Concrete Magazine Issue73

concrete615.com 6-12 ................. James Shaw Jr 14-16 .................. L’Roy Da Boy 16-17 ................. Dan Weisman 18 ................... Nashville 10: Gia 20 ..................... Dan Weisman 22 ............................DooWay 24 ............................... Kris J 26 .................................. xxx 28 ................... Music Reviews Publisher: Capo Ad Executive: Capo Art Director: Rex2-tm Editorial & Nash 10 Photography: Tavell Brown Staff Support: Deandre Haynes, Chris CMR Rhone, Nikila.A Ad Photography: Visual Flavor Ad Graphics: C3GRAFX, Kyro Ink Publishing Consultant: Bryan Deese

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CONCRETE: Where are you originally from?

J Shaw: I’m originally from North Nashville. Most of my life has been in North Nashville except for a couple years when I lived in Rivergate. I went to Buena Vista, John Early Middle School, Hunters Lane and TSU. I’m a Nashvillian, a lot of people say they’re from Nashville but really they’re from Lavergne.

CONCRETE: What was your childhood like growing up in North Nashville?

J Shaw: My childhood was pretty good. I had both parents in my household my whole life and they are still married.

I have two older sisters and I was an athlete. I played basketball at Hunters Lane. I was a pretty cool kid that didn’t get into to much trouble.

CONCRETE: Who was James Shaw Jr. before the Waffle House tragedy?

J Shaw: James Shaw Jr. was working at AT&T as a wire technician. I owned my own construction company because I’m an electrician and I was just a hard worker that knew what he wanted in life.

CONCRETE: Have you ever experienced a similar situation, coming up in Nashville?

J Shaw: Not like the shooting. There was one time I was at East Park off of Main Street playing basketball and a guy I knew named James actually died on the court right in my hands. We were winning and it was really hot, I had turned around to ask the score and he was laying on the ground. I ran over to him and it turned out that he had an enlarged heart and passed. Then my friend Winston Bridges in 2011 committed suicide and I actually went to his house and seen the after effects. I haven’t seen it to the degree that it was at the Waffle House but I have unfortunately been around death before. continued on next page

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CONCRETE: Have you suffered from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) at all since the shooting and if so how do you deal with it?

J Shaw: I speak to my grief counselor twice a week.

Going out isn’t much of a problem but what I really don’t like is fireworks. The Fourth of July I didn’t go out because the sound hit my ear different and I didn’t like it. When I go to sleep I don’t like having any lights on. Sometimes there is an alarm light or a light showing your phone is being charged.

I put a shirt over it because I don’t like seeing shadows before I go to sleep. I don’t have a routine anymore before I go to sleep. I have to be doing something until I pass out to finally go to sleep. I don’t have it as bad as some of the other people that went through it but I know I do have symptoms. If you are going through it get a counselor and talk to someone, some people may need to be medicated. I have a flashback everyday so for me talking about it is therapeutic.

CONCRETE: How do you feel about the right to bear arms?

J Shaw: I think the right to bear arms is fair.

Handguns I really don’t have a problem with, I think it’s really about accountability. We can keep having mass shootings, school shootings and things of that nature because little Johny took his dad’s gun from his desk. At some point the father has to go to jail too. That may sound harsh but when people die they have no chance to live anymore. We have to be strict and hold people accountable for stuff like that. I think if a child takes the gun out of the parents safe then ok. If they get it from a closet that has the door closed because they know where it’s hid then the parent deserves to be charged.

CONCRETE: Do you feel there is a double standard in the justice system when it comes to minorities? For example, Travis Reinking was captured unharmed and is having a mental health evaluation, Daniel Hambrick was shot in the back and killed while running from police. continued on next page

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J Shaw: They say the Waffle House shooter is not competent at the time. They aren’t going to let him go he is in a secure place. They are just trying to get him competent enough to stand trial. If his defense says he isn’t competent then they are going to have to start the whole trial over again. They are trying to get to a point where they can do it right the first time because this is a huge trial. Especially for the city of Nashville.

Daniel Hambrick is a very sad story and in my own opinion and experience there is levels to fear. When you truly fear for your life that is the last level. I don’t think it’s right that he shot him, if you shoot a man in the back that’s not fearing for your life.

CONCRETE: How do you label yourself moving forward, are you an activist now or a victim?

J Shaw: I would never label myself as a victim. I feel my actions speak for themselves that I will never play the victim role. Tupac said, “I like to think that in every opportunity I’ve ever been threatened with resistance it’s been met with resistance.” I would say I fall in the line of a activist and a inspiration because of what I did. A lot of people say I inspired them in this dark time we are living in.

CONCRETE: You have had the opportunity to meet a lot of celebrities. Which was most memorable to you and why?

J Shaw: One of my favorite celebrities I met was Dwayne Wade. The people that stick out the most is David Banner, J 10 Cole and TI. TI has been a big mentor to me kind of showing

me the ropes and where I’m going to go. J.Cole has been there with words of wisdom and same thing with David Banner. Me and him have spoke a few times but with J.Cole and TI we probably speak about twice a week.

CONCRETE: You posted a picture with the late XXXtentcion who was shot and killed in a robbery, what was that news like for you?

J Shaw: It blew my mind. We were just at Rolling Loud in Miami and he saw me and jumped over a guardrail to ask for a picture. I was like I should be asking you for a picture. He was like ‘no you’re the hero.’ I really believe that he was a good kid and he didn’t get a chance to grow into a man.

CONCRETE: Since the shooting how have your life goals changed?

J Shaw: It’s changed the whole course of what I wanted to do. I went to TSU to get my electrical engineer degree to start my construction company. Now it seems when me and God talk it’s really not about me at all it’s more so about how I’m going to help this or that person, what can I do to get this or that done. I had to take a step back from myself and see that I am second now. That’s why I launched the James Shaw Jr. Foundation which will be pushing mental and public health awareness. I’m trying to help as many people as I can.

CONCRETE: You have had a lot of success recently with your music, was there a moment you feel like you figured out how to move in the rap game?

L Roy Da Boy: Really, I would say it came around 20162017. I’m one of those guys that doesn’t have a problem following a good example. I was close to that with Starlito, he was a great example. When I went out on the Step Brothers Tour is when I was like alright I really know what I got to do when I get back home. I took that example and I followed it.

That’s why now I am trying to be the example for Nashville.

I’m laying out the blue print. Just know that I got this blue print from somewhere and I added some of me to it.

CONCRETE: Explain how the Break The Cycle movement came about?

L Roy Da Boy: Break the Cycle came about over some real life sh*t, it was really about bettering me. I had a gambling problem and I basically went in debt and I had to fix that. I also went through a bad break up and I had to change some sh*t. So it started from personal stuff that happened in my life. I wasn’t even stuntin’ the music, I had to get my money right. Money wasn’t going to keep being the reason I had to take a break. At that time me and Star had a relationship where we fed off each others energy. I fed off his and got on my sh*t. Now I’m willing to make every sacrifice that needs to be made.

CONCRETE: You say you’re making every sacrifice needed to make it, what’s the over all objective?

L Roy Da Boy: The main objective is to share this sh*t with the world. It’s way bigger than music, it just happens to be that my music is backing up what I’m saying. This is a movement with out the music. I got that from Quanie (Cash). Quanie says it all the time, “I done made it,” and sometimes making it doesn’t have anything to do with money. It’s bigger than the money and the music. To know that I am helping these kids and the community means I made it. I represent the right intention with no hidden agenda. continued on pg 14

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CONCRETE: You and Fate Eastwood teamed up for the Shaq & Kobe project, how did that come together and what can people expect from it?

L Roy Da Boy: People are going to get big lyrics, big production and big music. Everybody knows what Fate is known for but the stuff Fate is known for isn’t what he is giving you on this. Most people don’t know we have never worked together. So Fate came to me and said, “I have some stuff that I need to get heard and I feel like you are the one to get this out there.” I didn’t get to pick the tracks, every track on this project Fate sent to me one by one. I would get it, knock it out and send it back. Fate was in on everything, he heard and approved all records. He sent me what he wanted to represent him and I sent him what I wanted to represent me.

CONCRETE: Who are some artist that you worked with on this project and why?

L Roy Da Boy: Behoward, 615 Exclusive, West HustleMan, Hollyluyah, Robin Raynelle and Nyce is a featured producer on here. He produced the song called “Broken City” and I know it’s me and Fate’s project but that song is so necessary. As far as Robin I had never worked with her but she is one of the true voices of the city as far as R&B goes. 615 Exclusive is on there because he is grinding and he goes hand in hand with my push.

He is someone that I don’t mind benefiting off my push because he can do the same for me as well. Hollyluyah and West HustleMan are two guys that I know from the streets since knee high and they out here doing their thing as well. Now as far as Behoward he is a rapping Mothafu**a. If I make it he makes it, when I have that light on me I’m sharing that light with him because I need people to hear him.

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photo by: Tavell Brown - Brown Photography

HomeTown: Cleveland, TN Biggest Turn On/Turn Off: Biggest turn on is a man that smells so good with a beautiful smile.

Biggest turn off is when asked, ‘What you doing?’ Favorite Designer: Donatella Versace Three artist in your playlist: Gunna One Republic Joe

CONCRETE: Where are you originally from?

Dan Weisman: I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I went to boarding school in Boston when I was fifteen. That was in 1997 back when you had to steak your claim as to whether or not you were east coast or west coast hip-hop.I was assuredly west coast. Going to boarding school on the east coast helped open my eyes to Wu-Tang, Nas, AZ and stuff that was really defining the era back then. After that I went to college in Atlanta at Emory University and people ask me how I ended up at Emory and honestly I was a huge Outkast, Dungeon Family, Goodie Mob and Outkast fan. I felt if that was the music coming out of Atlanta then that would be a really cool place to go to college. After that I went back to LA to work for a talent agency and one day I seen my bosses pay check and felt like he should be making more money so I took that as a sign to get out of the agency world. I ended up going to DC for the weekend to visit a friend and asked is there any rappers from DC I should check out and he said this guy has a song called Dig Dug and it turned out to be Wale. I started managing Wale at the age of twenty three.

CONCRETE: When did you decide to pursue a career in the music business?

Dan Weisman: I think it crystalized for me when I took a look back at my musical taste over the years and realized I was on things really early. When I was in College T.I. was one of my favorite rappers before anybody out of the south really knew who he was and then “Bring em out” happened and Diddy is in his video and all of a sudden TI is like this superstar. I started reflecting back on my musical taste and I was like, oh wow maybe I actually have good taste and I’m early on stuff and that could actually be a job.

CONCRETE: You took on the role of manager with Wale, was that the position you wanted to play?

Dan Weisman: I was an assistant at an agency and I been doing that for a year and I didn’t want to go work as an assistant again at a record label or something. At that time I don’t think anyone really saw a future in working at a record label it was kind of depressing. I just knew you could be impactful and you did’t have to have a resume to be a manager and I thought that

was the way I could be most impactful.

CONCRETE: Fast forward to today where you currently reside in Nashville and are with Roc Nation. How did that come about?

Dan Weisman: Roc Nation started in 2008 and their first client was Wale. Jay’s manager at the time along with another guy came to me and Wale and said they wanted to work together.

I really didn’t have a choice in the matter, so I started to comanage Wale in 2009 with Roc Nation. Around the same time I found Mike Posner and that took off pretty quickly. Wale and I amicably parted ways and I went on to manage Mike Posner.

Cut to 2013 and Wale’s manager is leaving the music business to go to sports and Wale asked me to start managing him again and that’s how I ended up becoming in-house at Roc Nation.

CONCRETE: Was the move to Nashville a Roc Nation thing or personal preference?

Dan Weisman: It was my personal preference. I got married and really couldn’t wrap my head around living in Los Angeles anymore and building a family out there. I honestly felt poor living in LA and that’s very emasculating. I work in the music business so it was either New York which is a terrible place or LA which I was done with. I seen a bunch of people moving to Nashville that were not in country music so I thought that may be a good place to live. There is no state income tax and a lower cost of living. I do a lot of investing outside of music and not having to pay state income tax is really nice.

CONCRETE: Since living in Nashville, what’s your thoughts on the local hip-hop scene?

Dan Weisman: I think it’s really on the cusp but I think today where you’re from doesn’t really matter as much as it use to.

While I think there is something happening here. I think its kind of arbitrary at this point because you have big artist coming from Orlando and Lancaster, Pennsylvania all these random places. There’s no reason Nashville shouldn’t have a hip hop artist. The thing that I’ve seen is that a lot of artist here try to pander to the industry that exist here opposed to really just building a following both here and on the internet. Nashville is an interesting scene and I have yet to find something that is overwhelmingly compelling.

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CONCRETE: Where did you get the name Dooway from?

Dooway: When I was a baby they use to call me Doo Doo. My uncle named me that because he use to always have to change my diapers. I’m grown now so you can’t be calling me Doo Doo. So I added the way at the end and now it’s Dooway because I’m doing it my way.

CONCRETE: You brought national attention to the Nashville bike life in your “Got Smoke” video. Was that planned out?

Dooway: We didn’t plan anything out. When we shoot a video it’s like Jack Ass the tv show we just go out and do some sh*t and it comes out crazy. We’re really just being us and having fun with it. We are shooting videos, dropping music, and giving these people what they want.

CONCRETE: When did you start taking music serious?

Dooway: Right after my Grandfather passed. My Grandmother and Grandfather raised me. My father was in the streets doing his thing and my mother was out there as well. That was a key point in my life. He wanted to see me do it and I was bull sh*ting not taking it serious. Now I feel like I have so much talent and I can’t waist it. I really only started taking it serious a few months ago.

When I saw that the bag is real and that made me want to keep going.

CONCRETE: Can you tell us about your new project 615 Degrees and what’s the concept?

Dooway: You can see where the title came from and should know what it’s going to be. The concept is really like Nashville has never had that shot. It’s only right I put on for the city. Well we had shots but it wasn’t a real shot at getting us in the game as a city and I feel like I can do that with this project.

CONCRETE: Who are some producers you worked with on this project?

Dooway: Bandplay, Big C from ATL and Fate Eastwood.

CONCRETE: You said you are going to do what others haven’t yet by putting on for the city. What do you feel is different about you than what has already come out of Nashville?

Dooway: It seems everybody in the city is trying to be like everybody else. I have to be different you can see it in the videos.

I’m not trying to portray our city in a negative light I’m trying to show Nashville and how beautiful it looks. We growing so it’s only right we get our fair share of everything that’s happening here. We need our turn! My whole movement is about sending out a positive vibe to everyone and to tell everybody to just “Doo Life” no matter how hard it gets.

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CONCRETE: Where are you originally from?

Kris J: I’m from Columbus, GA a country city where everyone knows everyone. It motivated me to bring a new light on my city and actually have something and someone they can look to for inspiration.

CONCRETE: Define your sound to the people who may not be familiar.

Kris J: I would tell them I’m a pot smoking workaholic. If you smoke a lot of weed but still get shit done and handle business then my music is for you.

CONCRETE: How has Atlanta received you?

Kris J: It’s been a grind because I moved to Atlanta running around the strip club scene. I almost let it sway me and trick me out my grace. I started working the scene on East Atlanta heavy. There was a venue called The Department Store that I would definitely give a lot of credit to helping build the buzz. I dropped this song called “Dope Lady” and they gravitated to it. That’s when they let me in.

CONCRETE: What’s your tie to Nashville?

Kris J: I met DJ Money Green like three years ago and we’ve been running the race that we’ve been running ever since. DJ Money Green is the whole reason why I have anybody that listens to my music in Nashville and probably the reason why I’m even sitting here in this office doing this interview.

CONCRETE: Can you tell us about the Work Ethic project?

Kris J: I wanted to go with Work Ethic because that’s something everyone that’s trying to pursue something can relate to. There’s no way you can get to where you want to go if you don’t work for it.

Your work ethic has to be impeccable and I want to inspire. You can’t drive the Benz if your working like a Toyota you got to work like a Benz. Work Ethic is going to be an inspiring hustle tape.

CONCRETE: Talk to us about your brand.

Kris J: Class of Stoners is the brand and we’ve been growing slowly. I am my brand and as an entrepreneur I like to take a Master P approach. Anytime I’m out I wear my own stuff. As a independent artist you have to eat, I’m not rapping for a hobby this is a real career for me.

L Roy Da Boy - Shaq and Kobe

L Roy da Boy has been catching the city on fire lately. He teamed up with one of the cities GOAT’s Fate Eastwood to create a project that should go down in Nashville history. Fate Eastwood sets the tone of the project straight out the gate with a eerie piano that almost gives you a old twilight zone feel. L Roy jumps on the beat full of passion spitting his verse from the bottom of his stomach. He attacks the majority of the album with the same energy while speaking from a underdog point of view.

L Roy da Boy isn’t afraid to share game with those looking for answers. He speaks on everything from hard work, breaking the cycle, fallouts with Nashville rappers, sacrifices, and taking risks. Overall, a solid project that is full of motivation.

Dooway - 615 Degrees

Noize Record’s youngest in charge, Dooway, makes a major splash with his debut album, “615 Degrees”! On the lead single, “How It Go”, Dooway raps effortlessly over a crazy track by none other than resident hit maker, Bandplay. The Ric Flair sample, Bandplay’s haunting keys, and Dooway’s confident flow show out on “Winner’s Circle”! He just finished tour dates with Cashville legends Jellyroll and Struggle and he’s sure to be in a city near you very soon.

Petty - Words I Couldn’t Say

Veteran MC, Petty delivers a CLASSIC project with his album “Words I Couldn’t Say”. The album gives you plenty of different vibes to groove to like “Doin Too Much”, “Get On That” and “Come Back To Life.” Petty’s creativity shows he’s not afraid to go out on limb with a song like “Comfortable”, where he shows off his funk filled singing ability. He also dropped the lead single “Flowers” on Mother’s Day which is an ode to all mothers! Check out fan favorites “One Too”, “Make It Home” and “Just Sayin’” they are definitely must hear tracks. Petty mixes hit makers Chino Dollaz, A.B,Evan Blocker, Mike Ewing, Kevo Productions and H.D with his combination of original content, quotable lines, multiple cadences, and detailed visuals to produce this terrific project.

C Dolla - Premeditated Murder

C Dolla may not be a familiar name to you just yet but he is definitely on his way to being a household name. His recent project Premeditated Murder is full of street motivated stories. The piano loop on the song ‘”Hatas’” seems to pull you in and demand your full attention, while Dolla address the people slick talking behind his back. He sheds light on all the internet gangsters thumb thuggin on the song “Social Media” which is much needed with all the cap stars nowadays. “Bad B*tch” is something for the ladies and the song “BAG”, which stuck out to us the most is a straight banger full of hustle talk and lines that will motivate you to go secure the BAG!

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