CONCRETE Magazine - Memphis Edition #13 by CONCRETE Magazine

10-14 ........................ DJ Paul 16-18 ............It Must Be 2 Sides 20-22 .....................Herschel B 28 ............................. Dizzy D 30 ....................... John Wayne 32-38 ................. Memphis 10s 40 ....... Mind Right, Money Right 42 ....... Free Game: Alexis Moore 44 .........................DJ Top 10s Dealing with History is funny. And sometimes difﬁcult. Although I know it’s impossible to please and recognize everyone, realize that Concrete will make an attempt to acknowledge all of you (if ﬁtting). Thanks to all the OGs that reached out, called or e-mailed. I got you. And the rest that were too “busy”, we’ll cross that bridge next year. Thx for your support. Editor: Corporate Cory Sparks Assistant Editor: Amariah Tyler Sales Manager: Ricardo Manager Distribution: Connell Boyland Art Director: Rex2 Cover Photo: via DJ Paul Publishing Consultant: Bryan Deese

CONCRETE Magazine - Memphis 8001 Centerview Pkwy, Suite 205 Cordova, TN 38018

901.531.6117

concretememphis@gmail.com © CONCRETE Magazine 2010

CONCRETE: What issues/rumors/speculations about you that you want to address? DJ Paul: None at all. Except that we are not devil worshippers. They always call us that BS. Sick and tired of that. I’m really against all of the rumors. That’s a waste of time. Giving into that mess takes time from getting money. If it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense. CONCRETE: For the record, who influenced you to get started in the rap game? DJ Paul: My uncle’s had a gospel group called the Bogard Brothers. As a far as hip hop, it was my dad. He didn’t want me to be a rapper. He wanted me to be a singer. He made me take organ lessons in the 6th grade and I hated it, but it helped to make me into the producer that I am today. I’m also influenced by LL Cool J, Eazy E, Ghetto Boyz, Eric B. & Rakim and Public Enemy. CONCRETE: A lot of people talk about how divided the music scene, particularly the rap scene, is here in Memphis. What is your take on that? DJ Paul: They say it’s divided huh? That’s because people in Memphis do not stick together like we should. Everyone wants to be on top, like we can’t shine together. They act like it can only be one group or label. We all can eat. CONCRETE: What do you think about Scarface’s comment about the internet killing hip-hop? Do you think the internet is good for hip-hop or not? DJ Paul: It’s both actually. When Three 6 Mafia first started out we had to spend anywhere from $6,000 to $12,000 dollars a page to promote in the XXL or The Source Magazine. You know, people see you in the magazines thinking “Oh. They done came up.” They think they gave you that page for free because

they love your music or some BS like that. You have to pay for advertisement. It is not free. Vibe Magazine charges $20,000 a page. Today, you really don’t have to go thru that. It’s too easy. You have Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and all of these continued on pg 12

other sites that you can promote on for free. But at the same time everyone can get your music for free, so you’re turning a big proﬁt. If I had my way I would go back to the days where you had to pay for the advertisement rather than using the internet. That way you really see the fruit of your labor. CONCRETE: At this point in your career, do you feel you’ve made a big enough impact in the music industry to be called a “Legend” at your craft? DJ Paul: We’re deﬁnitely legends. We’re history. We made history when we won that Oscar. We’ve sold over 20 million records. Winning an Oscar is something that a rap group has never done, and probably won’t ever do. I put my bottom dollar on that because they don’t give them away that easy. They really don’t give them away to rappers that easily. The ONLY other rapper who has received one besides us is Eminem. And he has sold over a 100 million records. Any of my competitors, or people who talk reckless about 3-6, I guarantee they will never accomplish what we’ve accomplished. It’s so hard to do, and it took us years to do so. We work hard, and we strive to be the best. We do everything. We have the clothing line. We do movies. We’ve done a little modeling here and there. Plus, we’re in the studio every day. CONCRETE: Rappers like Wayne, Jeezy, and T.I. have managed to hold their own as heavyweight southern artists. Have you ever felt overshadowed? DJ Paul: Not at all. I’m proud of them. I love Wayne. I’ve known Wayne since he was really “little” Wayne. (laughs) We did the “Playa Why You Hatin’” video in 1997, way back in the day. I love the way Wayne is still doing his thing. He reinvented himself to be the biggest rapper in the world. I’m a big fan of Jeezy. I love Jeezy. I’ve done some work with him. I don’t feel overshadowed. I don’t really think or pay attention to things like that. I want everyone to succeed. Long as they’re doing their thing and keeping it positive, that’s all that matters. When you set out to hurt someone else, that’s when you fall. “Is the want more important than the worth?” I got that tattooed on my back. For instance: If you go out and carjack someone for rims, and get life in prison. Just because you wanted the rims, was it really worth your life? continued on pg 14

CONCRETE: Do you feel like you get the respect you deserve as a rapper or do you still feel underrated? DJ Paul: No. I don’t feel underrated as a rapper. But definitely as a producer. A lot of people still don’t know that we produce ourselves. We’re some of the top producers of the world. I don’t remember if it was The Source or XXL but one of them listed us as top producers. They had us as number three. They recognized us. I was grateful for that because a lot people don’t know that we produce. We do everything ourselves. We manage, we produce and we write songs. It’s a hard job. Not a lot of people can say that they do that. I can only think of one and that’s Dr. Dre. You can’t really name a lot of rappers who write their own music. They don’t write their own songs. They just play like they do. Hardly any of the R&B singers write their own songs. There simply aren’t a lot of people in the industry who do what we do. You can google that. CONCRETE: Name the top 5 rappers from the South, excluding yourself. DJ Paul: Project Pat, Lil Jon, Geto Boyz, Luke Skywalker, he started the “Go shorty, It’s ya birthday (starts singing) and MC Chi D. He’s the first person I listened to. He’s the reason I do this. CONCRETE: In 10 years where would you like your career to be? DJ Paul: In 10 years, I want to be sitting on my boat with my beautiful lady. Fishing and BBQ’s on the weekend with family and friends. Just talking about what we’re discussing right now. How crazy this music business is and how I made it through. Which is pretty much what I do now. (laughs) Well, if I’m not in the studio! CONCRETE: If you could change anything in the rap game, what would it be and why? DJ Paul: I wouldn’t change anything. I love everything that I’ve done. Because if anything changed, you and I wouldn’t be talking right now. I want to keep everything like it is. Everything I’ve done, I’m proud of. I’m healthy and I’m sane. Everything stays the same. Instead of going to a 7/11 after a show one night, we went to IHOP & I’m here today. One change could alter your life. CONCRETE: If you could sign one artist from the old click (Triple 6 Mafia) right now. Who would it be? DJ Paul: Lord Infamous! No one could bring out an album with him but us. That’s my brother and that’s loyalty.

CONCRETE: Since you all are in TV so much. Do you have any upcoming shows or movies? DJ Paul: Yes we have a new cooking show. It’s called Cookin’ Ain’t Easy. It will debut during the first quarter of 2011. We’re about to start Easy filming it now. We hooked up with 51 Minds. The guys who produced For the Love of Ray JJ, Flavor of Love, and most of the VH1 shows. He’s a heavy producer. He’ll be producing along with us. It’s a perfect opportunity for us. This is the south, Memphis, TN. We cook and BBQ every weekend anyway. We’re just gonna make a show out of it. Show’em how we get down in the M’Town. CONCRETE: What are you currently working on, and what can we expect from DJ Paul? DJ Paul: Visit Three6-mafia.com and download the new mixtape To Kill Again. Straight hard and old school shit. CONCRETE: Is there anything you want to tell your fans? DJ Paul: I love the fans. I want to thank them for staying loyal for so long and riding with DJ Paul & 3-6 Mafia. I want to thank Concrete for this opportunity. We’re about to kill’em with the new album. It’s going to be crazy. We’re gonna drop in September of 2010. Don’t get misled from the little pop songs you hear on the radio. It’s just for the radio. The album will be straight gangsta! Just like we always do it in the M’Town! It’s 3-6 Mafia for life! Hypnotize Minds forever! Look out for the new Lil Wyte, Project Pat, New DJ Paul, New Juicy J, New 3-6 Laws of Power!

OK, so you’re not from the hood. Maybe you were raised in the country or suburbs, and you are not particularly a fan of “gangster” rap. It just doesn’t fit with your daily reality. Well you’re not alone. And whether you are aware of it or not, there is another side of Memphis hip-hop that does not involve banging and slanging. The music industry has always had a knack for labeling new genres, when underground trends, sounds or looks reach the surface. While it may be difficult to pinpoint exactly what “conscious rap” is and to whom it refers, one thing is for sure, the experimentation by some artists is reminiscent of a time when hip-hop was all about style, originality and enjoying life. These artists stand firm in their creative convictions, and agree that something new is taking place. Every generation must create a golden era for themselves. Change is occurring. It’s natural not contrived. You can be good but not original. These artists strive to be different from others, and this makes it beautiful. No “general sound” is emerging because everyone is doing their own thing. Many use the word “refreshing” to describe the music. continued on pg 18

Probably the de facto leader of the movement, he was just featured in the famed column “Unsigned Hype” of The Source Magazine. His quick, feel-good ﬂows are reminiscent of early 90s hip-hop. His mixtape “Proving You Wrong”, is chopped full of throw back beats and top notch lyrics like, “I work for the dollar. I rap for the art, but for the broke I’ll hollar.” and “Show me where the dimes at. If they seeming booji then show me where the nines at.” It’s a must-cop for this summer if you plan to “Get Retarded”!

Perhaps the most impressive statement of this budding movement in Memphis is that it is not influenced by (or maybe even aware of) their “conscious rap” contemporaries. It’s mostly self contained. Nor are they trapped in notions of what real hip hop should be. It’s just damn fun to listen to. The newcomers bring a vengeful yet funloving energy that manifests itself against clichés in modern rap. You can’t help but nod your head, xxxxxx smile or even strike a b-boy stance when listening. And right here in Memphis ... who knew? Today’s rap and hip-hop styles vary with glossy, bubble-gum-pop rap at one end and popa-cap-in-your-ass rap at the other. This group is proving that Memphis artists can stay true to whatever their type is. They show a real love for their music and lifestyle and they definitely know how to hustle (in a good way). With styles defined, the next level is all that’s left.

Hailing straight out of East Haven, he is a paradigm for successfully turning an online buzz into national acclaim. His song “They Just Don’t Know” is reality seen through the eyes of a “socialite” (and rapped over a very hypnotizing synth). His last internet mixtape I AM MEMPHIS, was tremendously well received.

Here are a few other rappers who have conquered the Memphis underground and are set to have MP3s, clubs and Twitter pages poppin’ this summer:

He recently released a joint called “I’m On”. Although his sound is nothing like his hometown’s prevalent lingo, Pat has proved that he can spit with the best. Pat has mastered stage presence, a skill largely forgotten these days. There are no dull moments during his performances.

Recently debuting his mixtape Everybody Loves Chris with stuttered, manic beats that provide the perfect background to his unique delivery. He makes dope records. It’s straight forward and simple with his monotone style.

CONCRETE: You’re known for breaking records in the city. So how long have you been deejaying and what was your ﬁrst gig? Herschel B: I’ve been deejaying since really the eighties – 1980 exactly. My ﬁrst gig I worked for WLOK as a reporter. WLOK here in Memphis really opened the doors for all the young deejays and high school reporters. From that day forward I took it and ran with it. WLOK reporters had parties that could start anywhere. If you’re from Memphis, you’ll know about the 19 local union hall on Fontaine Road, those were big parties. Anybody who had big parties like Hamilton High School, Melrose, Hillcrest – all those schools – I was the DJ. I was that DJ. CONCRETE: Other than the obvious joy of seeing half-naked women, what do you like most about deejaying at a strip club? Herschel B: Meeting people. Learning different mood swings of females as well as the males. I know if I can handle those mood swings, I can handle anything. That’s pure pressure right there. CONCRETE: How long have you been at Pure Passion? Herschel B: Twenty years. CONCRETE: What are some records that you’ve broke? Herschel B: We gone break Gotti and Three 6. Right now I’m working on Kronic’s “Rollin”. That’s doing real well. He’s getting plenty of spins in the club. From me at the club, he’s getting 5-8 spins a night off that song and Gyft. I’m doing real well with his and their videos. I’m doing video deejaying also. CONCRETE: Do you regret anything about your career or is there something that you wish you would’ve done? Herschel B: No, not really. Sometimes I think I should hit them a little harder than I do as far as charging them. But I say I’ll get my blessing in the long run, which I have. I got some things to show for it although I won’t go into detail. continued on pg 22

CONCRETE: I know you have a lot of younger DJs who look up to you as one of the godfather DJs of the city. What advice do you give to them as far as entering, staying and remaining relevant in the game? Herschel B: Pretty much that’s true and I talk to them. I don’t want to name any names, but a couple of them deﬁnitely call me and talk to me about certain things. The young ones that are coming up as well as the ones’ that have been in the game a little while. If you bring up my name, they’re going to call me ‘Unc’. I’m the uncle or like you said the godfather. I just tell them, “Hey. It’s Memphis.” That’s what goes on. So I just tell them to be their own person, create your own lane. I’ve done the nightclubs, but I found out that once I hit the strip club that was the way to go for me. I tell them to stay humble, stay in your own lane, and people are going to talk. That should give you the strength to keep doing what you’re doing. CONCRETE: How do you feel about up and coming DJs who are exposed to and have access to a lot more technology than you had starting out? Herschel B: I’m older but some people look at me and they don’t even know how old I am. My thing is, I have kids and they tend to come up with the technology way quicker than us. Here I am with a BlackBerry and not just a regular phone. Therefore, I just keep up with what’s going on. I’m aware of what’s going on. It doesn’t bother me. It’s like I need to get with it or quit it. My thing is if I see you with a laptop, I’m getting me a laptop. I’m going to keep up. If I don’t know if you’re on the radio or DJs in other clubs, I’m going to ask. I won’t know until I ask. So it’s not a threat to me. Whatever they got, I can do or you can come right in my DJ booth and see that I’m set the same way. I can do video deejaying, regular deejaying, or I can put those 1200s on that table and do the same thing. I’m going to keep up because if I don’t, there’s always somebody that can take my place. For 20-25 years right now, nobody’s took my place so that’s why they call me the “King of Strip Clubs”. A lot of strip clubs in Memphis have came and went or came and changed their name. Pure Passion has kept the same DJs and same management. So apparently we are doing something right. Every day I let people the people know that we’re never too busy to say we appreciate you. CONCRETE: You have any shout outs? Herschel B: Shout outs to all the DJs. I don’t want to name anyone because I’ll deﬁnitely forget someone. Pretty much, shout out to all the Memphis DJs and hopefully one day we’ll all stick together.

CONCRETE: What made you first decide to rap? Dizzy D: When I was little, my brother, daddy, aunts, uncles and everybody played instruments and sang. I wasn’t really an instrument player. I played ball and everybody else played instruments. It’s actually a funny story. I blame it on my brother. When I was like five or six years old it was still cassette tapes. He’s a few years older than me and he gave me He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper—Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff—and it’s been all downhill since then. So, that was a big influence early on. CONCRETE: Did your friends find it odd that you were a white guy listening to hip hop and liked to rap? Dizzy D: I grew up in the country a little bit before I moved down this way. People who have known me forever know this is just the way I am. They know it’s not an act. I’m not putting on for anybody. It’s one of those things where sometimes people get the misconception that I’m trying to overdue it, but I’m not disrespectful with it. I just do my own thing. I think Aster Roth helped a lot recently and let people know that it’s some regular kids that can do it better than some others. CONCRETE: You’re featured on a song “Crush On You” with artist Christelle. What has the response been like? Dizzy D: With the “Crush On You” record, we felt like we were taking a risk by pushing it here because we didn’t really know how Memphis would respond to something that was so crossover. I mean, it seems to be a pretty good response so far. I mean, even hardcore guys that you would think, Aw he wouldn’t is in the car singing the song when nobody’s around just like everybody listens to Miley Cyrus. Everybody listens to “Party In The U.S.A.” It has now peaked at #60 on Billboard Top 100 R&B & Hip Hop charts.

CONCRETE: Why the name John Wayne? John Wayne: Well, my dad had started calling me Duke ever since I was a baby. That was my nickname, “The Duke”. My middle name is Wayne so I just put the two together. After so long, everybody started calling me The Duke. John Wayne is the same person so I just went with it. CONCRETE: What songs are you known for? John Wayne: I have a single with Travis Porter, “Mane Mane Mane” and it’s a pretty hot song. “Sit Back” and “Blow The Kush In Ya Face” and I got a few songs on this project that I think are going to be pretty good. CONCRETE: So what’s your upcoming project? Is it an album or mixtape? John Wayne: It’s a mixtape called Dope Money Money. It’s coming out in either May or the ﬁrst of June. I did the producing, recording and executive producing. It’s all me. My company is 50 Million Dollar Mindz. I also learned a lot from my brother who has his own production company called Gold Key Productions. CONCRETE: Are there any other artists you’re working with? John Wayne: I just got Lil’ Rounds, if you remember her from American Idol. I’m going to do a single with her on this album. I’m going to have her and Travis Porter, but I don’t think I need anybody else on this one. CONCRETE: With rapping, what do you hope to do that’s different from a lot of other artists? John Wayne: Just network. Just put Memphis on the map to where people want to come here and do music. We need to be recognized like a lot of other cities as far as what we’re trying to do with music and not just the same level we’ve been on. I’m trying to expand. CONCRETE: If you could send a message through your music, what would it be? John Wayne: If it’s one message I’d probably send, it would be one like one of my songs that’s called, “Everything I Wanna Be.” It’s just letting people know that you can be what you want to be. You know, people expect other things out of you, but I see people go to work everyday and do things they’re not happy with. So I just choose to work for myself and be what I choose to be and be happy with that. If anything, be happy with who you are and don’t let people persuade you to be who they want you to be. Just be who you are. That’s what they’re going to learn in my music.

Some of us were born in poverty, disadvantaged from the start with no way out. We destined ourselves to become what we were supposed to be, FAILURES. But just like our roots we are warriors, and despite all that is against us we manage to overcome the obstacles and leap boundaries that we were never expected to leap. Whether it’s the board room at a Fortune 500 company or the stage that the Beatles once performed on, we are all hustlers, soldiers and survivors that are capable of doing whatever we put our minds to. Although we defeat adversity, a majority of us have been poor for so long that when we get this money and a chance to change our circumstance, what do we do? We buy big cars, clothes, and jewels! All these things lose value faster than the dime piece turned crack head. Realize the only difference between the rich & the poor is that the rich teach their kids about saving for the future, gross income and net income, net worth, stocks and bonds, appreciation and depreciation. With our lack of knowledge and lack of financial discipline, even if you have the tenacity and talent to go after your dreams, without a proper financial plan, you put all of your hard work and dedication at risk. The first step is to pay yourself first! Create a savings plan that will begin to help alleviate the daily stress of not having money. To begin make sure it is automatic. Don’t rely on your memory or your ability to curve temptation. Set up pre-authorize transfers from your checking to savings or have a portion of your direct deposit transferred automatically. Doing it this way makes it less painful and easier to start saving because it takes the control (or lack of) away from you. You set it then forget it. It’s that simple! Once you have a savings plan in place you are well on your way to financial freedom! Ash’Cash is a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Financial Expert and the author of Mind Right, Money Right: 10 Laws of Financial Freedom. For more information visit www.IamAshCash.com.

The phrase “I am a Model” is very loosely used in our community today and should probably be replaced with “I want to be a Model” instead. Being a Model takes more than setting up photo shoots, posting pictures on the internet, and walking in local runway events. If you do not ﬁt into the height, size, and character requirements for modeling types which include Fashion, Commercial, Plus, Trade/ Promo/Convention, Glamour, etc; then you are not a Model. There’s tons of information on the internet to research each type and the agencies that represent them, but many self proclaimed Models don’t do their homework. Knowledge is a very powerful thing, and successful Models have a strong Business sense to complement what they already know. There are exceptions to the rules but these exceptions are usually reserved for exceptionally beautiful people and those with very unique looks. The Modeling Industry is tough, and you have to have thick skin to be able to accept the rejection and amount of competition in the market. Being a Model takes more than having a pretty face because in larger markets like New York, Los Angeles, & overseas there are thousands of pretty faces with toned, healthy bodies to compete with. Simply put, below are a few things you should know...

The Industry will view you as a Model if you: • • • • •

Know which type of Model you are. Have a comp card & resume. Have an Industry standard sized portfolio. Exercise for a healthy mind body & spirit. Take care of your teeth, nails, and hygiene with regular cleanings and appointments. • Look relatively ﬂawless in a raw image. • Don’t post all of your photo shoot pictures on the internet for public gratiﬁcation. Instead submit them to reputable agencies or directly to clients. • Don’t have excessive stretch marks, bruises, and tattoos (unless the job requires tats). While no model is perfect photographers do reserve the right to not work with you because they’d have to spend hours editing the pictures afterwards.

• Don’t excessively smoke or drink. • Have more than nude & implied nude pictures readily available. to submit. Professional companies review professional images. • Have at least 1 professional tear sheet • Know what a tear sheet, voucher, independent contractor, release, and test shots are. • Have been paid the Industry standard to be in a photo shoot or event – Industry Standard is key here. • Have signed a contract for paid work with a client directly or agency. • For tax purposes have received a Form 1099-MISC • Have the drive to Market yourself - As an Aspiring or Professional Model you are your Business, invest in your brand and know your market.

Alexis Moore is a Professional Model whose resume includes Print Work with Ampro Gel International, KISS Colors Cosmetics, & Coors Light to name a few. She has also represented internationally known brands like Procter & Gamble’s Wella International, Loreal, Covergirl, and Universal Music Group.

DJ Mic Tee 1 Starlito - I Go H.A.M. 2 Yo Gotti - Touch Down!!! 3 Kronic - Rollin 4 Travis Porter - Go Shorty 5 Ja Bar f/ Soulja Boy - Daze 6 Roscoe Dash - Show Out 7 Jezzy f/ Plies - Lost My Mind 8 Bone - Homegurl 9 Soulja Boy - Pretty Boy Swag 10 Plies f/ Jezzy, Fabolous - Look Like

DJ CP The Great 1 Roscoe Dash - Show Out 2 Travis Porter - Go Shorty 3 Kia Shine - Relax 4 Starlito - I Go H.A.M. 5 Jezzy f/ Plies - Lost My Mind 6 Cool Courtney - Pretty Boy 7 ZedZilla - Feels So Good 8 8Ball and MJG f/ Young Dro - Bring it Back 9 Gucci Mane f/ Yo Gotti - East Atlanta Memphis 10 Tip - I’m Back

Nate Boogie 1 Drake - Over 2 BoB - Nothing On You 3 Young Money - Roger That 4 Dirty Money - Hello Goodmorning 5 Ludacris - My Chick Bad 6 DJ Khaled - All I Do Is Win 7 Jay-Z - On To the Next One 8 Rick Ross - Super High 9 Fabolous - Body Ya 10 Trey Songz - Say Ahhh

DJ Rock Steddy 1 Kronic - Rollin 2 Yo Gotti f/ Zed Zilla - I Just Wanna 3 F.L.Y. - So Gone 4 Calico Jonez f/ Soulja Boy - I Took Yo Chick 5 Starlito - I Go H.A.M. 6 Soulja Boy - Pretty Boy Swag 7 Bone - Homegurl 8 Timbaland - Carry Out 9 Dirty Money - Hello Goodmorning 10 Drake - Find Your Love Cory Sparks 1 Starlito - I Go H.A.M. 2 Young Jeezy - Stop Playin With Me 3 BoB - Don’t Let Me Fall 4 The Clipse - Never Will It Stop 5 Gyft - Hannibal 6 Yo Gotti - Loco 7 Jezzy f/ Plies - Lost My Mind 8 BoB - Bet I Bust 9 Rick Ross - Super High 10 DJ Paul - Gimme Yayo