NYC but I appreciate quality when I see it. The way yall do the stories is very clever and original. I like the 0 Things, thats whats up. Im a journalist fighting my way up the food chain. Keep up the good work. Black Pacino, myspace.com/blackpacino (Brooklyn, NY)

Wendy Days Mathematics article in the latest issue of OZONE called Politricks was good. It seems like shes seen it all, and all the topics she shed light on are very true. She painted a vivid picture of the music industry for people who are considering becoming a rapper or DJ. I think anyone who is aspiring to become a part of the industry needs to read through Wendys section in past issues of OZONE. Shes always provided us, the readers, with very valuable information. Knowledge is key, and she shows us the ins and outs of the business. I also think that OZONE and TJs DJs coming together for the conference is monumental for the betterment of the music industry. Continue to make major moves your hard work is very much appreciated by individuals that want to be in the music business. I believe OZONE coming together with TJs DJs is just another door of opportunity for those of us getting into the industry. - Ray Matos, matosr2@corning.com I would like to comment on the second annual OZONE Awards. First of all, it made the Southern division of rap and Hip Hop artists look so ignorant and uneducated. I feel so disgraced to even say that I live in Louisiana or the South. The camera was constantly flashing on dirty-looking, half-naked prostitute looking whores. There was a lack of organization and coordination. The presenters spoke like they were illiterate and their speech was unclear. The stage was dark and muggy like it was a club, not an MTV production. I hope that you take this constructive criticism and make next years award show better, with a little more sophistication and class. If you need more info about how to make your awards better, contact me. I could produce my own show and it would be 00% better than yours. I am a 2 year old college student with a very high IQ and OZONE Magazine can go straight to the trash can. Producing a tacky award show is not an achievement. I can publish a better magazine than OZONE. I wrote better stuff than that in elementary school. At this time, people of color need something refreshing and uplifting, not garbage. I am not dissing rap or Hip Hop because I write and make music myself. I am dissing your award show and some things in your magazine. Your award show was disorganized and tacky. If you ever feel the need to enlighten yourself, read some books by real writers like W.E.B. Dubois or Booker T. Washington. And if I feel the desire to ever produce an award show, I guarantee you it will be better than that. News you can use: those were not celebrities on stage or in the audience. You had entertainers, not celebrities, and some of them did not do a real good job. They were looking like some fools. My mom is an attorney and I have met real celebrities. Ive seen those rappers you had on several occasions: Lil Wayne, Boosie, and other Louisiana rappers. You didnt have Juvie at the OZONE Awards. Hes a friend of the family. I met Mystikal and Master P and all of No Limit when I was ten years old. - C Payne, highmaintenceguttachic@yahoo.com (New Orleans, LA)

That fuckin Pimp C article was the shit. Thats my mufuckin nigga. He kept it real as a bitch. I dont give a fuck what no nigga says you gotta respect that man, or you aint shit! He can back all his talk up to the fullest. They say the older the wiser, and comin from the Pimp, you gotta love it or leave it. DJ Black, djblackhcp@tmail.com (Indianapolis, IN)

Pimp C responds: Again, repetition alone does not make a lie the truth. Yeah, young brotha, I did tell the truth in the article. But the shit about ATL not being the South was a muthafuckin lie and Im not gonna ask nobody to ride with me on a lie. So thank you for your support, but at the same time, youve gotta recognize lies from the truth. Any man will correct his mistakes as he finds them.
Yo, Wimp C is a clown! I just moved to Houston and heard his ass on KBXX 7. The Box and he sounds like a damn fool. I agree with some of the shit he was kickin, but, whats up with that whole ATL aint the South shit? Country ass nigga, please. Im from the MIA and were on Eastern Standard Time, so we aint the South either? Niggas must be calling Bun B cause they can tell hes got some sense. Thats why shit took off once the dead weight was dropped. What I dont get is why the nigga kept talking about whos gay and whos a bitch, but hes worried about what their diamonds look like. Wearing those damn furs in Texas has fried that niggas brain or something. What nigga do you know talks about his toes are pretty? He sounds like hes got a finger in his own bootyhole, to use one of his phrases. Hell, he says niggas aint no rappers, but I heard his ass so-called freestyle on KBXX and he damn sure fooled me cause I didnt think he was either. Hes just ridin niggas coattails. If you let him tell it, he made all the UGK beats. Dont get me wrong some of their shit was tight, but nigga please. Enjoy the ride. Sounds like a jealous ass nigga mad because he aint rich like them ATL niggas, but I bet the stank-ass finger in his ass that he be hangin out there in ATL. Do something positive for H-Town instead of dressing up like its Halloween everyday. Now I aint ridin on Pimp C; Im just tellin it how I see it. And Im not a rapper, Im a consumer. Now print that shit! Dade Countys Finest, nwingfield@cox.net

Editor Responds: Since high maintence gutta chic (sp) has such a high IQ, knows how to produce a better award show than us, wrote better articles than us in elementary school, and is obviously a hater, we offered her the opportunity to be a guest columnist for 0 Things Im Hating On. She declined, stating that OZONE isnt ready for her.
I always enjoy OZONE Magazine and Im glad you all are getting the national and international recognition you deserve. I had to write to let you know that I really enjoyed the True Raps column. Real creative and funny as hell! I think it adds a great element. Wally B., wallybclark@hotmail.com (Tampa, FL) The new True Raps section in the magazine is absolute genius! Not only is it creative, but its funny and timely. Paul D is clearly a refreshing addition to the OZONE family. I have all my friends reading OZONE now because of that section. Great move! Patrice Bynum, patrice.bynum@pgcps.org (Washington, DC) After reading Pimp Cs article I must say that I agree with his opinion that there are several fabricated emcees out there. I live here in Houston now but Im originally from New Orleans, in the rd Calliope Projects. Theres a certain rapper who reps the N.O. that is so fabricated its not even funny. As a viewer, seeing all the videos and costumes, you would think hes a thug, goon, soldier, or whatever you wanna call him. Theres several cats I know that hate the fact that he actually raps about their lives, current and past, so in a sense theyre living vicariously through this clown. So Pimp C was right, in a sense, but I do think he needs to learn more about geographical locations. Derek Hampton, Derek.hampton@lyondell.com (Houston, TX)

Pimp C responds: Wow. [laughs] Pussy ass nigga, Im on Westheimer every day in something foreign, bitch. Im not hiding, Im riding. So I challenge you to come out and show yo muthafuckin face or put a name with that pussy ass shit youre talking. I can show you better than I can tell you, nigga. I just got off the phone with Rick Ross, bitch. Miamis riding with me. Youre talking about Im this and Im that, but youre hiding behind an email address. So what Im gonna say about you is this: Youre a bitch for life, your mamas a bitch for life, and everybody down with you is a bitch for life. Fuck you in yo pussy.
Pimp C has got the streets going crazy with his comments in the new OZONE. I call it the page of hate. You gotta love it! Stax, blockwear@tmo.blackberry.net (Jackson, MS)

Pimp C responds: Its not the page of hate, its the page of truth! The truth shall set these bitch ass niggas free! Free Big Meech! When it was cool to be BMF, everybody was down. When the Feds came, niggas stopped flying the flag! Respect the real BMF niggas who are still riding for the man, the real Big Meech! Fuck the ATF, DEA, FBI, the judges, the police, the pussy ass prison guards, and snitch ass niggas all over the world! If you testify, you need to die! If youre a gay rapper, come on out with it bitch! If you let Gloria Velez fuck you in your ass with a fake dick, she told me about you, nigga! If you suck dick in trucks in ATL and got caught and play like youre a preacher man, shame on you! If you ride up Sunset picking up chicks with dicks and play like you aint know thats a boy, shame, shame on you, bitch! If you say youve got work for one price and you know you aint never seen a kilogram of no kind of drug, shame on you! If you rent thirteen cars and stay in a townhouse or rent a white mans house, shame on you! In the words of the mighty MJG, A [Chrysler] 00 aint a Bentley, and an apartment aint a house! A Geneva aint no Rolex! If you rent out a white mans club two nights a week and put up a plastic sign with your name on it, news flash: That aint yo club, nigga! Youre a customer! If youve got HIV and you go around giving that shit to little girls and we find out its you for sure, the streets are gonna erase you off this planet, bitch nigga! If youre sick, go to the doctor, bitch! If youre scared, go to church! If youre mad say my name and we can have World War  round this muthafucker! Rap-A-Lot Mafia life, bitches! You aint gotta like it, but you gotta respect it or get your whole muthafuckin head knocked off in yo lap, nigga! Chuuuch! Tabernacle! Sanctuary! Preach!
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10 Things im haTin On
gUEsT EDiTiOn
By Malik Nobody Knows You Abdul
0 // THE GOLDMAN FAMILY First Ron Goldmans family was on TV telling people not to buy OJ Simpsons book. As soon as the judge gave them the rights to the book, they went ahead and sold it. 02 // ARTISTS WHO GET HOLLYWOOD Some artists are so damn nice when they have an album coming out and as soon as it goes gold or platinum, they dont have time to stop and take a picture or sign an autograph for the fan that they say they love so much. 0 // OVERZEALOUS SECURITY GUARDS Theyll violently prevent you from taking a photo of the artist even after the artist said it was cool. No one will remember you - its the artists legacy we are trying to preserve. Youll be replaced next week anyway. 0 // USELESS ENTOURAGE MEMBERS You know the ones Im talking about - the dude thats a part of the crew who gets onstage with the artist for no reason except to be seen. Nobody knows you! 0 // SORE LOSERS Were not saying any names, but if you were nominated for an OZONE Award and didnt win, youre lame as hell. There are a million artists, DJs, and producers, and just to be recognized for your work with a nomination should be as good as a win! 0 // RINGTONE DEALS Record labels putting out albums just because that artist had one song. Theyve had one song! One damn single! One!! 07 // SOUTHERN DICK RIDERS Every artist tries to sound like theyre from the South now. If youre from California, dont try to sound like youre from Mississippi. Stick with your own identity. 0 // UP AND COMING ARTISTS If youre an unknown artist and Im trying to take a picture of you while youre performing, maybe you should take a second to stand still so I can snap your photo. 0 // NO-NAME CLOWNS RUINING MY PHOTOS Sometimes people send in great photos for the magazine, like a picture of Pimp C, Too $hort, and Snoop Dogg together which is a great power shot - and then right in the middle ruining the pic is the clown who sent it in. Nobody knows you! 0 // UNSUCCESSFUL GROUPIES Some groupies hate on other groupies just because theyre better at hunting down artists. Get to the venue earlier and maybe youll have a better chance at getting in VIP; maybe itll be you and your other groupie friends getting fucked by the artist and his entourage. Or, team up. If you cant beat em, join em.
D-RAY BOGAN

o the average viewer, the OZONE Awards may appear to be simply an  minute segment airing repeatedly on MTV Jams. But to me, its a fascinating (although extremely exhausting) up-close-and-personal display of the whole psychology of life, the complete range of human emotions (greed, jealousy, and anger, among others). If you could watch the behind-the-scenes drama or my post partum depression a.k.a. adrenaline rush hangover, itd be so much more captivating than Khaled, Ross, Plies, Trick, and T-Pain on stage together performing Im So Hood or Lil Waynes acceptance speech. So it was somewhere in the midst of OZONE Awards recovery and the backlash of bruised egos that it hit me, and just for a minute, I saw it all clearly. The world operates on equilibrium what goes up must come down. Every time you take a step up the food chain, someone else takes a step down or at least perceives themselves taking a step down.
Yes, I do own a dress

jbs 2cents
T

KING YELLA

The OZONE crew in Miami: DRay, Eric, me, Malik, & Randy

Industry folks have fun catchphrases to make themselves sound intelligent when speaking on panels and such (the music business is 0% business and 0% music is a classic) but in reality, theres at least 0% ego somewhere in that equation. For that one brief moment, everything made sense. Then the moment passed, and Im stuck here trying to put it into words. Its really not about music and its not about business either. Its about peoples feelings and how they view themselves and how this affects their ever-changing relationships. Its not even about building relationships thats the easy part. You spend years building relationships to help you get to the top (wherever that is) and the truly difficult part is trying to maintain those relationships once youve reached a level where your friends and colleagues feel theyre replaceable or unappreciated. We all have insecurities on some level, whether we admit it or not, and those insecurities manifest themselves in strange ways when it comes to things like award shows. Everyone who played any part in your success, no matter how trivial it may seem, feels like you owe them something. Bottom line, this shit is exhausting, and sometimes, theres just not enough of you left to spread around. On a video set a couple weeks ago I overheard a Rich Boy/Rick Ross conversation that put into words what Ive been thinking for years: Success changes the people around you more than it changes you. And once money gets involved, its over. Bridges get burned forever. Once that lil attitude creeps into the conversations and you start looking at each other sideways, itll never be the same again. So lets just say, out of nowhere, you hook up with this new guy. Hes in the right place at the right time and says all the right shit and before you know it, youve got a key to his crib because its so convenient. Instant boyfriend. Youre missing flights cause the bed is too warm and spending your spare time at the movies instead of the office and taking unplanned vacations that you dont have time for. And even when theres an extra condom wrapper in his trash can, the usual jealous rage just isnt there and its such a relief to not care. And then one day, hes gone. Totally disappeared as if he never existed. It ends as abruptly as it began and youre not sure if it ever really happened or if it was just a good dream. Theres no arguments, no drama, no lingering emotions, no guessing, no crying, no regrets nothing. Its just over. Its beautiful. Its like a rapper who dies in his prime. Hell forever be a legend because he never had time to get whack and fall off. No bittersweet aftertaste; only pleasant memories. If only they could all end this way. If we didnt care so much, we coulda made a clean break the first time and still been best friends forever ever, ever ever - like Andre 000? Maybe youd remember the beginning, when we had nothing to lose, and this issue wouldnt feel like the end of us.

TERRENCE TYSON

I got in trouble for all the pictures where Trey Songz is holding me too tight

OZONE is taking over the West Coast too. Ask FAB & Keak

TERRENCE TYSON

Me & my semi-assistants Cordice & Kisha

- Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com

Fabolous f/ Jermaine Dupri Baby Dont Go Twista f/ T-Pain Creep Fast R Kelly f/ Usher & T-Pain Same Girl (remix) Timbaland f/ Keri Hilson The Way I Are Akon Sorry, Blame It On Me Too $hort & Mistah FAB Lose It Hot Dollar Streets on Lock

jbsplaylist
UGK Shattered Dreams David Banner Candy Man Freekey Zekey Like This Miss B He Lying

OZONE MAG // 7

QUEsT RaP
IF YOU

EMA JB@OZON P S POPENIN AT ALL, HIT US UP at HAT RES TED S TO SEE W inDianaPOLis, in TREETREPRESENTED, OR NOT REP H We would like to thank the staff and panelists who HITS TOUECS Y IS MIS made the Midwest Music Convention what it was. The Hard Headz stole the show, plus OZONFEEL THAT Y R IT groups like Adore, Bobby Lee, Chop Shop (STL), Big Chief (Dallas), Tone (Louisville) and E

G.COM

>>>>>> >>>>>
nashviLLE, Tn

Everyone is preparing for Chicago City Classic, a game between Southern University and Mississippi Valley State. Theres been a lot of noise from SoundMaster Ts new single Do It Like My Birthday. Windy City Flavor, a weekly showcase of indie artists, has moved to Club Vain on Mondays. The Soul Selectors are back with Industry Night on Tuesdays at Vain also. Vi is making noise with his record Hurta which is getting mixshow spins. Newly signed Dude Nem debuted on Rap City and 0 and Park with Watch My Feet. Everybody is gearing up for Kanye Wests new album. - Jamal Hooks (JHooks@tmail.com)

chicagO, iL

Mink gave it to the people. The fashion show was really the highlight. Check out the photos in the OZONE Gallery. DJ Balo is nominated for an SEA award. There is strength in numbers as Mixed Up Record Pool, DJ B Nasty and his STM Camp have merged with the Heat Spinner DJs. Yung Mane is coming on strong. His mixtape should be out soon. - Lucky The Promo King (srfoleaf@aol.com)

DJs, independent artists and store owners are in total shock after several stores and individuals were raided and arrested for selling what we know as mixtapes, but what was made out to look like bootlegged CDs. Dont they have something better to do? JC, Rip and Stix will battle it out for the title of Song of the Year for the 200 SEAs, while Sir Swift holds it down as the only Cashville representative up for # DJ of the Year. Lovenoise celebrated their  year anniversary this month and John Merrit Classic weekend was another one to remember. - Janiro (Janiro@southernentawards.com)

Nominees for the 200 SEA Awards are in and Memphis is taking over. Several DJs from our area are nominated like Freddy Hydro for Impact DJ and Rob Storm for Slept on DJ. Gangsta Boo and Yo Gotti are both nominated for Mixtape of the Year, plus numerous Memphis artists are nominated for albums and singles. MemphisRap.com received nominations for Website of the Year and Online Magazine. Club 2 has closed floors 2 and  for remodeling so were excited to see whats in store for the famous Beale Street hot spot. Rumor is that Yung D has signed with Hypnotize Mindz. - Deanna Brown (Deanna.Brown@MemphisRap.com) Cuntri Boi shot his video for Im a Boss while Big Aziz gets with Team and Don Cannon for the Texas Hold Em mixtape. You have to see the Definition DJs if you are looking for consistent club rotation in the city. Sophpaw Produktions is recording 2/7; Drunk N Throwed radio is wide open; and DJ Wildhairr got Next Level the official Aggtown after hour spot. Boobie is holding down Power Move and Tum Tum brought home an OZONE award. Be on the lookout for Big Hud. Will Hustle is everywhere while the group PPT is locking down the conscious side of DFW. - Edward Pookie Hall (www.urbansouth.us@gmail.com)

mEmPhis, Tn

DaLLas/FT. WORTh, TX

Quick and to the point, it was a big month in Myrtle Beach. A whole lotta stars came through including Funkmaster Flex, Hurricane Chris, Mims, Kia Shine and T-Pain. The month was then topped off with a visit from Erykah Badu. Big things are poppin in Myrtle Beach and theres more to come. Stay close. - Mr. Smith (Roderick.Smith@cumulus.com)

myRTLE bEach, sc

I am so tired of fake Free and A.J. dogging Alabama on 0 and Park. Stop worrying about what Rich Boy is wearing and get the ratings back up because I know yall been struggling. Greg Street came to Club Fuzions and mixed his ass off with Michael London and DJ Shadow, and word is, Deuce Komradz signed a deal with Warner Brothers. Is Small Tyme back together? The Dirty Boyz are, and they dropped a new album without Rap-A-Lot. Finally, the highly anticipated Maxximum Exposure CD hit hoods this month. - Hot Girl Maximum (HotGirl.Maximum@ gmail.com)

mOnTgOmERy, aL

Fam-lay sought out Hype Williams for a new video version of his song Da Beeper Record. Ray Lavender hit town to do a show with Keyshia Cole and everyone thought he was J. Holiday. The Aqua Lounge is poppin again at the beach, even after a man was shot to death in the parking lot. The Clipse and Star Trak Ent. held a party at Club Reign and the dimes were in full effect. - Derrick Tha Franchise (www.Myspace.com/DerrickThaFranchise)

viRginia bEach, va

aUsTin, TX

Carnival Beats is working on production for Twista. Rob G performed at Aftermath and promoted his Reppin My Block mixtape. Basswood Lane released their Ciabatta Bread remix featuring Chingo Bling. DJ Bounz hooked up with fellow Bumsquad DJ, Eddie Deville, to drop the Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger mixtape. VIP & DJ Knowledges Plastic Crack Vol.  is out now. Ryno of On The Line Records received a nomination for Indy Album of the Year at the 200 SEAs and his sophomore album Another Level is in the works. DJ Rapid Ric was nominated for Mixtape DJ of the Year. - O.G. of Luxury Mindz (LuxuryMindz@gmail.com)

san anTOniO, TX

Ramal Hometown Heat from 0. KJAMZ has the highest ratings in Tulsa urban radio. Tyson Family barbershop is the best place to get a Lil Boosie fade. Dangerous Rob (now an official member of the Dogg Pound) released one of the hottest mixtapes of the summer with Brok Bundles (Comin from Da Thugg). 0. KHITS brought Akon to Tulsa, the first artist to ever sell out the Expo Square Arena. Club Fever is the newest spot to get your Souljah Boy dance on. Kanebeatz signed a  year deal with Atlantic after producing Lil Waynes S on My Chest. - DJ Civil Rightz (poplockking@hotmail.com)

TULsa, OK

Young Jeezy hit the city with USDA for another long awaited, hot performance where he announced the signing of Boo The Boss Playa to his CTE label. Local artist Jewman has been hitting the streets hard with his single Pull Em Out. Soulja Boy is another example that Mississippi has plenty of superstars. Former Cash Money player BG brought his birthday party to the Jack. Trey Songz, Hurricane Chris, Lil Boosie, and The Shop Boyz also came through this month. - Tambra Cherie (TambraCherie@aol.com) & Stax (blockwear@tmo.blackberry.net)

jacKsOn, ms

The biggest event happening in San Antonio is the Beat Bash hosted by . The Beat SA. In every barber shop around you hear talk of stars like Chamillionaire, DJ Unk, Fabolous, Mims, and Sean Kingston gracing the stage. Famous a.k.a. Lil Ken, Tha Coalition and Question are headlining the after party. The other major radio station in town, Power 0.7, is readying another end-of-summer car show. The biggest concert this past month came from Rap-A-Lot legend Z-Ro at Kristal Nightclub. It was one of his first shows since being released. He performed in front of a packed and excited audience. - Bishop Maxx (bishop_maxx@yahoo.com)

haTTiEsbURg, ms

DJ Kub continues to pound the club scene, spinning at  venues a week. DJ Chuck T just dropped  new mix CDs at once! DJ D-Nyces Birthday Bash at Tucan Reef was a huge success. The Weekend The city of Baltimore is honoring Baltimore native Kevin Pub is the official Sunday night hot spot with DJ Liles by naming a street after him in his old neighborhood. Cleve. Carlos Cartel got the streets on fire with Kevin, currently the Executive VP of Warner Music Group, is his new single I Got That featuring Lil Boosie. best known for his former position as President of Island/Def Tunnel Nightclub did it huge for Labor Day Weekend Jam. Darkroom Productions has just won 2007 Best Producer with Pastor Troy, Montana the Mac and Boo Boos at the Best of Baltimore Awards for the second consecutive Birthday Bash. Chuck Towns legendary Pachino year. Finally, the st Annual Bmore Luv Hip Hop Festival was Dino made S. Kak proud by freestyling for Fabo in a massive success. Energetic performances by Mullyman, front of hundreds at the 2007 TJs DJs Tastemakers Bigg Patch, GEM, and B.O.M.B. set the crowd in a frenzy. conference during OZONE Awards weekend. - Darkroom Productions (TheDarkRoomInc@yahoo.com) - DJ B-Lord (BLordDJ@aol.com)

chaRLEsTOn, sc

Keyshia Cole hit the town with J. Holiday on the 2 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Many would agree that Keyshia has a better presence than Ciara. Screamfest 2007 also rolled through the city and everyone was fresh from head to toe. She Shes is official on Friday and Saturday. When you come to New Orleans and your budget is tight, hit up Harrahs Casino. You drink for free as long as youre gambling. Get some quarters and get your drink on. Here We Go Entertainment and Big Stan Productions have the club nights on lock! - Derrick Tha Franchise (Myspace.com/DerrickThaFranchise)

nEW ORLEans, La

baLTimORE, mD

If Labor Day is the end of summer, the Hub City didnt get the memo! It continues to heat up down here with show after show of hot artists. Webbie had a B-day bash with us. Hot Boy Ronald did what he do. The crowd acted an ass for The Shop Boyz. DJ Unk and Hurricane Chris cooked at the th Annual House of Chrome Car Show. Soulja Boy had folks  to 0 Crankin Dat. And the legendary UGK is guaranteed to fill the Multi-Purpose Center. With S.W.A.C. and C-USA football in full swing, were officially extending summer 07! - DJ Big Brd (llerbac@yahoo.com)

 // OZONE MAG

>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >

OKLahOma ciTy, OK
Our very own Honey Siccle Models are fresh back from the M.I.A. and have a show set for September 2nd at Club Spyce in Bricktown. Done Deal Entertainment is doing it big at On Broadway with Back to the 0s/0s and speed dating on the 2th of August. PTH crew has partial sponsorship in these events. P.O.L.O. returns to Club Spyce with Dakari Black at Club Spyce on September st. - PL (beatbrokers77@yahoo.com)

macOn, ga

Three words: Weve got game! The Warner Robins Little League brought home the championship and Ft. Valley took out Clark. If you didnt know, now you do. Sorry fellas, you missed your chance to spit game to Serious from Flavor of Love, maybe at the next PJ party. Dark Houses Hard Head Jacob is politicin on the House of Representatives mixtape this month. In the coming months, DJ Rick Flares I Set the City on Fire is dropping as well as mixtapes from PPC, Young R and J-Rell. Hit em up on Myspace. The streets are quiet, for now. - Ali Roc (radiodj22000@yahoo.com)

DJ Rob is finally receiving DJ Drama-type recognition, but not the kind he wanted. Recently, the mixtape DJ suffered a major setback as his DC studio/store was raided by the RIAA and the Feds. He was later arraigned with piracy charges. The authorities confiscated over $00,000 worth of potential evidence including mixtapes, computer hard drives, and cars. He believes the Feds focused more attention on him after he received a sudden boost in publicity in national magazines such as Vibe and OZONE, and exposure on MTV which included a feature of Robs mixtape with DJ Drama. - Pharoh Talib (Ptalib@gmail.com)

WashingTOn, Dc:

sT. LOUis, mO

Sunday night air waves are the talk of the town. Chingy and DJ SNO have a local hour on 0.FM from pm-2am. STLs North County can tune into .FM The Wave from pm-pm every Sunday to hear HittBreaka DJ Mr. Marcus. His Mixtape Show is the hottest in the city. Hes interviewed local artists like DerrtyBoi Montana, Dutch Jackson, County Brown, Da Banggaz, EQ, Family Affair, D Mac of All Stars and done live phone interviews with other artists like Grandaddy Souf, Kia Shine, Cool Nutz, Triple Darkness, B.O.B. and Short Dawg. - Jesse James (JesseJames@aol.com)

aLbUQUERQUE, nm

The heat is on in Shreveport, Louisiana! Hurricane Chris has a new remix of A Bay Bay featuring The Game, Boosie Bad Azz and E-0, just to name a few.  Entertainment signed a deal with Rap-A-Lot/Asylum. Be on the look out for Billy Broadway and Bulletproof. Lava House is rumored to have inked a major distribution deal and they are already sweating out clubs and airwaves with their hot single Pass Me Some Water. - Cmac (cmac@cumulus.com)

shREvEPORT, La

Chamillionaire previewed his latest album in da 0! Local R&B artist David Wades song Playground is getting rotation on Kiss 7., and hes the most popular local artist according to DJ Animal. J Biggs and J-Mar are also hustlin hard. The Annual Takeover Concert is coming in October. DJ Homie Marcos show Straight from The Streets continues to support local music. Del Taylor has assembled a  piece all star band called The Law of Attraction. Labels and artists looking for production better get with them now. - Beno (Beno@eadysmusicgroup.com)

cincinnaTi, Oh

TaLLahassEE, FL:

Blazin 02. just had the Celebrity Wipe Me Down Car Show in Tallahassee with a live performance by Lil Boosie and special guest Jacki-O. Ne-Yo is scheduled to arrive in Tallahassee for a benefit concert at the Civic Center. Its back to school for FAMU and FSU and the city is full of excitement. Plies has the streets on lock with The Real Testament. He grinds so hard and has alwasy showed love to Tallahassee. He was here the week of his album release and gave away free autographed copies and signed hundreds more. - DJ Dap (DJDapOnline@gmail.com)

Club Dream was closed due to a shooting which took the Life of B-Chubbs. He wasnt out there looking for trouble; he was just selling his CD. This is crazy, why are we killing off our own race? Not just in this city, but in this country, more Afro Americans are destroyed at the hands of another Afro Americans than by any other race. It has to stop. R.I.P. B-Chubbs. - Judy Jones (Judy@JJonesent.com)

The city is buzzing with the influx of mixtapes hitting streets this month. The first ever Gangsta Grillz/Real Nigga Radio mixtape from Hollywood & Big Koon of Two Dogg Records is deemed a classic by Bigga Rankin. Its in every hood. Local artists Young G.P., M.A.D.E. and Swamp Boyz have all released or are releasing mixtapes hosted by DJ Leezy. C-Nial is on the verge of a very powerful comeback with their upcoming mixtape. The Florida movement is alive and well in Ocala. - DJ Leezy (DJLeezy2@yahoo.com)

OcaLa,FL:

Big things are poppin in the O. TREAL recently inked a label deal with Universal Records. Marquis Daniels of the Indiana Pacers celebrated his birthday with his hometown. The three-day affair included events at The Roxy, JJ Whispers and a finale at Firestone with performances by Plies, Trick Daddy, Wes Fif and more. Dawgman Entertainment held down Labor Day with the Unity Fest Car Show. The after party was at Club Destiny with Trick Daddy and Trina. Everyone whos anyone was in attendance. Last but not least, Stick 000 hit 02 Jamz airwaves with I Aint Had Sex in a Long Time. - Ms. Rivercity (msrivercity@yahoo.com)

ORLanDO, FL:

Houston is prepping for round two of the new South takeover. Chamillionaires Mixtape Messiah  is all over the streets. Trae is back and showing you why he is the truth. Tre  via New Orleans is here putting it down. Jak Da Rippa and Fatman are making things happen for Texas City and Galveston. Street Hop is resurrected with Uppa Dek, Boss Hogg Outlaws, Grit boys and more. Devin and the Coughee Brothaz got the city smoked out. - Jamal J Gamble Irby (my. upclose@gmail.com)

hOUsTOn, TX

Southern Nights is operating under new management. Rumor has it that radio DJ Jimmy Doctrie will give up his afternoon drive shift to focus on his duties of Operations Manager at WJJN. Local artist Beefy, jailed on non-support charges, was also charged with possession of a controlled substance when drugs were discovered concealed in his dreadlocks. Montgomery DJ Darrell E refused to play at Club 2 in Newton, AL when the air-conditioning failed. Radio DJs Marcus Kage and Bryant Corbitt were in the area and came through in the clutch. - DJ Akil (CreativeVybes@yahoo.com)

DOThan, aL

LOUisviLLE, Ky

TamPa, FL:

Tampa was the home for CDs, mixtapes and launch parties with Plies, Tommy Gunz a.k.a. Tom G, Cristol, Aych, and others. They brought the city to the clubs to help them celebrate their latest releases. Mahogany Lounge continued its high class party with a twist by taking it to the XO Club at the St. Pete Times Forum. DJ H Vidal worked the turntables keeping the party hype. Rumor has it Boyz 2 Men Barbershop, Inc. is the latest celebrity hot spot. They even provided H Vidal with a new braidless look! - Mz T-Rock (TRock@BayAreaHaps.com)

The rap scene in Arkansas is jumping on the underground level but no one from the state has blown up yet. The radio station . Trill shows love to local artists. Major labels need to open their eyes to the talent in here. Countryside Productions keeps the scene jumping in Southeast Arkansas with parties and local shows. Duke is opening up a club soon and Kilo is one of the best promoters in the area. - DJ Hiley (LamarHiley@yahoo.com)

DUmas, aR:

Kentucky was well represented at the 2nd Annual OZONE Awards with nominations, performances, and DJs. Patiently Waiting Award for Kentucky went to G-Mack. It was well deserved and no one can argue. The other nominees (Don Fetti, B-Simm, and Below Zero) werent pushovers either. Sincere performed at the Tastemakers Only Showcase. Heavy Hitter DJ E-Feezy was in the building on the s and 2s, along with DJ Q. FyreBoy and CXPX Records stopped through The Ville to throw a talent showcase. B. is buzzin with hot singles from J.I.G., Mack D, and Nova. - Divine Da Instagata (OuttaDaShopEnt@hotmail.com)

Hustle House is the new label everyone is talking about. Nephew, Young Cash, and others opened for Plies at Plush. When someone started shooting in the club, Plies left the stage but proved hes a G by returning to finish his set 0 minutes later. Several J-Villains are nominated for the 200 SEAs: Young Cash (Indy Rap Artist), Bigga Rankin (Club Promoter), Ms. Rivercity (Industry Executive), Morton Sisters (Models), 0 Fashions (Clothing Store) and Glamour Girls (Model Agency). DJ Q made our city proud by bringing home title of Best Club DJ at the OZONE Awards. Midget Mac is the newest contestant on VHs I Love New York! - Ms. Rivercity (MsRivercity@yahoo.com)

jacKsOnviLLE, FL:

Summers over and you know we ended it with a bang. 2-Loose, Michael Blackson, Shaun Harris and crew came to town and tore it down at the after party at Nells Sports Bar and Lounge. Yours truly, DJ Deliyte, kept the party going till the early morning. On the local music scene, J-Dubb made their debut in our marquis. Richi Gotti is setting the record straight on the Rags to Riches mixtape. - DJ Deliyte (unodasound@yahoo.com)

bay sT. LOUis, ms

Julia Beverly became the Queen of Miami, at least for a weekend, when the 2nd Annual OZONE Awards hit the M-I-A. TJs DJs also did the damn thang with the conference. We already know Rick Ross is doing the damn thang! Brisco filmed a video in Opa Lockas infamous Triangle for his single Im in the Hood featuring Lil Wayne. FloRidas single Low featuring T-Pain is blowin up. Flo-Rida even made it on HBOs Entourage soundtrack. Ending on a very sad note, R.I.P. to Doc Fresh reppin Phat Man Promotions. We will miss you! - Supa Cindy (www.Myspace.com/Supadupe)

miami, FL:

OZONE MAG // 

maThEmaTics
They say everything comes to you as you need it most. Im about as sure who they are as I am about what I need exactly. I seem to excel at knowing what I dont need and finding it easily. Anyway, today I happened to be reading a book about how to make money with foreign exchange (thanks to Betty Diggs, super supportive mom of Bay Area rapper J-Diggs) and got a lesson in self and emotions - of all places to find such a lesson. This month I am going to veer from the usual how-to topics in the music industry that I normally cover in this column, and talk about something much more esoteric and general, but just as important: knowing yourself and how destructive making emotional decisions can be. Recently, I went through a very difficult break-up (difficult for me) with a man I cared for greatly, who didnt seem to feel the same way about me as I felt about him. It cost me a lot mentally, financially, and emotionally. Had I paid attention to the numerous warning signals, I would have walked away far sooner than I did, which would have fucked me up a lot less. It didnt feel right as I was going forward in the relationship, but I didnt listen to that little voice inside of me, because I cared about him so much. And besides, he needed me and was saying all the right things. In trying to heal from this emotional setback, I learned a lot about following my heart, seeing and acting on warning signs, and the value and detriment of emotions. I learned that actions speak louder than words. People may have good intentions but they are, after all, human. I also learned that hes a great guy - just not for me. I reflected on my situation and realized how many times myself and others have made bad decisions based on emotions not only within our personal lives, but with our businesses. Of all places to find answers, this book on ForEx (foreign exchange is the buying and selling of currency from around the world to make a profit) had these two basic jewels to share about life in general: ) successful business is nothing more than making and executing unemotional decisions that make economic sense, and 2) we cant control what happens to us - only how we handle those situations, and if you let your emotions control you, you are going to be more reactionary instead of responsive and are most likely to go through life with unhappiness, poverty, and mediocrity. Just about everything negative that happens to us is either self-inflicted or the result of not paying attention to warning signs, red flags, proper advice, or details. Accepting responsibility for our own actions is so painful that we often blame others rather than analyzing what really happened and responding with a system to prevent it from ever happening again. How many times have I seen failures in this business? Too many to count. The jewels I read in the book were resoundingly clear with my own recent relationship, and even more clear with the things that go wrong for many in the music business. The one mistake I see repeated constantly (including myself) is putting our energy, efforts, and money behind artists we like (emotional decision), instead of artists who will sell well (business decision). How many times have you seen people backing their cousin, brother, or friend in this business? Unless that artist has tremendous commercial potential in a world where most do not, that person is making an emotional decision and backing someone they care about instead of making a business decision to back someone they know will sell well. In , I decided to enter into managing artists and built my roster based on artists that I liked personally, or the misfits who needed my help (see a pattern here?). I did not choose artists based on the non-emotional and rational business decision of managing an artist with strong sales and touring potential. I managed a stable of artists that I liked as friends or felt sorry for. This is obviously a very BAD business decision, and it should come as no surprise that I spent more money than I made (talk about hustling backwards!) managing those artists. The one that did eventually become financially feasible ended up screwing me out of money just as I was finally about to make money from renegotiating his deal no surprise since Twista had jerked everyone who worked with him before me, in almost the exact same 20 // OZONE MAG

EmOTiOns
www.wendyday.com

BYWENDYDAYOF THE RAP COALITION

way that he jerked me. I am thankful for that hard lesson learned though. Fortunately, karma is a muthafucker and the ugliness that is done to you by others eventually comes back around and is done to them even harder! I shut down my management company in 200 after losing more money than I wish to ever admit in an article. Against all odds: I am so in love with the underdog scenario that Ive built a career (and apparently a love life) on helping the underdog, only to get bitten in the end. Every time. This is an inadequacy within myself that I need to fix. Many of the rappers who have crossed my path arent necessarily deserving artists, theyve just had access to folks with connections and/or money to help move their careers forward. And lets be real, without some sort of investor or funding, fulfilling any dream is next to impossible. Its also a good litmus test to see how badly someone wants to make their dreams happenif you somehow find the funding to succeed, you are definitely committed. I am currently consulting a label in Houston (I am not mentioning them or the artists here because this is not a shameless self-promotion plug) and the thing that struck me first and foremost about this label is that the artists are not related to the owners. They arent friends or even friends of friends. The label signed these artists based on merit and the level of grind the group had put in before getting down with any label. Impressive! And very, very rare. In an industry where sports stars and dope boys back their friends and family instead of running their businesses like a business, its very easy to understand how people lose hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to put out artists. This is why we have far more failures than successes in this business of music. As long as you continue to make decisions based on emotions (including ego, which is an emotional decision) instead of what makes good, financial sense, you will be destined to fail. EMOTIONAL DECISIONS TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COST + A label signing an artist because he or she is: A family member or friend Someone you are fucking or would like to fuck Always around you Accessible, and you are too lazy to look for anyone else Going to give you a kickback + An artist signing to a label because: They seem to have money and will give you some They are related to you or are your friend Another artist you admire is signed to them You just want a record deal and dont care who the label is Youre tired of doing all the work alone Its owned by the biggest dope boy in the hood You think all labels are the same You dont understand how the industry works + Hiring someone because: You are fucking them or would like to fuck them You trust them, so whether they are qualified to do the job or not is irrelevant They are your family member or friend, or a family member or friend of a friend They say theyve worked with other people in the industry whose names you recognize or that you admire If you noticed, in writing this I am all over the place - from talking about a difficult break up with my boy toy, to not hiring friends of friends. Thats because I wrote it from an emotional point of view instead of planning it out and writing it in an orderly fashion from a business perspective. See what I mean? Emotions have no place in the business world. Make professional decisions based on knowledge, correct information (research), understanding, and long term vision (not short term things like quick money). If you can keep emotion and ego out of your decisions, you will be infinitely successful. //

OTOGALLERIES PH

, Terrence ) 0 // Big Koon (Jacksonville, FL cksonville, FL) 0 // Bun B @ Tailgate Park y (Ja The CORE Together Da Steve Bellamy & Young City @ die, DJ Demp, & & 2 Dog Records @ Community TX) 07 // Aleesa ng Red, & G Dash @ s TX) 02 // Big Bo party (Houston, // Cool Running , Yu party (Houston, nts private Beach, FL) 0 K album release ouston, TX) 0 // Crazy Eddie e, FL)  // 0 Cent & J Xavier @ 0 Ce okman block party (Daytona ill ne @ Glo for UG n (H 0 // 0 Cent & Co nt & Lil Rain (Jacksonv 0 // Bun B & Bo DJ Clue & Lil Keke @ Mantra od @ Bethune DJ Dr Doom @ , TX)  // 0 Ce (Houston, TX) in, Rich Boy, & Black Retreat (Dallas Tyson, & Hollywo for UGK album release party leans, LA) 0 // 2 // Bigga Rank Young Bleed @ The CORE DJs Monkey Bar (Dallas, TX)  // Glo amfest (New Or o Gl at & BG @ Scre at (Dallas, TX) & & Mddlfngz @ uf, Moby Dick, Sly & PayDay @ ) 20 // Breneshia & Yung B @ , TX) 0 // Da Br & guest @ The CORE DJs Retre as ddy So Chucky , TX DJs Retreat (Dall TX)  // Cory Mo Luc Duc, Granda Rain (Jacksonville, FL) 7 // II (San Antonio n,  // Big Gipp, Cash @ The Beat Bash Mantran (Housto private party (Houston, TX) Rankin & Young ionaire @ . // Bigga nts Hill & Chamill J-Que @ 0 Ce ouston, TX)  ,0,,,20); , TX)  // Cindy private party (H II (San Antonio Intl K (O,0,0,0 city (0,0); Flip @ 0 Cents The Beat Bash Hall (07,,); akes @ . 7); Edward e (0); Ms River Mike & Bavu Bl ouston, TX) Bryan Daniels ( ; Marcus DeWayn Terrence Tyson (02,2,) Photo Credits: release party (H ry Mindz (,) Luxu for UGK album

OZONE MAG // 2

chinchEcK
ANGER ISSUES
When you live in a society or world like this that is founded on racism, sexism, and unbridled materialism, we who have been servitude slaves, never finding justice, have anger in us. We have anger, not because we think we have been disrespect we know we have been disrespected. If Allah (God) ever asked us like he asked Cain, Why has your countenance fallen and why are you angry? we could quote the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and say, God, it is because of 00 years of injustice. 00 years of watching our women be raped and disrespected and our children be slaughtered. Why shouldnt we be angry? Praise be to Allah! Only the minister could put everything into perspective for me and make me understand Im not crazy. In the fifth grade, I was clinically diagnosed as being bipolar, having attention deficit hyperactive disorder, being emotionally unstable, and manic depressive? All this just because my fifth grade teacher said I had anger issues. One trip to the punk-ass guidance counselor almost had me on Ritalin, Lithium, and Prozac. They were ready to label me EH (emotionally handicapped). I wouldve been going to class in the trailers all the way in the back of the school, eating lunch before all the regular kids, and riding that short yellow bus with tinted windows. All because they thought I was angry. Well, I was angry! And still am! So what is pissing me off today? Well, damn it, where do I start? How about Michael Vick? This brother had the NFL in the palm of his hands. Hes a multimillionaire bringing in all types of bread, but the one thing this guy chose to invest his money in had to be illegal dog-fighting. You see how us coloreds do it? Now, dont get me wrong. Fighting pitbulls is a way of life where Im from (South Carolina all day) and I totally understand the culture, but when youre a young black millionaire, you have to play the game better than that! You cant even remotely be involved in no stupid shit like dogfighting. I cant even understand a man who can afford to go anywhere in the world wanting to be in a dirty ass pit with fighting dogs. That shit just does not make logical sense to me, but that is where my grease for Michael Vick stops because the punishment that brother is receiving does not fit the crime. There is a big difference between dogs and humans! If Michael Vick had midgets fighting and he was electrocuting them when they didnt win, I can understand him getting a year in jail. I can understand him being suspended from the league indefinitely. I can understand him losing all his endorsement deals. But for some damn dogs?!? All you holier-than-thou types know that if you ran over a dog in the street with your car, youre not going to stop and turn yourself in for committing Scooby Doo homicide. The 0+ pitbulls they took off Michael Vicks property are going to be put to sleep if theyre not claimed. If the powers that be are planning to kill the dogs anyway, what is the issue here, people? Someone told me they have to kill the dogs because theyre not tamed and are trained to fight, which makes them dangerous. Okay, well, here is my solution: Bring the troops home and dump the pitbulls in Iraq. Let them go fight that unjust war, or build a halfway house for pitbulls. Keep them in a nice cage, feed them, and keep them sedated on all that medication you offer to people like myself when you diagnose us with anger issues. Let them die a natural death. Michael Vick did commit a crime because dogfighting is illegal, but I dont think he is inhumane, nor do I think he showed a lack of compassion. You know what I think is inhumane and shows a lack of compassion? The fact that there are so many tax-paying African Americans here in the USA with littleto-no healthcare. When I watch a movie like John Q and hospital doesnt want to give a little boy the surgery he needs to survive because he doesnt have proper healthcare insurance, that is inhumane and shows a lack of compassion? By the way, the title of that movie is a reference to the term John Q Public, indicating that the struggles in the story could be experienced by any average American, white or black. Damn right Im angry, because blacks keep getting caught up this damn injustice system. Look at what theyre doing to

BY CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD cthagod@gmail.com

those poor kids in Jena, Louisiana. Its a blatant racial injustice, but were too busy doing the Supaman to notice. What we dont realize is that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s statement that an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere is the truth. The powers that be know that black leadership in America is finished. They know theres no one thats going to fight for these kids. Were too busy to give of ourselves, stage sit-ins, and protest. There are no more Malcolm Xs, Denmark Veseys, or Nat Turners, and the government knows this so they take advantage of it. We couldnt get them to spare Stanley Tookie Williams life, we didnt scream loud enough about racial injustice after Hurricane Katrina, and were damn sure not doing it enough now to assist those kids in Jena, Louisiana. Matter of fact, if you are reading this and dont know what Im talking about when I speak of the Jena , then I challenge you to kill yourself! Die! Youre already mentally dead, so whats the point of breathing? Now, I will leave you with this thought: The American justice system needs to be applauded for putting Foxy Browns manicurist-attacking, Blackberryslapping, probation-violating, still-thinks-shes-a-celebrity-but-chick-thisaint- ass in jail! Who the fuck does she think she is? Shes had more than enough chances to straighten up and fly right. Truthfully, with the behavior she has exhibited, I thought she was trying to get into prison! Ive heard of people trying to break out of prison, but breaking in? Someone needs to tell this broad that nobody cares. Foxy might as well be on the next season of Charm School on VH. Her career is finished and shes going to need Jesus or the Golden Child to resurrect her situation. Someone called the radio station and said, Charlamagne, dont you think Foxy will go platinum when she gets out of jail? After I finished laughing for thirty seconds straight, I responded, Foxy Brown wouldnt go platinum if Jay-Z wrote all her rhymes, 0 wrote all her hooks, and Jeezy did all her ad-libs. Since making that comment, I have changed my stance a little bit. Foxy could go platinum if she was signed to Jehovah Entertainment by God himself, and Jesus is the executive producer of her next CD. Her first single would have to feature fresh new 2007 verses from the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Big Pun, Big L, Left Eye, Soulja Slim (for the South), and feature Aaliyah on the hook. If Foxy can make that happen, angry black men like me will be buying her next album. Until next time, earthlings, Charlamagne Tha God says peace.

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OTOGALLERIES PH

tlanta, GA) 0 release party (A T, & Spark wL a for Yung Jocs Cannon @ Oper shah Hawkins, DJ Wildhairr Ra e RunDJ Sense, & Don t, Green City, Me The Roxy for Th Dooms a, Gorilla Zoe, 02 // DJ Dram The Runners @ r, DJ Princess Cu for cksonville, FL) 0 // Hot Dolla ests & Drew of ll @ The Globe i, FL) 0 // Gu & DJ Clue Doom & Pitbu Tailgate Park (Ja CORE DJs Retreat (Dallas, TX) & BloodRaw @ @ Karu & Y (Miam treat (Dallas, TX) 0 // DJ Dr od (Miami, FL)  // DJ Statik  // e est, & DJ Irie DJ Drop @ Th 0 // DJ Demp Tone, DJ Fury, & as, TX) 0 // Dwayne Wade, gu Big Kuntry @ The CORE DJs Re aled on the set of Im So Ho CORE DJs Retreat (Dallas, TX) Kh unch t& // DJ Juice, DJ K- DJs Retreat (Dall The , LA)  // DJ Kr // DJ Princess Cu ston, TX) 0 // Gil Green & DJ // DJ Drama & Jason Geter @ RE rlando, FL) 07 st (New Orleans ingo Bling @ Low ou Dawg @ The CO ouston, TX)  sci @ Screamfe release party (O // E Class & Sun @ Mantran (H r & Ro rty (H eadlocks & Ch ners OZONE cove ) 0 )  // Da Brat lcome home pa Kardashian, & nio, TX)  // Dr (Jacksonville, FL eadlocks & Z-Ro @ Z-Ros we psi DJ battle (New Orleans, LA ayne Wade, Kim sh II (San Anto birthday party . The Beat Ba se party (Orlando, FL) 20 // Dw Blues for Pe TX) 2 // Dr aire @ ston, use of lea @ Mantran (Hou DJ Ro, Dizzy, & Currensy @ Ho i, FL) 7 // Hamm & Chamillion OZONE cover re y, r The Runners od (Miam Dyron D, DJ Luck @ The Roxy fo t of Im So Ho ,,2,); d on the se & Willie Fischer n (02); Intl K (0 One & DJ Khale ; 7,); Eric Perri )  // DJ Nasty ward Hall (0,0 DeWayne (,) ow (Houston, TX Rider car sh z (7); Marcus K-Tone (0); Ed Doom (0); DJ & Y (Miami, FL) 0); Luxury Mind (0,0,) ,2 DJ Dr DJ Clue @ Karu Terrence Tyson J Lash (0,0, Photo Credits:

OZONE MAG // 2 OZONE MAG // 2

Crank ThaTBYY
Soulja Bo
classroom during a - Mr. Hendersons Setting: rd period sentation Show and Tell pre Where iet down everyone! MR. HENDERSON: Qu and tell. Way? Time for show is Mr. DeAndre of the ting from the back SOULJA BOY: (shou ! a Boy off in this ho class) Soulj not o said that? I will MR. HENDERSON: Wh se sunglasses off in e tho tolerate cursing. Tak there g man. And why is my classroom, youn ure the one stealing m? So yo us writing on the will you be showing my White Out. What today? me me lean and watch SOULJA BOY: Watch crank t ho. Then watch me rock. Super man da dat Robocop! ncer? you want to be a da MR. HENDERSON: So t as a career endeavor t tha Im not sure abou ming or rtheless. Thats jam but interesting neve . Its rather... s say crunk as you kid jock. fresh, now watch me SOULJA BOY: Super MR. HENDERSON: Jo SOULJA BOY: Jocki ck? man. ng on them haters,

OZONE MAGA

ZIN

D THE MUS E GOES BEHIN

IC. BASED ON

sa te? Yes, class. That MR. HENDERSON: Ha will receive from peers ponse you common res ve carsuing an alternati and family when pu rienced ere have you expe reer path. Tell us, wh ? criticism this condescending I lean I do dat Soulja Boy. g on SOULJA BOY: When dat dance. Im jockin nk ckto the left and cra t to fightin, Im co we ge yo bitch ass and if . ing on yo bitch ass and your lm down! I underst MR. HENDERSON: Ca young man but violence on, anger and frustrati ank olve your issues. Th is not the way to res where . Let the class know ves so you for sharing of your dazzling mo they can see more eer ambitions. all follow your car we can party. ch me at yo local SOULJA BOY: You cat on the the weekdays and MR. HENDERSON: On weekend? crank it every day. SOULJA BOY: Yes, I TRUE RAP of THER.I.P.Y r job. ank you, sir. Great l D. tuja MR. HENDERSON: Th plause, class. (scattered By Pau Anthony Cu nd of ap by Give him a rou Photo applause) lack of ing disturbed by the me SOULJA BOY: (Look t me so gettin mad cuz I go love...) Haterz Bathing Apes.

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OTOGALLERIES PH

TX) party (Houston, Hogg Outlawz as, TX) rd @ the Boss n & Chris Wa Retreat (Dall 02 // Killa Kyleo rs, & Loaded @ The CORE DJs vier & Kiotti te cksonville, FL) ) 07 // Lil J Xa Together Day (Ja est, Grandaddy Souf, Money Wa nts private party (Houston, TX c @ DJ GTs birthday for Community Ce Gu Ma n, TX) 0 // sonville Arena a Magana & J sco Kidd @ 0 // JT, e & Alju @ Jack wg @ Damage Control (Housto ston, TX) 0 // Lil Flip & Cri , TX) 0 // Marci Orleans, LA) 2 party 0 // Gorilla Zo ou s Retreat (Dallas Yung Joc @ Screamfest (New Cents private B-Do, & Short Da UGKs album release party (H @ The CORE DJ E-0, Rosci, & King Uhyness la Kyleon @ 0 0 // Kritikal, DJ Hines e for ace, DJ Chill, & )  // Juggie,  // Kiotti & Kil lvin Foley & KJ & Shoota @ Lif TX) 0 // Lil Pe treat (Dallas, TX s (Houston, TX) s Retreat (Dallas, TX) 7 // Me 0 // Jas Prince party (Houston, The CORE DJs Re Star, Sol, Baby Boy, & KJ Hine ng Jocs release te y@ @ The CORE DJ @ Opera for Yu @ 0 Cents priva ) 0 // Mercedes & Young Cit as, TX)  // J Souf & Tum Tum on Deary of The Green Group TX DJs Retreat (Dall ouston, TX)  // Grandaddy ht party (Houston, ah Gunter & As wn @ The CORE (H Boomto Mantran )  // Le Big Chief, & Mr m Hell Date @ treat (Dallas, TX 0); Marcus De // J & Kiya fro e & Foxx @ The CORE DJs Re ) Luxury Mindz (2 (Houston, TX) ,,,,7); Fam Lif tin, TX Rivercity (0) of Wayne (); Ms (02,0,0,0,07,0 @ Antones (Aus TX)  // Juju (Houston, rrin (); Intl K gno & Kyle Lee a, GA) 20 // Ma 2,,); Eric Pe ,0,0, party (Atlant Edward Hall (0 Photo Credits:

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Words by Eric Perrin

his is the story of Sweetie, a shy girl who secretly loves attention and has a thing for orange soda. And any man lucky enough to witness the bottle shaped beauty downing a bottle of her favorite beverage will undeniably be left with an orange crush. The -year-old Atlanta native has been dancing since she was legally able, literally. As soon as she turned , Sweetie traded in school books for a schoolgirl uniform and started earning extra credit. Although she admits that getting naked was initially the hardest part, Sweetie feels comfortable enough in her body to flaunt her -22-2 figure.

If you ever convince her to go on a date, however, dont be surprised if her shyness is the only thing she exposes. Im really, really shy, she admits. Id say that out of 0, my shyness is a . When I go on a first date, I hardly say anything until the guy starts talking and I feel comfortable. But Sweetie is comfortable with her family knowing about her profession, as long as its not her grandmother. Everybody, I mean everybody in my family knows Im a stripper, but for some reason my grandmother is under the impression that I clean buildings for a living, she laughingly confesses. Yet the only building Sweetie cleans up at is Strokers, and trust she cleans up enough to support her lavish lifestyle. Sweetie is a certified shopaholic who spends most of her days in the mall. Clothes are her passion, even though at work she doesnt get to show them off too much. But her future plans do involve clothing; after her dancing days are done Sweetie hopes to pursue a career as a pediatric nurse. I dont know why. I just like to help kids. I think Id be good at giving shots, she says with a smile. But for now, Sweetie spends her nights nursing grownup kids in an adult playground, and the patients wish they could be the ones sticking her with a needle. //

Website: www.strokersclub.com Photographer: Sean Cokes 0-22-77 Make-Up Artist: Mike Mike 7-72-2 Hairstylist: Baby Boy 0--27

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OTOGALLERIES PH

, s Retreat (Dallas @ The CORE DJ RE DJs Retreat hairr, & DJ Chill CO Clarke, DJ Wild g Bleed @ The FL) 02 // Mike Behavin, & Youn y, DJ Q, & Ivory @ Rain y (Jacksonville, Loaded, DJ Mz ity Together Da om 0 // Rich Bo XX The Box (Houston, TX) n C, Moby Dick, 0 // OG Ro ) - DJ Dr Do son @ Commun at (Dallas, TX) (Jacksonville, FL e & Terrence Ty ia Magana @ KB UGK album e CORE DJs Retre of Hustle Hous s birthday party h, FL) 0 // Souja Boy & Maric & Joke the Smoke @ Life for 0 // Mob Boss )  // tton Mouth @ Th Kira @ The Globe for Doom ac (Daytona Be TX)  // Scooby e CORE DJs Retreat (Dallas, TX od cci, DJ Chill, & Ko Doom, & his wife man block party Texas @ Mantran (Houston, TX) 0 // Mr Lu Th Ho Rasheeda, DJ Dr Elora Mason @ Bethune Cook ng rs & Ike G Da @ Khaled on the set of Im So // & Yu // Money Wate na (Dallas, TX) 0 ck & ark Dawg, Sun, Rick Ross & DJ (Dallas, TX)  // Rick Ross & Tri ) 07 // Papa Du n, TX) 0 // Sp RE DJs Retreat allas, TX)  // (Dallas, TX)  (Jacksonville, FL DJ Ryno @ Mantran (Housto Bleed @ The CO al @ The CORE DJs Retreat (D RE DJs Retreat & Young The CO 0 // Spark Dawg ston, TX) 2 // Mistah FAB & Tony Ne daddy Souf @ )  // RawLT & (Miami, FL)  // Play & Gran ou release party (H @ KBXX The Box (Houston, TX J Lash ) So Hood ests ,0,,,20); the set of Im ran (Houston, TX Souja Boy & gu ,); Intl K (0,0 ol, & DJ Nasty on Sun & Tracy McGrady @ Mant // (02,0,0,2,, ,07); Terrence Tyson (0) ) 7 // Spiff, Co (Miami, FL iami, FL) 20 ; Edward Hall ercity (0 m So Hood (M DJ Dr Doom (0) (,7,); Ms Riv on the set of I Photo Credits:

OZONE MAG // 27 OZONE MAG // 27

SHE SAW MY CHAIN AND STARTED RELAXIN, THATS WHAT THE FUCK I CALL A

got a few TS chains, but the new one that I upgraded to is a huge, yellow diamonds, black diamonds, and white diamonds piece thats just a big heavy, phenomenal, amazing, tremendous TS logo piece. And it hangs on the belly of a don. I had to upgrade because I had a new album [We The Best] out and it was only right that I upgraded the chain, because every album gets an updated chain or something incredible. Plus, for different occasions, I want to wear a different type of chain. This big one is called the ignorant, arrogant, but very humble at the same time piece; its a combination. The other TS chain I have is more of a sexy, keepin it smooth type piece, but this one is just boom, inyour-face, and it reminds you who I be and who I rep with. The greatest reaction I got from this chain was at the OZONE Awards, on that OZONE stage during the opening performance. I was performing We Takin Over with Lil Wayne, Birdman, Fat Joe, and Rick Ross, and then Im So Hood with T-Pain, Trick Daddy, and Plies. When that chain was bouncing and they were shooting the cameras at me and that TS piece

on stage, every magazine in the world and every TV screen with MTV Jams had their attention on me. Thats what you get a chain like that for, to attract attention. When you stunt on stage and rip it down, and then open up that OZONE Magazine and see yourself with that chain in the photo gallery, thats what you want. The chain cost $,000, but its proved to be a great investment for me. The chain was made by TV Johnny, and Im gonna be honest with you: Fat Joe actually made this chain for himself, but one day I looked at Joe and said, Joe, I need that upgrade. Im going on the road to promote my album, I gotta look right. Joe, you cant tell me no. I need that. And he said, Khaled, its yours, you can have it, Ill just buy me another one. I swear to you, Joe only had that chain for two days. It was a great gift. Now I gotta get as big as him so I can buy him one someday. As told to Eric Perrin // Photo by Ray Tamarra

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Khaleds 65K
Terror Squad PieCe

OTOGALLERIES PH

@ . The The Beat crew ston, TX) 0 // The CORE DJs ivate party (Hou Chapman & Money Waters @ @ 0 Cents pr ver release TJ e, & Reggie Reg Rain (Jacksonville, FL) 0 // nners OZONE co Ru // T Gray, J-Qu Neal & Big e Roxy for The TX) 0 // Tony sonville, FL) 02 Washington, & Bigga Rankni @ e Fischer @ Th ck welry (Houston, k ilgate Park (Ja r The RunSytonnia & Willi @ The Roxy fo  girls @ TV Je ino & P.I.T. @ Ta 0 // Young Cash, Lil Hen, Dere car show (Houston, TX) 07 // 0 // Supa Ch Thug @ ustons Sweet way, & J-Dawg // T Gray & Slim ston, TV Johnny & Ho n Antonio, TX) nnia, Kaye Duna hs @ Low Rider nville, FL)  TX) 2 // Syto Beat Bash II (Sa ) 0 // Trae signing autograp leans, LA) 0 // ther Day (Jackso home party (Hou party (Houston, amfest (New Or ge , TX Scre welcome home Z-Ros welcome r Community To Retreat (Dallas Joc & Rosci @ ck Daddy & Cool Boyz @ Z-Ros nville Arena fo ckett & Aztek @ FL) 0 // Yung ach, FL)  // Tri , TX)  // TMI Cash @ Jackso  // Wickett Cri party (Orlando, rty (Daytona Be s Retreat (Dallas o, FL)  // Tarvoria & Young private party (Houston, TX) RE DJ okman block pa Chief @ The CO (Orland 0 Cents n @ Bethune Co r release party sa & Lil Flip @ ny & Elora Maso ners OZONE cove rty (Houston, TX)  // Tere yne (0,7);  // Tampa To te pa Orleans, LA) ); Marcus DeWa 0 Cents priva Luxury Mindz (0 Screamfest (New & Baby Boy @ ); J Lash (); TX) 7 // TI iami, FL) ,0,,,, ,07,2) m So Hood (M ,0); Intl K (02,0 (,); Terrence Tyson (0,0 on the set of I Edward Hall (0 Ms Rivercity Photo Credits:

OZONE MAG // 2 OZONE MAG // 2

aKOn anD T-Pain

T-Pain: Hey, this is Nappy Boy. Have you been fucking with my voice machine again? aKOn: No. T Pain: Well, the shit aint workin. aKOn: Sorry, dont blame it on me. Whats wrong with it? T Pain: I dunno, the pitch is off, the shit has me sounding like Macy Gray. aKOn: Lol! T Pain: That shit aint funny. I gotta hurry up and finish my verse for the crank that Soulja Boy remix.

OZOnE EXcLUsivE
Textin is no longer safe now that OZONEs dangerous minds have hacked the system.

aKOn: Fuck you, Im supposed to be on that. You stealin all my shine. Im at the fuckin bowling alley and nobody even knows who the fuck I am. Im sick of this shit. Im the number one artist on Konvict Music, not you. Remember that. T-Pain: But Im Nappy Boy, the Tallahassee Hero. aKOn: Youre fucking ass is everywhere. You were on that Plies song, then you were on the Im So Hood song, and then Chris Brown, and now youre on Kanyes new shit. The only work I got lately is on Curtis fuckin album and aint nobody like that shit. T-Pain: But Boss, you were on the We Takin Over song. aKOn: But I didnt take shit over. Nigga, you won three OZONE awards and all I got was one. Thats why I fucked up your voice machine. Im tired of hearing you every time I turn on my radio. T-Pain: But boss, were on the same label. aKOn: Fuck that. This is African Pride, and you crossed the line. The next time I see you Im gonna throw spears at yo fuckin ass and send that Mini Cooper off a cliff. Youre officially dropped from my label. T-Pain: Finally! If I had known it was that easy I would have never slept with three of your wives.

- From the minds of Eric Perrin and Randy Roper (Photo by Julia Beverly)

*This is just a joke. No, we didnt really hack into anyones sidekick.

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OZONE MAG // 

Disclaimer: These are my opinions and my statements. They do not reflect on Bun B or UGK as a group.

On an internet rumor stating that Pimp C was arrested for crack cocaine possession on September th before a show in Fort Smith, Arkansas: That sounds like somethin that some of them internet niggas put out there. Thats some bullshit. As of today its Friday [September th] and Im on parole, so if I had been arrested somewhere [last weekend] I wouldve been extradited back to Texas by now and Id have a 0 day hold on me and we wouldnt even be doing this interview, so thats some dick-in-the-booty-ass shit that some ol hatin ass niggas put out there. Theres videotapes from the show on YouTube or one of them ol internet gangsta-ass sites where them ol faggot ass niggas be watching each other like they gon suck each others dicks. I dont understand that internet shit anyway. I dont be on that shit every day like these niggas; Im in the streets trying to get money. So theres pictures of me at the show and a video of me doing the show, and niggas like me dont get caught with crack. If we did get caught [with anything], it would be some muthafuckin work. We aint gonna ride with it already rocked up. We gon ride with it soft and when we get to where we goin, we gon sell some muthafuckin wholesale. I dont know what the fuck is wrong with these people. Why the fuck would I have some muthafuckin crack anyway? At no time in my whole muthafuckin past life have I ever been caught with no hard nothin. Bitch-ass niggas get caught with hard cause thats the only type of niggas that would ever be out in the streets with some muthafuckin shit like that. If you had got a report from years ago that I got caught with some bricks, maybe that might have been the truth. But this is a whole new year, a whole new day, and were not selling dope. Were selling dope CDs. On UGKs album Underground Kingz: This is the first time weve had the # record in the country. Thats a blessing coming from a group thats been around as long as we have. I consider us to be a part of the Old South the forefathers, niggas that were paving the way and making records back when it wasnt all that cool to be from the South. So for a group from the old regime to sell 0,000 double albums the first week that means 0,000 times two that made me and my brother Bun feel good. We had never done those type of numbers before and it let us know that what were doing is still relevant. We couldnt have done that without the fans actually going to the record stores and buying records instead of buying it from the guy at the gas station or the car wash for $. So we feel very blessed and were humbling ourselves and giving all the credit to the staff at Jive Records and Barry Weiss and the people that helped us promote this record. Weve also gotta give a bunch of credit to Outkast for getting down with us on International Players Anthem, and Three  Mafia and Project Pat for bringing us the track. It was a team effort. Right now were gold and its a very good chance that well get our first platinum plaque with this album, so were very blessed. On UGK the group: We took an oath back when we were teenagers that this is UGK for life. Weve actually got tattoos on our arms in the same place that says UGK for life. So its self-explanatory. A lot of times when you see Bun you dont see me; thats because we have to go our separate directions to promote on our own. When were separate, we can cover more ground than we can being together. That doesnt mean that its not still UGK for life; weve just figured out ways to promote and cover more ground. He works good on his own; hes got a real good mouthpiece. Im doing pretty good on my own, when I can control my tongue. (laughs) Were still getting good solo show money as Bun B of UGK and Pimp C of UGK, so were still out there doing [solo] dates. When the time is right and the tour money is right, you may possibly see a UGK tour. But we aint tryin to go out [on the road] for pennies. Every time we go out, we risk our lives. Every time I go out, I risk my freedom. Im on parole. I aint tryin to go out nowhere for $0,000 or $,000 and risk my freedom for that shit. Anything can happen on the road when youve got a crew of people road managers, security, sound man, bus
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driver anywhere from 0 to 0 muthafuckers on the road at one time. If one of them fucks up, everybody can be fucked up. If a bitch screams rape, she aint gonna say Joe Blow the bus driver raped her. Shes gonna say Pimp C and his crew did it. An allegation for you may be just a case youve gotta fight and when you prove its a lie, everything is cool, right? But an allegation like that for me means I get arrested, extradited back to Texas, and held in custody until we prove whether the shit is true or not. Im on parole. This shit is serious business. Ive got one foot in and one foot out [of prison]. So Ive gotta be real careful.

On Russell Simmons, Oprah, and Al Sharpton: Going back to the Russell Simmons shit, that wasnt mainly about his sexual preference. Im talking about all his statements about what we should and shouldnt be saying in these rap records. Thats some dick-in-the-booty-ass shit cause hes the one who does the most cussin on Runs House. You cuss like a muthafucker every day, nigga, and you built your whole muthafuckin record label off of niggas cursing and making gangsta ass records. And now you wanna team up with all these ol fogey ass muthafuckers like Oprah Winfrey because youve got all the muthafuckin money, and you niggas wanna try to dictate whats going on? You ol funky ass muthafuckers get on airplanes flying to Africa talking about save the children. Bitch, weve got some children that need to get saved right here in Detroit. Its enough homeless kids hurting right here in the states; you aint got to get on no muthafuckin airplane and fly halfway across the world to try to find some kids to save. That bitch [Oprah] has got every other muthafucker on her show, but she doesnt wanna let Ice Cube come on because you dont like his lyrics. Bitch, fuck what youre talkin about. Everybody got mad at David Banner cause he made that record [So Special] and talked about Al Sharpton. I dont know enough about Al Sharpton to even make no statements about the muthafucker, but I do know that his hair is in a perm and he does look like a muthafuckin old school pimp. I thought the song was real funny. On Young Jeezy and Atlanta: Even when we have disagreements in the South amongst each other and even when we dont see eye to eye down here, that dont mean that niggas from other areas can attack a nigga from down here and think that we wont posse up with each other and get dead on yo muthafuckin ass. For instance, this lil muthafuckin small-framed lil bitchass nigga from New York you know who Im talkin about, one of them little niggas that Pac took off the map way back when tried to diss TI to sell a couple of records. If any nigga from any part of the world gets on a muthafuckin record and says something about Young Jeezy or Ludacris or Jermaine Dupri or me or Plies or anybody down here, were gonna unite like the Bloods and the Crips and the mandingo warriors and all the rest of the black people do in the penitentiary when its a war against the Mexicans. We gonna posse up and fight you muthafuckers side by side and when the shit is over well go back our separate ways. Everybody tried to make the shit a certain thing between me and Jeezy, right? Me and Jeezy got some shit we need to iron out. Theres some shit I dont like with some things that are personal between me and him. And theres some shit he dont like about me right now. And its some other people that I might have some problems with. But let one of you bitch ass niggas from up North try and attack [Jeezy] and he aint even gonna have a chance to get out there and get jiggy with your bitch ass cause Im gonna jump out there and get on your funky ass myself before he gets a chance to do it. We can have internal disagreements down here, but let one of you outside-ass niggas jump out there with that shit and youll see some cold muthafuckin shit go down. Niggas will unite on your muthafuckin ass, and Ill be the first one to say it. Ill ride for Atlanta in a war before anybody else gon have a chance to do it. When I be rapping on records, Im representing the whole muthafuckin South, not just one part of it. // Photo by Julia Beverly

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tatted up
Photo credits: Terrence Tyson (Allergic 2 Broke & Make A Bitch Rich); D-Ray (Love/Hate & Cutthroat)

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1 0 MIchael VIcK
Ways for to MaKe a lIVIng Post-nfl
Words by Drew Beverly // Photo by Cameron Krone
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Now that Mr. Vick has decided to be a man about his actions, he may very well never play another NFL game. He still has needs though, right? As caring, compassionate individuals, we decided to come up with a few ways for Mike to make some cash without killing any more dogs.

animals. If you need someone to help get you started, we can get you in touch with Tim Donaghy. Weve heard he has some friends in that area.

4 5 6 7 8 9

1 2 3

Become A Used Car Salesman Hey, Dan Marino did it, right? Look at it this way: No one trusts a used car salesman who appears trustworthy. Youve already done an excellent job of ruining your image, so people would have no choice but to trust you. Besides that, how many people would buy a car from you just to say they bought a car from Mike Vick? Autograph each steering wheel, and the value of every Cutlass Supreme on the lot just tripled. Be careful, though: If youre going to get into this car business, know that its a dog-eat-dog world out there. No pun intended. Join The Incredible Athlete Turned Terrible Rapper Community This amazing list of people already includes Shaquille ONeal, Deion Sanders, and Roy Jones Jr. That is tough to beat. Michael, MichaelYoure a great athlete, and you get bored every once in a while, we understand. But instead of taking out your frustration on the animals, get somebody to throw you a beat. Were here for you, Mike. Join The Mafia Everybody has seen your bulging muscles in those Under Armour commercials, and were all very impressed. The Al Capones and Charles Lucianos of this world would love to have someone like you on their staff. They even said theyd promise to make you an offer you cant refuse. Be a bouncer, do some dirty work, just try to stay away from the

Get A Job At The Georgia Dome Give Arthur Blank and Rich McKay a call and propose a serious meeting to determine where to go from here. Let them know that you are on a tighter budget now, and maybe they could pick up some Twistee Treats and meet up at your place. Try and work your magic into another job at the Georgia Dome, possibly in concessions. I know the pay is probably a little less than youre used to, but I definitely think that there is potential here. Imagine with me if you would: Vicks CONcessions. The best part, though? You get to throw dogs around all day long! You can toss them in the air, stomp them while theyre on the ground, stab them with a knife repeatedly if you so desire; I dont think you could make them taste any worse. Just make sure they get on the bun and to 2 year old former Michael Vick protg Johnny Boy in time for him to catch kickoff. Join The WWE Pacman Jones got TNA, but you, Mike, you have the chance to go BIG. Come up with a catchy nickname, The QB, The Vickinator, or my favorite, Top Dog. Do a few shows, travel around a little bit, attract some big crowds. It would be a decent way for you to stay in shape, just try to stay away from the Chris Benoit Workout Plan, I think that one is a bit risky. Maybe you will win of those huge belts, and you can use it to beat some more innocent puppies. Start A Fantasy Football League With Your Fellow Inmates Take some big bets at the beginning of the year (once again, if you need help, Mr. Donaghy said hes got connections) and sit back and watch the royalty checks come in. Who could possibly beat you? You already have the experience of playing with and against these guys every week, and you know who is good and who sucks. Also, you played on the Falcons for all those years so you already know not to pick anyone from Atlanta. How could you possibly go wrong? Become A Weatherman I dont care if you dont know the difference between Hurricane Katrina and a hurricane with a double shot, this would be high comedy. I would move to Atlanta just to watch you on the  oclock news every night: Well, Bob, its raining cats and dogs out there. Start Your Own Clothing Line Vick7 hats and shoes would be a huge hit. Throw in some doo-rags and XXL tees and this line would be flying off the shelves. Dog tags and dog collars too? Hire Snoop Dogg as a spokesmodel if you have to. The idea has worked for some people, and for others it has been a complete bust. Its all about your attitude, and you have to be passionate about what youre selling. Just imagine your clothes not selling like little Fido not winning his wrestling match. Try not to get any blood on the merchandise though; its not good for sales. Become The New Kevin Federline Film some commercials making fun of yourself and your situation. You killed innocent canines, so you cant seriously care what people think about you. Remember the Michael Vick Experience commercials? Just make a few more of those, relevant to your new life. Maybe have one where participants dress up in an orange jumpsuit and try to weave their way through rapists and murderers without being molested? Show us how Mike Vick escapes from prison, complete with juke moves and body slams?

MIchael
By the nUMBers
$23,102,750 Vicks salary last season $8,667,200 The salary of the 2nd highest paid player on the Falcons last season 75.7 Quarterback rating for Vick last season 19 Number of NFL quarterbacks with a better rating 1 Number of women named Sonya Elliot who filed civil lawsuits against Vick in 2002, claiming that he gave them genital herpes, and went to see a doctor for the disease under the alias Ron Mexico. 2 Number of days after the incident that it took for the NFL to ban all personalized jerseys from having the letter and number combination Mexico, 7 4 Number of major professional sports leagues (NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB) that ban any personalized jersey from bearing the combination of Mexico and 7 to this day.

VIcK

10

Become The International Ambassador for PETA Seriously. These guys have talked so much junk about you; this would be a great way for you to redeem yourself. Not only would they have to pay you, but you would ruin any and all credibility that they currently have. This would be like a womans rights association hiring OJ Simpson. Youd be back in the news again and back as a nightly punchline on Letterman. This is a good thing. We believe you can succeed in whatever you put your mind to. Whether you and Pacman Jones want to revive the XFL or if you would rather just move on with your life, weve got your back 00%. If you do decide to venture out into a new career, be careful. You know what they say: You cant teach an old dog new tricks. //

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avid Banner has a story to tell, but youre not ready to listen. He has the album youve been waiting to hear, just not from the person you want to hear it from. He has something to say, but you wont let him speak, and today, neither will we. Right now, David Banner is tied to a chair in a poorly ventilated garage in Southern California. Its the middle of August, and whats worse, his mouth is taped shut. But even when vocally dormant, David Banner is deafening. His presence alone is more audible than the Southern University Marching Band and his facial expressions during our four hour photo shoot are screaming through the silence; they are telling of the disgust he feels for the rap industry that turned its back on him. So for a while David Banner turned his back on rap. But now hes back on rap. Armed with a fuck-you-pay-me attitude, fresh beef with some of Black Americas most powerful leaders, a new career in Hollywood (that has him paid him to the point where rapping has become more of a hobby), and an album he says is the possibly the best ever, Lavell Crump is finally happy. After more than two years in the making, David Banner is ready to reveal The Greatest Story Ever Told. Shut the fuck up and listen. Every time we talk you have a different story to tell. Whats been going on with you lately? Money. Thats been my only focus. In the past Ive let the way Lavell Crump feels rule David Banner, and I dont think thats the smartest thing to do; from my [Heal The Hood] benefit stuff to personal things. I think Ive really spread myself thin, where I shouldve probably focused on me. And it aint nothing wrong with that but the better that you do [for yourself], the more you can do for others. But the thing I thank God for is that when a lot of people get to the level of understanding that I have now, theyre not in a position where they can use it to their advantage. Thats not the case for me right now. Im in a very good position to really capitalize off all the blessings Ive been given. This is the best time of my life, ever. I got a new look, I done cut it up, so physically Im looking better than I ever have in my life. Mentally I know more than Ive ever known. Ive got the best album in the last three years, so really how much can you ask for? Now its up to me to get out there and make sure the people hear the records, and for them to pick up [the album]. Recently you were quoted as saying that last year was the worst year of your life, so its kind of ironic that you say this year is the best of your life. Can you explain? Well, 0 was the worst year of my life, but with 07 its a different year, and its filled with different things. I went through a real, real bad depression, man. I went through a lot of really bad shit that most rappers wouldnt admit they went through, and my thing is, if we want our kids to get through certain hardships we have to let them know that weve been through the same things, but you can also come out of it. I think most rappers only tell half of the story. They tell the good part of the dope game, or the good part of the rap game, but they dont tell you about when you go to jail and what happens to you when you go to jail. Or when you dont invest your money right and the IRS is coming after you. People never tell the bad part of the story.

So with me, I really want to keep it one hundred and just be honest about the good and the bad parts of life. I went through hell, and for the most part, I aint blaming nobody for it. Im blaming it all on me. What kind of hell were you going through? I was overweight. I was 2 points from diabetes. I had my homeboys managing me, and its not that we werent doing the best that we could do, but niggas didnt know what the fuck we were doing. Just because I can speak well and people think Im smart doesnt mean shit. Yeah, Im book smart and street smart, but that aint got nothing to do with the record industry. Its crazy coming from being homeless all the way to making million dollar mistakes. Thats hard for anybody to swallow. I did all the shit that niggas said I wasnt gon do. Niggas was hollering that I was gon leave MississippiI stayed down. Niggas was saying I wasnt gon do nothing for the community a nigga did it. I listened to every negative thing anybody ever said I couldnt do, and then it became my goal to prove em wrong. Niggas said I couldnt make a hit record by myself there goes Play, all off in yo muthafuckin mouth, bitch. What Ive learned is that you cant satisfy everybody. You really cant satisfy nobody, so I really dont give a fuck anymore. 200 was terrible, and when I was going through all that bad shit, everybody just spread away from me. I had a couple of friends that rallied and helped me, but a nigga was down and out. I felt like God was taking me through a valley. Now Im stronger than Ive ever been mentally and physically. I dont get mad about too much shit, and I dont get happy about too much. Its just sorta like an even kill, and now I know how much Ive contributed to the game. I know how important I am. I know Im doper than most of these niggas from the rapping perspective. This year Im gonna prove it. On the rap side most niggas cant fade me. I want you to listen to MM and write that verse out. If I got  slugs,  bullets gon fly. If I got a red beam,  people gon die,  mamas gon cry,  spirits in the sky,  preachers preaching  sermons tellin  lies. Cause each and every  of all  niggas wasnt shit. Dawg, write that verse out. If Biggie wouldve spit my verse from MM it would have been a Hip Hop quotable. Niggas wouldve been talking about that verse to this day. I smashed that verse! Ill put it to you like this: I got the album niggas been waitin for, but not from the person they want to hear it from. Why is that? If you feel that you and Biggie are the same page lyrically, why dont you get the same respect? Well, its a lot of reasons, but one thing is that I dont come from no clique. Something people gotta give me though, is that didnt nobody make me. I didnt have nobody to vouch from me. I didnt come from no major label, I came from SRC. I made SRC; I started SRC. If it wasnt for me, none of the acts you see on SRC would have come into fruition. I didnt have that Jimmy Iovine push. I had to get out there and do it myself. I stayed on tour for three years! Niggas dont remember that with my second album, I did that shit in two weeks. I A&Red the record, did the beats, and I was staying up two days at a time making history. That was history; one nigga in the studio by himself, rapping and recording like a muthafuckin slave. And then, what people dont understand about my third album is that I was promoting during Katrina, and my region was fucked up! Look at the amount of albums that I sold with my region being fucked up, and aint nobody in my region buying records cause they homes were gone. So imagine what my record sales would have been if Katrina never happened. But people dont see that.

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Look at beef in rap, thats just how they used to do the sLaves. just think about when niggas are beefin against each other, the nigga who wins is the one who strips the other nigga naked and totaLLy embarrasses him.

It seems like people respect you more as a community activist than a rapper. But whats fucked up is that all the industry muthafuckers that I helped, and all the people whose sons bar mitzvahs I was coming to and whatnot, and all the muthfuckas that was like, David Banner we salute you for what you did after Katrina, you the realest nigga ever, they werent there for me when I needed them. I was asking all those same people for some help on my album, and they were all like, Well get you next time, my nigga. With my label I was like, Didnt yall see what I did? Dont I get credit for any of that? And they were like, Were sorry, you did a good deed, but fuck it. Thats when I realized that its God that gives you your blessings. So God took music all the way from me, and he gave me movies, dawg. He gave me cartoons. He showed me that music is not my god, and that this music shit is only a small part of my eternal life. And I let music go. I didnt do no music for 7 months. I hated gospel. I hated blues. I hated jazz. The label had taken that joy away from me. God showed me that music aint important, and if I believe in Him, Hell take care of me. And thats when the movies started coming in. Whats been the best moment in your experiences in Hollywood? The first time Sam Jackson looked at me and smiled, and told me I was doing a good job. He coached me through Black Snake Moan. And also, I want to give credit to Snoop Dogg. When I was fucked up, Snoop Dogg called me and told me to come to his studio. Dude sat down and counseled me through the whole shit. We always holla when niggas is beefin against each other, but not when niggas is helping each other out, and that nigga helped me and I would like to thank Snoop for that. Being that youre spending a lot of time on the West Coast, do you feel like you can bridge the gap between the South and the West? I dont know. For some reason niggas in the West really love me. Its a cool ass vibe. Im very focused when Im in L.A. I train two times a day, I read my scripts, and I set up a studio in my apartment where I do beats. Im real focused out in L.A. cause I dont know too many people. So L.A. is sorta like my boot camp. What kind of scripts have you been reading? I know you tried out for the next Batman movie. I cant really talk about the scripts because I did that one time and I lost a movie. Some directors dont like that kinda shit. But with the Batman situation, you gotta think; the fact that I even got a chance to audition [for the part] with Batman, thats huge. Think about how big that is from where I come from. I come from nothing. You mentioned earlier that your emotional state has changed to the point where you neither get overly happy nor sad anymore. Are you sure thats a good thing? Youre a pretty animated dude, so if your emotions are always set at a certain level is it possible for you to truly be yourself? Yeah, I can exude my full personality, but I just cant get too excited about anything. When you get overly excited or mad, thats an exaggerated state. If you notice, usually when people are really, really happy about something that shit really aint that good. Or when people are down about something, it really aint that bad. Thats how life is, just take it. My daddy just died four months ago, and Ive just figured out that he really was my best friend. Its hard when you find that out after theyre gone. Looking back at my life he was really, really hard on me, but if you want to know why Im the type of man that I am, and why I stand up for the shit that I do, its because a man raised me, not a woman. So, Im gonna act like a man. Thats why most of these rappers feel uncomfortable around me, cause they bitches! Most of these rappers is bitches. Id say 0% of these niggas thats rappin is hoes and you can tell em I said it. They bitches. Thats the reason you dont see me hanging out and kickin it and shit, cause these niggas is false, these niggas is bitches, they not men of they word. Niggas talk all this street shit, but really its all about yo word. I dont give a fuck if you a dope dealer. I dont give a fuck if you a killer. Its about yo word. Niggas talk about mafia life, but mafia niggas kept they word. They kept a sense of honor. Wheres these rappin niggas honor? Niggas dont keep they word. They dont do what they say they gon do because these niggas is bitches. Damn. Im sure when you first came into the game you didnt feel that way, so obviously youve come across a lot of disloyalty. Is there any specific event prompted you to be so angry at the industry? Well, its just living. You gotta live. Im at the point now where its like, Dont call David Banner for shit unless it got something to do with money! Im dead serious. If it aint about money, bury yo self. I do my own charity. Dont call me when its time for charity, or dont call me when its time to do something for free; call me when you got some money for me. Do you think people perceive you as too much of a nice guy because of all your charitable work?

What happened with me is that I had a pretty hard life, and niggas act like selling dope is cool. Selling dope aint cool. Not knowing if somebody gon kick in your door, not knowing if your homeboy a snitch, not knowing if the shit around you is real, that shit aint cool. Killing somebody aint cool; having somebodys soul on top of your soul, that aint cool. Going to jail aint cool. The shit I used to do aint cool. So once God blessed me and got me out of that shit, I was so happy to be out of the streets, my nigga. I didnt want nobody else to feel the way I had felt way no more. But now Ive figured out thats what niggas want, so Ima give it to em. You want the old David Banner, you want me to smack you in yo muthafuckin mouth? Ill be glad to. Fuck it. Whats your problem with Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and some of the other black leaders? My problem with them is this: Out of all the problems going on in the world right now, why would they choose to attack young black men? Dont you think that America attacks us enough? What pisses me off is that people act like young, black men are the reasons for Americas problems, but its not young, black men, its old, white men who you can trace most of the problems to. If you look at crack in America, you can trace that back to the CIA, but Oprah doesnt want to talk about that; Jesse wont talk about that; that would mess up their corporate sponsors. I tell people all the time, what we do as rappers is art. Oprah Winfrey will have a show dedicated to the words bitch and hoe, but she wont put Martin Scorsese on there. She promoted the book A Million Pieces that had all kind of hoes and bitches and drugs in it, because Oprah feels that what white folks do is art and what we do is trash. Thats hypocritical; youre a sellout. Nobody protects young, black men. We dont even protect ourselves. We didnt protect Akon, and you know he didnt have nothing to do with that girl being young and in the club. Come on my dude, where they at to protect us, homie? But were guilty of the same thing too, because well beef with each other, but we wont come to help each other. And everybody in America knows that. They feel they can put anything off on us, because we not even gon protect our own damn selves. Thats my problem with the so-called black leaders. Why do you think the rap game doesnt stand up for itself? Its a whole bunch of bitch shit going on. The Hip Hop game right now is whole bunch of girls yapping at each other. Niggas in the rap game are grown ass men with children, acting like little children, and then since they see they can make money off this shit they done turned it into the WWF. Thats why I say that this Hip Hop shit is bullshit. This shit about money. Do you still have a love for the game, even though you say its all bullshit? Yeah, I love it. But Im not gon lose no sleep over this shit no more. Im just gon continue to make jammin ass music. I know I got the best album in the last three and a half years, whether people buy the record or not. I feel good and I know its the best, and real niggas know it too. If you look at everything from the verses, to the people I got featured on it, to the beats, and the whole nine, youll see that its the best. I know Im killin these muthafuckas! I know these niggas not fading me. So if I dont sell, thatll show you the hypocrisy and in the bullshit going on in the rap game, cause Im smashing these muthafuckas! You gotta give it to me this time, a nigga cant fade me. And I look great! And they bitch wanna fuck me too. So what can you do? You cant out-rap me, my beats are better than your favorite producers beats, and then I can knock you out. And then, if I call my boys theyll come and shoot you! Damn, it sounds like a win-win situation for you then. [Laughs] But let me tell you, the crazy thing of it all, in the end, I just wanna go to heaven. When all this shit fades away, I still wanna be a man, dawg. I still wanna be respected. Although I talk all this shit, when I leave this earth I wanna know that Ive affected people, and influenced people in a positive way. I want to make people strive to do better, and know my story. Thats why I call my album The Greatest Story Ever Told, because I came from nothing. I didnt have the great city of New York behind me. I didnt have no big record label behind me. I didnt have a company buying my own records back for me. Nigga, if I sold a record you know its real. I made my own beats. I struggled my way up through this shit. I can look any of these niggas in the eye. Most of these rap niggas really aint the man, they the man through another nigga. I can look any of these niggas in the eye. Me and Steve Rifkind are partners, homie, its 0/0. Nigga, I came with record spins. I came with an album done. Didnt nobody do shit for me. I can look any of these niggas in they eye and say, What? Im a man, nigga, I aint gotta bow down or bite my tongue for no nigga. How has the industry responded to your new I dont give a fuck approach? I dont really give a fuck; I aint trippin off these niggas, man. I dont have to do this rap shit anymore. I do it because I wanna do it. And the fact that

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I dont have to do it has made me love it again. Im having fun, and Im smashing em. And I tell people all the time, I dont believe that people really believe in God, and Im gonna prove it to you. Theres nothing that I say that I cant prove to you. Okay, Im listening. Imagine if you really knew for a fact that God was your father, like you knew it for a stone cold fact. Like you done touched him, you done kicked it with him, he done burped you, and all kinda different shit like that, right? Now wouldnt your swagger be just a little bit different? You wouldnt trip on jumping on that cross, or you wouldnt trip on what people have to say about you, because you knew that he was your Daddy. So theres a certain amount of confidence thats being exuded because of your faith, and its even more than faith because you know its a fact. With me, I know it now. So its not cockiness, its not arrogance. And for one, with the Al Sharpton shit, what are they gonna do to me? What, are they gon stop my record from coming out and Im gon be broke? Nigga, I come from Mississippi, being broke aint nothing new. I done been shot at, I done had my ass kicked before, so what can you do to me? My family already know Im a rider, so death? Nigga, I already think Im dead. What they gon do? Nothing! They aint gon do nothing that I aint already had done to me before, or that I dont think is coming to me anyway. So is there anything in life that you do fear? There are two things I fear and two things only. I dont fear nothing but God and leading my people in the wrong direction, because I know people listen to me. I do fear that. I fear that Ill make a wrong decision, or a wrong mistake and people will follow me because of who I am, and what I stand for. And the truth is, Im not perfect. I dont know everything. Have you ever done anything that you feel has led your people in the wrong direction? Naw, not so far. I feel like there are some things I couldve done better in my career. But usually if I talk about something or say something about people, Ive researched it. I hate losing, so Im not gon say no ignorant shit, like Im not gon talk about Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton unless Ive done research on them. The truth is and this is an exclusive since people have known about me being on Oprah and Jesse Jackson and thems ass, niggas have been coming at me with so much information. There are street niggas and corporate niggas coming to me telling me all type of shit about them. But I dont wanna destroy the so-called black leaders, I just want them to leave us the fuck alone. So can you give me an example of some of the dirt people have came to you with? Of course not. Thats not my point. Thats what Im telling you. People want to see niggas fight each other and crucify each other. If you go to my Myspace page you can listen to a song called So Special, a song I did about Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Oprah. And in the song I say its bad that we gotta talk about each other this way, because thats what America wants. Its the gladiator mentality. America wants to put people in the middle of the ring with the lion and watch him get ripped to shreds. Thats bullshit. We should be able to sit down and talk to each other rationally and come to some agreements, and the reason why I didnt do that is because I tried to get on Oprahs show. We wrote letters and hollered at people. And with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, they attacked us first, so when people asked if I wanna sit down with them, I was like, Hell nah I dont wanna sit down with them! If I walked up to you and slapped you in your face without warning you or telling you, what you gon do? You gon hit me back right? So fuck talkin to em, its on! Thats bullshit! And its so pitiful, cause thats what we do as niggas. Look at Mike Vick, theyre making him do that plea agreement and snitch on other people because they know how black people feel about that type of shit, so theyve ostracized that man in front of his people. And we turn around and do that same type of thing to each other. Look at beef in rap, thats just how they used to do the slaves. Just think about when niggas are beefin against each other, the nigga who wins is the one who strips the other nigga naked and totally embarrasses him. So we turn around and do it to each other, and its pitiful! A lot of people feel you have the potential to be a great black leader. Is that something you aspire to be? Id be willing to do it if God deemed it and the people deem it, but that aint something I wanna do. I wanna be rich and make money. Nigga, I wanna live life good. I want an easy life like everybody else. People think I wanna be this big political figure, but thats not something I want. When I was the SGA President at Southern, that was something people asked me to do. Ill do it if thats what Im called on to do, but that aint no fun shit to do. Think about this: Every young, black man that stood up and did something, what happened to him? He was killed! Not  // OZONE MAG

persecuted, killed dead! Niggas always talk about ride or die. I dont wanna die. I wanna have kids and live a fun life and I wanna make money! The two things I hate the most in this world is preachers and politicians, and its just crazy to hear everybody including my mama say thats what Im probably gon end up being. Why are you so involved in the community if thats not really what you want to do? I need the community as much as the community needs me. The higher up you go the less black people you see, and in a lot of cases when you become successful people leave you alone. They start thinking that youre special and acting funny. But I need them. I need to stay grounded. Thats why Im so into the community, because I need people around me. Im not perfect. Thats what Baptized in Dirty Water meant. No matter how good you are, if you go to get baptized and go in some dirty ass water, youre gon come out dirty, even if your intention was to get baptized. All my albums have meanings, and I dont know if Ive done a good enough job articulating the goals in my albums, but they all have meanings. When you look at Certified, I dont like suits and ties, but I did that shit to show people that all niggas in the South aint ignorant and not all of us have t-shirts on. We got sense, too. So what are you most passionate about in life? Making money. Fuck it. Im keeping it 00. Im about making some muthafuckin paper, because money is the first breeding ground of power, and power is how you truly affect change. Instead of sitting up there preaching about what other niggas should do with their money, I can do it with my money. Thats why I started Heal The Hood, because Im tired of begging another nigga to help the community. I gotta do me now. When these rap niggas try to fuck over me and do different shit and I be wanting to whoop they ass, I tell myself, No, dont whoop they ass, get money, make a hit a record. For those independent rappers out there, if you wanna know how to change your career, make a hit record, thats all you gotta do. If your label aint behind you, make a hit record. If niggas talkin shit about you, dont beef back with that nigga, just make a hit record and let that nigga suffer for the rest of his life watching you live gloriously. So how do you want people to perceive you? Whats the ideal image you want to portray? A rich ass nigga. People always ask me what me what I want them to call me, and I tell them, You can call me anything but broke, homie! The reason why Im on Jesse Jackson and them like I am aint because of no fuckin record, its because they playin with my muthafuckin money. They playin with my lifestyle, they tryin to make people stop playing my muthafuckin records. Come on dawg, you fuckin with my livelihood, the way we eat. It aint too many ways niggas can be young and make money: sports and muthafuckin rap. They trying to take our hustles away from us, and thats some serious shit. You fuckin with street niggas, these aint no pussy ass niggas, homie. This aint no laughing matter, you fucking with my money and its already hard enough with the downloading, and the bootlegging. If there is one word to describe where youre at in life right now, what would that word be? I can say for the first time in my life, I think Im happy. I think Im happy, and want to explain that to give some clarity. However this rap shit turns out and Im pretty sure its gonna turn out great but either way it goes, Im good. For the first time in my life, Im happy being Lavell Crump, just being me, Lavell without David Banner, without the rapping, without the movies, without all that shit. For the first time, God has shown me thats its alright to just be me. //

s feel se rapper sT of The They y mo e, cause ThaTs wh around m hes. rTable rs is biTc uncomfo is ese rappe osT of Th s rappin gas ThaT biTches! m nig of These i said iT. id say 80% d you can Tell em hoes - an

for Those independenT rappers ouT There, if you wanna know how To change your career, make a hiT record, ThaTs all you goTTa do. if your label ainT behind you, make a hiT record. if niggas Talkin shiT abouT you, donT beef back wiTh ThaT nigga, jusT make a hiT record and leT ThaT nigga suffer for The resT of his life waTching you live gloriously.

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WORDS BY ER

IC PERRIN //

PHOTOS BY PA

RRISH LEWIS

EVERYTHING THATS HOT RIGHT NOW SOUNDS LIKE A TWISTA BEAT. ALL THAT WIPE ME DOWN, AND AY BAY BAY, AND ALL OF THOSE SOULJA BOY SONGS, THOSE ALL SOUND LIKE CLASSIC TWISTA BEATS, AND I LOVE IT. ID KILL ALL THOSE BEATS.

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T
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en years ago when Twista released his most celebrated classic, Adrenaline Rush, a gallon of gas in the United States would cost you $.0 - for premium. Bill Clinton still had three years left in office, and you could choose only two musical mediums: CD or cassette. A lot has changed since then. But one thing hasnt: Twistas loyalty. He is loyal to the game, loyal to his fans, and loyal to not selling himself out just to sell out in stores. Twista is one artist who never really let the outside world in. Hes not vocal on his personal problems, youve never heard a rumor about anyone he is dating, and most of his diehard fans dont even know his real name. But somehow he has managed to maintain one of the most faithful followings in Hip Hop. Twistas fan base has proven throughout the years that they love him despite not knowing Twista from Carl Mitchell. And the same Adrenaline Rush fiends that lined up to support him in the beginning are still right there eagerly anticipating the next hit. Though Twista has added some new allies along the way, the worlds fastest rapper is comfortable knowing that regardless of the state of the industry, he still has that loyal 00,000 strong who will run to the record store on his behalf faster than he can spit . Adrenaline Rush 2007 is a ten year anniversary disc with all new music featuring the likes of Kanye West, Bone Thugs N Harmony, R Kelly, and T-Pain. While many critics were disappointed with the R&B-heavy production of The Day After, on AR2K7 Twista promises to deliver that vintage sound, raw and perfectly unpolished. Twista, whats been going on, man? Ive just been chillin since I finished up the last couple of pieces of the album. Im getting geared up to get back out there and do my thing. Tell me about the album. Man, its hot. Its hot! Im happy with everything, all the way down to the last skit. Its crazy, its off the chain, and its gonna be a nice treat for the fans as far as the ten year anniversary, so Im ready. I think everybody gon like it. October is Patiently Waiting month at OZONE, and you had the distinction of being somewhat of a Patiently Waiting artist for a long time. From your experiences, is it harder to be an underground artist or a mainstream artist? It evens itself out. When the success was moderate and I was so-called struggling, the love was better back then. I was maintaining and I had the love of my city, and even though I had fewer fans, it was so much more genuine. And now, its like you still get love, and you supposedly sitting on top of the world because you a bigger star now, but then comes that hate that you never really experienced, because youve never experienced success to that extent before. So for me to be the type of person I am and experience so much hate, that kinda caught me open in the beginning, but Ive learned how to handle it, and Ive learned I cant please everybody. So at this point, Im happy. Thats a good place to be. A lot of individuals in the industry dont seem to enjoy what they do, and it seems like you really have a love for it. You gotta have the love for it, and for me, the best way to enjoy this shit is to be humble. Egos are good on a promotional level, and its good to feel strong and positive about who you are from a business standpoint, because

thats how you sell yourself. But at the same time if you go too far with it, and you really just start believing that youre that shit, you enjoy it less. I wanna be able to hop in a limo and still be like, Man, this is a dope limo. This shit is fresh, look at the woodgrain. Look at the rims! I like this! As opposed to being like, What is this shit yall sending me? Send me something better. So that ego makes you enjoy the game less. I wanna still love it like Im just getting blessed with it. The South embraced you long before much of the rest of the country. Why do you think that was? I think its a connection between Chicago and the South. Most of the people I grew up with in my neighborhood, either their parents or grandparents were from the South. And its the same thing with me, my grandparents are from Mississippi. Its a similar type of upbringing, a similar type of accent, and in general there are a lot of similarities between Chicago and the South. I think people can hear a lot of that Southern swagger in my music. So when I go down to the South, it feels like there is a genuine love; it feels like home. I love the South; I love people in the South. The South is one of my favorite places to be. And we have a very similar taste in music. Everything thats hot right now sounds like a Twista beat. All that Wipe Me Down and Ay Bay Bay and all those Soulja Boy songs, those all sound like classic Twista beats, and I love it. Id kill all those beats. Whats the biggest difference in the game between 7 when you dropped the first Adrenaline Rush and now with Adrenaline Rush 2007? The game got a lot of people in it now! Back when Adrenaline Rush came out there were a lot less artists being released, now its so many artists releasing so many projects there is less attention being devoted to any particular artist. The game is funny because of that. The other main difference I see is technology. When Adrenaline Rush came out that was still during a time when record sales were still relevant, Soundscans were a big deal. People actually went out to buy CDs. There werent any I-Pods or things like that. You couldnt just get on your computer and download a song. People can get your music so many different ways, so its like the value of a song is less now because people can get your music immediately. You have grind that much harder to be as successful as you could be ten years ago.

The Day After didnt sell as well as Kamikaze. Do you think that was a result of all the bootlegging and downloading? Not necessarily the bootleggers. I dont think its just about the bootleggers because there is always good that you get with the bad. The bootlegging epidemic also helps promote artists, as well. So if you get a hit or if there is a rumor that something is hot, the bootleggers gon bootleg it and help promote it for you, and thats less money youve got to spend on distribution. So if youre smart, you give certain music to the bootleggers to let them work for you for free. I think the decline in sales from Kamikaze to The Day After has more to do with the way music was bought between the two albums. Thats when I feel that everything with the internet just hit real hard and people started to download music and get music in different ways other than just the purchase of a CD. Also, I had a big hit with Slow Jamz, and that really helped me on Kamikaze That type of hit never came from The Day After, so its good to have longevity as an artist. That was just an axe in my hand. I aint gon do nothing but snatch it up and keep coming at ya. Ill be here. Its good to be an artist thats known in the game and is well respected and got as many fans as I got. Ive got a core audience. I can keep putting music out for them regardless of whether I go platinum or not. Me and 00,000 or 00,000 folks can go kick it from now on, so its love.
Thats a good strategy. Do you think you have any songs on Adrenaline Rush 2007 that have the potential to be as commercially successful as Slow Jamz or Overnight Celebrity? Definitely, definitely. I got the Give It Up joint thats doing something now, but I got songs on there like Was Time produced by Kanye West, and he gave me another joint on there. Another song thats getting a lot of recognition

now is called, Pimp Like Me, and thats a tribute to Chi-Town juke music. I wanna let people see how infused our Hip Hop sound is with our sound in general. We make stepping music and we make house music, and juke music is like a faster form of house music. People are really loving that song, but I got even more on the album. I got a song with R Kelly called Love Rehab, and my joint with T-Pain called Creep Fast. I got a song with Bone Thugs N Harmony called Aint No Hoes. Youll see. Its some hits on there. Whats the situation with you and Roc-A-Fella? It seems like every other week there is a new rumor of you leaving Atlantic, or doing a joint venture with the Roc. Right now Im on Atlantic. I aint really been talking to nobody on that type of vibe. Ive just been working on the album, I aint been on that whole flip labels, walking out on labels mode right now. Im just making music, and Im kinda comfortable doing what Im doing right now. Im always looking out for my best interest, but Im pretty cool, man. As long as I aint gotta holla at them to put my music out and everything is copacetic, were straight. Im a vet now. I aint young and feisty like that anymore. As long as I can do what I do, and they happy and Im happy, everything is straight. Do you think your label fully appreciates you as an artist? I will see what happens. Im always open to do business. The Roc is my family, so if we ever are able to make that music happen, Im a be 00% with it, cause thats my family. I work with all the artists. Im cool with Jay he got my man from my hometown on his label, Beans, Peedi, Bleek, everybody. Thats my family, so if it was to happen that would be cool. But to answer the question of feeling fully appreciated as an artist on Atlantic I would say that Im not fully understood as an artist. Why do you think that is? Because Im not one of those rah rah artists. Im not the in-your-face type of artist. You see how Prince just laid back later in his career? I got one of those type of personalities. Im kinda laid-back; I just like to let my music speak for me. It kind of hurts me sometimes in situations where putting yourself out there to the point where the mistakes you make in life help your sales because Im not the type to tell you all my problems outside of my music. A lot of times in interviews people only wanna talk to you about your tragedies, and that kinda hurts Twista, because Twista wants to let his music speak for him. I just wanna make dope ass music. But dont you think thats a part of making dope ass music? If people know your background and the situations in your life that influenced the music wont they relate to it better and enjoy it more? Ill talk to you about my music, Ill let you know how Chi-Town is, Ill let you know how we getting it, Ill floss a little bit, let you see my ice, let you see how Im doing it on a businessman level, but I aint gonna put myself out there on a negative level. I got too much pride; Ill try to get it another way before I do something that I dont feel is morally right. I aint finna exploit myself for no little music industry people. Can you tell me about the situation with McDonalds dropping your from their tour? You know, the Don Imus thing kicked off, that was the first domino, and before we could get on the subject of what he said about our black women some kinda way it was immediately pushed on Hip Hoppers saying negative things about women, then it got pushed on this whole Reverend in Chicago saying some comments about a bunch of rappers. Then the Reverend started to single me out, and from Don Imus being the first domino to fall, Twista was the first artist to take a hit from Hip Hop becoming a scapegoat over racism. The whole situation made me mad because we have parental advisory stickers on all our music and kids parents can make the choice to either support another artist or buy the clean version. So to me it felt like they were trying to hurt my credibility, and my pockets, and my music, all because of something that another man started. There was an internet blogger that said the real reason McDonalds dropped you was because you did a show in New York that didnt fare too well, and that the crowd wasnt really responsive. Do you think there is any truth to that? Naw, I think they did that strictly off of the Reverend giving them a call and speaking his comments. Everything was cool, and then all of the sudden it wasnt cool. But its funny because they got the Bump J lyrics from the Move Around song on their commercial and Bump J is a street rapper, too, just like I am. But the Reverend just sent a direct hit out to me. When the Reverend put out all those anti-rap billboards protesting you, 0 Cent, Fat Joe, and Snoop Dog, and Eminem, what was your initial reaction? Man, I felt like, not that I got picked on, but that I got put in a bogus position. You gotta think that that Reverend leads a congregation in Chicago, so

Im the easy to come at artist. So once McDonalds was bringing an event to Chicago, and asking me to do the event, the Reverend decided to come at me. Have you spoken to him at all to try to work the situation out? Naw, the funny thing is that he never called any of these artists to say anything. He attacked us. And an attack is not positive, either. An attack is negative. He attacked us the way a rapper who has beef would attack another rapper. You know how rappers dont call each other to work it out, they just diss each other before they get on the phone? Thats the same thing he did. He dissed us before he picked up the phone to ask us, Man, can you clean it up a little bit?Im not saying we would have, because thats how we make our money. But we put it in a certain category that allows you to control what music your kids buy. Its the parents who decide what music their kids buy. If you dont want your kids to have it, dont let em have it. There were a couple of charities I was gon look out for with that money, cause I knew it was a McDonalds thing and Im a veteran artist, so I know how to flip it when its time to do something thats for the kids. I dont do profane lyrics at events for kids. I was gonna have the Choir Academy come out and do the Hope song with me, and I was gonna donate money to a couple of charities, but now the Reverend took money out of not just my pocket, but the communitys pocket. He didnt know that, so he dissed me first. Back in 200, it seemed like Chicago was the next major Hip Hop hub, and then that movement kind of ended a little bit. Its not really like it ended, but the light will be on one place for a minute, and its hard to keep that light the light on that one place. At one point it was Houston, they had all the hot artists gettin it, and now people are coming at them the same way they were coming at Chicago, like, Damn, I though yall had it? So its a shift. Everybodys gotta share sometimes; the spotlight moves around. Sometimes its on the main man, sometimes its on the hype man. Speaking of sharing the spotlight, I heard youre working on a new project with the Speedknot Mobstaz? Yeah, for sho. We got The Speedknot Mobstaz coming out on Koch Records, we got the new album, its hot to death. Its called Mobstability Part 2: Nation Business. So they hitting you over the head with a ten year anniversary type of theme, too. Were not making it just a Twista thing, we hittin you with a movement. The ten year anniversary movement. The album is coming out at the top of the year. Is it true that youre going to be starting your own label? Yeah, The Get Money Gang. Thats something Im starting to basically bridge the Midwest with the industry. Its a way for me to help other cats get on. Are there any patiently waiting artists from the Midwest who you think we should look out for? Man, I gotta say love to man Skooda. I gotta say love to Dude N Nem for that Watch My Feet joint, I feel like they keepin it real with that one. Thats hot. I gotta say love to Chibliz; I like what hes doing for Chicago. I gotta say love to Cap One, and especially I gotta say love to Yung Berg for doing it the way a Chicago artist should be doing it. But really, Ive got love for all Chicago artists. Im so happy Chicago is at the point now where I feel we can hit niggas over the head, and once we open the door fully its gon be business. The Midwest movement aint never end. Common just dropped his album. Kanye just dropped his album. The spotlight might move around a little bit, but were still right here doing our thing so I just want people to keep they eye open for the Midwest movement. Adrenaline Rush 2007 is my thanks to the fans for keeping me around for so long, doing my little thang thang. //

. SO ITS LOVE

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C E. I CORE AUDIEN USIC I GOT A TTING M CAN KEEP PU REGARDLESS M OUT FOR THE I GO PLATINUM OF WHETHERAND 00,000 OR OR NOT. ME KS CAN GO KICK 00,000 FOL FROM NOW ON, IT

roCSi new orleans Saint

By Eric Perrin
You probably recognize Rosci as the female host of 0th & Park or the sexy King cover girl with a distinctive voice and pretty face, but there is much more to Rosci than celebrity status and sex appeal. This Crescent City native is also a dedicated community servant whose Rock Star Foundation is doing monumental things for the children of her ravished hometown. While most people of any eminence have donated money to the rebuilding efforts of New Orleans, Rocsi has donated something much more valuable: her time, her efforts, her life. Tell me about your Rock Star Foundation We do nonprofit events. Our first real big event was with the City Council of New Orleans and it was just a couple months ago. We did a celebrity softball game, which was really, really, really good. The city partnered up with me, and a whole bunch of NFL players, rappers and some other celebrities came out. All you had to do was donate a canned good to come in, and we were raising money for school supplies at the same time. We had fun. It was a chance for people to come out and just forget about everything that was going on with them. Whats next? Right now, were trying to plan a back to school event for the kids at my [former] high school, West Jefferson High School in New Orleans. Were trying to encourage the kids to go back to school, plus Im trying to help rebuild the school at the same time.Were gonna do a big ol presentation for them to start the year off right. Thats the main thing Im working on right now. Im sure you get a lot of interesting reactions when you go back to your old high school, being that youre a celebrity now. Yeah, the kids get so excited when I come down. I think it snapped into play [that I was a celebrity] when I was walking down the hall and some of the kids were chasing after me and stuff. But we have fun. Ill go in the office and announce over the loudspeaker, Everybody get outta of class, schools dismissed! The principal thinks Im hilarious, but we have a lot of fun. The kids come up to me, and to them, its more like, Wow, shes actually coming back to where shes from. Shes actually showin love. What was it like the first time you went back to West Jefferson High School after Hurricane Katrina hit? I hated to see my school like that. And I was kind of taken back because I saw so many people who worked there when I was still in school. Its real crazy when I go back and still see the same teachers that were there when I was in school. But I couldnt even tell you exactly what was going on in my head because it was just so hard to see my school like that. For me it was more of a wake-up call, like, damn, this is really, really, bad. I gotta help out. How bad was the school damaged? Was it closed down? Well, it was closed right after the storm, but my high school was one of the few high schools that stayed open after, and they actually brought in [students from] other schools. It was halfway destroyed. The library was completely gone and the extensions of the school were all swept away. The school had a lot of damage. I couldnt even tell you how much, but for a school that holds up to ,000 kids or more, only about ,000 to 2,000 kids came back. Is New Orleans the main focus for your foundation right now, or are you doing work anywhere else? Right now Im just trying to help out in any way that I can. Thats really my biggest thing. I do charitable events all across the country, and wherever somebody needs me, I show up. But I always try to at least make a contact to somehow, someway, bring it back to New Orleans. What do you hope to get out of it? How will New Orleans be better off in the future as a result of the work youre doing? Right now, Im thinking small. Im just helping to rebuild my high school, and I dont know, maybe theyll name a hall after me, or something. Hopefully in the long run my contributions to New Orleans will at least make a mark on the city so that they know they can turn to me in any time of need. They definitely have all my support. Id like to eventually open a youth center down there, and have

after school programs to help the kids out, because its so easy for them to fall into some nonsense, or street violence, or something that they have no business doing. They have so much talent. I met this -year-old kid in Baltimore, and he had this shot that even made Allen Iverson say, Damn! All eyes were on this kid playing basketball. I asked him about his family, because its real easy for them to get negatively influenced. And I adopted this kid because I didnt want to see him waste his talent. He is so talented. I wanna make sure kids like him get the opportunity to just stay out of trouble and accomplish great things. So Im funding him. Im sponsoring him. For instance, his mama needs help paying for basketball camp; so Im definitely gonna help out. But theres rules and regulations to everything. He has to keep up a certain grade point average, he cant be messin up in school, and he has to remember that school is first. It definitely doesnt come free. I read a story about you that said, Rocsis dreams dont last long because she turns them into reality. And that seems to be true. You started out doing street team promotions, then you went to radio, and now youre hosting BETs flagship show. How did that happen? I got the position through the New Faces Talent Search that BET did. I won the contest [out of ,000 competitors], and after I won, I was still kinda in shock. It was bittersweet for me because I had to leave radio, and I love radio. I really do. So, I had to leave Chicago [where I worked as the Midday Mami on Power 2], and I had made a home in Chicago. I had to come to New York and start all over again. So I was a little scared, and I even doubted myself, like, Man, am I gonna be able to do 0th & Park? Am I gonna be what the people like? You see it on TV, but when youre up there its a whole different mindset. When youre up there, youre wondering if they really like you. It turns into a popularity contest. It was a scary transition, but Im glad it worked out for the best. Yeah, there will always be critics. Oh yeah, youre always gonna have the haters, but I thank Katt Williams for saying, If youve got  haters, you better get 0, or something like that. You gotta just embrace the haters. As a Latin woman in Hip Hop Im sure youve had some unique obstacles to overcome, especially working at BET? Definitely. I really try not to bring ethnicity and my race into things, but I can say that it was hurdle to jump to be a Latin woman on a black network. Julissa definitely took most of the backlash of being the Latin face of 0th & Park first, so I commend her. She really went through it. People can be mean. But when it comes to me, Im Hip Hop before anything, I know what Im talking about, and I know what Im doing. Not to be cocky about it, but give people a chance. I just try to adapt to my surroundings and try to do the best job that I can. I never tried to come across as something that Im not. Im just me. Im just real. //

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OZONE MAG // 

2ND ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS & TJS DJS WEEKEND RECAP

MIAMI, FL // AUGUST 0-, 2007

DEFIENT ENT. KICKOFF PARTY @ SOBE LIVE

(l-r): Jacki-O, K-Foxx, & Trina hosted the Sobe Live kickoff party (Photo: Terrence Tyson); The weekend was brought to you by Defient Entertainments Paul Gulbronson & Greg Calloway, shown with OZONEs Julia Beverly (Photo: D-Ray); Defient artist Jon Young performed along with labelmates J Cash & Corey Bapes; Sobe Entertainments Stack$ (Photos: Terrence Tyson)

(l-r): Hurricane Chris stopped by to holla at the DJs: Guest, Element, & Q; Jim Jonsin, B.O.B., & Roc; Upcoming Miami artists Flo-Rida & Joe Hound (Photos: Terrence Tyson)

(clockwise from below): Trey Songz fans (Photo: Bogan); Lil Duval & Joker da Bailbondsman (Photo: D-Ray); DJ Element & DJ Entice (Photo: Terrence Tyson); Trey Songz performing (Photo: Bogan)

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TREY SONGZ @ SOBE LIVE

(clockwise from above): Big Bank Hank (Photo: J Lash); OZONE & TJs DJs crew were all in the building - Eric Perrin & Keith Kennedy; N. Ali Early & Tene Gooden; Alishea, Keisha Glinton, & Brandii Johnson; Kenny Brewer & Randy Roper (Photos: Terrence Tyson); Fidel Cashflow & guest (Photo: Terrence Tyson); DJ Juice & PK (Photo: D-Ray); /2 of Piccalo & Toro; The CORE DJs Mr Pill, Aleshia Steele, & Tony Neal; Arnold Turner & guest (Photos: J Lash)

2ND ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS & TJS DJS WEEKEND RECAP

MIAMI, FL // AUGUST 0-, 2007

(above l-r): K-Foxx hosting the CTE & 72 Tasties Fashion Show @ Chakra (first four photos: J Lash); Cassidy performing with TJs DJs & CTE bodypainted models; Foxx; J-Money (Photos: Edward Hall)

(above l-r): CTEs Roccett (Photo: D-Ray); Grandaddy Souf; Joe Hound; C-Ride (Photos: J Lash); Midget Mac & Young Cash (Photo: Terrence Tyson); RawLT; Chamillionaire (Photos: Edward Hall)

(clockwise from above): M-Geezy, Young Cash, Grandaddy Souf, & Ike G Da; Lil Jon & Hurricane Chris (Photos: Terrence Tyson); Trae & Foxx (Photo: Intl K); one of the OZONE/CRUNK!!! trucks outside Chakra (Photo: D-Ray); Bingo, Crazy T, Stay Fresh, Lil Jon, Lucky Leon, & D-Tec reppin OZONE; Playaz Circle performing (Photos: Edward Hall)

OZONE MAG // 7

TASTIES FASHION SHOW AFTERPARTY @ CHAKRA

(clockwise from above): Luc-Duc & JT Money (Photo: Terrence Tyson); Cartoon Networks Nick Weidenfeld with Traes Family Guy pieces; Big Al & Cheryl Moss; DJ Scorpio, DJ Princess Cut, & -Ize (Photos: Intl K); Supa Cindy & Julia Beverly; Ms Rivercity & Dirt Diggla; Diamond of Crime Mob & DJ Demp; Shoeb Malik, Dee Boi, & Tarvoria; Ooops, guest, & Malik Abdul; Jim Jonsin & Young Cash (Photos: Terrence Tyson)

TASTIES FASHION SHOW @ CHAKRA

2ND ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS & TJS DJS WEEKEND RECAP

(clockwise from right): the Producer Panel with (top) Nasty Beatmakers, Cool & Dre, Play & Skillz, TJ Chapman, Mannie Fresh, (bottom) Nitti, Bryan Michael Cox, Polow da Don, & Drumma Boy (Photo: Ray Tamarra); the crowd at the Producer Panel; Bryan Michael Cox & Polow da Don (Photos: D-Ray); the Media Panel with (top) Randy Roper, Buttahman, Wendy Day, (bottom) Matt Sonzala, Darnella Dunham, st Lady El, & Grouchy Greg; Ric Ross, Wendy Day, Jason Geter, Keith Kennedy, guest, & Kaspa the Don (Photos: Ray Tamarra); DJ Smallz, DJ Khaled, DJ Q, DJ Scorpio, & OG Ron C on the DJ Panel (Photo: Terrence Tyson)

MIAMI, FL // AUGUST 0-, 2007

TJS DJS TASTEMAKERS PANELS DAY 

(clockwise from right): Swirl reppin Prestige Luxury Auto; the Morton sisters (Photos: J Lash); Portia, Mercedes, & D-Ray (Photo: D-Ray); Mr Pill, Cory Mo, Trae, Felli Fel, Tony Neal, & RawLT reppin OZONE (Photo: Bogan); Treal & DJ Slym (Photo: Terrence Tyson)

(clockwise from above left): Strictly Business models; the Strictly Business Lounge; Defient Entertainment & Wally Sparks; Redd Eyezz & crew; Trae & JackiO (Photos: J Lash)

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STRICTLY BUSINESS LOUNGE

(clockwise from above): Wally Sparks & DJ Smallz (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Mannie Fresh & Supa Cindy; Foxx & Tax Holloway (Photos: Terrence Tyson); Sean Mac & Freddy Hydro on the DJ Panel (Photo: J Lash); Rob G & Rapid Ric; Roccett & Brandi Garcia; DJ Impact, Meshah Hawkins, & Tony Neal; Grit Boys & Spark Dawg; Manicurists & masseuses @ Asylum Records DJ Pampering suite (Photos: Intl K); DJ Chill & /2 of Play & Skillz (Photo: Ray Tamarra)

2ND ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS & TJS DJS WEEKEND RECAP

MIAMI, FL // AUGUST 0-, 2007

(below l-r): Memphitz & Freekey Zekey (Photo: Intl K); DJ Funky, DJ Princess Cut, DJ X-Rated, & DJ J-Nice (Photo: Terrence Tyson); Promotions Panelists Corey Llewellen, Adam Favors, Jazz, & Lex (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Hurricane Chris, Trae, & Killer Mike at the Artist Panel (Photo: Intl K)

(clockwise from above): Smilez, Acafool, & Southstar (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Trey Songz, Ric Ross, & Clyde Carson (Photo: Edward Hall); Smitty, Teddy T, & C.O. (Photo: Terrence Tyson); Baby Boy & Freeway (Photo: Marcus DeWayne); Mercedes & the Demolition Men (Photo: D-Ray); Lil Duval & Haitian Fresh (Photo: Edward Hall)

(clockwise from above): King Yella & Malik Abdul (Photo: Edward Hall); Pastor Troy & J Cash; Xtaci & DJ Chuck T; Brisco & Bensiour (Photos: Terrence Tyson); Pimpin Ken & DJ Khaled (Photo: King Yella); Big Will & DJ Epps (Photo: J Lash); Kevin Black & Steve Raze; Hot Dollar & Young City; Wendy Day & the TMI Boyz (Photos: Intl K); Baby Boy & Grandaddy Souf (Photo: Ray Tamarra)

OZONE MAG // 

TJS DJS TASTEMAKERS DJ/MUSIC CONFERENCE DAY 2

TJS DJS TASTEMAKERS PANELS DAY 2

(clockwise from above left): BloodRaw, Pitbull, TJ Chapman, Diamond, Lil Scrappy, & Princess on the Artist Panel (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Panelists Eric Nicks, Shawn Tubby Holiday, Kevin Black, TJ Chapman, Memphitz, & Chad Brown (Photo: Ms Rivercity); the Artist Panel (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Slim Thug & Trey Songz on the Artist Panel (Photo: Marcus DeWayne); Lil Scrappy on the Artist Panel; Artist Panelists Mistah FAB, Kia Shine, Clyde Carson, TJ Chapman, Fabo, Trae, BloodRaw, Lil Scrappy, Diamond & Princess of Crime Mob, Pitbull, & Killer Mike (Photos: J Lash); DJ Crew Panelists Ray Hamilton, TJ Chapman, Tony Neal, Bigga Rankin, Crisco Kidd, st Lady El, Kaspa the Don, & Felli Fel (Photo: Ray Tamarra)

2ND ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS & TJS DJS WEEKEND RECAP

MIAMI, FL // AUGUST 0-, 2007

PLIES ALBUM RELEASE PARTY

(clockwise from left): TJ Chapman & DJ Khaled; Plies @ The Real Testament album release party @ Mansion, presented by Big Gates/Slip-NSlide/Atlantic Records; DJ Nasty & Pitbull; Rick Ross & Pastor Troy; Lil Scrappy & Diamond of Crime Mob; Rick Ross & the Carol City Cartel with guests & Don Fetti; Cool Runnings Shane & Bigga Rankin, DJ Entice, Supastar J-Kwik, & DJ Nasty; TV Johnny, Southstar, & guest; Bay Bay, Hurricane Chris, & Big Teach; Rick Ross, Shay a.k.a. Buckeey, & DJ Demp (Photos: Terrence Tyson)

ATLANTIC RECORDS LISTENING SUITE

(clockwise from left): B.G. & Big Kuntry (Photo: Marcus DeWayne); B.G.; DJ Drama & Keak da Sneak (Photos: D-Ray); Flo-Rida (Photo: Marcus DeWayne); Twista (Photo: Edward Hall), B.O.B. & Brisco (Photo: Ms Rivercity)

(clockwise from above): Many Atlantic Records artists were in the building for Plies release party including DJ Drama & LA The Darkman; Jim Jones; Papoose & Cipha Sounds filming for MTVs Sucker Free; Bibi Guns, Memphitz, & Jeanise Chaplin; DJ Chuck T & OZONEs Randy Roper; Killer Mike, DJ Princess Cut & Yela Wolf; Slip-N-Slides Ted Lucas & Byron Trice helped make the night possible; Princess of Crime Mob & Plies DJ Suga D; Mighty Mike & Wes Fif; G-Mack & Freeway (Photos: Terrence Tyson)

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2ND ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS & TJS DJS WEEKEND RECAP

MIAMI, FL // AUGUST 0-, 2007

(above l-r): Trina; Lil Scrappy & Diamond of Crime Mob (Photos: Ray Tamarra); Kia Shine & his wife; T.Q.; DJ Chuck T & Buckeey; Devin the Dude & Blowfly; Kandi from Xscape, Baby Boy, & Rasheeda; Soulja Boy (Photos: J Lash) (left l-r): Aleshia Steele, Grandaddy Souf, & guest; T-Pain (Photos: J Lash); Fat Joe (Photo: Ray Tamarra) (below): Flo-Rida making a grand entrance on the red carpet (Photo: Matt Weichel)

(above l-r): Pitbull, Polow da Don, & DG Yola; Plies (Photos: J Lash)

OZONE MAG // 

OZONE AWARDS RED CARPET

(clockwise from below): OZONE Awards host Lil Duval (Photo: Johnny Louis); Doughboy & Bryan Michael Cox (Photo: J Lash); B.O.B., Yela Wolf, Cubo, Pitbull, & Jim Jonsin; Defient Entertainments J Cash, Greg Calloway, Dan Callahan, Paul Gulbronson, & Jon Young; Jagged Edge; Trill Entertainments Webbie, Foxx, & Lil Boosie (Photos: Ray Tamarra); Haitian Fresh, his mascot, & Redd Eyezz (Photo: J Lash)

(clockwise from above): Gorilla Zoe & Yung Joc; Lil Ru & Collard Greens; B.G. & Mannie Fresh (Photos: Ray Tamarra); Fabo & Khujo Goodie (Photo: Terrence Tyson); Yung Chill, Scooby of the Grit Boys, & Young Twin (Photo: Matt Weichel); Murphy Lee, Big Gipp, St. Lunatics, & DJ Demp; Mannie Fresh & Trey Songz; Freekey Zeekey & Benji Brown; The Shop Boyz; Rick Ross & Carol City Cartel (Photos: J Lash)

2ND ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS & TJS DJS WEEKEND RECAP

MIAMI, FL // AUGUST 0-, 2007

AWARDS

(above l-r): OZONE Award winners included Rick Ross for TJs DJs Tastemakers Award; T-Pain & Plies for Best Rap/R&B Collaboration; Killer Mike for Best Mixtape/Street Album; Lil Wayne for Best Lyricist, Best Male Rap Artist, & Mixtape Monster (Photos: Ray Tamarra) (clockwise from right): Some of the OZONE Awards standout performances included Baby, DJ Khaled, Brisco, & Lil Wayne (In The Hood & Championship Pop Bottles) (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Soulja Boy (Crank Dat Supaman) (Photo: J Lash); Foxx & Lil Boosie (Wipe Me Down) (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Lil Wayne & Lloyd (You); USDAs BloodRaw, Young Jeezy, & Slick Pulla (Corporate Thuggin & White Girl) (Photos: J Lash); Rick Ross, Baby, Lil Wayne, & DJ Khaled (We Takin Over) (Photo: Ray Tamarra)

PERFORMANCES

(clockwise from below): Lil Wayne & Plies (Photo: Marcus DeWayne); OZONE & TJs DJs crew: Kisha Smith, Phoenix Higgins, Dior George, Keisha Glinton, Keith Kennedy, Eric Perrin, guest, & Kenny Brewer (Photo: Terrence Tyson); No more beef between B.G. & Baby (Photo: King Yella); Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Polow da Don, & Rich Boy (Photo: Ray Tamarra)

(clockwise from above): Baby & his son, Lil Wayne, & Slim (Photo: King Yella); Trina, JackiO, & K-Foxx dressed as Wonder Woman, Superwoman, & Storm; Gil Green & DJ Khaled with their Best Video Award; Chingy & Chaka Zulu; E-Class & Flo-Rida (Photos: J Lash); Fabo & Lloyd; Soulja Boy, Pitbull, & Yo Gotti (Photos: King Yella); Cellski & Benzino (Photo: Ray Tamarra); Soulja Boy & Hurricane Chris (Photo: Intl K); Fat Joe, Trick Daddy, & Rick Ross (Photo: Leon Lloyd)

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BACKSTAGE

OZONE MAG // 

TING ENTLY WAI PATI

oi ri B unt Co
DALLAS, Tx

[million], it was 2.2 cords. It wasnt 2.5 e uired deal on TVT Re ch I get or my budget or nothing lik out his newly acq lie about how mu started. when speaking ab s ountri Boi is honest per in a thick Southern drawl. I dont he keeps on the prosperous path he rap out a budget if [million], says the r, he nt have to worry ab per wo Coast. As a teenage that. The Dallas rap ocated to the West stayed world his mother rel got involved the gang lifestyle and ed the r ortly after he enter le. Once his mothe rn in Dallas but sh in and out of troub Countri Boi was bo had gotten that the left coast decided us they returned to a little too dangero stint in i then had a brief Dallas. Countri Bo ed home to Dallas urn the military and ret r. on for his rap caree to lay the foundati Keeplock lly hooked up with He eventua to o ultimately led him Entertainment, wh his deal with TVT. ted to the artist The label was attrac background, which cultural because of his ile veling the world wh was developed tra His upbringing in ry. enlisted in the milita also s of the rap world two different region deal. By mixing the secure a helped him to ing West Coast upbring influences from his n, Countri Boi is tow and his Dallas home but w sound on his de trying to bring a ne m gonna speak on versy. I album Countri vent t other rappers ha a lot of things tha 96. or touched on since 95 ing Im A Boss featur With the first single Thug hitting the air Rick Ross and Slim rs boasting guest sta waves and an album E-40 and Snoop Cool & Dre), like Dre (of flexing his regional Dog, Countri Boi is ate his debut. connections to cre to mething? You need You think thats so reremix to Im A Boss, out check out the per when asked ab plies the Dallas rap Boy, s gonna have Rich his new single. It Trae the Truth, ie Sigel, David Banner, Bean me everybody thats na Kiotti.I cant even a be s just say its gonn gonna be on it. Let ve Blood remix. Belie e longer than the On n twenty artist re tha me; its gonna be mo t. ep an eye out for tha on the song, so ke en untri Boi is outspok But even though Co ll a self-described is sti and confident, he humble dude. streets, dont be If you see me in the talk with me. We to come up and afraid with e to be in contact can chop it up. I lik ites or me up on the webs my fans, so hit atever. // the myspaces or wh lockentertainment myspace.com/keep Words by DeVaughn Douglas

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PATIENTLY WA ITING

Doughboy
D
by two of raps most n though hes co-signed released in September. Eve for itself. m that most sts that his music speaks r average rapper. Its a clai popular DJs, Doughboy insi oughboy says hes not you live up to the n if their music doesnt ed rapper says. My . artists shout eagerly, eve h air, the east Atlanta-br case, it just might be true Its like a breath of fres tion. But in Doughboys ually done. declara I talk about Ive act stuff is legit. Everything urban music, Brian st respected producers in tar-led I Gets thing but Backed by one of the mo k Book, the gravelly, gui unlike sical journey has been any His lead single from Da Coo t he delivers musically. And , made l Cox, thus far Doughs mu Michae mple of wha partner, Chris Jasper DoughBoy is a prime exa his brother and business sso, s good for more than just normal. He and him through Pica Dough insists he of me, he says. I after being introduced to some of his Atlanta peers, song and thats the end the connection with Cox Doughs grind, the hit. I dont just have one Inc. label. Impressed by to. one with Doughs A&R for Coxs Blackbaby that youre gonna listen an stuff er formed a joint venture got albums of songs. I got s yet-toy Award-winning produc Gramm h for Dough lly, expectations are hig produced by up and Nu Breed imprint. Natura Gotta Make Me a Profit 8. He says his newest single, Dem Franchize Boyz), out sometime in early 200 be-titled album, due (David Banner, Lil Wayne, well. Selling coming producer, Maestro ld offers, adding ics say, Hip Hop is alive and t crit of life, the 26 year-o t more proves that no matter wha ging the real live aspects platinum is cool, but I wan Im brin l and going good lyricism. a million ringtones is coo e, his music is based on t longevity. // that at the cor ce serious. I wan than that, he says, his voi project, 2003s In with his first independent He got his musical feet wet boybeatfactory h DJ Khaled, Da Cook s dropped a mixtape wit www.myspace.com/dough was the Game. Since then he lz with DJ Drama, which a Gangsta Gril Book, and also recorded // Photo by Terrence Tyson Words by Jacinta Howard

ATLANTA, GA

OZONE MAG // 65

rma Pa on D
PRICHARD, AL

ITING IENTLY WA PAT

the was willing to take been there. But he executive who Don he shouldnt have d. By rights, se of a Def Jam hole on Rikers Islan s. I did that . Trusting the promi a was sitting in the box for eight month meeting with Jay-Z long ago, Don Parm of lockdown in the reason a chance ot through 23 hours er inmate for one fered anoth his cousin, Don suf blame for sticking to the take the L for says convinced him ma native, adding s. ial Prichard, Alaba cars and shit. s the ordinarily jov eting, he reiterate for a me untry dude, say hing and work on d. Im a regular co fore noon. I go fis be on Rikers Islan if they catch him be d morning en supposed to s like with a hearty goo He wasnt really ev residents, Don say m greeting passerby Known as PA to its city t he has no proble , the scope of the tha ns most American tow Unable to resist ck came. changed when cra got inquick money, Don the temptation of other , but soon found an from volved in the game transporting guns route to get dough The stint landed him in rk. naAlabama to New Yo amous prisons in the one of the most inf a lifetime ered him a once in tion, but also off opportunity. fat Rikers, Don, a sel ll Before doing time dy we Hop head, was alrea proclaimed Hip r in g a successful caree on his way to pavin ducing for other artpro music, writing and dit of prison he imme ists. When he got ou a track work. He recorded ately got back to ho still ich the executive (w with Ghostface, wh promise) immedion his hadnt made good the n bumping around ately liked and bega landed in the hands it the office. Eventually intert the rapper wasnt of Jays cousin. Bu wanted the track n. He ested in signing Do roster, uthern artist on his for another hot so Young Jeezy. this not selling records I was like Yo, Im hot enough to remembers. If Im year. Don give me er niggas, you can sell records to oth a record deal. of , but off the strength Jay didnt sign him himzz, Don soon found his industry bu ga r, eventually landin self in a bidding wa antic. His debut th Atl distribution deal wi label, t next year on his Haterproof is due ou says his sound is like Music. He Major Greater South ed music with down European synthesiz ing that two of his ntion drums under it, me Serbia. il from Croatia and main producers ha women and white I make records for e, the hood cosigns le, Don laughs. Se boy peop shit from they home you. But they get the ine love for music genu and burn it. Dons en arts has already tak coupled with his sm emerging rappers. st him eons beyond mo time I corrected my of my Im so far ahead dont rday, he asserts. I next mistake yeste guns and the bullshit about gotta scream all be a e. Im not trying to drugs. I did my tim gangsta. // myspace.com/donp arma

ward Words by Jacinta Ho ssources Jr. Photo by Michel De

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PATIENTLY WA ITING

Cupid B
Cupid is also not fazed by the criticism he receives for not making real Hip Hop. Like I said, Im an R&B sing er. I just make music. I mean, how do you characterize something like the Cupid Shuffle? The people who criticize me, I call them dinosaurs. Theyre stuck in their old ways. I dont even see the m. I dont pay attention to them at all. Its just being creative. Everything cha nges and evolves with times. You can have my music in the deck right next to Unk and T.I. because its all music. Where Im from, so many influences. Theres youve got Bat with the jig movement, New on Rouge Orleans with the bounce, Texas with the Screw, Atlanta with the crunk. There are just so many elements that affect my music. The R&B singer also tackle s some subjects on the album tha t listeners might not expect after hea ring his first single. Theres a song on the album called Dont Love Her To Death, which addresses men who are violent towards their women. You can lov e a woman, but you never at any point hav e the right to hit her or take her life awa y. Dont get me wrong, theres going to be fun stuff on the album. Theres goi ng to be ballads and up-tempo tracks, but its still going to address some real wor ld issues, he says. With all the work that Cup id has put in, it looks like hes finally sta rting to reap the rewards. His debut alb um might bring about the change in his life like the title states. I sold records out my trunk, he reflects. I did weddings. I worked jobs. I put my way through sch ool working hard at this music. // www.cupidshuffle.net Words by DeVaughn Dougla s Photo by Andrew Zaeh

LAFAYETTE, LA

y now almost everyone has probably heard about Cup done his dance at the club id. Even if you dont kno w the , at The Louisiana natives new a wedding, at a cookout, or wherever large groups man, himself, youve probably dance song has managed of people meet and music to cross genres as well as eryone in between enjoyi is playing. ng the music. His first sing age barriers with young, has been climbing the cha old, and evle, The Cupid Shuffle off rts and playing on nation of his debut album Its Tim al networks. And when he just referring to the Hip e For A Change Hop charts. says his album is climbin g the charts, Cupid is not I do R&B music. Im not a rapper. Im an R&B singer. The Cupid Shu ffle is playing on five different formats : jazz, contemporary, R&B, pop and Hip Hop. Music is music and Im trying to get my voice out there.

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ITING IENTLY WA PAT

City een Gr
T

KILLEEN, Tx

, Tx, is ir hometown Killen the nickname of the s, MJ, J. Scott, Big Spade xu group, named after The ng Tex ). l Dawg, Mike Hee, Yu ir in-house producer group should be rea composed of Spark m Atlanta and is the but album Brand the Killeen, Tx rap on rap legend is Ni actually hails fro de seven members of he Houst and G-Ni (Gcomplete their ce. Thankful that the l that the A Porn Star dy working hard to thankful for Scarfa rap game. Thankfu d first single Like The group is alrea nnie Fresh-assiste ir entrance into the label Underendorsing the w Money with its Ma signed them to his Ne ed them so much he ld be thankful that the rapper tar). respected lyricist lik (Party Like A Rocks all, they shou m. ht I would never ilroad. But most of ll at the boxing gy ground Ra believable; I thoug keeps up his ski d with his hands ce, it was kind of un d for him to have our back was whos still goo Working with Fa an he member King of the South gym, recalls group erybody respects him meet him. He is the ims out in Face heard us at a ss to anywhere. Ev on the map! excla t signed because giving us a G pa ool were working We go like him y t Texas rap music know from high sch asked them what the shit out here! He pu wg. Two guys we Spark Da started this pes. Scarface to one of our mixta e Hee. a mixtape but he the gym listening group member Mik buy it. It was just . I and where could he in contact with us, found out we with the new group were listening to signed. He got t as excited to work bring a new flavor, they ht we were already y ce appears to be jus tory. thoug Scarfa t is his cause the anyone, and the res box for Green City I have ever seen for werent signed to stepped out of the best presentation Green City. d points out his y do. They have the just do what the ve been sleeping on y signed group an ess when t signed, people ha of faith in his newl // the best in the busin group trying to ge Scarface has a lot New Money drops. a Lil Flip up when Brand their future. I am illionaire, Paul Wall, and should be waking picks to showcase past People ht Cham raw talent. I broug ing to Killeen, Tx it comes to finding nt bite. I end up go thing youve never cityrecords f Jam, but they did and T.I. to De myspace.com/green ferent shit, some ey are on some dif dz found Green City. Th by O.G. of Luxury Min Douglas // Photos heard before. Words by DeVaughn

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Hoodlum
K
iwanne K-Dub Rivers, Robert Phamous Jewell, Cydel Prynce Young, Deven Era Smith and Melvin Info Mackgatlin, the five early twenty-somethings that make up Hoodlum, are sitting inside a medium-sized office at ShoNuff. Theyre supposed to be talking about their debut album, late 1900s, due out on ShoNuff/Def Jam early next year. Instead, Era is remembering a time that McGruff the Crime Dog came to his elementary school to give a speech. Once he left, we all went back to class but I ended up going to the restroom, he recalls deliberately, his eyes faraway. I saw him outside with his costume hat off, smoking a cigarette and I just watched. I went home and asked my mom, Now how can he tell me not to do this? Its the same thing with us. Im not gonna tell you to do nothing that I wouldnt do. And therein lies the concept behind Hoodlum. With the on-wax chemistry of Nappy Roots, raw intelligence of Goodie MOB and 10-Point perspective of the Black Panthers, Hoodlum isnt your proto-typical Atlanta-based group. We talk about the other side of the game, Cy explains in his raspy voice, adding that they dont just brag about getting money and selling keys. We talk about niggaz in the penitentiary doing 25 for that, niggas getting out that been in the hole for 20 years that dont even know how to work a TV. Songs like The Package where each verse personifies a different issue AIDS, weed and weapons of mass destruction - and Mr. No Face which

ATLANTA, GA

talks about a faceless junkie, father and victim of the prison system, further reiterate Hoodlums desire to break from cookie-cutter mold thats become standard. If we wanted to be super hard, wed call ourselves thugs, Info says. A hoodlum is clean cut, well-mannered. Thugs die young hoodlums are in the neighborhood. Steal from the rich, give to the poor. Thats what we on. While its clear that Hoodlum is definitely on a mission, the truth is that they still have to play industry politics. Were not getting the Jody Breeze treatment, K-Dub states stoically, referring to their labelmate who after three years of being signed has yet to drop his once-anticipated debut. Even still, theyre prepared to revert back to releasing mixtapes should politics rear its head, like 2006s indie outing, Hard Labor with DJ Scream. We aint tryin to be one of them groups that pop up and be gone after they first single, Cy surmises. Niggas is cool with show money, but we aint cool with show money. We got the type of records where if we put them out, George Bush gonna be callin. Thats how real we speak on it. // myspace.com/hoodlumatl Words by Jacinta Howard // Photo by Derek Blanks

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und Ho Joe
MIAMI, FL

ked how Florida. When as ht tree in South gh school. I bumped rking up the rig e hi to the sam und e Hound is ba Music label, Jo und recalls, Me and Dre went in a local studio in Miami, Ho Dres Epidemic e e rap group he n under Cool & ic associates, Ho . After reconnecting with Dr d ways with th ith distributio th his Epidem the situation wi mpin ever since eventually parte of and began taking steps he encountered in 98 and its been on and bu originally part was ck ion. into him in a ba e lucrative posit towards a mor e heavy hitting stockpiled som ing factor Although hes music is the lead the beginds cosigners, Houn oning rap career. At ge e and behind his bour r featuring Dr ar, My Choppe ami ning of this ye forefront of Mi und to the Ride brought Ho every area DJ from Khaled Cd had d in street music an record. The spee hopping on the was staggering and the to Ideal caught on s which the song were impressive, but there wa lrs gle from capita YouTube numbe eping the sin ght problem ke ial. I had hit em with a sli potent ins izing on its full reet single and I got some sp e st ly. Chopper as th t it was very radio un-friend d , bu e the album an off that record cord to promot eded a radio re ded up with She Likes It, I ne so I en to promote me . Hound explains rds releasing eady track towa d is now on a st Loves Company. She Likes Houn Misery his debut album me quality production as My prothe sa It features oriented hook ver, the female- med at a more ai Chopper, howe el ely different fe ravides a complet ce. When it comes to collabo am audien de County his Da mainstre rks closely with ag. tions, Hound wo records with C-Ride and DirtB if got with Rick Ross brethren. Ive rd g to get a reco y album]. I Im really tryin uced most of [m Cool & Dre prod to be real special because I can. ms going the opportunity think this albu if well all have eat ain. It was a gr you never know rd together ag is ic artists on th be able to reco to its Epidem nce. Youll know experie album. n ver any questio e, there was ne r this 305 nativ ys, Miami was sa Fo end up. Hound football where he was to ball. We played antly about foot I cant make it in predomin ways said if music. After a year round. I al nna make it in otball, I was go led out sports, Hound turned fo ry ru nna high school inju . I guess my fortune was go usic ve to his second lo I decided a while back that m n ic. be made in mus f opening my ow t e. I see mysel n what it is for m decide they do is en the fans at one point. Wh ore, at least I can bring label und no m nd want to hear Ho t and I can be in the backgrou e s th se ou somebody el y company. That oject under m working their pr . // goal ehound305 myspace.com/jo Words by Ms Ri vercity

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Pachino Dino
iming couldnt have been worse for Pa chino Dino in 2002 album Dummin Ou . When his debut ind t hit the streets, the ependent Charleston, SC rappe behind bars in a Fe deral penitentiary r found himself sit my time and the alb ting on firearm and dru um came out, I fel g charges. When I t lik now, Dino says in was doing a thick Geechee dia e, Damn, I wish I could have been ou lect. Dummin Out t there right into that. The shit meant so much to was straight real, me. I put so much live, and uncut reality, gangsta music. If yo raw u dont feel that, I dont kn ow what to say ab out you. As Dino sat, the str eets spoke loud an d clear. Dinos album, cons idered by many to be a Carolina classic, fill ed with murderous rhy and hardcore tales of sex and drugs, cre mes ated an unprecedented stree ton loved [the album t buzz in SC. Charles]. That was somethi we were waiting on ng down here. Not jus t Charleston, but thr oughout South Carol ina, Dino explains. Despite his four an da proper planning an half year incarceration, d subsequent mater ial helped Dino remain one of South Carol inas most talked about and respected emcee s. I had a good promo tion and marketing sch even though I was locked up, Dino ex eme, plains I put in so much wo rk in the studio; I ha . lot of music on de ck. So what I did wa d a s chop it up and stretched it out, to where as I could put a CD out this ye ar, I could put a CD out next year, I could put a CD out the year aft er that, even though I was locked up. I just tim ed it out to the T to ke ep my shit burning until I got back. Five years since rel easing his debut alb um, Dino is back on the str benefits from what eets and reaping the he started. Since be ing released from the bing, Dino has reu nited with Dummin Out producer and popu lar SC beatmaker Twin D for his latest comp ilation project and first un der his Hard Head Reco imprint, entitled GMixxin. Now that he rds second chance, he has a s ma currently in talks wi king the best of it. Hes th major labels to nationally re-release thi s debut album and back his next project Hustlin and Head Bustin. An he insists, the next d, time he drops an alb um it wont be from the belly of the beast. Everything happen s for a reason, he rationalizes. Everythi ngs coming aroun d full circle. So next time Im going to be ou t here. Word to Akon. // myspace.com/break aonenine ten

CHARLESTON, SC

Words by Randy Ro per Photo by Carminski Lat

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ese Re Raw
E

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL

ods in the United ngerous neighborho ne, even native one of the most da anyo nois. Actually, its lity could depress friendliest city in Illi the world. e. That morbid rea ast St. Louis isnt the high rates of assault, murder and rap ar-old says. Its like the dark part of th alarmingly it is, the 25 ye States wi Thats all s Its a closed area. ool in 2001, he wa rapper Raw Resse. st St. Louis High Sch ment, he slept graduating from Ea art lis. After a friends ap -stricken metropo dically crashed at r with the poverty was all for the good e uggling artist perio Resse is too familia mostly in his car. It ther. Though the str feels lik ma dont play. She the house by his mo booted out of though. My ma you the nest and once a bird has to leave out. Thats when a ks you get grown, she kic didnt n, he explains. It man has to be a ma cause I make me strong be to do nothing but . She just wanted me do had a child coming language, and e my get off my ass, excus . life something with my and eer more seriously Resse took his car studio as he e at the spent as much tim ase to Wal-Mart, purch could. He would go sic and nk CDs, burn his mu eet 50-packs of bla mixtapes on the str sell his homemade for ten dollars. m eive much love fro Though he didnt rec ed a strong following lop deejays, Resse deve result, Rap-A-Lot as a in the streets and bidding engaged in a mini- y Records and Sony ose to sta . In the end, he ch war over him Ren with Rap-A-Lot independent and sig paperwork done fast ir d to cords. They had the time. I really wante and I was hot at the plains. I the market, he ex jump fresh on ent. w and I was differ C was fresh, I was ne th Bun B and Pimp wi Also, collaborating al. helped seal the de s released a slew of Since then, Resse ha r this Street Credit earlie material including the top selling e one of year, which becam ild west. Looking to bu mixtapes in the Mid on m, Resse is working nt upon his momentu t do ed debut album. Bu his currently untitl rces Ones. Aside t Air Fo expect songs abou orty tracks like Hey Sh from radio-friendly , Resse ing Don P of Trillville and 24s featur city. reflects on his gritty use g proud. With a ho Raw Resse is feelin port from Rap-Ad sup in Atlanta, GA, an more able to live a little Lot Records, he is uis is one of the St. Lo comfortably. East vivI know. With me sur most violent places al, it made me feel g a de ing it and gettin when plishing something good about accom ng negative, he methi I couldve done so oices. t to make good ch admits. You just go // oices. A lot of good ch se myspace.com/rawres Words by Bear Frazie r

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ncere Si
K

Y LOUISVILLE, K

of thing for me. A lot it was a real good d Muhammad Ali, is rt. Im blessed and t of Louisville. We grass, an a lot of suppo music coming ou of the Derby, blue to change re and you sed by the type of entucky, the home going on down he villes Sincere wants people were surpri . There is a its rap artists. Louis re, there is so much not known for nt out of Kentucky t country down he are no . It to get the moveme t one way. of us being slept on that. I am trying can not look at it jus ll. the years because A free agent, ation built up over instream and did we lot of frustr Roots went ma t deterred Sincere. out there time soon. Nappy record deal has no p. is going to be our any to get his name that city on the ma The lack of a major am going to put blic relations comp zz going in the streets. We far as Louisville, I s hired a major pu As he ha ep the bu tting out hits to ke Master P did. I think n style of Hip Hop. while he keeps pu trying to do it like developing their ow d the South, Kentucky be an entity. We are like other areas, is st, North an Kentucky, are going to East and the Midwe m everywhere; like him again. Nestled between the sed to all regions. We get music fro someone can do it rch. In all that. You po se his album in Ma ists have been ex and Twista. We get art es h is planning to relea Kane, your Bone n on these cats. Wit d down here. Sincer d hits ready, Sincere N.W.A to Big Daddy from With the d push the butto not just one soun ing to go ahead an versatile. There is ays On My Mind an he is hoping that it have to be March I am go songs like St usal to sell out, erybody. You ty is evidenced on t into the personality and ref stuff to cater to ev incredible versatili lot of these cats ge stunts to his down to earth sperous career. A number one, I try to broaden my le up there. If not ainst All Odds. translate into a pro do all types of litt Ag will uls. They try to artists and put me quality e all the versatile d try to sell their so give these people can tak game an . I am going to nking. I am just being me ow what youre thi ople can relate to I dont kn get out there. stories that pe d, reaching // d. Itll be real life has been on the roa as Juelz music, not fabricate put down with a new age twist to it. movement, Sincere h ilar to what 2Pac ady to spread the ened for artists suc Re s op - sim rmed in g new ones. He ha appy and has perfo old fans and makin 6 Mafia, and Lil Scr elyyoursforever states and received Young Buck, Three Santana, myspace.com/sincer ched all those as to Florida. I tou venues from Tex Words by Seven

OZONE MAG // 73

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Rocko
R

ATLANTA, GA

odney Rocko Da Don Hill is probably a new face to many but hes been invol ved in the music business for years. learning the inner workings of recor After ding from his cousins studio, the Atlan ta native started his own label, Rock Records. Initially when I started the y Road company, my goal was to sell 50,000 pendently at $10 a wop, thats a lot records, says Rocko. 50,000 records of money. We went in with the intentions indeof trying to do that and it took off from there. Within the first year of Rocky Road Reco rds, Rocko landed a deal with Universal to release ATL rappers Hitman Samm Young Dro. But when things with falte y Sam and red between Rocko and his artists, he found himself with no artists and no deal. After struggling to find new artist major label s to rebuild his label, Rocko decided his best option was to do it himself. I was like, none of these guys swag is stronger than mine, Rocko boasts. Then on top of that, I can write bette guys. So I woke up one morning and r than these gave myself a deal. I went in, started working with this person and that perso I am. The hottest thing in Atlanta on n and here the streets right now. Since stepping from behind the scenes to behind the mic, Rocko has a right to be confident. His new single Umma Do Me, produced by Drumma Boy (Plies Shawty and USDAs White Girl), is heating up the streets, clubs and radio stations throughout the A-Town. Its really a swag song, Rocko elaborates. My thing is, whatever you do, do it times ten. Be the best at it. But thats you. Me, umma do me. Umma have the flyest whip. Umma have the freshest clothes. That may be stuff that youre not into. Im not dissin you because youre not into that stuff. Umma do me, you do you. In doing him, Rocko has his single added to radio rotation, increased his shows and started to receive phone calls from numerous major labels interested in signing the Southwest Atlanta resident. I leaked the song on a Saturday and by that Wednesday the song was on the radio. Within a weeks time I went from being in the studio to the next week getting calls from every label in the industry. As Rocko entertains offers from several labels hes continuing his independent grind. His A Swag Season mixtape featuring Yo Gotti, Jazze Pha and Monica is on the way and he continues to develop artists under Rocky Road Records. And on the mic, Rocko is certain he has next. I can sit here and confidently looking you in the face and tell you I got next, Rocko says. Im the next out of the city. But whether his time is now or if he continues to patiently wait, hes going to do him. // myspace.com/rockodadon Words by Randy Roper Photo by Eric Johnson

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orld ll W Sma
S

HENDERSON, NC

ngs oon attending meeti of this Friday aftern aps him out of his and has spent most y sn immediatel in New York the Def Jam offices ars tired, but talking about his album ing in the lobby of pe mall World is loung . The 25 year-old ap but World Premiere mes from in regards to his de soul in my music co The passion and the ly about what I do. Its [due daze. arted me being wholehe the way I did, ual and growing up to] me being spirit ndma to installe credit to my gra he explains. I giv ying over me. that in me and pra ing erson, North growing up in Hend While he was a child d in a car crash. Thats when r die Carolina, his fathe and her s his grandmother d later gravitated toward he keep him grounde would Baptist roots, which d to God for advice. always looke on in life. I have my energy focus and channel That helped me to n my mother ive, he says. Whe sit uld into something po n male issues, I wo certai couldnt be there for my spiritual guidance would and look to the streets hold me down. his DJ Skazzde came across on in the That genuine attitu lly, a copy landed d eventua produced demo an his soulful flow, n. Touched by hands of Wyclef Jea erstar took Small World under former Fugees sup the mer 106 & Park g both him and for his wing, managin rld was featured on , Small Wo host, Free. In 2000 wood from Hollywood to Holly Dirty South and d to be a riseftic, and he seeme Jeans album The Ecl ately, the situation went sour. tun ing prospect. Unfor in the Raleigh the next two years Small World spent rfclck (trio , trying to make No D and underground scene hood friends Brolic child New also consisting of er taking a trip to p. But aft Perfect Harmany) po 6 & Park, he briefly re-united 10 Souf Born. York to watch BETs r Norfclcks mixtape th Free and gave he ard it and signed not only wi he lu Days later, Chaka Zu t his crew in bing Tha Peace, bu Small World to Distur al situation. 2002. It was the ide ere, Small -oriented atmosph o I liked the family be with people wh wanted to World explains. I d get money togeth to be loyal an knew what it was Aside from ere I came from. er because thats wh s Up on Ludacris Presents ing Put Ya Hand dropp releasing his with Norfclck and Disturbing Tha Peace ted with Don Cannon, Small na mixtape World Domi his debut rking diligently on energetic World has been wo ord is loaded with e rec turing World Premiere. Th rs, On Paper fea n Dolla bangers like Billio with Ludacris. gnificent Freeway and Mr. Ma , hes conveils his masterpiece Once Small World un ll become apparent. People wi vinced individuality the whole Small real sense behind are going to get a eyll know I come , he states. Th World phenomenon ts. // m great, positive roo fro worldpremiere myspace.com/small hnson r // Photo by Eric Jo Words by Bear Frazie

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Stick 3000
S

ORLANDO, FL

tick 3000 is no stran ge and those investme r to paying dues. While many place be nts ts on overnight sta rdom, Stick has inv write songs and giv are progressively paying off. He say ested in long term s, I used to book e em to other artist op artists with my ma s. So, at the end of and I knew I could n Pupp and Dawgma portunities, 05, I decided it wa outdo all of them. n. I used to always s time for me to do this. I was tired of Using the experienc booking artists e he acquired as a booking agent and artist. He was soon songwriter in both securing his own sh Palm Beach and Orl ows, including open was a song he record ando, Stick becam ing for Lil Wayne in ed shortly after bra e a double threat as fro Money. I was the nching out on his an first person to make own. He elaborates, nt of 3,000 fans. During the time, Sti ck that song. I gotta The song that rea died down, Stick co make that known. lly put me on the ma s claim to fame ntinued showering Every time I perfo p was I Make It Ra his listeners with radiorm, I make it rain in worthy material. money. Even after the record I did a couple of song Orlando hes with s with KC from Th is always playing the e Runners. 102 Jamz song I have with him called I See Yo u. Its like a love so ng. When I wrote it, it was personal. Its how youre supposed to treat a woman. In fact, Stick has a unique ability to target his female audience thr ough up front lyrics and club-friendly produ ction. His most rec ent buzzmaker called I Aint Had Sex in a Long Time is proof that keeping it real wo rks. The song is even fur ther strengthened by a marketing push tha t inc rial, merchandise an ludes promo mated radio play. A master at deliveri ng effective concep ts, Stick also tailored a song specifically for a different audienc e a song that cau ght the attention of Fo rt Myers chart climb er Plies. I was suppo sed to hook up with Plies about a year ago. At the time, I didnt really have the rig ht song. Plies is alw ays talking about goon s, so I got up with him and said, I got the perfect song for yo u. He hit me up one da y and was like, Wh ere you at? Im ready to do the song. He came over here an d put it down. No t only did Goon become a fan favorite, it als o displayed Sticks ve rsatility. Currently a free ag ent under Orlando s Clientell Music Gro up, Sti release his street alb ck is preparing to um with the suppo rt of DJs Nasty and DStrong. Although he s put in years of wo rk and is reaping ple nty of notable rewards, Sti theres more groun ck understands d to cover. I hope I make it to where ev ery aint gotta worry ab body I mess with ou sure my family and t nothing. I make everybodys straig ht now but at the sam e time, I can only do so much, he adds . As long as the pe ople keep telling me the y love what Im do ing, Im gonna keep giv ing it to em. // myspace.com/stick3 000 Words by Ms Riverc ity Photo by Dwayne Moore

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etz tre S
L
it is like to struggle. Growing ike many rappers, Streetz knows what area of the Bahamas and Miamis up in both the non-picturesque poverty and violence firstcrime ridden Dade County, he has faced the Caribbean Anyone that knows anything about hand most of his life. ns: of a tougher nature. You have two optio knows that those places are says. tourism or drug trafficking, Streetz with positive role models; to the The inner city did not provide Streetz rs and and across the street stood the deale left were crooked politicians s and dealers. Those were the killer hustlers. I grew up around a lot of what I saw. As a kid, you want to people that were influences as far as were the hot see being successful and for me they be like the people you drivwere the ones getting the girls and boys and the dope dealers. They had to go down the street to get a ing the nice cars. I grew up where you from the ghetto. Im from nothing, bucket of water to take a bath. Im not s. You dont killing each other to see if the gun work where niggas are just nts ize any one in those types of environme have the type of time to ideal it is about the money. years hanging around older guys, Streetz, a rapper that spent his teen le est like his used to; back when peop wants his music to spark inter go get an album. The quality of waited for Tuesday so that they could

MIAMI, FL

to give that classic album that is music right now is falling short. I want club, to make every hustler, dancer in the going to sell again. Thats going I want to make this album for it. and person in corporate America want s the streets. you. This will be the album that unifie to be Successful in Music, are How to get a Record Deal and How ns. A confident Streetz echoes tions discussed at all music conventio ques the popular single that he is the new face of Hip Hop; with the statement just might Yung Joc causing a major frenzy, he Beat in Trunk featuring ved industry is there is a lot of politics invol be. The only thing about this shows up it is a walk in the entic in it. This shit is fake, so when the auth . I am going hit for hit, song for song park. Once I get in, I will show why. producers like Nitti and DJ Toomp, With production by Grammy nominated NYC and spins on radio stations all appearances on mix CDs from ATL to him. All this attention secret as to why major labels are after over, it is no of when the d a deal. I am the full embodiment and yet he hasnt signe When you get the hood, radio stations, streets meet corporate America. // y on the table has to make cents. and the media behind you, the mone myspace.com/iamdastreetz Words by Seven

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Yela Wolf
L
Yelawolf got introduced to Hip ike some rappers, Gadsden, Alabamas . He . But not through radio or television Hop sitting in his living room . met the culture and people personally iend did lights for Aerosmith around When I was 7 years old, my moms boyfr e with Run-DMC, remembers Wolf, whos the time they did Walk This Way When they came to town, Runark. graffiti mural in Gasden is a local landm My They gave me t-shirts and copies of DMCs road crew stayed at our house. fell in love. record. After I heard Paul Revere, I Adidas and a Beastie Boys the only constants in Wolfs young life Hip Hop and skateboarding became ding 15 different Alabama to Tennessee to Georgia, atten as he moved from from all walks of During that time he lived with people schools in the process. e different than his. life, many of them being a shad ed e Hip Hop, maintains Wolf, who start I was attached to black culture befor on of his adult in the late 90s. He spent a good porti rapping professionally ta, Oakland and even working on a life as a nomad, roaming streets in Atlan experiences help me and my music get fishing boat in Alaska. I think my life le can see that I am a purist. accepted. Peop and through chance meetings, connected Yela eventually relocated to Atlanta sit downs with check-writers like Clive with producer Mark Sigel who got him a Rhone. Nothing happened. Davis and Sylvi

GADSDEN, AL

I wasnt ready, mentally, says Wolf I aint get a deal then, because I knew because of -lived reality show afterwards. I know who appeared on a short Creed, Wolf came back home and dropped how ready I am now. Undeterre later, he admits wasnt his best years kwater, an independent effort which mixtapes with fellow Alabama natives work. It wasnt until after releasing 5 with Atlanta production unit Battery Jackie Chain and Six-Tre and linking influtrailer park twang and Southern rockthat he developed his distinctive enced sound. / Ghet-O-Vision founder and then Sony Impressed after seeing Wolf perform, a major er signed him in early 2007. But after Columbia A&R Kawan KP Prath label together. Yela Wolf is currently personnel change KP and Wolf left the Girls & Beer with DJ of Flames mixtape, followed by White pushing his Ball industry buzz whispers are growing alongside the Ideal. Already, gimmick . Fearin and Loathin in Smalltown, U.S.A around his approaching debut, the a boring rapper, he shrugs, enjoying I would rather be a character than es Whyte album features Raekwon, while his singl best of both worlds. His Jonsin, are gaining spins on 30 rock Trash and Gone, produced by Jim wanna call me a character, thats fine, music stations nationwide. If people mber me. // but youll reme myspace.com/yelawolf Words by Maurice G. Garland // Photos by Meca 4 ReVamp

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Ray er end Lav

ATLANTA, GA

catching his girlfriend ay Lavender had no idea in r woman would play a role in bed with anothe . But the night he found launching his music career ind his breakthrough iration beh his girl creeping is the insp almost friend. Man, that song rassed single, My Girl Gotta Girl says. I was kinda embar Ray didnt make the album, se people are going to like, the by the shit. I looked at it to have he not doing for his girl look like, Damn, what was s. nt me. She was just curiou a girlfriend? But it was

L beand raised in Atlanta, Ray Born in Monrae, Louisiana Collabbo. But when fessionally in the group gan singing pro nager h Elektra crumbled, his ma the groups record deal wit It wasnt ping him as a solo artist. Drew Bryant began develo ustry nering attention from ind long before he started gar and Dallas Austin. But , Teddy Riley Live producers like Jazze Pha Ray L to sign with his Kon it was Akon who convinced imprint. Ray, I says. So when he said, I grew up with Akon, Ray rted. You see what I did with vement sta got the Konvict mo yre all these other dudes, the up T-Pain. Dont worry about ing and youre gotta end pen selling dreams, its not hap es. That clicked a button, like dud in jail messing with these big brother. I need to come with my phany It Down for T-Pains Epi After appearing on Put friend remix with ding a My Girl Gotta Girl album and lan poised ng up the charts, Ray L is Fabolous and Red Caf risi Put It his brand of R&B music. to infuse the game with Ray songs on Pains album, Down is one of the sexiest sexy, is cause I got reason why that song is begins. The e dont it. Not saying that the dud on there and put sexy on sure sexy but when I got it, I made bring sexy to his music sexy. anything Im on gotta be was on his music, cause his debut in, Ray L is set to release With Akon ushering him has . His edgy content already album x-Rayted this fall ld R&B singer to R Kelly year-o many comparing the 23G [on my the women, but I kept it and T-Pain. I kept it for I wanna make ins. Some guys be like, album], Ray mainta more day and age wanna hear t love to you. Chicks these time for no talking, wha t got than that. They like, I don t there and I put it into So I wen did you bring candles for? R Kelly edible. I remember when song and it came out incr n on his talking about going dow came out with 12 Play, wanna hear. // knees. Thats what they myspace.com/raylavende Words by Randy Roper r

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PATIENTLY WA ITING

Montana Da Mac A
ATLANTA, GA
s one of Koch Records new est signees, Montana Da Mac is climbing urban rad Rock movement. In fact, io charts with his guitar according to Montana, the laced contribution to the immediate popularity of including him. With an air Hiphis single Rock On fea of humbleness, the 19 yea grinding it every Tuesda turing Unk surprised eve r old East ATLien explain y night at the Libra. Every ryone, s, It took exactly 75 day club we went to we was with the record. I wasnt s to get radio play. We sta grinding the record. I eve even in the club and the rted n had some of my homebo y would ask the DJ to pla ys going out y it. Everybody was grin ding like it was they son In less than three month g. s afte and that was before inking r releasing the finished product in the streets, Mon tana had managed to lan a deal with Koch. Now wit d the record on 19 radio h a televised video to acc Man dance. stations, ompany the airplay, Ro ck On has everyone doi ng the Rock Although hes admittedly aware of his young age, Montana Da Mac possesses wisdom beyond his teenag e years. I feel like age dont matter, he states. Someone thats 15 or 16 can do the same thing as someone whos 30 years old. Its all about who you be around and how you take in information. And Montana has been soaking in knowledge of music his whole life. When I was little I used to listen to music a lot. When I was about 15, tha ts when I really started spitting. From the day I was born I took a personal liking to music. I would just zone out and be rapping to myself.

Now that he has transfo rmed his interest into a profession, Montan a has compiled an albums worth of materi al he feels will expose his multi-dimens ional character. The Life I Chose is scheduled for release this fall and while it features sev eral club targeted songs, Montanas person al favorites are those that explore more personal topics. Take a Walk in My Shoes is one of these records. He says, Im tell ing people to take your shoes off for a minute and step in mine. Go through wha t I go through, besides the fame, the gla mour, besides everything you see on TV. Come to the neighborhood I grew up in and kick it with me. While fame and glamour are not at the top of Montanas must-hav e list, being financially secure is. Alo ng with his uncle, Montana launched Wild Life Productions and plans to own a label. He also wants fans to know theres more to him than just being a rock star. I want people to really look at me. Dont look at the vid eos, just look at me. I know it sounds cra zy, but take a look in my eyes. See if you can see the pain; see if you can see the happin ess. // myspace.com/montanadam Words by Ms Rivercity Photo by Chris Stanford ac

OZONE MAG // 81

AITING TIENTLY W PA

GS, FL TARPON SPRIN

istols 2 P
W

ts. Rapper goes drugs. Rapper grows up on the stree family is involved in the streets and ls, this same story is a harsh reality. all heard the story before. Rappers eve omer 2 Pisto mes, well, a rapper. For Florida newc to jail. Rapper gets out of jail and beco d myself, Pistols was coming up, so I pretty much raise looked up to. He ers were in and out of prison when I momma, my daddy and all my broth er. He was the only person that I ever My follow in the footsteps of my broth I had a fucked up record. I ended up falling into rap trying to remembers. nothing but rap cause locked up. Then I didnt really have ended up getting killed in prison. I got his chances in the the streets. This time he decided to take arrested for Tarpon Springs, FL native was back on , when his independent labels CEO was serving a brief prison sentence, the After can remind you of the rap game drug trafficking. Pistols soon learned why the dope game rap game. But But he didnt let this deter his new hustle. He hooked with a Colione, a Tampa producer that produced some tracks for his indie label. At the time, Pistols was unaware that Colione was one-third of the Grammy winning producer trio the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Their finished products - songs like She Got It with T-Pain, Fired Up with BloodRaw and Closed Eyes with Young Jeezy began catching ears on the streets. But its Pistols collaboration with T-Pain that has people liking the newcomer to another Florida representer that broke through alongside Pain this year. Plies do what he do, but I think I got a little more to offer than what hes talking about, Pistols says. Music wise I dont think theyre comparing us. It just so happens that Im a light skin cat from Florida. Im young. Im out here getting money and I aint afraid to say what I wanna say. I dont think that our music sounds nothing alike at all. I just got a song wit Pain and he got a song wit Pain. Comparisons aside, Pistols feels his grind is harder than any artists thats patiently waiting in the game and his music will speak for itself. On six months of house arrest, I did more than any of these cats out here, Pistols says. I got a record done wit Pain. The shit got added to mainstream rotation down here. I did all that on house arrest. To go to any event I had to keep getting court approval. I just feel like my dedication and my grind got me to where Im at right now and thats whats gonna separate me from them. // myspace.com/2pistolsbmuboss Words by Randy Roper Photo by Thomas John Bassano

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PATIENTLY WA ITING

Modesty XO
very state seems to have a distinct sound that is ide ntifiable through their arti only problem is that Ala bama hasnt had many arti sts music. Alabama is no different. The sts breakthrough the ma may be a little harder tha instream, so identifying n noticing the crunk of Atla their style of music nta or the screw music of Texas. Alabama sound is really on some laid-back, player , funkadelic, old school fee A lot of people think tha ling to it, Alabama emcee t Alabama dont got the talent and Alabama don Modesty xO explains. of my music is soulful, its t got the sound, but its heartfelt. But I got some really got a soulful feel. club stuff youre gonna fee A lot l in the club too. The Birmingham rapper found his penchant for rhy mes during his high school rappers. He soon took his years, while joining ciph rhymes to the ers and battling other streets, appearing on loca l DVDs like NBA Live (N Birmingham Alabam a performing at local shows. Allday) and Over the last few years, xO has been ma king his claim as one of Alabamas bes t. His single Bag It Up and 24/7 Grindin mixtape hosted by the Aphilliates DJ Infamo us has generated a strong buzz for Modesty in 2007, making him a 2007 OZONE Awards Patiently Waiting Alabama nominee. My style is on some pla yer shit and some gangsta shit, but at the same time Im coming at you with lyrics, he says. Im trying to give the world some substance. They can listen to my son gs and say I got something from it, get som e knowledge or some wisdom from it. Now that Rich Boy has driv en his Cadillac across mainstream lines, Modesty is ready to follow suit and let the world hear what the rest of Alabama Hip Hop sounds like. After Rich Boy came out , it really helped Alabama wit the movem ent, says. Hes the first person Modesty that really set it off for Alabama. But at the same time, it really was always poppin , it just never got to a commercial and nat ional level. Rich Boy kicked the doors dow n, so its opened for all of us to come thro ugh. With a 24/7 Grindin Chapte r II: Beautiful Struggle mixtape and an indie album Cracked Concrete forthco ming, Modesty is looking to bring more recognition to his slept-on state. Alabam a is a state thats from the bottom and a lot of people havent respected the sta te, he says. Most of the people here are from the Black Belt era, the struggl e. Just be looking out for some artists from Birmingham and be looking out for me . The streets are paying attention. // myspace.com/modestyxo20 Words by Randy Roper 5

AL BIRMINGHAM,

OZONE MAG // 83 OZONE MAG // 83

ITING IENTLY WA PAT

HOUSTON, Tx

k god combined to form Trac , Dudella, and Sayeed the ughout their state, but but that was before Huskey , y thro for too much information an impressive buzz not onl putting in nce upon a time TMI stood t 6 months, these Texas Boyz have been gaining game; theyve been around that theyre novices at the oughout the pas Muzic Inc. Thr dont think for a second South as well. But several other parts of the group. We started ually for over a decade. work individ key the storyteller of the that it happened, says Hus pped a CD, and like explains. came out of nowhere, dro r 75 songs that way, he People think that we just down shit. We recorded ove et, recording and writing got out of the closet out making songs in a clos When the TMI Boyz finally ld road. The Texas trio wou (no homo), they hit the rd tracks and get to reco travel all over the South ction of producers, along beats from a diverse sele nie ked with Shawty Redd, Man the way they wor ong many others. Fresh, and Zaytoven am used to come to Atlanta Back in the day when we Greyus flew, one dude took the to record, one of drove. You really gotta do hound, and one dude your music out there. You what you gotta do to get z got that drive, e that drive, and TMI Boy gotta hav up. god, the lyricist of the gro claims Sayeed the lives to make it happen, We really put aside our dope boy , the emcee who brings the ent says Dudella acc group and speaks in an element to the This music game is our thicker than Texas toast. passion, he exclaims. Boyz that is overwhelmOne thing about the TMI love they seem to genuinely ingly obvious is that ple focus on being on what they do. A lot of peo the studio, and they try serious when they go in re and too much. We just go in the why to concentrate be ourselves, and thats make the music and you love what you do, itll people like our music. If we do. s Huskey. We love what show, say ty at Atlantas MasquerInside their listening par is loving what they do ade Nightclub, the crowd of the listening the odd part is that most also. And g about nce doesnt know anythin crowd in attenda h Texas threesome is fine wit the TMI Boyz, but the that. at our listening party, Were out here in Atlanta g in there aint heard nothin and half the people in there right now you about us, but if you walk ving like a muthafucka! gon see niggas heads mo ple been nt Dudella. A lot of peo says a confide we as movement is dead, but saying that the Tex lot of cats coming out of a lettin em know that its w yo fuckin head off, like Houston thats finna blo the TMI Boyz, baby! // zic2 www.myspace.com/tmimu to Words by Eric Perrin // Pho by Kiser

I Boyz TM

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ITING IENTLY WA PAT

ATLANTA, GA

g Ralph Yun
M

the leep, get stuck in edns. Either they overs Atlanta native resch one of three reaso interviews for . The 25-year-old t rappers reschedule ht, and still wake up but not Yung Ralph os kick it every nig groping a groupie y to the other go out every day, studio, or are busy reason: church. I I can ride all the wa says the time on Sunday. If slightly more noble uled for a d thank the Lord, is give God a little least I can do sit in that chair an my little girl, so the finitely ride to go to see I can de be up in that club, side to town to go ded songs on mble rapper. surprisingly hu one of the most ad of all, the ok Like Money is ), and perhaps best ful for. His song Lo deal a lot to be thank west ATL anthems ons rapper inked a s hit (one of the ne recently, Ralph has And for the infectiou Stay Down Producti c. Ralphs situation, just shot the video bli radio, he with Universal Repu t sucis not an overnigh however, certainly ars ago at began rapping 8 ye cess story. He re than it soon became mo the age of 17, and teamed up with the . He just a hobby for him The ThrowBack Boyz, up now defunct rap gro kind of results he was the but still didnt see deavors through his solo en m hoping for. It was d to earn the acclai starte that Ralph finally moted himself. usly pro he desired. He vigoro the radio station and to He made daily trips b, and eventually his clu nightly trips to the work paid off. hard the past, cee admits that in But the Zone 3 em lity for him s more of a menta having money wa people t, he feels a lot of I than reality. In fac . I aint never said his hit have misinterpreted talk, and smell I look, walk, had nothing. I said d I had money. Its all r sai like money. I neve he says. about the image, e of ople have an imag And today, many pe ious rapng but an ostentat Ralph being nothi thats stance. But he feels per who lacks sub truth. from the the furthest thing not stuck tes me is that Im Look What really separa ople hear my song Pe on the money part. Yung Ralph is just y think Like Money and the and to me its about life about money, but but I was st I didnt have it, living. In the pa reveals. d being happy, he still enjoying life an money. I talk about my out I dont just talk ab d up. , folks gettin locke family, the struggle iversal [Rersal. Thats why Un Really, Im unive I couldve the best company cords] is probably iversal. // I am un went with, cause myspace.com/youn gralph3 Eric Perrin

Words and Photo by

86 // OZONE MAG

OZONE MAG // 87

Derty W Den
ENFIELD, NC

hen Derty Den realized that he wanted to pursue a career in music, he was reciting the lines from The Notorious B.I.G.s hit Unbelievable, (Live from Bedford-Stuyverson, the livest one, representin BK to the fullest). Derty, who credits his beginning to the late Notorious B.IG., spent his days and nights on end reciting the song until he had it down. And once it was memorized, he added his own flavor in and the rest was history. As a native of the 3,200 populated city of Enfield, North Carolina, Derty Den has made quite a buzz in and out of NC. The 6 foot plus emcee explains that though he is from NC, he doesnt want to be recognized as just that. I want to be recognized as an artist. I want to be recognized for my skill and talent and not just my state, mentions Den. With that in mind, he sheds light on the musical atmosphere of North Carolina. North Carolina Hip Hop reminds me of how New York was in the early 90s, he theorizes. Its developed, but not fully developed like is should be. Dertys most notable hit Bump That Shyt is a hit across the board. Recently, the song has been featured on the xM Radio hosted edition of Cornerstone Mixtape, which is one of the industries largest promotional joints to date. Along with his recent fame, real-as-it-gets-lyrics and widespread appeal, Derty Den recognizes that he has a soft spot too. A few days during the week, Derty says, I work with at-risk youth. Gangs are getting real serious these days and I can remember when I was a kid everyone wanted to be a drug dealer but now, kids look up to rappers, so since they look up to me, I feel like its important that I teach them about my experiences. Derty has been balancing his humanitarian efforts along with his busy schedule of exercise, networking, studio sessions and power packed shows for about a year now and admits that his grind is just as serious. When asked about his lessons learned this far in the industry, Derty admits that one of the most important is to stay consistent with your music and goals that you aim to achieve. And through his consistency, the emcee has maintained recognition as an artist from fans in New York to Atlanta and back to North Carolina. His appreciation and reflective thinking of his fans play a huge role in his definition of his presence in the rap game. He modestly says, Derty Den is that dude from NC that is going to bring NC to the forefront. But I cant do it without my support. The people keep me pushing. Its kind of inspiring to know that people like crack heads and kids hear my music and believe in me. They keep me going. // myspace.com/dirtydengit Words by E. L. Berry // Photos by Armen Blanco

PATIENTLY WAITING

Below Zero
B
elow Zero, the trio from Bowling Green, Kentucky, has a buzz growing around them. DoughBoy, B-Easy, and Da Child decided to form the group while in high school in 2001. With six years of hard work and Horseman Entertainment behind them, they are ready to expand outside of their state borders and make Below Zero a household name. We give ourselves a chance to do any type of record. We are not going to do a whole album of just street records or club records. We are willing to experiment with all types of music and sounds, they say. Their last two singles Im Doing Good and New Era are examples of their willingness to change. New Era had such a buzz behind it that the New Era hat company contacted the group and they are in the planning stages of releasing a Kentucky hat and using the group to promote it. They flew us in and had us perform in front of the CEOs from the different countries. They liked the song and got behind us. Production of their music is handled by their own company and other producers such as Willy Will and Fury. The infectious beats that provided by them provide a canvas that the three members paint with vivid lyrics. The last year has been anything but unproductive for Below Zero. New Era got played in 15 different markets; they were nominated by OZONE for a Patiently Waiting Award, appeared in OZONEs Kentucky Derby issue, and have received a lot of support from DJs. Just getting out of a joint venture a few months ago, Below Zero is not rushing to sign another deal unless its beneficial. What we are doing right now is going back to the grind work, says the group. We have been talking to a lot of labels. We are not going to sit and wait. We are doing a mixtape with Big V from Nappy Roots called Street Fame, a new mixtape called You Got to Grind Before You Shine and an album on iTunes. Looking at the calendar, one of the members flips it to March as their manager Desmond smiles, saying, We have a six month plan. We understand a lot more about the business and want to prepare our album. We want to have four or five singles. It is needed now. Labels want to give you single deals or just get you to makering tones and not promote your album. We want to be able to stick around. Some people dont get a second chance. // myspace.com/below0 88 // OZONE MAG Words by Seven // Photo by Jackie L

EN, KY BOWLING GRE

quare peg in a round hole. Thats probably the best way to describe D.C. Hip Hop wonder-kid Wale (an acronym for We Aint Like Everyone). The thing is, this square peg can flat out spit. With shoot-em-up thug imagery running rampant throughout the annals of Hip Hop, the fact that Wale would rather go cop new kicks as opposed to copping bricks puts him in the minority. After dropping a host of critically acclaimed mixtapes, including the collaboration with boutique clothing line 10 Deep entitled 110 Miles & Running, the Chocolate City native has both his rhymes and his swagger up to par and is ready for the world. The question is: Is the world ready for him? My style is D.C. and just me. D.C. is a subculture within itself and Im a subculture within that. So no, Im not normal, admits the 22-year-old. Its hard to say that youre unique when youve never even focused on anybody else. If youve been doing your thing all your life, you dont really feel unique, its just you. But a lot of people have been calling me that, so Ive been running with it. Using D.C. as a backdrop to his lyrical compositions, Wale hopes to bring attention to an area of the map not typically recognized for beats and rhymes. Having been pursued harder than the head cheerleader by nearly every major label there is could have easily fed into the ego of a lesser artist. But Wale knows that timing is

key and that when his Mark Ronson executive produced Love Day debut does see the light of day, its a wrap. Im not going to be surprised when I go platinum. Its organic. It matters that people believe me and believe in me. But I plan on world domination regardless, he says confidently. And with some advice from a well respected OG in the game, Wale is planning on becoming possibly the first household name to come out of the nations capitol. I envision it being one of those albums you hear and you know this person is gonna be around for a while, he says with a hint of cocky in his voice. Jay-Z told me that all you can do is make the best songs you can possibly make. I wanna be like Yeah, I wanna change the world and Hip Hop, but at the end of the day you can only make the best music you can. // myspace.com/wale202 Words by Anthony Roberts Photo by Good Bully

Wale
NASHVILLE, TN

WASHINGTON D.C.

PATIENTLY WAITING

boy Cow
T

door. shville down his about the city of Ca but I turned t res just something he deals on the table no surprise tha We had a couple of think, like, in ten years, will eds hustlers. So its that bre ild Mafia tta nt go getter, BuckW just gonna them down. You go Tennessees reside en staying my family? Im not ht. CEO Cowboy, has be s deal take care of thi e in the cords artist and mbers gotta be rig Re . The nu for close to a decad time jump on any major and on his grizzly a down 98 at d the label back in til the game. Having starte re only a few people really hands and wait un Not one to sit on his expandthere we when he says ists which senses, Cowboy is ir d his stable of art majors come to the roducing his own TV show, ing it, Cowboy an y have do ne int ger 9 and Young Mo ing his portfolio by distributed include upstarts Ru brand of D-boy talk into dolwill be nationally Buckwild TV, which South as well as being ir signature turned the oughout the s the ependent scene thr on networks acros lars, flooding the ind w with his eyes set on big. No eased as a DVD. rel down bottom states his hustle to the next level. ing thing real ger stakes, hes tak ke it real big, some Were trying to ma t just going to be good to plains. Its no rket. People say its ing stupid. entertaining, he ex Its a real tough ma od if you can sell 100,000 und on camera act re niggas running aro all go be l show setting. We hard to do independent. Its t, a rea ur own, but its We got a real forma major artists and a 0,000 records on yo ins. or 20 expla iews with of the industry, he mick now going to have interv that in the climate t a gim game is more abou gotta do what lot more. The whole rap the music. But you g the Dirty just about than the quality of of new artists reppin be hard id because its not And with the influx says it wont gotta do to get pa you y, Cowboy seemingly everyda rappers these the music no more. m the rest. A lot of to say that to tell his crew fro but mpilations out this and that rground efforts, co days wanna talk ab tta have pull. When we say it, d to After a slew of unde wboy is finally poise n Of in my city, you go Co stuff that visual, we and collaborations, cause you can get effort, The Definitio you know its real a have to wonder his first truly solo release of the year You aint gonn metime at the end really live like this. A Money Maker, so er here. // guest apout these niggas ov disc, which features ung Buck, ab or top of 08. The Cashville bully Yo low pearances from fel Moneys ildmafiarecords ddy Souf and Cash myspace.com/buckw Gorilla Zoe, Grandda ce again knocking the majors on All Star, will have Roberts Words by Anthony

OZONE MAG // 89

LA, FL DELAND & OCA

Big Koon and Hollywood

rap duo Big walk in the park for state hasnt been a small town ife in the Gunshine ala, FL resident (a Oc ar od. Hollywood, an , from Deland, FL (ne Koon and Hollywo sville) and Big Koon or play n Orlando and Gaine ys to make it out of the hood: Rap betwee as Carmelo. ly know two wa nigga aint as good Daytona Beach) on od says. Shit, every sketball, Hollywo ba levels, Melo and Iversons ball game isnt on nt label Two Dog Re n, and Hollywoods bSince Koon der the independe EO and Koons cousi the streets hard un the FLA duo hit by the labels co-C artist Willo on was brought in ough the labels led cords. While Big Ko ed with Two Dog thr . During the beginning stages Hollywood connect wood into an artist 1 Lee, chemistry they mold Holly Da Don, who help the label decided the the best move for two new additions, and of work with the ct combination ordings was a perfe ywood] was on the exhibited during rec to package the two as a duo. [Holl them would be both of

Everybody wg was just ridin. Koon says. My da e shit I was on, Big together, boy. So we ran it like that. sam d good was like, Yall soun ialized. In 2002, almost never mater found himself Wood collaboration The Koon and ir first project, Koon gan working on the efinitely derail his rap plans. You when the group be tion that would ind ua turn it around caught in a legal sit s in your life and then you trying to as a , Koon says. Soon many mistake make so do es you in the ass shit comes and bit in to get ready to and some old the better and fitt king a change for nigga feels he ma s along. , some bullshit come something positive s ck and soon he wa being a minor setba stances ended up the last two years, But Koons circum rap partner. Over Life hosted recording with his pes like This Is The back on the streets turing ts with their mixta s like Good Life fea ir has flooded stree the pa Rankin. And song tion to helped bring atten mixtape titan Bigga by Florida Focused have Is The Life and So . With a new mixtape Mob Affiliated, Lil Boosie, This od & Koons d Two Dog Records ating the streets, Wo Koon, Hollywood an and DJ Drama, circul d by Bigga Rankin hoste wing. buzz is steadily gro e do reality Hollywood says. W legends. UGK, sic, its real, man, you listen to our mu were already being compared to the er all. // If t, a isnt that bad aft . And on top of tha music in Florid nored. Maybe life Ball & G. Shit, Im ho myspace.com/bigko Words by Randy Ro onandhollywood lik Abdul per // Photo by Ma

PATIENTLY WAITING

a star Dld Gem nChi Golde

o say that South Carolina emcee Gemstar Da Goldenchild has put the state on his back wouldnt be an exaggeration. Hes released five mixtapes in less than a year and a half including works with some of the biggest DJs in Hip Hop. From a Gangsta Grillz with DJ Drama to outings with Big Mike, P-Cutta, DJ Jelly and his latest release World Champions with South Carlinas own DJ Frosty, Gem has flooded the streets with close to 50,000 copies of his work. But he still isnt satisfied. The Lexington native (located about 15 minutes outside of Columbia) wont stop until he sees SC on top of the rap game. Were on deck right now, because theres so many different types of style here, the rapper says, adding that every artist there is determined to be the first to break nationally. Were the last Southern state left [to blow] but we ready. When we break through its gonna be an impact like when the other states hit hard. While the rapper is concerned about making sure his home state gets its just due, he says it took a while for listeners there to warm up to his musical style. Garnering comparisons to Cassidy and other East Coast spitters, Gems cadence is different from most new millennium Southern emcees.

90s. Though his flow has East Coast flavor, Gem made sure World Champions was full of material that everyone could ride to, no matter what their preference. Its covering everything thats going on in the world, he says, mentioning that hes influenced by many genres of music, not just Hip Hop. Aside from making sure that he had all of his bases covered musically, he was intent on ensuring people from SC know hes fully committed to representing for them. It was my idea to release a mixtape with a South Carolina DJ because people were saying I wasnt linking up with the home team, he insists. Frostys name is real big out here so I figured Id go with the best. So far, his mixtapes have gotten a significant buzz, earning him a few visits from some major labels. But Gem says the numbers werent right. They were giving out single deals, he says. Thats really what the labels are doing right now. Not one to settle, Gem will continue pushing his projects through Street Gallery Entertainment, the label he runs with his brother, Rayco. At the end of the day, he just wants to see his hard work pay off. Its just the passion [of rhyming] thats my motivation, he says. Its my passion to prove to myself that I can do this. // myspace.com/gemstardagoldenchild Words by Jacinta Howard Photos by Zalontate Napz Smith

LExINGTON, SC
90 // OZONE MAG

My rap style is more based on emceeing, the roots of Hip Hop, he elaborates. I was influenced by the scene in the 80s and

COLUMBIA, SC

Mac-A-Don

n some inexplicable way, maybe South Carolina is jinxed for being the first state to secede from the Union to kick off the Civil War. Since South Carolina is the only southern state yet to have a rap artist break nationally and join the Souths reign in Hip Hop, some kind of explanation is needed. But Columbia, SC artist Mac-A-Don feels he has what it takes to lead the Palm Metal state to victory in this music industry war and hes already begun his presidential campaign. I can be that face for Carolina, Mac says. I can put them on my back and they can have their faith in me that Imma hold it down for Carolina. I am the Carolina President. I am the face of Carolina. Born and raised in South Carolinas capital city, Mac-A-Dons push for Carolina top gun began in 2003, when his first single, No!!!, caught on throughout the streets, clubs and radio of his home city. I heard No!!! come on the radio and I turned it up, and I was like, Who the fuck is this? remembers Charlamagne Tha God, then Columbia radio personality and now co-host of the Wendy Willliams Experience. After I heard the hook, I was hooked. I remember being on the radio the next day and playing the record over and over and over. Once Macs first mixtape Bread Up! Vol. 1, PATIENTLY WAITING

hosted by Charlamagne, hit the streets, his polished flow and penchant for catchy singalong hooks solidified the emcee as a name to remember in the Carolinas. But when things fell apart within his independent label, G-Boy Records, Mac found his career in label limbo, until he united with his current manager Chase Michaels, who quickly backed the rapper through Juggernaut Records. Right away, Bread Up! Vol. 2, with Charlamagne back as the host, was released. I think Mac is one of the dopest rappers out, Charlamagne says. I put Mac in and ride to Mac like Im riding to a T.I. or Jeezy. Although the streets supported his music, lack of radioplay forced him to attack radio on his newest street album Bread Up! Vol. 3: Banned From Radio. I was trying to let [radio] know, youre trying to ban me from radio but as long as the streets got my back, cant nobody stop me, he says. With the streets behind him and radio giving in, his next project Gangsta and Gentleman in the works and a major distribution deal pending, dont be surprised if Mac-A-Don is voted president of Carolina rap music. // myspace.com/macadonmusic1 Words by Randy Roper Photo by Aaron Johnson

Jozeemo T
DURHAM, NC

he last year and a half has been extremely monumental for up-and-coming artist Jozeemo. Fans couldnt have imagined that Jozeemo would be free and back on the block, but this time hes popping out lyrics and wrapping up video shoots. Three years ago his career came to a complete halt when he walked into a local Hip hop showcase in Raleigh, NC and got arrested. The streets had inevitably caught up with him and he faced two years in the pen for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. My incarceration relayed a message to me that Im not here to just be a thug. I got something to say, not just be in the streets, he says. I have something bigger to do. Since his release in the early spring of 2006, Jozee signed to the Hall of Justus, increased his studio time, overbooked his shows, and jumped on tour with Method Man and other artists. Proving that he has learned from his atrocious mistakes, Jozeemo has locked and loaded his lyrics to reach out to his peoples on the block, his family and fans. I speak to my family and to my community. Were in the streets and its really a chance to show folks in my hood that theres a better way of doing things. Im a street dude and Ive taken that vacation to the Fed joint. And that fast lane money is not the way to do it, he shares in a sharp demeanor. Bringing L.O.B. (Livin On Barnes) and his Blockhugger Entertainment team along for the ride, Jozee makes it clear through his music that hes back indefinitely. Appearing in the Welcome to Durham DVD and soundtrack with songs like Say the Word, Mr. Franklin, and My Only Way only vouched that the man behind the bars still had unfinished business to take care of in the streets of East Durham and beyond. His latest single Ya Hear Me produced by 9th Wonder charted at number 5 on college radio, landed on the RapAttack charts, and is continuously raising heat. Laying down the foundation for the Carolina movement, Jozeemo makes it clear that it is only the beginning. In the North Carolina scene we dont get a lot of looks in the music industry, he says. So this is our chance. Im just taking the ball and running with it. Recently linking up with mixtape king DJ Chuck T, fans can currently feed their ears with Cry Now, L.A.F. Late the mixtape and a forthcoming street album Cry Now, L.A.F. Later. Jozeemos Hall of Justus debut L.A.F. is projected to release during the first quarter of 2008 and will feature no collaborations; simply Jozeemo at his best. Self-assuredly he states, This is just my time to get my shine on and really show the world what I got to offer. // myspace.com/jozeemo Words by Nadya Nataly // Photo by Tobias Rose OZONE MAG // 91

Pheonix The Firestarter

exual lyrics in Hip Hop are as prevalent as gun talk and drug references. So Phoenix The FireStarter was slightly taken aback when an air-on personality questioned the content in her buzzing single, Pull On My Weave during a recent radio interview. Sex is not negative, the brown skinned bombshell defends. Its what you do and how you do it. There are a lot of songs that are on the air [about sex]. Im an adult and I talk about what I want to. Raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Phoenix was introduced to music by her Jamaican mother who worked in a recording studio in Jamaica and later, as part of Bob Marleys management group. Phoenix found music as a way to express herself and realized music was her calling. Music was always in my blood, says Phoenix. I couldnt sing but I was going to do something that had to do with music. After spending some time in Tallahassee, she relocated to Atlanta to pursue her rap stardom dreams. And with her single picking up spins on radio stations and rock, R&B, reggae and rave versions of Pull On My Weave, circulating, her move has paid off. Shes also collaborated with Yo Gotti, Rock City, Sunny Valentine, Willie Joe and T-Mo Goodie.

A self-proclaimed girlie girl, Phoenixs music focuses on issues woman can relate to. Whether its the pain of a broken heart, the way women are treated in the music business, or hair extensions, she hopes to be a voice for females in a male-dominated industry. My music is geared towards women, she explains. Men think, Oh, shes talking about me pulling on her weave. The issue is I have weave and most women do. Girls are like, Yeah girl, I feel you with that whole pullingmy-weave thing. Now, everyone is okay with [saying], I wear weave. Music is her passion but Phoenix is far from one-dimensional. As the host of an Atlanta cable show Total Access and owner of a hair salon, she insists that her movement is more than music. I want endorsements from weave companies, everybody from Dark & Lovely and Revlon, to everybody that needs to be a part of this movement, says Phoenix. Cause its bigger than me and its bigger than music. And I just want to have some type of mark in history as a female that laid it down. // myspace.com/phoenixthefirestarter Words by Randy Roper // Photo by Vonche Milteer

E, FL FT LAUDERDAL
PATIENTLY WAITING

P Batters
P
icture thisits the 7th inning, bases are loaded and team North Cack is up to bat. Stepping up to the plate is seasoned emcee P. Batters (born under the government name William Rhodes) and hes ready to knock all of the other competition out of the park. As a native of small town Williamston, NC, P is no stranger to hard living, as he calls it. And since he moved from the town hes been making continuous moves to not return to that life. The baby boy of three older siblings, P. credits his appreciation for music to his older sisters and admits that women have a better passion and understanding for music, which ultimately makes them better fans. This influence has carried on throughout his lyrics. Though P. does admit to cursing and keeping it real, he also says, I try not to offend people through my truth-telling. Feelings aside, P. Batters has had his ups and downs with those who he nonchalantly calls snakes in the game. When asked about the way that the word persistence has played a role in his life, he defines it as realizing what your purpose is in life and continuing to follow that regardless. Though Batters continues to endure through the music industry to satisfy 92 // OZONE MAG his ultimate dream, he does admit to a time where he wasnt always as aggressive. Once a co-ed at St. Augustines College in Raleigh, NC, pursuing a degree in visual art, Batters realized that hed lost a passion for the genre because of the structure of the classes which seemed to interfere with his creativity. Unshaken and unashamed of his departure from academia, he admits that music poses the same threat with its structure surrounding production of songs and content of lyrics, but welcomes the challenge with a pioneering spirit and undeniable talent. Batters latest project is his forthcoming album Now or Never, which describes his rollercoaster ride through the music industry. Now or Never is the sequel to his mixtape Still Standing and provides a production list of diverse skill that stands in its own category. Using styles from Black Jeruz and 9th Wonder, to Manifest, J-Praize and D. Jay Cas, the album is sure to offer a class-act collage of talent as a background as P. Batters returns to the plate and knocks out hit after hit. // myspace.com/pbatters Words by E.L. Berry

NC STON, M WILLIA

atchet is more than a Louisiana dance and slang Lil Boosie introduced Southern Hip Hop to on the underground hit Do The Ratchet. For Shreveport indie label Lava House Records, ratchet is a way of life. Ratchet is a culture, its the way we live, says Mandigo, Lava House CEO and founder of Ratchet music. We might wear the same clothes for two days. Rent might be due and you cant pay that bill, or car note or electric bill. Its a swag. The Ratchet movement began in 1999 when Mandigo formed Lava House records and released the independent album Ratchatified in the Ghetto and a follow up album United We Stand Divided We Fall. Do The Ratchet featuring Mandigo, Lava House artist Angie Locc and Lil Boosie, quickly became a regional smash hit. With Boosies already growing popularity in the South, Mandigo gave Boosie the go ahead to launch the ratchet movement by allowing the Bad Azz to remake the song with Lil Webbie, which took the Ratchet movement to new heights. I created Lava House in 99, Mandigo a.k.a. the Ratchet King says. We dropped the first Ratchet song in 2000. Remixed it with Boosie in 2004 and everythings been Ratchet ever since. That was a movement that I stuck with, that people that knew about it tried to own it and couldnt, because we started it.

And now that Hurricane Chris has put Shreveport (a.k.a. the Ratchet City) on the map with his hit song A Bay Bay, its a perfect time for the five member group Ratchet City to take the sound they birthed to the proverbial next level. Ratchet City, which consists of Mandigo, Angie Locc, Big Poppa, Untamed Mayne and in-house producer Phunk Dawg has already begun making its presence in the game felt. Phunk Dawg, the man behind the Ratchet sound, has produced tracks for Lil Boosie as well as Hurricanes breakthrough hit A Bay Bay and second single Hand Clap. And Angie Locc recently made her national debut rhyming alongside the Game, Baby, Boosie and Jadakiss on Hurricanes A Bay Bay remix. The groups first single Pass Me Sum Wata is starting to spread more of their Ratchet sound across the South and build anticipation for the groups Lava House/Polo Grounds album. A Bay Bay and the Hand Clap and all those things are all good but thats really just the tip of the iceberg, Phunk Dawg says. The Ratchet City album is gonna be bananas. Its something thats coming new to the music industry. // myspace.com/2lavamuzic Words by Randy Roper Photo by King Yella

chet Rat City

SHREVEPORT, LA

PATIENTLY WAITING

ATLANTA, GA

Sporty O
H
ustlenomics must be a College Park thing. Just like Mr. Coffee Shop, College Park resident Sporty-O invested his money wisely. He sold his cars and used the money to open up a record store on the eastside of Decatur, GA. But the underlying benefit from owning a record store was the relationship the business owner/rapper built with local DJs and industry insiders. Me and my boy Gold Mouth, we used to make mix CDs ourselves and sell them out the store and we started getting a buzz, he says. But when an opportunity to visit L.A. to work with producer Justin Trugman arose, Sporty took his rhymes and packed CDs and found himself on the next flight headed west. His time in Hollywood would land him much more than a couple beats for his next mixtape. Through his relationship with Trugman, Sporty landed a spot on Jamie Kennedys comedic MTV reality show Blowin Up. Before Sporty knew it, his songs where being played in episodes and he had a reoccurring role on the MTV reality series based on Kennedys attempts to pursue a rap career. I got to meet a lot of cool people out here, he says. I was on the episodes with Ice T. I was just networking. I was in the heart of Hollywood. I was an employee of MTV. I never thought Id get on MTV before I made it to BET. I still aint been on BET yet. While living the MTV life in Hollywood, Sporty didnt lose focus. His first priority was music and he used every opportunity to shop his music through all his newfound connections. After recording a song entitled U Not Beyonc he realized Atlanta was the place he needed to be to break his new single. Atlanta, thats my home, he reasons. I just came to handle my business [in L.A.]. But I had to come back home with my record to blow it right. I couldnt be born and raised in Atlanta and come to L.A. for nine months and drop a record in L.A. I had to do it right. I had to go back home. When he arrived back home, his relationship with DJs through his record store paid off. Once in the hands of local DJs, U Not Beyonc gave Sporty his first credible single to impact the streets and radio as he prepares to release his album SuperSport II through his own indie label Home Team Entertainment later this year. No matter if its ATL or Hollywood, this bicoastal rapper is still about his business. // myspace.com/sportyo Words by Randy Roper // Photo by Jared Milgram OZONE MAG // 93

listen to that shit. So you got an opportunity to build your name, but you can also play some music from your area other people cant hear in their area. Then that record can become hot in fucking Delaware or somewhere. And it probably never would have reached there if it wasnt for Sirius. Why do you choose to mix live on the air? When you DJ a party, you can look at the people and tell when youre playing something whack. On the radio, you got the chance to shine and break records. I literally go on the internet, check my email and Ill have a new record that somebody sent me at 10:02, and my mixshow started at 10 oclock. Ill download that shit to my Serato and just go. Brand new such and such, they just sent it out. But some program directors dont like live mixing. They dont like that on their radio stations because some DJs are fucking knuckleheads and theyll end up playing some cursing music. What would you rather do, a $500,000 fine or let a nigga go live? But I trust myself. You give a lot of your mixtapes out free on your Myspace page. Julia got me doing mixtapes. I never did mixtapes. Before OZONE was the monster that it is now, I called Julia like, Can I do some mixtapes for you? I kinda feel like Im the trendsetter for putting mixtapes in OZONE. Youre in Louisville, KY. How do you feel about the music scene there? The music scene here is nice. Its different though. Louisville is kinda like a melting pot. As much as people in Louisville wanna think that they are the South, they are not the South. Ive been in Alabama in the fucking sticks. Ive lived in Memphis where its really hood; thats the South. When I went to Kentucky, dont get it fucked up, its hood but its just not the South. Their influences are Western. Some of the influences are East Coast too. And then theres Midwest also, so all those things come together. They kinda grew up off the Cash Moneys and the N.W.A.s, so its a melting pot of everything. Their sound has its own identity and its starting to come more on a national level. They have a lot of talent out here. I deal with an artist named Casanova. Hes like the next Kanye West - he does the beats, he raps, he flows, he does everything. Then you got niggas wit a laidback flow like B. Simm. Then you got other niggas like Hurricane or Louis Keyz that have laidback flows and are on some street shit. You got niggas that make any type of music you want. DJ Khaled, Cool & Dre, and The Runners, kinda built a sound for Miami, Im trying to build a sound for my city and put it on a national scene. I think the people that came before me really didnt give a fuck about the local talent out there. The reason why people love me is cause Im for the people. Youre one of the Heavy Hitter DJs. How did you get down with them? The Heavy Hitters took me a very, very long time. I started talking to Enuff in 2002 when I was in New York. I was doing an internship and I used to make mixtapes and give them to Enuff everyday for a whole summer. That nigga was like, What do you want? I was like, I wanna get down in your crew. He was like, Nah, you wont be in my crew. When you finish college, come back and holla at me. I didnt talk to that nigga for four years. I left, went to college, graduated, went to grad school, graduated and then I called him. I broke down my resume to him; I had seven radio stations under my belt. You know what that nigga told me? Hold on, Ill think about it. Then, that nigga called me like can you come to New York on Friday? Its fucking Wednesday. I spent $1,500 on a plane ticket to go out there and holla at him and he still didnt make me a Heavy Hitter. A couple months later Kast One, Camillo, Enuff and Felli Fel are the ones that brought me into the Heavy Hitters. All along them niggas were telling me no to see if I really wanted to do that shit. Its not like, Yo, let me be a Heavy Hitter and youre in. That shit takes years. You DJed the 2007 OZONE Awards with DJ Q45. What was that like? That was a blessing. It was a real good look because there were a lot of people from everywhere there. A lot of niggas dont even know I exist - Q45, niggas know him cause hes on Rap City every day. For me to get up in front of my peeps to rock out with Q45 in front of labels and artists, a lot of niggas were coming up to me. They might not remember me but Ill remember that shit cause I had a blast doing it. I thought the awards were great. I thought it was a real good look for the South and for Hip Hop in general. That wasnt the only good look you had this year. You were the 2007 McDonalds All-American DJ as well right? I did the McDonalds shit for the [high school basketball] All-star game in Louisville. I was the 2007 [Southern Entertainment Awards] Mixer of the Year and the 2007 KYMP Camp Radio Personality of the Year. Im glad people honor my work but you can do bigger shit the next year and they probably wont even put you on the ballot. Like the SEAs. I won the 2007 Radio Mixer of the Year last year but thats when I was in Memphis at Power 99 and I still had five radio stations. This year Im the music director, I have my own night slot in Kentucky, and I added two more radio stations and Im not even on the ballot. So I take that shit with a grain of salt. But I also got chosen to go to the semifinals for the Pepsi DJs competition. So [2007 has been] pretty good.

hen it comes to radio DJing, E-Feezy is everywhere. After starting his career in his hometown of Cleveland, OH, E-Feezy has manned radio gigs in Huntsville, Alabama, Memphis, NYC, and most recently, as music director and on-air personality for B96.5 in Louisville, KY. Not to mention, syndicated shows in Columbus, GA, Myrtle Beach, SC and Little Rock, AR, along with a weekly Grind Time radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio. This Heavy Hitter is everywhere. But for this 24-years-old, multiple shows and a few awards isnt enough. E-Feezy wont rest until the New Kentucky is the map. What made you start DJing? When I was young, they used to bring out the CDs before the videos. I used to pick what songs they were gonna do videos for. When I used to pick the songs they were gonna do videos for, they would just come on. I used to be undefeated in that. I figured out I had an ear for music. So I begged my parents for some turntables. They got me some turntables, it was a piece of shit too, but I rocked out on them boys. When did you start DJing seriously? I didnt take it seriously until I went to college. I was making like $8,000 a month just doing parties as a freshman at age 18. I realized that there was some money in this. Then I started doing radio, I worked for this dude named Philip Davis thats now the program director at WIZF in Cincinnati. He got me real serious about it and then Ron Mills gave me a chance to do Sirius Radio. It got to a point in college where fraternities and sororities had to ask us if they could throw parties and we used to charge [them] to throw parties. I went to Alabama A&M. Me and DJ Infamous locked down the whole campus. When did you first get on-air as a personality? I first got on-air when I was 18. But Ive been doing radio since I was 14. I started off interning and doing promotions for 107.9 in Cleveland. In Alabama, I was at WNEP, then I went to another station, WHRP. Then I moved to New York for a year or so, and thats how I met DJ Enuff and them niggas. Then I moved back to Alabama, then I moved to Memphis. Ive been everywhere. What station are you with now? Right now I have a show called Grind Time Radio. Im the music director and I do nights in Louisville, KY. Im also on the radio in Columbus, GA, Myrtle Beach, SC and Little Rock, AR. Ive also been doing Sirius for four years now. Sirius changed a lot of shit in my career. What do you like about DJing on Sirius? It gets you away from the commercialization of radio. You can play what you wanna play. You got the opportunity to break more records on a national scale. People in California or fucking Wyoming hit me up on Myspace like, I heard your show. So its a surprise that Sirius reaches everywhere and people

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dj e-Feezy

djproFile

Words by Randy Roper Photo by Quenest Harrington

OZONE MAG // 95

Rob g
Words by DeVaughn Douglas // Photo by Intl K

Waited Patiently
What topics can we expect you to address on the album? Everything. One thing I find in my music is that people have a lot more in common with each other than they think. I feel my main mission is to show that. I mean, Ive got to play this industry game. I still have to make hits, but as far as the overall feel of my music, I think a lot of people will find something they relate to. Ive lived a lot in my short life. There use to be a time when legends like Scarface, Nas, Jay-Z and other artist were releasing at the same time. You dont have people putting out albums like that anymore, and Im going to try to bring that back. The album is going to focus on family, the streets, partying, crying, basically all of the emotions that Ive felt. Who can we expect to hear on the album? Trey Songz, Gnarls Barkley. Of course H-Town is going to be apart of it. Chamilionaire, Lil Keke, Slim [Thug]. Ill be working with some of my Universal Republic labelmates like Amy Winehouse, Hinder, and Stephen Marley. Im really trying to think outside the box. Im still going to keep it H-Town, but Im just going to bring some other people into my world. For those that do not know, can you tell us about your upbringing? My parents came here as illegal immigrants. My father got lung cancer, which eventually took over his whole body. It got to a point where the doctors couldnt do anything so they just sent him home. I pretty much watched him die. I was 11, and I couldnt go to school for about six weeks because my mom still had to support us. I had to take care of him. After he passed away my mom was raising us as a single parent. Let me say right now, God bless my mother. I look up to nobody but her. My inspiration comes from nobody but her. I grew up after my fathers death so I would work with my moms being a janitor. My moms was working a lot and eventually I started to drift out into the streets. I liked the lifestyle and what I saw but I never got into it that serious. I remember I got caught with about a pound of weed and my mom told me something Ill never forget. She said, You think youre big? You think youre bad? Theres dudes out there that do this and have millions of dollars in cars and houses. Youre nobody but a little punk living in my house. That kind of woke me up. She worked so hard to raise us and what I was doing was like a slap in her face. Overall, I feel I grew up like any other rebellious kid. I grew up quick. You were married pretty early, right? I got married around 19 when she got pregnant. I love my wife. I had to leave the crib and go head and grow up. Thats when I was involved in the street the heaviest. Im no thug, though, and I dont glorify that behavior. At the end of the day what you write and put out there comes back to you. You do

ob Gs office is located in a nondescript building off of the southwest freeway in Houston where a lot of cultures meet. Go a few miles in any direction and you can see affluent Houstonians on their way to the county club, visit Sharpstown Mall and get a grill, smoke Shisha (flavored tobacco) from a hookah pipe in front of popular Middle Eastern hangouts, or eat authentic Vietnamese or Mexican food from the countless restaurants that cover the area. Make a couple of turns and you could wind up in an area where the street signs are printed in three or four different languages. It is in this nondescript building, in the middle of such a descriptive area, that Rob G has set up shop. As you walk in, youre greeted by a python resting in an aquarium, posters on the wall of Robs latest musical offering, Reppin My Block: The Mixtape, a small couch, and a computer whos speakers are blasting..John Mayer. I listen to everything, he laughs as he turns down the music. He apologizes for taking so long to get to the interview. Im trying to get ready for the OZONE awards and right after that I start a tour that goes through the South and the West coast. A new artist adjusts a mike in the booth while another one types quietly on a laptop. Rob sits back in his chair. Behind him is a white dry erase board with the SWAT Office Rules written in black marker. Rule #2: Be the Fuck quiet when were working! Rule #5: Dont Roll up in this bitch 10 deep! Rule #7: No girls during business hours..thats all day! Rule #10: This is OUR place of businessRespect the Establishment! For the last few years Rob G has been quietly laying the groundwork to bring his establishment to the forefront. With a hit song Reppin My Block featuring Lil Keke and Slim Thug, and a new single How You featuring Trae, Rob is preparing to release his Universal Rebuplic/Latium Entertainment major debut, The Inauguration. The last time we spoke you were a patiently waiting artist and now youre nominated for two OZONE awards, right? Yeah, two OZONE awards. I was nominated for Patiently Waiting Texas and Mixtape/Street Album of the Year, which was personally real big for me. The category itself was big because Im a guy that takes real pride in his mixtapes. To be nominated with people like DJ Drama and Lil Wayne is amazing. When can we expect to hear an album from you? The album is scheduled to be released on Universal Republic/Latium. Its called The Inauguration and its scheduled to be released anywhere from mid to late October. Its going to be big. We have a lot of big singles on there. A lot of stuff that will catch people off guard if you only know me from radioplay. Im going to be your best friend after you listen to the album.

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end up in jail. You do end up killed. You just end up hurting the people around you. The streets made me see how quickly things could happen. How quickly life can change. How one day can start off so well with you waking up and going about your business and end up with you having guns pointed at your head about to die. Is that what pushed you towards rapping? A lot of people you meet started rapping at 12 or 13, but I was never serious like that. I would freestyle a little but not that much. The first time I was ever in a booth was 20 and Im 25 now so Im just getting started. I started writing and got open with the concept of affecting people just through your words. After about two years I wanted to start getting heard so I started entering these battles. I only entered a few but they were obviously the right ones. I entered one that was sponsored by 97.9 The Box called Roc the Mic. There was about 300 emcees in the competition and I ended up winning. The winner got to go on MTV and battle for an opportunity to get signed to Roc-A-Fella records. It was good, but I ended up getting disqualified because of cursing. Dirty South mouth, baby! [laughs] After that I hung up the battle rap because businesswise it wasnt going to make me any money. I had to concentrate on making records to help me get to the next level. About a year later I got signed with Charles Chavez to Latium Entertainment, the company that manages Chamillionaire, Pitbull, and Play N Skillz. I just kept releasing mixtapes and about a year later I got the deal with Universal. Do you consider yourself a battle rapper? No, not at all. I just consider myself a real rapper. No one record can speak for all of me. The battle rapping was a phase of my career. But if you say something about my momma or challenge me to battle Ill battle you. I get a kick out of it because it was always in fun spirits. Its like a game to me. The battle rapping was just a way that I could show people I could rap. If I have to talk about this guy in front of me to prove that I can get down on the mic, then thats what I have to do. You speak on your Spanish heritage a lot in your music. What is it like being from a city where the Spanish population is the majority but that is not reflected in the music scene? Its a double edge sword. First, being a Latino, I rep that to the fullest. Thats my culture, thats my background. My parents came over here illegally, and I grew up speaking Spanish. I represent that because theres so many kids out there like me. They can identify with my struggles because they go through them too. It can be against me though, too. I mean, and this happens to me all the time, someone will come up to me and say, [Your single] Reppin My Block is jammin, but I really though you were black. When I walk into predominantly black radio stations where my record is big everyone is surprised. Some people look at me and think, Damn hes a lot more interesting now, while others look at me and think, Oh, now youve got to prove yourself, because of my heritage. I dont really play into the whole thing. At the end of the day my music still stands up. I make music for everyone. Last time we spoke Snoop and B-Real were organizing an event to help ease the tension between the black and Latino communities. Why do you think Houston doesnt have the same tension as other communities with black and brown populations? I think its because the way things are set up around here. I mean, my heavy, heavy Latin background comes from the people that were within the four walls of my house like my aunts, my uncles, my moms, and my pops. Outside in my school environment Id have to say 80% of my friends were black. I think a lot of black people in Houston can say, Damn, when I was growing up I had a bunch of ese homeboys. Plus, Houston never really latched on to the gang culture as hard as the West. Houston has a heavy history of having pride in where were from because no one paid attention to us for so long. We had our own stars and we were all united through the music. I mean, Im from Alief and its really just a melting pot of people on its own. If you drive around Houston theres little communities of Spanish, Asian, black, white, Middle Eastern, everything. Thats just how we grew up. A lot of magazines have talked about how Houston doesnt have the same connections as Atlanta and that maybe the Houston run is over. What are your thoughts? Im gonna answer that question as honestly as I can by saying that I cant speak for anybody else, but I never had a problem reaching out to other artist and them not extending love back. You can go down the list of artists Ive met. When I met Pimp C and Bun B Ive been to Buns crib and when he came out for my video that blew my mind. Trae showed me love. The Reppin My Block mixtape was a success because in two days I had Lil Keke, Killa Kyleon, A3, Kiotti, Big Pokey, Lil O, ESG, etc. Maybe I havent been in it long enough to experience anything the other magazines are talking about but my experiences have been good. Ive also met the Chamillionaires and the Paul Walls and worked with the big names to a certain extent. The problem with

the outside saying that [Houston] is falling off is because they are focused on the other stuff only instead of whats new. The guys that are out right now, and have all the weight on their shoulders, have been doing this. They shouldnt have to deal with all that pressure. Put the pressure on me and some of these new guys. Its really up to us because these guys can only do so much. The Slim Thugs, the Boss Hogg Outlaws, The Screwed Up Click, Swishahouse, Wreckshop, people like that all they brought us to were were at now. Its up to the new guys to shoulder some of the weight. I know my city, baby, and I know theres no way that were falling off. In Houston youve kind of branded the SWAT area. The SWAT! The SWAT stands for Southwest Alief Texas. Thats the southwest side of Houston, and Alief is where I grew up. I would like to clear something up. A lot of people tell me they are from the SWAT but theyre just not. I mean, its hard for outsiders to picture how big Houston is, but the SWAT is southwest Alief Texas. [laughs] People tell me where they live, and Im sorry, but thats not the SWAT. Since this is the topic of conversation in Hip Hop today, what do you think of certain figures attempting to censor artists? Fuck them. Honestly, I think theyre just picking on us. Some of the people that are saying these statements have made millions of dollars off of this industry; people like Russell Simmons. At the end of the day, they blame rap. I grew up [listening to Snoop Dogg] and I never did anything I heard on a Snoop Dogg record. Nothing bad I ever did was because I heard it on a record. These people are complaining about one aspect when they need to check all the other stuff thats going on in these kids lives. At eleven oclock Fox turns into a Girls Gone Wild infomercial but no one is attacking Fox. How many kids are watching all the stuff thats on TV? I teach my son right from wrong and I dont think Hip Hop is going to mess him up. I sold drugs cause I was broke and wanted money. I was influenced by the streets. How does having a child affect your lyrical content? It makes me want to write the most fire flow ever. My child has matured me and that in turn has matured my music but he doesnt necessarily affect my lyrical content. My son isnt gonna hear my music anytime soon. I raise my son the right way. Maybe one day when my son is older hell get on me for saying things Ive said on record but Im not worried about him being affected in a negative way. I raise him right. My son isnt going to have any parental advisory CDs until hes old enough to purchase his own. I was only able to get a parental advisory CD around ten or eleven because my mom couldnt speak English. I told her to get the Doggystyle CD and she looked at the cover with the cartoon dogs on it and said okay. [laughs] Bless her heart but she couldnt have even known. I mean, I had an older sister so I would always stumble upon her N.W.A CDs and other stuff, but Doggystyle was the first one I picked out and got for myself. What artists influenced you? The lyricists. The Jay-Zs, Lil Waynes, Scarfaces, Jadakisses, the whole Houston movement, of course Eminem, anyone with real lyricism. They influenced me because I wanted to be better than them. Not to emulate them but to get to that level of success and beyond. Right now Wayne is killing the game. Hes been doing it forever and I see him doing so much work out there. That makes me want to work harder. I respect all the new guys out there doing theyre thing right now. Ive learned a lot from artists like Chamillionaire. Play N Skillz really took the time to look out for me. They have a great company and good people behind them. I respect everybody, but Im still trying to be better than all yall, though. //

Rob g

OZONE MAG // 97

us a story about Sean Kingston told gh Myspace. cting with you throu conne it had a Myspace page, but I had my it wasnt like I was lot of traffic, so self, it was my going through it my . Everybody ger brother, Tommy youn kinda g me up, so he was was hittin ened himself. Tommy list out to people artists and reaching sent him a couple shifting through the by his talent. Tommy , with a production s really blown away a short period of time, Tommy me. But chances are to his music and wa d we isnt a household na rs and Rihanna to op him. Within R Rotem of devel tney Spea to me and Zach, an of my beats to kind es everyone from Bri ged from cribs in the hood t so he presented it et him. resume that includ has ran d something very ho t we wanted to me Rotems work thought he ha n imprint, er we heard tha Rick Ross and Plies, In 2007, Rotem scored big with his ow ay. Immediately aft lievable, he was so young, we were off were also blown aw his talent was unbe rbs. n Kingston, blew up to homes in the bu him, the spot. as his lead artist, Sea And when we met signed him right on a Heights,watching Belug ited. We pretty much Beautiful Girls. super exc s of the smash hit the succes came about? u tell me how that to hear the song duced? a big record. Can yo Hip Hop cks that youve pro Beautiful Girls is nts. Sean happened d said, lets try s and tra magical mome oduced] his single What are some artist s really one of those k d Sean came in an Chamillionaire. I [pr It wa ng an ss rking with Ric working with s in the studio worki ly looped up the ba Recently Ive been on his album. Im wo Stand By Me. I wa ught the song, quick f in s for Plies; Push a couple other tracks I went on iTunes, bo was so inspired that he locked himsel Police, as well as sh. Ive done record to flip that. So Spears, Jenes, and Baby Ba ] up the track. [Sean The Game, Mike Jon p, Ive worked with everyone: Britney a period of an hour. Ross, and then we built ote the song within far as po beat looped and wr It for Rick Ross. As y, very special. the room with the had something ver d Mya. t that we nifer Lopez, an We knew off the ba like the most? u ights? sic, which one do yo s next for Beluga He p, R&B and pop mu satile producers in Sean Kingston, what record label. Its also a publishing Having done Hip Ho I consider myself one of the more ver With the success of rted prothe lly. rs, he when I sta new artists, expand I like them all equa and jazz piano, so rt is one of our write Were about to sign round is in classical happens that I first rs signed. Evan Boga And hes working with the game. My backg one genre. It just so where we have write na. er company for Rihan ded on only doing Hip Hop. Then aft the lyrics for SOS ears, all that kind of ducing I never inten ild and then it was a whole bunch of is the one who wrote er Lopez, Britney Sp re rted opening new material, Jennif on the Sean Kingston album. And we in with Destinys Ch p and R&B doors sta with differgot , S.O.S., the po me on a bunch of some of the stuff #1 hit with Rihanna a reality show, ent kinds of music ote I had the ce all differ d stuff. He also co-wr ht now. Beyond that, were developing of this label. s my plan to produ d of genre or one kin rig ing up. So it was alway t trapped in one kin signing new writers nally and professionally and the build s. I dont like to ge rso t on my label. And m. ent kinds of artist based on my life, pe with a bunch of artists, even ones no t ss myself in all of the rk the early stages bu of box. I like to expre Im continuing to wo as a Heights as were in jazz piano help you . We look at Beluga t. The records, the sic and really just expanding into an empire as far as entertainmen round in classical mu ke it How does your backg our vision is to ma all of that. theory, cords, meloshing, the TV side, producer? owledge of music, company, the publi s, just an overall piano gives you kn ng with? ckground in jazz u can hear. And plu A ba t yo interested in worki onies and to play anything tha d personally d with that youre has very rich harm dies and the ability y musical and jazz o havent you worke acris, but Im a big fan. I havent worke ck into the The fact Wh is very, ver t comes through. style. My foundation as him getting ba t worked with Lud wn to produce, tha I haven is as far anytime I sit do know what his status e. Eminem is another one. melodies, so I think me. with Jay-Z. I dont come tru long, its a part of t I played it for so t would be a dream tha ber studio, but tha . What do you remem his Detox album? Destinys Child record to Dr. Dre in 2003 for t one he bought was literally ak came through a Your big bre u really sell a beat I Did yo tox. The firs be king tracks, nity? cks from me for De a jazz pianist to ma comes out. It would about that opportu Dre bought two tra r made, so I hope it to switch from being yone. At that time I was in the te beats I have eve an ortly after I decided Sh t to one of my favori e! was the t. s and pass them ou s of Tony! Toni! Ton a part of that projec would make beat CD and Dwayne Wiggin ebody such an honor to be t my tracks to som Northern California Bay Area in /Columbia. I go a JR Rotem beat? stinys Child to Sony to him, and he choose wn artists that want one who signed De y we can pick and somehow they got Do you ever turn do s this point, so luckil that knew him and Beyonce and nk is talented or ha t knew somebody k them straight to schedule is crazy at tha Obviously the ended up Anybody that I thi So he basically too songs. One of them t in the studio with. liked two of them. d I think they have really ing two who we want to ge them as a person an person that looks they ended up record . And that was kinda my first big or even if I just like Destinys Child and .I Fancy not the type of commercial appeal difassociated with me rvivor album, called dio] with them. Im [the stu e to connect with all being on the Su major label artist potential, Ill get in yre not worthy. I lik or a to have any kind of ak. I was excited more seriously. r is a Mariah Carey rson, or feels like the bre ing it down on a pe . Not every singe les and started tak g, they arent an le and make music moved to Los Ange y arent entertainin ferent kinds of peop lls of a Jayt doesnt mean the in 2006? ry rapper has the ski al appeal. ays ey Houston, but tha el, Beluga Heights, Whitn rt your own lab Zach Katz, we alw themselves. Not eve What made you sta t have a commerci my business partner they cant express artist or an they can r own empire nager, whos also ain, that doesnt me d somebody else. wanted to build ou With me and my ma Z or Eminem, but ag stry between you an ist. When we nd our business. We at the musical chemi we wanted to expa finding the right art t musiknew ing and You never know wh just a matter of tim so excited abou one day but it was t person that I was ton, he was the firs met Sean Kings

98 // OZONE MAG

jr rotem

producerproFile

Words by Randy Roper Phtoo by Joe Magnani

him and getting cally. It was meeting made us move t him that excited abou him and he was forward. We signed , me and Zachs so hot. At that point ly growing in tions were definite reputa ere ustry to the point wh the music ind tion where we were it became a situa ture label deal, shopping a joint ven ction deal. sed to just a produ as oppo els, but ers from a lot of lab st We had off s Sony that we mo ultimately it wa d now were having connected with. An A #1 artist, success with Sean. a huge s of album full of single #1 song, an the entire album. which I produced opening in that So now the doors are very seriously and we are very, regard more new artists. considering a couple

19

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year old xplicit isnt striving to be the king of Miami, nor does he proclaim to be the best of the best. He is however, one of the most committed and uplifting lyricists on the mic. Sharing the stage with Pitbull, Rick Ross, Smitty, Brisco and performing for 50,000 fans at Calle Ocho, the biggest block party in Miami, has given xplicit more than enough motivation to be heard. And its a voice he hopes will prosper and inspire in the years to come. How old were you when you recorded your first song? The first time I laid down my first song I was eleven years old. I was always a fan of music. Its been in my blood since I was born. My cousin Shakespeare produced a track and I started playing around with it. So, I played with it and it came out alright. I just went in the booth and did it. I still have the track actually. I look back at it and laugh and I see how Ive improved. When did you decide to pursue music more seriously? I started taking my music real serious in 05. I dropped my first legitimate mixtape called That Was Then This is Now. I printed up over 2,500 copies and put it in the streets. I got a tremendous amount of feedback. So many people told me I was talented. I was taking my talent for granted and just doing it as a hobby, but people started hollering at me and paying me money to hop on a feature. Thats when I thought I could make a living at this. I decided to perfect my craft and take it to the next level. Whats the feedback youve been getting on your music? People are letting me know that every song I put out gets better and better. I never half-ass anything. Everything gets 110%. If Im putting it down in a session, its the best music I can put out myself. Im not saying Im the best rapper; Im doing the best I can to provide good music to the people. I make music for everybody to listen to but my music is more struggle music. Ive got a couple of club bangers, a couple of songs for the chicks, but I make music for the streets. I like to touch people. If someones going through something, I want to be that voice that lifts them up. What projects are you working on right now? I got The Beginning Volume 2 dropping. I got a straight Hip-Hop mixtape dropping with DJ S1. I got a West Coast mixtape with DJ Warrior poppin off. I just put out my two singles. One is called Haters Watch Me and I got another one called I Want You featuring a surprise guest R&B singer. Im pushing for it to be on the radio in October. Who are some of the people youve looked up to when it comes to your music? Being from Miami, Ive always looked up to Trick Daddy. Ive basically listened to Trick since I was born. Besides Trick Daddy, its been Nas and Joe Budden. I can relate to a lot of Joe Budden because its struggle music. When I was going through some stuff, listening to his freestyles uplifted me and got me on my feet. It made me want to do that for someone else. Have you ever written anything for anyone else or do you plan to do that in the future? I most definitely plan to do that in the future. Ive written for a couple of people but Im not going to put anybody out there. But yeah, I am a song writer. I try to do it all. I write R&B, Hip-Hop, I feel Im very versatile. I can do a club song, and then I can do something that sounds like Talib or Ne-Yo. Thats why I get a lot of feedback on my mixtapes each song is totally different. What was your favorite verse that you ever wrote? What was it about? My favorite verse was on a jacked AZ beat. Its called 30 Bars. I spit the hottest 30 bars Ive ever spit in my life. It expressed how everybody in the game wants to be a king but not everybody is a king. Im not knocking anybody, but I dont need to call myself a king or the best of anything. My music speaks for itself. How did you get the name xplicit? My name was given to me by an old friend. She just thought I was shot out. Whatever I saw I would rap about, no matter what. How many hours a week do you spend writing or in the studio? Does it ever get exhausting? I write for about 16 hours a day. It gets exhausting but Im at the state where I know its all going to pay off. What are some other things you like doing when youre not in the studio? Do you have any other talents? I like to have fun. Im 19; I like to party but my mind is set on music. I like getting this money. Im focused on getting my family out of the hood. I want to get a big house and a Mercedes for my mother. // Words: Ms. Rivercity // Photo: Dan Vidal OZONE MAG // 99

reAlity tV liVe From New orleANs: the iNside story

August 29, 2005 will forever be remembered for the tragedy that all but destroyed one of the United States most spirited cities. Affectionately known as The Gumbo, New Orleans fell victim to perhaps this countrys most tragic natural disaster ever. Reality TV: Live From New Orleans The Inside Story takes an honest and painful look at Hurricane Katrinas survivors and sufferers. Candid interviews from acclaimed New Orleans natives Baby, Slim, Fiend, Skull Duggery and The Medicine Men, illustrate their genuine desires to help. However, directors Tenel and Kennieth dig even deeper. Reaching back as far as 1994, the duo takes the viewer from Bourbon Street to the hood, where arbitrary tales from the NOs young and mighty tell tales of loss, murder and survival one who defiantly blurts, We aint goin nowhere like luggage, nigga! On the flipside, the filmmakers delve into the history of The Carnival and Mardi Gras pre-Katrina. With the Gumbos deep roots in mind, the DVD abruptly shifts into the storm that would change the citys landscape forever. Familiar footage of people perched on rooftops waving in obvious distress and wading through the murky waters left by the category five hurricane still shocks the most rigid soul, and personal accounts burn even more. A walk through the camera mans lens two weeks after the devastation brings him to say, All my childhood memories ruined, as he caps a tour through his ruined household. N. Ali Early 100 // OZONE MAG

NicKy peArl.com preseNts: Booty stAr with ANdre NicKAtiNA

Mo money and mo honey is the noted theme of Nicky Pearl Presents: Booty Star, featuring musical host and Bay Area legend Andre Nickatina. With girls going loco and skin flick DVDs as accessible as oxygen, Booty Star stands out by literally looking into the mind and grind of the average female who desires Booty Star status. Who is a Booty Star? Any female with a body who wants to show her assets and get paid generously for it. Trust, this is female pocketbook empowerment and girls who grind around the clock with cake and the icing, thru and thru. The first in a multiple set series of Booty Star DVDs features Danielle a professional dancer/rap junkie in love with the camera, and Andre Nickatina. Danielle, like her successors in the Booty Star collection, is someone you might know. She is not a porn star or video vixen with global notoriety yet. Shes the honey from around the block or Anytown, USA, and in steps King Andre Nickatina to corrupt her even further. Nickatinas raps lace the soundtrack and score with his unique brand of money motivated and mind elevated Hip Hop with heaters. The title track 3 So What, AM So What and Pineapple Juice set it off. An ideal collection for the connoisseur of fly females, Booty Star remedies the fact that not everyone is or can be a mack. Even further, it simultaneously entertains the legitimate playboys and macks with dope females and a true emcee to navigate the ride. - Jose S. Gutierrez Jr. aka Luvva J

thA uNdergrouNd KiNgs mAgAziNe shop clAss/simply deelishis

After heating the club up with a stage show befitting Bon Jovi more than a rap group, Da Shop Boyz take to the road, offering the camera crew glimpses of their post performance antics. Cover subjects of Tha Underground Kings Magazine: Volume 3, the Atlanta natives individually and collectively offer themselves open for exclusive interviews. In between Q&As and/or performances, this action packed DVD provides the viewer a localized visual of Tennesees featured hotspots, namely Memphis and Nashville. To boot, 2006 SEA Most Slept on Artist, Crisis commercial prefaces a candid look at veteran Tennessee rapper Kool Daddy Fresh in an engaging and at times hilarious exchange. Later, Project Pat, of Three Six Mafia fame, makes himself available live and direct from VIP, where impromptu interviews and autographs (flesh mostly) follow. The segment climaxes as the rapper and crew ultimately inspire a young dancer to remove her top for the sexually charged crowd. Other exclusives include a revealing sit down with Pistol AKA P. Gates and a one on one with producer Zatoven (So Icy). As for the other cover subject, Deelishis, her brief appearance precedes an untimely and uninspired strip tease courtesy of an unsightly groupie gone wild. Fortunately, Rob Ski relieves the viewer by hitting the road, in due time uncovering some choice splendor and random sound bites that work to validate the Kings lofty claim as the Southern Voice of the Streets. N. Ali Early

OZONE MAG // 101

gorillA zoe/welcome to the zoo BAd Boy south/BlocK eNt.

KANye west/grAduAtioN good music/islANd deF jAm/roc-A-FellA On Graduation, the jazz-infused beats with lyrics offer a compelling listento-all-the-way-through album that may keep it on repeat. He wastes no time in making his appearance across the stage, as a not-so self-conscious Kanye blesses us with songs like Stronger and Cant Tell Me Nothing. He also offers a more mature listen as we sit through the ceremony, yet enlightening and entertaining us still with hits like Drunk and Hot Girls. And as the show draws to a close, Ye gives props to his Big Brother. Reaffirming the idea that some things never change but yet some things do and since Kanye has just graduated, his songs Homecoming and Glory lead us in a different direction. Kanye does it again as he finally walks across the stage at his own Graduation, offering listeners some of the dopest all-around hot tracks to date. E.L. Berry

With the buzz surrounding Gorilla Zoes hit single Hood Nigga, Block Entertainments best bet was to release a full length album. And on Zoes debut album, the ATL native goes hard with introspection and still spits gangsta shit on tracks like I Know, Count On Me, Real Muthafucka and Crack Muzik. Boyz N Da Hood members Jody Breeze and Big Gee make appearances on the aforementioned tracks and the BNDH vets seem to be the artists more prepared for solo spotlights. Nonetheless, Zoe holds his own and deliveries solid street music on songs Money Up and Last Time I Checked that hoods across America can respect and ride to. Randy Roper

50 ceNt/curtis AFtermAth/iNterscope/shAdy
Since his controversial reign began 50 has not relinquished the public of his intimidating persona and tortured life story. Over the years, his business ventures and media saturation have tested the public stamina for his gangster appeal. After three successful releases Curtis was poised to remind the audience why his dominance is still relevant, yet it falls short of its mark. This album sounds like a struggle for 50. Simply put, Curtis is confusing. At times it seems to be an attempt at a back to basics album without the biographical content, while other cuts from the same project suggest 50 is trying to strengthen his commercial strong hold, which makes for an interesting listen. This album carries little sustenance, isnt particularly entertaining and seems more like a high quality mixtape turned contractual obligation than a well thought production for the masses. Jared Anderson

swizz BeAtz/oNe mAN BANd Full surFAce/motowN uNiVersAl Unlike other producers-turned-artists, Swizz Beatz stays within his comfort zone, choosing not to experiment, but to keep providing the energy we have come to love and expect. The song placement and selection for this project couldnt be better. The album boasts plenty of up tempo beats, which could cause exhaustion if not for the sprinkled efforts such as the pseudo-conscious The Funeral and reflective Part of the Plan, which provides great balance. This album proves that Hip Hop can hold an edge yet be celebratory and light. Songs like Take a Picture are fun while Money In The Bank is a solidified club anthem about golddiggers. Clearly, Swizz Beatz understands his fan base and knows how to provide them with an entertaining album the whole way through. Jared Anderson

9th woNder/dreAm merchANt 2 6 hole 9th Wonders Dream Merchant offers

listeners and Hip Hop heads alike a return to the roots. This album gives a brief reminder of Hip Hop in its most intimate and real-life state. 9ths flawless production is timeless and seems to capture the pure essence of Hip Hop. Joints like Sunday, which features newcomers Keisha Shontelle and Chaundon, leave listeners feeling refreshed. The head-bobbing continues to carry through as 9th shares joints like Reminisce and Saved, which showers listeners with retrospective real life lyrics. Guest appearances from Mos Def, Saigon, Memphis Bleek, Camp Lo, Jean Grae, Jozee Moe, Skyzoo, Tyler Woods, Big Treal and many more dont hurt the project either. And as always, 9th creates the dopest tracks and then brings in the nicest lyricists to spit correlating bars that mesh into a perfect symmetry. E.L. Berry

chAmillioNAire/ultimAte Victory chAmillitAry/uNiVersAl

Houston emcee Chamillionaire won big with his major label solo debut The Sound of Revenge and once again, he triumphs on Ultimate Victory. Still armed with more to rap about than grills and candy paint, Cham continues to expose Uncle Sam on Morning News and stands up for rap culture on Hip Hop Police with Slick Rick. But those songs are only the beginning as he defends the attack on Hip Hop (Evening News), teams up with Pimp C (Welcome To The South) and reunites with Krazyie Bone for a follow up of Ridin over another Play-N-Skillz production (Bill Collecta). As lyrical as any emcee, lines like Silly rappers think Im worried about a punchline / I show more purpose than your whole career in one line sum up his presence in the game. A fitting title for King Koopas album, Ultimate Victory is another W in the win column for the Chamillitary General. Randy Roper

cupid/time For A chANge AtlANtic R&B singer Cupid had everyone doing his dance the Cupid Shuffle this year and the majority of his major label debut album Time For A Change is filled with similarly up tempo tracks aimed at keeping all ages on the dance floor. Work is a snap influenced two-step, The Let Out is a potential after party anthem with T-Pain and Pains Nappy Boy Entertainment artist Tay-Dizm and Someone Like You and Dont Love Her To Death serve as the only slow grooves. It may be time for a change, but this album doesnt offer any alternatives to the norm nor anything particularly memorable. Randy Roper

yuNg joc/hustleNomics BAd Boy south/BlocK eNt.

Even though Jocs debut album featured few guest appearances, its obvious his formula for avoiding the proverbial sophomore slump is simply hustling some of raps biggest names into contributing to his latest project. Diddy, The Game, Jim Jones, Rick Ross, Bun B, Snoop Dogg, Gorilla Zoe and Trick Daddy all pitch in a verse, while Cool & Dre, DJ Quik, The Neptunes, Drumma Boy and Jazze Pha all chip in on the production side. Jocs end result finds Mr. Its Goin Down overshadowed by his guests over first-rate beats. Hustlenomics has loads of standouts like Play Your Cards and Im a G, but the randomness of Pak Man is one of a couple questionable tracks. Despite a few mishaps, Joc returns with more swagger, more personality and more hooks that stick in your head, proving that his first LP was no fluke. Randy Roper

N.o.r.e./NoreAlity BABygrANde With guest appearances from the likes of Jadakiss, Styles P, Kanye West, Capone, Kurupt and Three 6 Mafia and production from Swizz Beatz, the Alchemist and Dame Grease, youd expect a lot more from N.O.R.E. But his fourth solo album falls flat in comparisons to his previous albums. At times Nore comes across as a veteran emcee should, but also drops frequent Step Your Rap Game Up lines throughout. N.O.R.E. fans will probably feel disappointed by this release - but at least it isnt another reggaeton album. Randy Roper

102 // OZONE MAG

mediAN/mediANs relieF hAlFtooth North Carolina emcee and Justus League member Median almost cant lose with the beats producers 9th Wonder, Nicolay, Koen and Khrysis provided for his LP. And Median doesnt disappoint as he rips and weaves through soul samples and superb concepts like the continuations of 2Pacs classic Brendas Got a Baby entitled Brendas Baby, the thought-provoking Choices with Justus Leaguers Joe Scudda and Chaudon and the creativity of Personified. The albums only negative is the similar tones in many of the tracks that give the album a slightly monotonous feel. Still, sitting back and listening to Median remedy his problems through beats and rhymes is a listeners gift. Randy Roper

doughBoy & dj KhAled/dA cooKBooK One listen to I Gets Doughboy, The World Is Ours and Born Winners and youll understand why Grammy award-winning producer Brian Michael Cox is behind this new artist. And with tracks like Work and Owe My Corner, Da Cookbook is packed with tracks that should be placed on a Doughboy album. DJ Khaled does seem overly excited throughout the mixtape, screaming WE DA BEST at any give opportunity, but hes probably just thrilled to host Doughboys mixtape. Randy Roper

Ali & gipp/KiNFolK St. Lunatic member Ali and Big Gipp of Goodie Mob hooking up for an entire album is random, to say the least. Listening to the two trade verses, nothing about the tandem says chemistry. But somehow this unlikely duo managed to put together an album worth a couple listens, which is probably due more to the production on songs like Go Head and Get On Da Floor with David Banner. Nelly and the St. Lunatics, Murphy Lee and Kyjuan, join in as well as Cee-Lo, Bun B, Three 6 Mafia, Juvenile and Lloyd. The Kinfolk duo should thank all their contributors for helping mix their oil and water styles into something cohesive. Randy Roper

mAc-A-doN & sAm KiNg (hosted By chArlAmAgNe thA god)/Bred up! Vol. 3: BANNed From rAdio Since radio wont give this SC rapper the spins he deserves, Mac-A-Don takes to the streets for a street album with all new music, dedicated to radio. During the 19-track project Mac drops more than enough music, like Six-Four, Presidential and Pretty Brown, that demands radio attention. Even though Mac seemingly recycles his rhymes about jewelry, cars, girls and getting money, between head-nodding and singing along with the hooks, his limited subject matter goes unnoticed. Charlamagnes commentary speaks volumes and Sam Kings two cents and drops add more energy to an already hype mixtape. Randy Roper

chiNgo BliNg/they cANt deport us All/Big chile/Asylum Running around with tamales, a cowboy hats and bobblehead dolls, Chingo Bling is a walking gimmick if there ever was one. Luckily for him, the music on his Asylum debut sounds like half of something. Songs like Southside Thang featuring Paul Wall and Fat Pat and Hangin On (My Song) are somewhat listenable. But Do The Lasso cant be saved even with Fabo and Mistah FAB, Tira Te Patraxx doesnt sound good in English or Spanish, and Lil Marvin So Fantabulous shouldnt be tolerated under any circumstances. They cant deport all illegal immigrants but if Chingo Bling gets deported, his music wont be missed that much. Randy Roper

mAc BoNey & dj teKNiKz/georgiA power 5: the rico Act The Rico Act has plenty of tracks for the streets like Westside Giant and Im Coming, while showing love to the one of Atlantas premiere strip joints on Strokers featuring Too $hort and Daz Dillinger. On The Hottest T.I. steps in to assist his artist but Boney proves worthy of sharing the shine and later, Boney teams up with his Grand Hustle cohorts Kuntry, Alfamega and new addition JR Get Money for a Big Shit Poppin remix. Mac Boney is somewhere behind Young Dro and Big Kuntry on the Grand Hustle depth chart but he is without question gunning for some more playing time. Randy Roper

hurricANe chris & dj doN cANNoN louisi-ANimAl After this mixtape opens with a four minute freestyle over USDAs White Girl, where Hurricane actually freestyles, listeners can tell that this rapper from Shreveport, LA has a little more to offer than that what he displayed on his hit A Bay Bay. And tracks like Fuck U Mean and Rick James further support that notion. With Hurricane Chris debut album 51/50 Ratchet on the way, Chris should thank Don Cannon for cosigning and changing doubters into believers. Randy Roper shAwty lo & dj screAm/im dA mAN 2 Shawty Lo is still best known for the snap music his created with D4L, but L-Os solo music is a flipside to Laffy Taffy. Los street savvy lyrics and swagger comes through clear on the 25 tracks of Im Da Man 2. Granted, Shawty Lo isnt the best rapper and will spit a laughable bar or two per song, but strong production and infectious hooks on tracks like Lets Get It and Dey Know have the streets of the A-Town stamping Shawty da man. Randy Roper slicK pullA & dj drAmA/electioN dAy In case you havent been paying attention, DJ Drama (a.k.a. Barack Odrama) is back to hosting mixtapes. USDAs Slick Pulla is one of the first artists to welcome Dram back the street album way - with a Gangsta Grillz feature, you bastards. On Election Day Pull gets busy on D-Boy Step and flips a couple freestyles with Da Snowman over Playaz Circles Duffle Bag Boy, 50 Cents Amusement Park and T.I.s Big Shit Poppin. Pullas tape could have been better with more original songs and less jacking for beats but the streets cant complain too much. They tired to impeach Dram from the mixtape circuit but its evident with Pulla spitting on this mixtape like nothing ever happened, things are back to normal. Randy Roper

BeNisour thA doN & dj KhAled/the iNtroductioN This DJ Khaled hosted mixtape is the introductory release for the game to get familiar with Benisour Tha Don but there is nothing especially refreshing about the Miami emcee. Over 16 tracks, Ben does possess a decent flow but his lines come off as a Big Poppa swagger jacker on songs like In Da Spot and Gimme Some More. The Beat Assassins produced Gangsta and My Momma are two well produced tracks but again Benisour dont say anything out of the ordinary. While Benisour does have potential, when the beat stops, its hard to figure out if hes a true don or just another imaginary player. Randy Roper

diAmoNd/dj screAm, doN cANNoN & Big miKe Bitch muziK The streets have been pushing for Diamond and Princess to chunk the deuces to the rest of Crime Mob for quite some time, but werent expecting Diamond to test the water on the dolo tip. With DJs Scream, Cannon and Big Mike along for the ride, Diamond hits the mixtape scene hard to show heads what it would sound like if she decided to go for self. On Bitch Muzik, tracks like 32 Flavaz, Wishe Washe ft. Lil Scrappy and Role Model with Nicole Ray show glimpses of solo capabilities. This mixtape is entertaining but Diamonds style is better suited for a partner to offer a change of pace. Randy Roper

OZONE MAG // 103

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Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, T-Pain, & Plies performing Im So Hood Event: 2nd Annual OZONE Awards Venue: James L. Knight Center City: Miami, FL Date: August 13th, 2007 Photo: Ray Tamarra

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01. The Empire Southern Slang 7 www.myspace.com/evilempiremixtapes

02. DJ Chuck T Down South Slangin Vol. 43 www.djchuckt.com 03. DJ Mr. King Southern Smothered & Covered 10 Hosted by Dee Boi www.mysp ace.com/dj

dj greg street New erA AtlANtA www.myspAce.com/djgregstreet

Atlanta DJ and on-air personality Greg Street takes his 6 oclock V-103 radio show across the global on this New Era Atlanta mixtape. With new and exclusive music that only Mr. Exclusive can get his hands on, this mixtapes prime features are remakes of Jay-Zs 30 Something featuring Andre 3000 and Ice Cube and Playaz Circles Duffle Bag Boy featuring Lil Wayne, plus freestyles from the likes of Fabolous and Freeway, made exclusively for Greg Street. DJs, send your mix CDs (with a cover) for consideration to: Ozone Magazine 644 Antone St. Suite 6 Atlanta, GA 30318

mrking

demp1 www.myspace.com/1exclusivej 06. Tito Bell This Iz What It Iz www.myspace.com/titobell 07. DJ Quote & DJ Chief Rocka Whole Lotta Swag Hosted by Tum Tum www.mysp ace.com/djchiefrocka1 www.myspace.com/djquote 08. DJ Fresh Respect My Grind Part 2 www.myspace.com/djfreshinc 910-934-9232 09. DJ Gloss Southern Swang Volume 3 www.myspace.com/djgloss

04. Kash Kastro and Vigilante DJs Im TalkN 2 U www.myspace.com/kashkastro 05. DJ Demp & Exclusive J Tales From The Hood www.myspace.com/dj

10. Voice of Da Streetz Presents: The Runners Collectors Edition www.voiceofdastreetz.com 407-267-8984 11. Dope Boy Muzik Dopeboy Muzik Vol. 5 Hosted by Brisco www.myspace.com/do peboymuzik305 305-926-9808 12. DJ Babe Legends of Hip Hop Vol. One www.myspace.com/djbabe1
13. Superstar Jay For My Generals www.myspace.com/djsuperstarjay 347-439-0627

14. DJ Kronik Maybach Music www.myspace.com/djkronik 15. DJ Bobby Black & DJ Scope Down and Dirty: Barry Bonds Edition www.mysp ace.com/theofficialdjbobbyblack 16. DJ Dutty Laundry The Inside Man Hood Radio www.myspace.com duttylaundry 17. DJ 2 Mello Undercover R&B: Believe The Hype: Undercover R&B www.mysp ace.com/supa_ 18. DJ Envy & Keyz ATL www.djenvy.org 19. DJ 1Mic Return of the MCs Vol. 1 Hosted by Gawdbless www.myspace.com/dj 1mic 20. DJ G-Spot Inspired by the South Vol. 14 Hosted by G-Mack www.myspace.com/djgspot2000

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106 // OZONE MAG