CONCRETE Magazine - Alabama #1 by CONCRETE Magazine

6-10 ............................G-Side 12 ........................ Boy Wonda 14 ........................Whip Game 16 ........................ Whitenoise 18 20 22 24 26 28 30

..................... Dynomite Kid ............C-Wiz Music Reviews .............................. Nate B .............................. LAWW ......................... Lady Lace ...................................PT ......... Alabama Stars: J. Riley

Finally, there is a platform for the immense amount of talent in our very own Sweet home Alabama. CONCRETE Alabama looks forward to forging lasting relationships with vendors and talent here in Alabama. As our journey begins we ask for you to support us the way we will support our community. Editor: Angela Dalton Ad Executives: Rick Bradshaw, Angela Dalton Cover Photo: Issac Ward Art Director: Rex2-tm Ad Design: Jimmy Heart Online Editors: Jimmy Heart, Issac Ward Publishing Consultant: Bryan Deese

CONCRETE Magazine PO Box 3542, Huntsville, Al 35810 concretealabama@gmail.com 256.542.1150 ÂŠ CONCRETE Magazine 2012

Motivated through their struggles, the Athens, Alabama duo G-Side find themselves on a musical journey that has taken them around the US and as far as Norway. It’s a long way from the Boys and Girls Club where they met. With ten plus years in the game, David Williams aka “Yung Clova” and Stephen Harris aka “ST 2 Lettaz” are determined that with hard work, perseverance, and the musical finesse of Slow Motion Soundz, they will transcend from Alabama musically and make it off the “iSLAND”. CONCRETE: You’ve both overcome hardships in life. What advice can you give to others? ST 2 Lettaz: Pick a goal and stick to it. Music, that’s what kept me focused. The hardest part is picking what you want to do. Just go for it, whatever it takes, don’t stop until you get to where you want to be. Clova: You hear it in school all the time, pick a goal that makes you happy. It isn’t all about the money. I had to find that out the hard way. Sometimes you get tired of waking up and going to get the money because you don’t like the job. Pick a career and something that is going to make you happy and the money will come. CONCRETE: Second album Starshipz and Rocketz is referred to as a classic what’s your view? ST 2 Lettaz: We grew up. That’s the one that got us national recognition. People still say it was the perfect album, but I listen to it now and I hear all the flaws in it. It’s not my favorite. My favorite is what we’re doing now. Clova: I felt like 8 Ball and MJG, that’s how the theme came about from the song they had. We were hustling and had a little money, the first time girls were boppin’ on us. I bought my first foreign whip. We we’re cooling then.

CONCRETE: What does the rocket on the cover of the second album signify? ST 2 Lettaz: It has a double meaning. First there are the limitless possibilities. On the Starshipz and Rockets cover there are two kids pointing up at the rocket. You don’t see that every day, a vessel that can go out of the world just in your back yard. My homies from New York come down here, and they have all the dopest stuff. We look at their skyline and go crazy. They see the rocket and are amazed every time. It’s crazy to have people that smart in your city to even build a rocket and let it leave the earth. Another meaning is that the rocket just sits there. It doesn’t go anywhere. A lot of people in this city are just like the rocket. They are going to be here and never go anywhere. Even though they are fully capable of doing whatever it takes to get there. CONCRETE: Can you tell us about Huntsville International International? ST 2 Lettaz: It started out as a solo mixtape for me, but it wasn’t time for that. It was a time to strike back. After Starshipz and Rockets had gotten so many great reviews people thought it was kind of a ﬂuke. It wasn’t the time for ST to go out and get his rocks off as a solo artist, it was a time to show people that GSide and Slow Motion Soundz could continue to make bangers. CONCRETE: 1/1/2011 the The One Cohesive is released, what inspired the album? G-Side: That album was to put us into the national spotlight. It did its job. Now the iSLAND is to get us money. We took everybody that did music with us around Huntsville and we tried to show that we are one big huge cohesive unit. We can all coexist and get along on these tracks and make dope music, something for Huntsville that’s really ill. It was different from everything else, a real molatic album with a lot of soul. iSLAND is a little more hip hop and fun. “Cohesive” was serious it was like our middle ﬁnger to the industry. CONCRETE: What can folks expect to hear on iSLAND? G-Side: Outer space beats and down to earth lyrics. The Block Beattaz are so dope and they spend so much time changing different sounds, frequencies, and drops. The Cohesive was a hugely overproduced album, the iSLAND is not, and it’s more stripped down. You have these crazy space age beats but there is a lot of space in them for you to get across the vocals.

CONCRETE: What’s your favorite song on the iSLAND album? Yung Clova: I like “Our Thing” it’s about doing our own thing we just spazzed out, talking crazy. It’s a fun album. I got to produce two tracks on it, “16 Shots” and the iSLAND “Intro”. CONCRETE: In the latest interview with SPIN magazine you said, “This might be the last album. Either this album is going to make us or it isn’t. Struggling trying to pay your rent, it gets old.” Can you elaborate? Yung Clova: We’ve been doing this for so long. The Block Beattaz, CP and Mali Boi were doing it even before ST and I came. I always keep it 100, we had hit a hard rock. You’re tired of seeing your family struggle because you’re putting all your money, time, and effort into something that seems like it’s never going to come. At the time I just felt like we were going as hard as we could, and either this album is going to make us or break us. Now that the album is done, there is no way we’re going to stop. It’s just the beginning to me. CONCRETE: Any up-and-coming artists to lookout for? G-Side: Zilla, Kristmas, S.L.A.S.H., and Bentley. S.L.A.S.H. is a female and she isn’t with the Barbie stuff at all. She is about empowering women, she is really business oriented, with very deep punch lines. Bentley is an intelligent hoodlum. He is like a mix between NAS and Project Pat. His rhyme patterns are something you can bounce to. He gets deep into civil rights because he is from Florence, Alabama which is a really cultured city. Kristmas is for the working force. He is super lyrical and a charismatic dude with crazy punch lines. A lot of music is available on slowmotionsounds.com. Besides us, Mic Strange is a favorite. I salute Dynomite Kid, and we also like 6 TRE. CONCRETE: If you could deliver a message to people that will come after you are in the industry what would it be? G-Side: Be yourself. Don’t try to be a Jeezy or Kanye just be you. You will blow up faster that way. Stay independent as long as you can and build up your stock. Once you get your fan base right, even if you start at home and expand they will come looking for you. If they don’t come looking for you, make money by yourself, innovate. Think of new ways to make money, where you’re not depending on someone else to cut you a check or do anything for you. Learn the whole business.

CONCRETE: Who is Boy Wonda? Boy Wonda: Boy Wonda is an artist straight from Selma, Ala. I came to Huntsville in 2003 and was doing my school thing. You know you have to have a second hustle, so I rapped and went to school. Around 2005 to 2006 I really got serious with the rap and just kept going. I’m still going. Really it feels like I’m just getting started. CONCRETE: How does Bama Gator Records ﬁt into the Alabama music scene as far as bringing unity amongst different artists that are not on your label? Boy Wonda: I’ve worked with a couple different artists, Laww, Cold Boys, a new single with CC Mista FLA, Escobo Joe, BA Boys from Birmingham. CC Mista FLA is going to be on my new single “Jumpin’” produced by

my little brother Lil Dre. My little brother does mostly all my production, he did “Bathroom Pictures”. Lil Dre is a beast. CONCRETE: First Annual BAMA Music Awards 2011, you won Video of the Year for “Hater Check”. What was that experience like for you? Boy Wonda: Honestly, I can’t really say it was a surprise. I don’t boast or brag, but I knew I had the video of the year. Shout out to everybody that did other videos, but when you look at my video it’s different. It has a concept. It wasn’t just sitting around looking at the camera holding your hands up. It was a whole concept to that video, so hands down. CONCRETE: Who came up with the concept? Boy Wonda: Shout out to Jurian Isabelle. We all sat down and came up with it. We were coming up with concepts by day, so Jurian was like, “Man we should paint your faces.” I said OK. We got an artist to paint our faces, and that was it. We shot it in two weeks, different scenes on different days. The last scene we shot was the robbing the bank scene, but it was the ﬁrst scene in the video.

2006 Magnum Flippin’ on 28’z

1992 Caprice on 26’z

CONCRETE: What’s your name? Whitenoise: Grant Willis. CONCRETE: Roll Tide or War Eagle? Whitenoise: Roll Tide! CONCRETE: What separates glitch-hop, electro house and dubstep? Whitenoise: Everything basically breaks down for me in tempo, beats per minute (bpm). Glitch-hop has hip-hop beats but very technical in the production side. The sound is very glitchy, and melodic, but it still carries melody and creates a song and a sound that people have really latched on to. Electro house is more like disco, which is anywhere between 120 to 130 bpm. It can be real funk influenced more like disco, or real hard influenced with synthesizers where it may be rockand-roll driven but it’s all put through synthesizers instead of guitars. Dubstep which is the niche I have fallen into is something I really enjoy playing. I enjoy the energy it gives and I like to push that energy out to the crowd. Dubstep is even higher, 140 bpm or you can take the half of that 70, it depends on certain aspects of how you are going to mix or produce a song. What’s cool about dubstep and what I like is that southern rap and hip-hop have the same bpm so it’s very easy to mix in and out dubstep with dirty south rap. CONCRETE: What’s your Hustle Up project? Whitenoise: The whole idea behind that mix was a side project that I do. More original based, me sitting behind the computer and making a lot of the sounds from scratch, instead of preset sounds that come with synthesizers, so it’s unique to me. That mix was Whitenoise Introducing Hustle Up. It’s this whole new idea and sound. Still very much dubstep influenced as far as bpm, it’s more molatic and not as intense, something you can ride to. It’s kind of R-and-B influenced very sexy, bump and grind. Hustle Up is something I’m trying to craft and not jump the gun, I want to brand it.

CONCRETE: What’s your name? Dynomite Kid: Lajers Wheeler. CONCRETE: Where are you from? Dynomite Kid: I was born in South Carolina but moved to Huntsville when I was seven. CONCRETE: Why the name Dynomite Kid? Dynomite Kid: It was a wrestler named “Dynomite Kid,” he had a whole lot of heart and courage. That alone didn’t really sale me on the name, it was JJ from Good Times. People that know me on a dayto-day basis are like, “man dude is crazy,” cause I will say anything. I speak my mind like JJ. Even though JJ is funny and hilarious he is still conscious of life, everyday things. So, I looked at the courage in the wrestler and then JJ and I said dang that’s my name. Dynomite Kid is actually who I want to be. If I tell you in my song I want to save all the independent women, I actually want to do that. It’s probably impossible, but by the time I realize it’s impossible, look at how many independent women I would have saved. Because Dynomite Kid did it, not because Lajers did it, Lajers is stressed out, I got kids and bills. Dynomite Kid is me. He is the one that society and the world have pushed so far down in the ground. Dynomite Kid wants to do big things, that name itself is like a brand. CONCRETE: What artists inﬂuenced you? Dynomite Kid: Tupac and Biggie. Dynomite Kid is broken down into a performer, writer, lyricist, and then I’m all about a message. Tupac had the message and Biggie was lyrical. Performance wise I grew up watching LL Cool J and Run DMC. I’m one of those people who ask, ‘Where is hip-hop now?’ I still favor the hook, chorus, and message, so everybody can feel it. Today, people’s attention spans aren’t as long, so you only have when the beat drops and the ﬁrst few words come out of your mouth.

Translee - Know Translee

This is truly a work of art. The Translee album starts off with a super soulful intro featuring a cat that sounds just like Raphael Sadiq. In an industry ﬂooded with lackluster hooks and gimmicky word play Translee stands out as a man among boys. Track 3 “Incredible” is a laid back playalistic track that’s easy to nod your head and vibe to. He pays tribute of sorts to the Biggie classic “Story to Tell” with a remake of the same name. Though I’m not a fan of classic remakes, his rendition comically sets itself apart from the original, so I can give it a pass. Overall very solid album that mixes dope beats with lyrical yet comical bars. I’m hard pressed to ﬁnd a track I don’t like on this one although I could have done without Track 12 “Imagination”. It’s still a descent song, but not great. Grab this album and thank me later.

Nate B - The Debate

This CD is a perfect example of an artist that knows what direction they are trying to take their career to ... the next level. Nate B is grinding and it shows. I liked the intro”Fly High” followed by the track “Hustler” which had a real nice ﬂow. There are some points where I felt the CD went a little left, on the track “Rewind”. I liked the intro but quickly got lost once the song began. I got the same vibe from the track “Weekend Warrior”. The track “Spell” is a very strong song. Nate B’s lyrical content is great on this one. The second part of this CD has more direction than the ﬁrst half. I like the fact that Nate B doesn’t sound southern, that will help him expand his fan base. I like the Posse Cut “Huntsville All-Starz Anthem”, I’m sure you will agree.

Cole Boyz - Da Heart of Dixie

Cole Boyz brings you their authentic Alabama street swagger on this 17 track album. The whole album epitomizes the theme of Track 5 “Play Hard or Go Home”. Pleasantly surprised when track 9 “Pleazure” came on, and I heard the voice of the legend Devin the Dude on this smoker’s anthem. Track 11 explains a change in the tone of the album as they demonstrate a new spiritual awakening in “Praise Yah” and “Crystal Stair” which eloquently notes the struggles they’ve endured while still giving thanks to a higher power for the blessings. The vibe and subject matter change after track 11, their unique delivery keeps you interested in the message.

G-Side - iSLAND

Wow this album is dope as hell! Songs like” Cinematic”, “Atmosphere” and “Getting It” are some of the stand out tracks. I can’t deny that songs like “24 Eight” and “Cast Away” are deep rooted cuts as well. The production on this album is very innovative. I’m a sucker for laid back, pimped-out tracks like “Stay-Cation” and “Luv 2 Hustle”. “16 Shots” talks about some very real subject matter. Overall I was very impressed with the quality of this CD.

CONCRETE: Who is Nate B aka Presidential? Nate B: College Kid, turned rapper, born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. Basically, I’m just trying to leave my stamp in the game. CONCRETE: “Don’t have goals without a plan because then they’re just a wish.”-Nate B. Can you break that line down for us? Nate B: You have to have a plan no matter what you’re doing in life. Have something written down. Plan the way you’re going to get to your goals. If you say you want to rap and you’re just rapping, you’re going to be just another local rapper. You have to do research, read about the game. That’s what hurt me when I first started rapping. I was just doing it. I jumped out there and didn’t know what I was getting myself into. When I look back on it, I know so much more now from just reading then I did then. This game is not friendly at all. There’s lots of talent out here, you have to have something to set yourself aside from others. CONCRETE: Tell us about M.A.F.I.A.? Nate B: M.A.F.I.A. music started out as a label. It’s not that now, I’m with 100 Percent Entertainment. Mafia is my team, that’s my inner circle, those are the people I look at like my brothers and sisters. We all went to college together. They were helping me out with my dreams. The acronym stands for Music Is A Force in America. Everybody listens to music no matter what genre. It has an effect on people. It’s always going to be M.A.F.I.A. before anything, because that’s how I got my start. How Whiz has Taylor Gang, I’ve got M.A.F.I.A. Shout out to the whole M.A.F.I.A. Music team. CONCRETE: How did the “Presidential” concept come about? Nate B: With the name “Presidential” I felt like the first CD should be called The Kampaign. I was campaigning, getting my name out there and letting people know what I was doing. Then I went to The Debate, you know after you have a campaign everybody has something to say, so you debate. The Recount is pretty much going back off of jack tracks. I was recounting from tracks that someone in the game had already done. Election, basically it’s time for you to make your selection, either you’re riding with me or you’re not. CONCRETE: What’s the latest collaboration you’ve done? Nate B: “Shawty Lo” featuring CP and Modesty XO from Birmingham. It’s the new south banger! The club song of 2012! Be on the lookout for it early 2012.

CONCRETE: What are you involved in outside of rap? Laww: I’m a hustler. I have a lot of hustles and I’m not talking about drugs. I engineer, shoot videos, and I have my own film company 24/12 Films. I also run a record label, I do a lot. CONCRETE: How do you feel about the street cred you have from your whips? Laww: I’ve won a lot of car shows. It’s a lot of good that comes from that, because the majority of people that I shoot videos for, I’ve already put the wheels on the car for them, so it’s no problem for me to get cars for videos. It’ll help me out in this rap game because I have a lot of leeway in different areas that other people don’t have. Whatever can be done on a car I can do it. All the cars featured in this issue I’ve done work on. CONCRETE: You’re ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) certified. Why is this important? Laww: It’s all business. When you get into royalties and getting accounted for, whether you’re ASCAP, BMI etc., that’s the beginning step to being an artist, if not, then you’re not doing anything with your music. CONCRETE: What progression will we see from Street Lawwz to ALAWWBAMA? Laww: Everything that I do now is from the heart. I ran into a brick wall, I knew rapping, punch lines, everything. I can put everything together more easily now. Sometimes when you try too hard you mess up and that was the situation. Now, it’s an easy flow and I thank God for that because it was a long time coming. My music is going to make it to where it needs to get to with the sound that I have, when yall hear that ALAWWBAMA it’s a wrap. Expecting to have a release party February 3, 2012 at the Kompund.

CONCRETE: How did you get the name “Lady Lace”? Lady Lace: Lady Lace is actually a name that former members of a group I was working with called Administration of Decatur gave me. A couple of cats from New York, Sunny and Sovane gave me the name. They said even though I would bring that feminine touch and was sweet; I still laced the track in such a mean way. So they came up with the name “Lady Lace”. CONCRETE: Are there still difficulties for female artists in the music industry? Lady Lace: There are. I have a group of people behind me that really support me. Outside of that just me being an artist, I’m a one woman band. I don’t have this clique of men that I can fall back on. When I try to take control and have a business sense with the industry, which is male dominated, it can come off as boujie or overly confident. It’s hard for me to have a working relationship with them because of what is so portrayed about money, sex and music. You can’t just kick it with them all the time, without being a wife and a mother. I have reached my hurdles. I’m learning how to work around them because this is what I want. There is a way to say anything to anybody. You just have to know how to say it. You always have to remain a lady, but still take charge in a man’s world. So, just staying strong and not being scared to exercise my emotions. Just knowing how to treat people with the Lord first. I feel like it’s going happen. I’m confident. CONCRETE: First Annual BAMA Music Awards, “Best Female Artist of the Year” how was that experience? Lady Lace: It feels good. It’s a pat on the back and that pat on the back means the world. I didn’t know I was on the ballet until Tuesday. I received a text at three o’clock in the morning that said, “I voted for you.” Voted for me? So, I had to do a little research. What did you vote on me for? It was very motivating. All the blood, sweat, tears, empty gas tanks, and burnt up tires, it was acknowledgement that ok, they are really hearing me.

CONCRETE: Why the name PT Primetime? Primetime: As a youngster I was a wildcard. People called me “P.” Being as wild as I was with guns and drugs and stuff, a old school cat told me one time, “Everytime something goes down you’re always the first to jump. I’m gonna start calling you Primetime.” After years of slowing down and growing up, one of my homeboys was like, “Man, I’m going to shorten it up and call you PT, nah PT Primetime!” CONCRETE: When did you start writing music? Primetime: In 1998. My cousin Rodney Smartt influenced me to write my first rap, they were Ace of Spades back in the day in Huntsville. They inspired me to do the rap thing. Over the years I got with Mali Boi and CP of Slow Motion Soundz and Codie G. They helped me to grow as a producer, engineer and as an artist. Slow Motion Soundz, that’s who I’m with. Slow Mo ‘til the world blow. I was in a group called Untamed ENT. We did a lot together. Now I’m a solo artist. CONCRETE: What’s next for you? Primetime: My solo album, I’m not going to release the title at this time. It will be coming out on my birthday February 23, 2012. It’ll have a lot of features on it. Slow Motion Soundz and of course Block Beattz and a couple of more producers will produce that album, I will be a producer on it myself. If you wanted to put it into a genre of music, it’ll be inspirational hip hop. It’s really going to jump, so be on the lookout for it. CONCRETE: Who should we lookout for? Primetime: Bentley, SLASH, and Zilla. CONCRETE: Advice to those entering the industry? Primetime: You have to stay head and toe down with this game. Anything that you do in life don’t ever give up. Giving up on your dreams or anything, you will become a failure. You can achieve anything you put your mind to with God’s blessing, keep your faith in him and everything will happen and move correct.

Photographer: Isaac Ward, Make-up: Duo Hair and Fashion (Tiffany)