YOUR FAVORITE RAPPER’S FAVORITE MAGAZINE
IALYNE L W o) (he misses you to
DIDDY
SOULJA
BORY ROUGH
DO
ROSCOE DASH YOUNG MONEY TRAVISR PORTE WALE
BOW WOW
SEISSX UE
6th Annual
FREAKNIK RET URNS
THE LADIES OF
L I P SERVICE
MR MARCUS’
GUIDETO
GREAT SEX
WEESSTT:: NEEW O ON OZZO
OFFLLYY K UZZZZO KU
-O4B0LEM E PR
NEE NTTIIN JJV ALLEEN VA OZONE MAG // 1
DORROUGHBOOKING@GMAIL.COM
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PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF // Julia Beverly MUSIC EDITOR // Randy Roper ASSOCIATE EDITOR // Maurice G. Garland GRAPHIC DESIGNER // David KA ADVERTISING SALES // Che Johnson, Gary Archer, Kevin Childs PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR // Malik Abdul SPECIAL EDITION EDITOR // Jen McKinnon WEST COAST EDITOR-AT-LARGE // D-Ray LEGAL CONSULTANT // Kyle P. King, P.A. SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER // Adero Dawson ADMINISTRATIVE // Kisha Smith
features
W18-19 AURORA JOLIE’S SEX ETIQUETTE 38-39 FREAKNIK RESURRECTED 60-61 HAPPILY EVER AFTER 58-59 LADIES FIRST: LIP SERVICE W16-17 MR. MARCUS’ PORN STAR GUIDE TO GREAT SEX
INTERNS // Devon Buckner, Jee’Van Brown, Ms Ja, Torrey Holmes CONTRIBUTORS // Anthony Roberts, Blogxilla, Bogan, Camilo Smith, Charlamagne the God, Chuck T, Cierra Middlebrooks, David Rosario, Diwang Valdez, DJ BackSide, Edward Hall, Eric Perrin, E-Z Cutt, Gary Archer, Hannibal Matthews, Jacquie Holmes, J Lash, Jason Cordes, Jelani Harper, Joey Colombo, Johnny Louis, Kay Newell, Keadron Smith, Keita Jones, Keith Kennedy, K.G. Mosley, King Yella, Luis Santana, Luvva J, Luxury Mindz, Marcus DeWayne, Matt Sonzala, Maurice G. Garland, Mercedes (Strictly Streets), Natalia Gomez, Portia Jackson, Ray Tamarra, Rico Da Crook, Rohit Loomba, Shannon McCollum, Spiff, Stan Johnson, Swift, Tamara Palmer, Thaddaeus McAdams, Ty Watkins, Wally Sparks, Wendy Day STREET REPS // 3rd Leg Greg, Adam Murphy, Alex Marin, Al-My-T, Ant Wright, Anthony Deavers, Baydilla, Benz, Big Brd, B-Lord, Big Ed, Big Teach (Big Mouth), Big Thangs, Big Will, Bigg P-Wee, Bigg V, Black, Bogan, Bo Money, Brandi Garcia, Brandon “Silkk” Frazier, Brian Eady, Buggah D. Govanah (On Point), Bull, C Rola, Cartel, Cedric Walker, Cece Collier, Chad Joseph, Charles Brown, Chill, Chuck T, Christian Flores, Clifton Sims, Dee1, Demolition Men, DJ Commando, Danielle Scott, DJ Dap, Delight, Derrick the Franchise, DJ Dimepiece, DJ D’Lyte, Dolla Bill, Dorian Welch, Dwayne Barnum, Dr. Doom, Dynasty, Ed the World Famous, DJ E-Feezy, DJ EFN, Episode, Eric “Crunkatlanta” Hayes, Erik Tee, F4 Entertainment, Fiya, G Dash, G-Mack, George Lopez, Gorilla Promo, Haziq Ali, Hezeleo, H-Vidal, Hotgirl Maximum, Hotshot, J Hype, Jacquie “Jax” Holmes, Jae Slimm, Jammin’ Jay, DJ Jam-X, Janiro Hawkins, Jarvon Lee, Jasmine Crowe, Jay Noii, Jeron Alexander, J Pragmatic, JLN Photography, Joe Anthony, John Costen, Johnny Dang, Judah, Judy Jones, Juice, DJ Juice, Kenneth Clark, Kewan Lewis, Klarc Shepard, Kool Laid, DJ KTone, Kurtis Graham, Kydd Joe, Lex, Lucky, Lump, Lutoyua Thompson, Luvva J, Marco Mall, Mario Grier, Marlei Mar, Maroy, DJ M.O.E., Music & More, Natalia Gomez, DJ Nik Bean, Nikki Kancey, Oscar Garcia, P Love, Pat Pat, Phattlipp, Pimp G, Quest, Quinton Hatfield, DJ Quote, DJ Rage, Rapid Ric, DJ Ricky Ruckus, Rob J Official, Rob Reyes, Robert Lopez, Rob-Lo, Robski, Scorpio, Seneca, Shauntae Hill, Sherita Saulsberry, Silva Reeves, Sir Thurl, DJ Skee, Sly Boogy, Southpaw, Spade Spot, Stax, DJ Strong, Sweetback, Syd Robertson, Teddy T, TJ’s DJ’s, Tim Brown, Tonio, Tony Rudd, Tre Dubb, Tril Wil, Trina Edwards, Troy Kyles, Twin, Vicious, Victor Walker, DJ Vlad, Voodoo, DJ Warrior, White Boi Pizal, Wild Billo, Will Hustle, William Major, Wu Chang, Young Harlem, Yung DVS, Zack Cimini
cover stories
interviews 56 40 64-66 30 62-63 36-37 48-49 W12 W14 28 W20 50-52 46-47 54-55 67 57 68
BIG BANK BLACK BIG HOODBOSS BOW WOW CHEROKEE DA ASS DIDDY DJ X-RATED DRUMMA BOY J VALENTINE KUZZO FLY MONTANA DELEON PROBLEM SOULJA BOY TAHIRY TRAVIS PORTER TYGA WALE YOUNG MONEY
42-45 DORROUGH W22-24 E-40 70-74 LIL WAYNE
SUBSCRIPTIONS // To subscribe, send money order for $20 to: Ozone Magazine, Inc. Attn: Subscriptions Dept 644 Antone St. Suite 6 Atlanta, GA 30318 Phone: 404-350-3887 Fax: 404-350-2497 Website: www.ozonemag.com COVER CREDITS // Lil Wayne cover photo by Matt Conant; Lil Wayne photo (this page) by Julia Beverly; Dorrough photo by SLFEMP; E-40 photo by Trevor Traynor; Problem photo by D-Ray; Reality Laster photo by SoCoolPhotography.com; Drumma Boy photo by Hannibal Matthews. DISCLAIMER // OZONE Magazine is published 11 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 2010 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.
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monthly sections
13 10 THINGS I’M HATIN’ ON 81 CAFFEINE SUBSTITUTES 79, W29 CD REVIEWS 20 CHAIN REACTION 18 CHIN CHECK 24 DOLLAR MENU 82, W26 END ZONE 12 FEEDBACK
W4 I’M JUST SAYIN’THO 41 INDUSTRY 101 13 JB’S 2 CENTS 16 MATHEMATICS 32-34 PATIENTLY WAITING 17, W7 PHOTO GALLERIES 14-15 RAPQUEST W6 SHORT STORIES 26 SIDEKICK HACKIN’
OZONE MAG // 11
Send your comments to feedback@ozonemag.com www.myspace.com/ozonemagazine www.twitter.com/ozonemag
JB, I just read your editorial about fear. It’s funny how things happen and the order in which they occur. I’ve been a teacher for three years now, but I got my degree in Public Relations/Advertising. I love being a teacher, but I have longed to work for myself in my field of study. What’s stopping me? FEAR! I have a stable 9 to 5 plus a mortgage! I have prayed about my decision to focus on Public Relations and it seems to be now or never. Things seem to be falling into place and I have my first client. I want to thank you for writing this article. NO FEAR! – Veronica Jones, via email I respect how OZONE digs so deep into the movement of Hip Hop, especially the fact that the magazine was founded by a righteous hard-working woman. This is something that parallels my life, as I was raised by a single mother. It’s really cool when I see young Latinos at the grocery store with their mom and both kids are walking around the store reading OZONE. OZONE truly reps for the streets and for Latinos. It’s one of the few magazines that reps the true demographics of our culture, and Latinos know this! – Chris Quiroz, via email (Los Angeles, CA) What’s up Too $hort? I just read your column about rape, and the fact that whoever watched the [Richmond] rape must not have a conscience. I’ll pay for it before I ever take some pussy. Keep it 100. – Young Trill, via email I was drawn to OZONE because of your article on Gucci Mane’s management committing fraud. I really enjoyed the article so I began exploring your magazine. I read the “10 Things I’m Hating On” section by Audra and I was disgusted by your comment on Mohawks (“Unless you live on a reservation with no running water, got a liquor store on every cliff, and have two names, like Bear Tracks or Soaring Eagle, this should not be your style of choice”). I understand satire. I agree with her, the hairstyles are strange when people don’t know their history and where they come from. I truly was offended, not because my family has ties to Natives in Illinois, but because it should offend everyone. These are horrific misconceptions that berate and belittle people, and with your fanbase, this is very dangerous and wrong. I would like to ask the writer why she was so hateful to people who have long struggled, just like the Africans in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It’s as if she is making fun of sub-standard living. NOT ALL NATIVE AMERICANS live on a reservation. They are not all alcoholics and they do not all have two names. I would ask, on behalf of Native American activists, for an apology from the writer and the magazine for this blatant and inappropriate bashing of Native People. She wasn’t making fun of the stereotype, she was using the stereotype to make fun. See the difference? Dave Chappelle makes fun of stereotypes, in that he makes people see that stereotypes are ignorant. I’m kinda surprised you don’t take your readers’ comments more seriously. You don’t openly use stereotypes of Africans, Latinos, or Asians, do you? A lot of people take racism very seriously. I’m just surprised that you don’t even acknowledge it in the slightest, in light of the readership you appeal to and how they deal with racism on a daily basis. Disap-
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pointed, but frankly not surprised. It is not just myself that is offended. How exactly would you describe OZONE’s sense of humor? Ironic? Edgy? In your face? I would classify it as cheap. I am a huge fan of satire. I’m not attacking or even questioning OZONE’s overall comedic ability, but rather bringing to your attention something you may have overlooked. What you do is easy. You are a culture vulture and I see right through you. - Leah BeAbout, via email JB, I had to sit down and email you regarding your recent editorial on stepping up and pushing hard in all aspects of life. The article was a great message. Currently, I’m a Visual Merchandiser and I own my own jewelry line. I’m three months pregnant and I lost my energy and will to push my other creative abilities; I would come home and sleep every day. So just recently I started to research ways I can reach young girls through my talents. Normally, I bypass editor’s messages. However, this time I believe God wanted me to read your experience to improve mine for the purpose of others. Give thanks. I love your mag! – Rolicia Nicole McClain, via email I’m currently incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison system. I’m writing in regards to OZONE Magazine’s issue #79 page 26 [the Sidekick Hackin’ between Tiny and Young Dro]. Whether it was fact, fiction, or OZONE’s idea of a despicable joke, it was very out of line and disrespectful. Doing time can be very difficult, especially when one has a loving wife and family on the outside that he misses dearly. Being separated from your companion can make for distraught feelings and hard time. Everyone that is associated with the Hip Hop culture knows the bond that T.I. and Tiny have. To publish something like that was hateful and made OZONE look really bad. Whoever’s idea it was to publish such an issue involving a wife and a man in prison and his left hand man was very stupid and feeble-minded. I can’t believe OZONE would participate in hating like this. Even if the accusation was true, at least for the respect of T.I. who in the past has shown much love and respect for OZONE, the magazine could’ve kept T.I. and Tiny’s business confidential. When I decided to confront OZONE with their hating and instigating ways, I first chose to write a rude, disrespectful “fuck you” letter, but I chose not to lower myself to OZONE’s shallow ways. Because of my Crip affiliation I represent the OZONE family, not in the sense of the magazine but the street gang Rollin’ 60s. OZONE has been a part of my vocabulary and heart for many years. To represent the word OZONE is to be real, so please OZONE Magazine, don’t publish any more hating shit like that. - Anthony “Lucky” Roach, via mail (Texas) Editor Responds: Sorry you took it so seriously, but Sidekick Hackin’ is a joke and there was no disrespect intended towards T.I. or Tiny. Correction: The Boss Chicks R Us all-female compilation listed in the last issue of OZONE on page 73 was incorrectly credited to “DJ Suga D & DJ Kris Stylez.” It should have been credited to “DJ Suga D & Exclusive J.”
JB’s 2cents
O
ccasionally over the years, OZONE has drawn criticism for our raw interviews and uncensored language. And while editing this years’ sex issue, I can see how some of the content might appall some people who don’t live in the same world we live in. But as someone with a voice, the most powerful thing I could present is simply the truth. The good, bad, or ugly truth. I’ve always enjoyed doing the sex issue interviews not only because they’re entertaining (who doesn’t love to talk about sex?) but because it’s an open opportunity to ask men any question that’s ever crossed my mind. That doesn’t mean all the answers are going to be pretty (it also should be mentioned that some artists are prone to exaggerate the “truth”).
10THINGS I’M HATIN’ON 1. THE OSCARS The only time black folks can win an Oscar is when we play a crooked cop, get our brains banged out by Billy Bob Thorton, rap about pimping or be an abusive mother who makes her daughter “eat this p*ssy.” *Kanye voice* The Oscars don’t care about black people!
LAVISH
by Maurice G. Garland
At Lil Wayne’s going-away party in Miami
2. DRAKE Is it me or does it seem like dude is always complaining about living the good life? He needs to listen to some Tela: “I’m so tired of ballin, ‘cause there’s too many bitches on my dick…YOU’LL NEVER HEAR A PLAYER SAY THAT SHIT!” 3. PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT WHACK MUSIC If all you find yourself listening to is whack music, you must be a whack person yourself. Turn the damn TV and radio off and go outside.
6. Cheating Celebrity Husbands With all these high-profile husbands getting caught cheating, hoes are getting the spotlight like never before. Every time I watch the news or read the paper a new mistress is telling her story, while another bomb is getting dropped in the Middle East somewhere. Tighten up, fellas. And ladies, celebrity men aren’t paying you for sex. He’s paying you to leave and shut the fuck up. 7. People Who Still Argue About TUPac vs. Biggie Y’all need to get some pussy. 8. Ben RoEthlisberger He needs to ASK for some pussy. 9. Hip Hop Club Dress Codes So, you want me to wear hard bottom shoes, take my hat off and button my shirt up…to listen to Gucci Mane and Lil Wayne? 10. “Free (insert dumbass)” T-SHIRT CAMPAIGNS Jail is no fun and I wish it on nobody, but I’m sorry, I can’t rock a t-shirt saying Free Everydamnbody. Getting caught with guns and dope does not make you a political prisoner.
KING YELLA
5. QUIK-E-MART CASHIERS At hood convenience stores, when you buy something for 97 cents, you give them a dollar and they just say “thank you.” They must think I’m either too rich to care or too dumb to count. Sometimes I want to go off like the little kid from the “Bitch, Give Me My Change” YouTube video.
In Vegas with Nelly
Some may be offended by stories about closet quickies (Big Hoodboss, pg. 40) or foursomes (Kuzzo Fly, pg. W14). It might be shocking to hear matter-of-fact advice on anal sex etiquette and proper hymen-breaking procedure (Aurora Jolie, pg W18). But sex is a necessary part of life and we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it or sugarcoat the reality. You should be aware that while you’re admiring his Lamborghini (Bow Wow, pg. 64), more than likely he’s concentrating on telepathically trying to convince you to suck his dick (Mr. Marcus, pg. W16). Females have to stop settling for hard dick and bubble gum and hold out for someone who appreciates you for you. Find someone who cares about holding an intelligent conversation with you (J Valentine, pg. W12). Don’t just go from jump-off to jumpoff and waste your pussy juice (Tahiry, pg. 46). Don’t be the one getting passed around the whole crew (Travis Porter, pg. 55), but learn to play a role in someone’s life and have a reason for being there (Soulja Boy, pg. 51). Be with someone who’s your best friend (Paul Wall, pg. 60). Life isn’t about how many hoes you can smash (Dorrough, pg. 44), so be careful what you wish for, and try not to jinx yourself for the future (Too $hort, pg. W6). Don’t be the next Kat Stacks, making a fool of yourself all over the worldwide web. Be confident enough to know that you deserve better. If you demand more, you’ll get more. And I’m not talking about more money, purses, or shoes. I’m talking about more respect, which is far more important because with confidence and respect you can earn enough money to buy all those things yourself. Don’t believe hardly anything you read on the internet, and don’t take to heart everything you hear on the radio. You don’t have to let her put her hands in your pants to be his little freak. You don’t have to volunteer to be the one to go home with Urshur or Trey Songz (Yuuup!). Be you. Don’t be a statistic.
MALIK ABDUL
4. SMART HOES ON TWITTER I’m sorry, baby, but if your avatar is a picture of you half-naked and bent over, I don’t want to hear shit you have to say about health care reform, religion, or world peace. Just Twitpic some booty shots and keep it moving.
In Alaska with the BD Productions crew, P-Nut and Baydilla
Especially for women, I feel like knowing is half the battle. Men act according to their options and while some rappers’ hittin’-it-and-quittin’-it tales might be offensive, we as women should be smart enough to read them objectively. You learn a lot more by listening than by talking. If you weren’t so busy talking about what a nasty dog he is, you could listen to what he’s saying and learn something, because chances are your man thinks the same way deep down. He just might not be rich and famous enough to act on it and exercise his options. That doesn’t mean you should have a negative outlook on relationships from day one, but it does mean you should be cautious and protect yourself both physically and emotionally and be aware of what you’re dealing with.
In Dallas with Dorrough during All Star weekend
In Vegas with Paul Wall & TV Johnny
The biggest challenge of this issue was interviewing Lil Wayne (pg. 70). Although portions of the interview may come off combative in print, it was an experience I genuinely enjoyed. I didn’t really expect he would answer the question about what was going through his mind when impregnating multiple women at once, but I had to ask because I was curious. Because I love men. And I love sex, as I’m sure everyone does, but at times the corrupt aspect of this business is disheartening. I feel like sex is morphing into something I don’t recognize and becoming used more as a weapon to gain power and control and notoriety (both by men and women) and less to form a bond between two people with mutual respect. Guys - stop rushing and stop pressuring. Let it happen naturally (and stop texting us pictures of your dick when we just met you - that shit ain’t cute). And ladies - make them earn it. Make them respect us. - Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com
Trey Songz “Neighbors Know My Name” Trey Songz f/ Usher & Keri Hilson “Invented Sex (Remix)” Usher f/ Nicki Minaj “Little Freak” T-Pain f/ Young Jeezy “Reverse Cowgirl” Robin Thicke f/ Ludacris “Sex Therapy (Remix)” Sean Garrett f/ Plies “Lay U Down” Game feat. Ray J & Ester Dean “Pussy Fight” R. Kelly f/ Tyrese, Robin Thicke & The-Dream “Pregnant”
RE’Splaylist
randy.roper@ozonemag.com Travis Porter “Get Naked” Kings of Leon “Sex On Fire” Keri Hilson “Make Love” RE “Lustful”
OZONE MAG // 13
AUSTIN, TX:
The 2010 NBA All-Star Game went down at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Thanks to Dr. Teeth and a number of others, MTV Jams held its own Texas Day of programming in preparation. Featured area artists included SouthBound, COD, J-Kapone, Question, Fade Dogg, Mojoe, and many others. J Cole came through town for a show at Ace’s Lounge and an in-store at Complete Clothing. SXSW is coming to town. Confirmed artists include Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Trae, Killer Mike, Chalie Boy and more. - O.G. of Luxury Mindz (www.luxurymindz.com)
BIRMINGHAM, AL:
Mayor William Bell is the new mayor in the Magic City. Lloyd came to the P.O.B. and Attitude hit the stage at the Palace alongside Trina. Cosmo’s and Club Martini’s have been going strong for the more mature crowd. DJ Serious spins every week at Club Ice. Yung LA came to Los Diaz, hosted by B-Money 3 Stacks of 95.7 Jamz. Murc Camp dropped Big Business in Bama 2, Lil Haze dropped a mixtape hosted by D.J Smallz, Eskimo Joe dropped LL Cool Joe, and M.P. has a new mixtape. Off Tha Chain Records also dropped several projects. - K. Bibbs (AllOrNothingPromo@hotmail.com)
CHICAGO, IL:
Hot to Def has the hottest record in Chicago clubs and radio with “Up and Down.” Moonie from L.E.P. has a new hot record with Ray J called “Hood Girl.” Artists to check for include Rockie Fresh, Money Bag Boys, Big Homie Doe, YP, and Twone Gabz with his Hip Hop VS. Gucci mixtape. DJs to check for are DJ Ransom, DJ Reese, DJ Metro, DJ Tmac, and DJ Bman. Chicago radio stations are letting club DJs spin on-air during the weekend mixshows. - Jamal Hooks (JHooks@tmail.com)
CINCINNATI, OH:
The Nati Mixtapes are now on www.midwestmixtapes.com. Producer M-80’s beats are really hot and artists in the city are gravitating to his studio. Mz. Nicky’s new single “Uh Oh (Did I Do That)” (above) is getting rave reviews from Rap Star Promotions and Zulu Nation South. Chris Johnson and Hakeem Griggs teamed up to bring back Street Fame Magazine. Gospel Rapper KDrama has a new single entitled “Walkie Talkie.” Be on the lookout for the hit singles “Play Head” by Mickey Mac Main Ft. Killa K and MBG’s “My Swagg.” - Judy Jones (Judy@JJonesent.com) 14 // OZONE MAG
COLUMBUS, GA:
DJ O3 has been doing parties all over the Southeast. Big D and SOA have been spotted everywhere. KG Smooth almost single handedly made WKZJ the city’s #2 station. Jay Stylez kicked of his TV/blog site. Columbus State hosted a music conference, and OZONE’s own Ms. Rivercity was in the building. I heard some people actually learned something - which doesn’t happen at every conference. - Slick Seville (SlickSeville@gmail.com)
DALLAS/FT. WORTH, TX:
Dorrough’s single “Triple D Dat” featuring Tum Tum and Lil Tony from Gangsta Grillz 23 is the new anthem for DFW. Def Jam’s Bone and So So Def’s Dondria are all over the radio while ladies in the streets are loving “My Body” by Que P from Richmind Records. The Mansion is the official Saturday night spot with DJ Merk (NGenius) and DJ Drop (Definition DJs). Forth Worth is holding their own with artists such as Immortal Soldiers, Bossaliny, and Flonitti with DJs Dre, Pay, Wildhairr and Tuss in rotation at clubs Mystique, Crytals, Rackdaddy’s and Bijou. People in TDC reading this stay strong! - Edward “Pookie” Hall (urbansouth@gmail.com)
GAINESVILLE, FL:
Travis Porter turned up Skyy Nite Club with their new single “Go Shorty Go.” DTP’s latest R&B sensation Rudy Currence put on a five star performance for the University of Florida’s Black Student Union. Slim T and Looney G dropped their Center of Attention mixtape hosted by DJ Klarc Shepard, and J Road da College Kid dropped #Scholar Music. Bad Villian Creative Agency launched FeedOffRap.com, a revolutionary Hip Hop aggregate site that compiles the top news and latest music all in one spot. - Jett Jackson (g5jett@gmail.com)
HOUSTON, TX:
J. Cole of Roc Nation performed at Warehouse Live, which is also where the Go DJs and Rap-A-Lot hosted the Hip Hop for Haiti concert featuring all of the biggest names in the city: Bun B, Slim Thug, Young Problemz, Just Brittany and many more. Candi Redd’s video shoot was a
star-studded event directed by Mr. Boomtown. Local rapper Aday released his “Stronger” music video at Posh Lounge, which is one of the newest clubs of the city including Club Traffic and Dreams. - Ghost tha Hustla (ghostthahustla@tmail.com)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN:
Munki Boi Ent’s G Fresh has a single called “On My Mama” featuring Yung Tone that’s getting major support across the nation. DJ Danny and DJ Ill Will are heating up the street mixtape scene. Detox Gfx has inked nationwide graphic design deals with major labels. Dragged Up Music (R.I.P. DJ Screw) just had its re-grand opening. Pac Man’s new single with Project Pat called “Aint Nothin’ I Can’t Buy” is gaining major attention. MRC Ent. opened its recording studio. - DJ Black (djblackhcp@tmail.com)
JACKSON, MS:
Jackson’s own Lil C dropped a new project called The Stick Up Kid. He collaborated with Lil Boosie on the single “Still Bad.” Club Mardi Gras is under new ownership and has been pulling in crowds with artists like Pretty Ricky, Dondria, H-Town, and Juvenile. Actor Pooch Hall from the hit TV show The Game hit up Freelon’s and the women went crazy. Trina fell through Club Dreamz and put on a great show. Robin Thicke hit the city & from what we’re hearing, did not put on his best performance. I heard the afterparty at Mardi Gras was better than the show. - Tambra Cherie (TambraCherie@aol.com) & Stax (blockwear@tmo.blackberry.net)
JACKSONVILLE, FL:
Supa Chino, P.I.T. da Don of Duval, and Fish Grease Slim of Jim Beam all have upcoming mixtape projects. Midget Mac had a birthday party with Bizzle and Bigga Rankin. Young Cash is featured on the Freaknik cartoon with T-Pain on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, and although our Jaguars didn’t make it to the Super Bowl this year, “Jaguar” from For the Love of Ray J 2 made it to the play-offs with Ray J and came back home with national fame. - Lil Rudy (LilRudyRu@yahoo.com)
KILLEEN/BELTON/FT. HOOD/ TEMPLE/WACO, TX:
Killeen welcomed quite a few acts recently to Jaguar Entertainment’s club Junction 45. Acts included Trina (above), Party Boyz, and Big Tuck just to name a few. Local artist 5 Star Stackz released his single “Full Of Myself.” Other singles released include Lil Neechie’s “Hella Hottie” to follow up his song “Count That Money.” Spark Dawg released part one of a three part series entitled @SparkDawgMusic as a free download. Belton, TX producer Noki Swazay released The Antidote under his group Nappy Town. - Chris OA (jupzchris@gmail.com)
LOUISVILLE, KY:
Hurra-Season is back with a new single called “Hatin.” Cocky has been on the road and just came back from the “A” choppin’ it up wit Block. DJ Q was on the red carpet at The Grammys reppin’ the city hard. Speaking of DJs, DJ E Feezy was relinquished of his duties as on-air personality at B-96.5. Mo Bouce Ent. has Headliners rockin’ once every month. Seth Firkins just lauched his new media group www.fivebyfivemediagroup.com. - Divine Da Liaison (OuttaDaShopEnt@hotmail.com)
MANATEE COUNTY, FL:
There’s been a lot of support for Haiti – tons of fundraisers, charities, and donation booths have been set up to aide the effort. Papa Duck, of Haitian descent, did a benefit concert at Club Elite in Palmetto to support the cause. JT Money performed at the gentleman’s club Pandora’s Box. Webbie also came in town to perform at Club Hall. MLK weekend was all about the car shows, from St. Pete to Sarasota. Tampa college radio host Slick Worthington came in town to interview underground artists J Streetz and Baby Boy on WSLR 96.5 fm with yours truly. - Hollywood Red (era9880@yahoo.com)
MEMPHIS, TN:
La Chat dropped her new Trap-A-Holics mixtape Krumbz 2 Brickz featuring
the hit single “Illusion” with Waka Flocka. Memphis Hard Rock put on a huge benefit for Haiti with Al Kapone, Nasty Nardo, 40Kel, DJ Squeeky, DJ Zirk, and Yung Kee. Upcoming artist CU, a.k.a. Beezi, is pushing his mixtape Volume One: Rookie of the Year and his new single “Jackpot” is on the Coast to Coast mixtape. Nominees are geared up and ready to see who will bring home an SEA award and make Memphis proud. - Deanna Brown (Deanna.Brown@MemphisRap.com)
NASHVILLE, TN:
The Black Eyed Peas invaded Nashville and not only did they perform to a sold out show, they left a musical imprint on the city as well. Cashville’s own Star Murphy has been blazing the city with “Swagg On” featuring Waka Flocka, who also made his way to Nashville for the 1st time to perform at L.A.X. Once again, Erica Elle held a quality event in Nashville a la the Stiletto Stampede hosted by Kendra of The Bad Girls Club 4. - Janiro (Janiro@southernentawards.com)
PITTSBURGH, PA:
Get Money Gang is making all the right moves while Bully Ent’s mixtape Reunited is all over the streets. S. Money is back on the grind while Vonn Treeze is pulling in new records for his next mixtape. F. Block is a few steps closer to that major deal, and Boaz has everyone checking for him. - Lola Sims (lolasims@gmail.com)
RICHMOND, TRI-CITIES, VA:
R.I.P. to Power 92.1’s DJ Peachez and Southside Richmond rapper Mike Ezie of The Young Richmond Outcast. NoiseMakers Entertainment is promoting E-Jones’ single “I’m So Fresh” produced by BedRoom Wizard. On The Block Ent. and Block Starz Music released a mixtape by C Gillie titled Everybody Hates Chris. G.M.G.B.’s music is becoming increasingly popular. J MAC, a.k.a. 804 Domino, has a new single called “Perk Up” that’s a certified club banger. The Dedikated Boyz, who have opened for Lil Wayne, released new material on Myspace.com/dedikatedboyz. - Atiyyah Wali (atiyyahwali@hotmail.com)
SACRAMENTO, CA:
KBMB 103.5 The Bomb flipped its format from Hip Hop and R&B to a Top 40 Pop station called Hot 103.5, upsetting the Hip Hop community. New artist L Solo dropped his video for the controversial “Pussy Song.” Sacramento producer Jae Synth and artist Bueno hosted a Party at Club Blush that brought the city together for a night of unity. - Lavega “Kream” Sims (Lavegais@yahoo.com)
ST. LOUIS, MO:
J Howes has been holding down Hip Hop at T-Billy’s for over a year. OutDaWoodworks Radio is back on 89.5fm every Sunday 4-8pm CST on www.stlcc.edu/kcfv with DJ Jesse James and Mr. Marcus’ mixtape. Y-Esha crept back in the mix with “Billion Dollar Bitch.” Hittmenn DJs County Brown and Shock hosted the group 700’s We Write This, We Produce This, We Do This and Rell’s Out To Win. Will Victory’s Spit n Envy is a solid effort. Basement Beats hit the streets with STL JUMPDRIVE Vol. 2 with DJ Sno. Hakeem Tha Dream released This Dat Loud with DJ Sir Thurl. The Champ is Herr mixtape by Ali of St. Lunatics is getting great reviews. These mixtapes can be downloaded for free at www.MidwestMixtapes.com. - Jesse James (JesseJames314@aol.com)
TAMPA, FL:
2 Pistols, Dynasty, Mason Caine, Sho Zoe and DJ Quest, Prophit, Prime (of J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League), Rob Diesel & Ryan Kendrick, and others came together in a free concert to benefit the people of Haiti. The event, organized by Super Daves’ producer David Bowes and House of Hitz Studio, and hosted by Slick Worthington, raised money and collected a truck full of supplies before being shut down by the Tampa Police Dept. due to noise complaints. Czech Republic rappers Marpo and V-Dubb appeared on Pirate Radio Invasion before performing at The Orpheum for DJ Sandman and Deacon’s birthday bash. - Slick Worthington (Myspace.com/SlickWorthington)
WASHINGTON, DC:
Whitefolkz took home the trophies at The DMV Awards 2010 for both Best Male Rapper and Best Mixtape. Madam Madon got the award for Best Female Rapper and Likeblood was anointed DC’s Best Rap Group. Wale, X.O., and Phil Ade headlined the Hands for Haiti event at Howard University. Liberated Muse, local rapper Bear Witnez, Tray Chaney also participated in Haiti benefit shows and songs. The Wasteland Mob clique is geared up again - Tokes Eastwood delivered The Steel Reserve CD, and Q’Darange just released the “Holla If U Hear Me” single and video. K-Beta released the song “Come Closer” and his CD Inglorious Beta will be available soon. - Sid “DCSuperSid” Thomas (dcsupersid@aol.com) OZONE MAG // 15
MEASURING SUCCESS | By Wendy Day (www.RAP-COALITION
O
ne of the many changing things in the urban music business is how we measure the success of an artist. Measuring rap, R&B, reggae, and even dance music sales has always been challenging, and even though companies like the Nielsen-owned SoundScan claim to be 100% effective, they are not. SoundScan is a company that began measuring music sales in the early 90s by supplying willing music retailers with special scanners and software that counted and tallied up barcode (UPC) scans at the point of purchase (cash registers). Every Sunday night that tally would be automatically downloaded to SoundScan headquarters in White Plains, NY for publication the following Wednesday to subscribers with very deep pockets (the subscriptions are costly), meaning major record labels. One of the problems with SoundScan is that it has never been able to measure EVERY sales outlet. Many of the independent retailers around the country, where the bulk of rap sales were happening in the 90s, were reluctant to have any counting system overseeing their business. Whether it was for tax reasons (did not want the IRS to know how much music they were really selling) or for business reasons (fear that a chain store would get their retail sales information and open a store directly across the street with lower prices thereby putting them out of business—which ironically happened anyway), many didn’t want to report their sales to anyone. It also didn’t count venue sales until somewhat recently—and they are self-reported, which means it depends upon the honesty of the person reporting. To make up for this lack of accurate data, SoundScan weighted certain willingto-report stores more heavily than others. This meant that when an independent store scanned one sales copy of a CD, it could count as four sold copies to make up for the area’s lack of actual SoundScan reporters. Additionally, many of the SoundScan stores realized early on that there was a business to be made of selling SoundScan scans to labels. Aside from being treated better by the labels because they were a SoundScan reporter (meaning promo dollars spent in their stores for key pricing and positioning campaigns), an economy of “seeding” sprung up around the country which caused labels to send extra boxes of CDs to SoundScan retailers for additional scans for a price. Some would scan the chosen CD at the register daily no matter what other title was sold, while others would receive boxes of free product to scan throughout the week. Smart labels controlled the scans and made it appear as natural as possible, sometimes to have a big first week (hitting #1 on the Billboard chart was a sure way to garner extra press and attention which led to additional sales). Some indie labels used this method to land a bigger deal with a major label. Buying SoundScan in urban music (at least in the areas in which I travelled) became such a popular practice that when I was shopping deals at the major labels from 1995 to 2005, I used to separate out the SoundScan sales from the independent retailers. If it was more than 15% of overall sales by the artist, I knew (and the major labels knew) they were buying SoundScan. I would pass on shopping those deals because I knew the major labels would see the fraud and I didn’t want that fake shit to sully my otherwise stellar reputation for doing deals (I’m proud to say that I’ve done some of the best deals in urban music from 1995 to 2005 when there were good deals to be had). I was proud that my deals led to superstar sales levels (except two) and fake scans weren’t the way to achieve superstar status (at least not as an indie). In the early years of the 21st century, however, I watched urban sales switch from a full-length CD marketplace to a downloaded singles market. I also watched Best Buy and WalMart—the biggest music retailers—become replaced by iTunes in importance and overall sales volume. I also noticed that the core rap fans were not really the active downloaders; the mainstream and pop fans were. So while
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50 Cent and Kanye West were fighting illegal downloads, artists like Young Jeezy, Boosie and Webbie were still able to sell a large amounts of CDs, especially in the South. I watched an increase of bootlegged CDs pop up at carwashes and swap meets throughout the ‘hoods in the South though, as CDs sold 3 for $10 in most cases, as the RIAA resorted to suing college kids for illegal downloading instead of shutting down the shops with multiple burners to bootleg CDs. Music became “free” (or close to free) among an entire new generation of fans. In a way, this shift benefits the indie artists who are out here selling their own CDs. Enterprising bootleggers don’t mass produce music until there is a mass market of sales, and the fans still seem to admire and support the grind of artists who sell their CDs hand-to-hand, or who travel from town to town promoting their music regionally. While artists and major labels all around me were complaining of bootlegging and lost revenue, I watched the TMI Boyz sell hundreds of thousands of CDs while on the road for almost 18 months straight. Very little of it was measurable by SoundScan. But even with the inaccuracies in the SoundScan system, the urban music industry used to be able to measure the sales, the response to promotional and marketing efforts, and measure the buzz or hype an artist had. We knew where the fans where, where to do shows, and where to have merchandise and CDs to sell. It was a no-brainer. We didn’t have to wonder where anonymous downloads were occurring, they weren’t. Today that measurement process is more challenging. I noticed it when Gucci Mane got out of prison in March of 2009. He had a good buzz on the streets from dropping back-to-back mixtapes and from OJ Tha Juiceman keeping Gucci’s name alive while he was locked down. But I don’t think anyone could have predicted the $30,000 to $50,000 per show booking price that he’d command almost instantly, with no album in the marketplace and no hot single at radio (this was months before “Wasted” hit radio). There was no way to measure his buzz prior to that. He was kept busy doing shows but still managed to record mixtapes and keep music in the marketplace. Most of it was downloaded for free (by his choice) from websites and blogs that had become the way to receive new music. Fans at his shows could sing along, word for word. They didn’t need radio singles. While his MySpace hits increased and his popularity on Twitter was apparent, there was no legitimate measuring system in place to gauge his media mentions, count the downloads (too many sites had music posted), track the shows and price increases, or measure the increase in success he was experiencing. His increased popularity also led to an increase in popularity of the artists surrounding him: Nicky Minaj, OJ Tha Juiceman, and Wacka Flocka Flame. In today’s music business economy we have no real accurate (or even semi-accurate) way of measuring success for artists. With SoundScan tracking mainstream sales, only the mainstream artists seem to be faring well (Lil Wayne, Kanye, Taylor Swift, Susan Boyle, etc). Meanwhile, I haven’t heard a decrease of music coming from or playing in the ‘hoods of America. Even without SoundScan sales, kids are singing along to every Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti song during their shows (music is from their mixed CDs). They are listening to a larger number of unknown, independent, and unsigned artists than ever, and they aren’t getting the music just from the internet. As this change is occurring, I’m watching folks who thrive on research and numbers scramble to count MySpace hits, Twitter and Facebook friends, downloads from myriads of websites and blog sites (too many different ones to count), World Star views, etc. Yet none of it is accurate. Software programs can boost numbers on the web as easily as SoundScan swipes could be duplicated at indie retailers in the 90s. I guess we’re going to have to let the fans tell us. And this means we need an even closer one-on-one relationship with the fans, the streets, and the internet. What was as easy as picking up SoundScan reports on Wednesday mornings is no more. Oh how I long for those days.... //
(above L-R): T-Pain & his wife Amber @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party in Atlanta, GA; Trina & Mya @ Trina’s birthday party in Miami, FL; Too $hort & E-40 in Nagoya, Japan (Photo: Julia Beverly)
01 // Papa Duck & JW @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 02 // TayDizm, T-Pain’s mother Aaliyah, & Young Cash @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 03 // Zaytoven, DJ Greg Street, & Big Bank Black on the set of Big Bank Black’s “Try It Out” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 04 // DJ Merk, Bay Bay, & Dorrough @ the BET Hip Hop Awards (Atlanta, GA) 05 // Ed from Miskeen, 8Ball, & Big Du on the set of 8Ball & MJG’s video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 06 // Dose, DJ Infamous, & DJ Unk @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) 07 // DJ Smallz, Khujo Goodie, & Big Gipp @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 08 // Too $hort signing autographs @ Yokohama Bay Hall (Tokyo, Japan) 09 // Mr Marcus, Ne-Yo’s mom, Ne-Yo’s sister, & Ne-Yo @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 10 // Gorilla Zoe, guest, & Supplya @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday party (Atlanta, GA) 11 // Da Block Boi & DJ Merk @ 8 Lounge for Dorrough’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) 12 // DJ Dave & Travis Porter @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday party (Atlanta, GA) 13 // Chris Gree, Trai’D, & DJ Tuss @ Rackdaddy’s (Arlington, TX) 14 // J Nicks & Don P @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 15 // T-Pain & Ne-Yo’s mothers @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 16 // Southanbred & Sean Teezy @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 17 // Vivica Fox & DJ Ace @ The Gate (Atlanta, GA) 18 // Riskay & DJ Holiday @ Primal (Atlanta, GA) 19 // Kevin Cossom & Wuz Good @ Roxy Nightclub (Orlando, FL) Photo Credits: Devon Buckner (10,12); Edward Hall (11,13); Julia Beverly (02,08,09,15); Malik Abdul (05,06); Ms Rivercity (03,04,14,16,17,18); Terrence Tyson (01,19); Travis Pendergrass (07)
OZONE MAG // 17
CHIN CHECK By Charlamagne Tha God THE POWER OF THE P-U-S-S-Y The power of the P-U-S-S-Y That’s why every muthafucker in the world dress fly Every baller that can afford it they cop the best ride For the power of the P-U-S-S-Y The power of the P-U-S-S-Y That’s why niggas get their haircut and try to dress fly Every baller that can afford it, he cop the best ride For the power of the P-U-S-S-Y - Jay-Z Men, say what you want, but the vagina is the reason that women will always win. We can claim that women aren’t fit to be leaders or bosses because they’re too emotionally unstable, but the truth is that because of that whole of goodness in their panties, they’re already the leader and the boss. Plus, it makes most men more emotional and unstable than any woman could ever be. Don’t front. Think about that girl that makes your toes curl on the regular. That one chick whose guts you love to be up in, whether it’s your wife, baby mom, girlfriend, or whatever piece of pussy you think is yours. Now imagine some other dude up in them walls, her making those faces and noises you think are reserved for you, for somebody else. Relax, homeboy. It’s just in your mind. Don’t you feel unstable and emotional already? That’s the power of the P-U-S-S-Y. It’s not fair, man. God knew what he was doing when he gave the woman the pussy. Dick will never have that kind of long-term power over a woman. The first few times you bang a chick she might be into the dick. You might have her sprung a little, but after a while dick power wears off. Pussy power, not so much! Think about it. Us dudes will give up so much for a piece of pussy. We buy clothes, cars, Nintento Wii’s, and we even give women places to stay. My dick has never gotten me anything other than a bottle of Black Armani Code. Am I upset about this? No, because I understand the power of the P-U-S-S-Y. Lay your head on a girl’s thigh while she’s butt naked. Don’t touch her, don’t lick her, just lay there and feel the energy coming from that vagina. It’s unreal; you can feel it. It gives off some kind of special energy that we will never truly understand. Why do the strip clubs stay packed? Because when you get a room full of pussy and all of them are giving off that energy, it draws men. We can’t help it. It’s the same thing with pornos. Pussy will always get a man’s undivided attention.
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One of my high school math teachers used to always get on me about not paying attention. I said, “Say the word ‘pussy’ before every problem and I think I’ll be more focused.” Addition, subtraction, multiplication, no. Division of the legs, damn it! That’s what I’m into! The power of the P-U-S-S-Y! Twilight star Robert Pattison recently was quoted saying that he was allergic to vaginas. He was asked about a photo shoot in which his head was placed between a model’s legs. “I really hate vaginas,” he said. “I’m allergic to vagina. But I can’t say I had no idea, because it was a 12-hour shoot, so you kinda get the picture that these [models] are going to stay naked after, like, five or six hours. But I wasn’t exactly prepared. I had no idea what to say to these girls. Thank God I was hungover.” In my best Riley Freeman voice, “Nigga, you gay!” God is not that cruel. Knock it off. Who the fuck do you think you’re fooling? You’re sitting around with vagina for 12 hours and the best excuse you can come up with is that you’re allergic? You can be allergic to peanuts and plants, but pussy is essential to survival. It’s third only to oxygen and water. The power of the P-U-S-S-Y.
same. The power of the P-U-S-S-Y! It’s okay, though, fellas. Some things are not to be figured out or questioned, just experienced and enjoyed. Vagina is one of them. To try to go against vagina is a losing battle. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you and don’t fight the vagina that pushed you out. It’s that simple. In closing, I would like to propose that we stop calling dudes “pussies” as an insult. I don’t understand the logic in calling somebody I don’t care for a word that’s used to describe something I truly enjoy. The word “Pussy” is a great word. Next time you’re feeling down, sit down, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and say “Pussy.” Instant mood changer. The power of the P-U-S-S-Y! Streetfully Yours, Charlamagne Tha God Follow Me On Twitter www.twitter.com/cthagod
I personally believe that the lining of the vagina should be used as the material for tires. Do you know you would never have to buy another tire again if we could learn to use the greatest material ever created for vehicular purposes? What’s tougher than vagina walls? I could only imagine how smooth this ride would be when it rained. You wouldn’t be slipping and sliding all over the road, you would just glide smooth and easy. The tires would never go flat; you’d just have to keep them lubricated. Driving would never be the
1. Mr. HIT DAT HOE
www.twitter.com/TheMrHitDatHoe Carrying on Dallas, Texas’ current wave of dance music (“The Dougie” & “Stanky Leg”), a character named Mr. Hit Dat Hoe is putting his bid in to be the next dance phenomenon. Oddly, his dance doesn’t involve any punching, slapping or kicking. Its actually made up of hoe girl-like moves including hip-shaking, waist-twirling and finger-snapping.
2. EXTORTION ENTERTAINMENT
www.myspace.com/ExtortionEnt It’s kinda ironic that this label is based in Boston, home of the rapper whom OZONE named Extortionist of the Year in 2004. According to their Myspace page, they house artists, DJ and host events. Hope they pay their staff.
3. MAC MUSTARD
This rapper comes from same circle as Max B. and French Montana. His rhymes sound pretty good, but his name sounds like a failed A1 Sauce flavor. by Maurice G. Garland
(above L-R): Waka Flocka Flame & DJ Unk @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Malik Abdul); DJ Holiday, DJ Infamous, & Stix Malone @ Primal in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Ms Rivercity); Nelly & Gucci Mane @ Society in St. Louis, MO (Photo: King Yella)
01 // Young Joe, DJ Smallz, 2 Pistols, & DJ Kid Hustle @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 02 // DJ Khaled & E Class @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) 03 // DJ Scream & OG Ron C @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 04 // E-40, guest, Morris, & Too $hort (Nagoya, Japan) 05 // Byron & Dub G @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday party (Atlanta, GA) 06 // Ne-Yo & Young Cash @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 07 // Tony Neal, Mia X, & BG @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 08 // Princess & Gorilla Zoe @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) 09 // Trina & CO @ Trina’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 10 // Guest, Terrence J, Monica, Teyana Taylor, Polow da Don, & Chubbie Baby @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) 11 // TJ & Beat Doctor @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 12 // DJ T-Roc, Montana White, & Bigga Rankin @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 13 // Ashley, Tony Neal, & Lavish @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 14 // G Boy & Trick Daddy’s Pops @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 15 // Colione, Jasmin, & Ivan @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) 16 // Don P, Alley Boy, & guests @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday party (Atlanta, GA) 17 // Juney Boomdata & Lil Bankhead @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) 18 // Supplya & Gorilla Zoe @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) 19 // Bola showing herself some love @ Club Blakely (Norfolk, VA) 20 // Chalie Boy & DJ Teknikz @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) Photo Credits: Devon Buckner (05,16); J Lash (09); Julia Beverly (04,06,14); Malik Abdul (10); Marcus DeWayne (07,11); Ms Rivercity (03,08,12,15,17,18,19,20); Terrence Tyson (02,13); Travis Pendergrass (01)
OZONE MAG // 19
She Liked my NECKLACE and started relaxin’, that’s what the fuck I call a…
MARQUIS“LAMBO 6”DANIELS
MIRROR IMAGE
The Boston Celtics’ guard moonlights as a rapper known as Lambo 6
I
wanted to do something different. Jason of Beverly Hills, my jeweler, kinda helped me with the idea. He said I should do something with my dreads hanging down, so I could either let ‘em hang down or tie ‘em up. The piece weighs 1300 grams and it has 165 carats.
Once Jason put the [video clip] of the piece being made on Worldstar, everyone started talking about “he paid this much” and “he did that” but they don’t know. I just let them assume. A lot of people love the piece. It’s just certain people that have something to say about it. But, I don’t pay attention to them.
To make the mold of my face, I did a catscan, like an MRI. I had to lay down while they did a scan of my face. I had to turn all different angles and stuff. It was crazy how he did it. He did my wife’s wedding ring, so I’ve been working with Jason of Beverly Hills for a while.
Right now, my group the 1090 Blokk Boyz out of Orlando has the song “Nikki” that’s drawing a lot of buzz. I’m focused on basketball, though, I mainly just do rap during the summer. But I’m on a lot of the 1090 Blokk Boyz’ stuff. We’re gonna try to do something like what the Hot Boys did back in the day. //
I’m not gonna reveal how much it cost, because there’s a little too much going on. People are talking about it and making speculations, and they’re on me bad about it. It’s not that they don’t like the [piece], it’s just with the NBA lockout possibly coming up, they’re saying I wasted money on the piece. But they really don’t know what I paid for it, so they’re just speculating.
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As told to Julia Beverly Photos courtesy of Jason of Beverly Hills
(above L-R): Lil Scrappy’s mother & Diamond @ the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Ms Rivercity); T-Pain & Mr Marcus @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party in Atlanta, GA; Big Bank Black & Alley Boy @ Phillips Arena for Jingle Bash in Atlanta, GA (Photos: Julia Beverly)
01 // DJ Khaled, Trina, & E-Class @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 02 // Sho & Big Hoodboss @ Club Che (Dallas, TX) 03 // Chucc & Dorrough @ 8 Lounge for Dorrough’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) 04 // Derrick, Webbie, Brittney, & Trell @ F15teen (St Louis, MO) 05 // Bigga Rankin & Swamp Izzo on the set of Big Bank Black’s “Try It Out” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 06 // T-Pain & DJ Nasty @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 07 // Raj Smoove, Tony Neal & Juggie @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 08 // Travis Porter & DJ Teknikz @ Sub Zero (Atlanta, GA) 09 // Fiend, Corner Boy, Mia X, & The Show @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 10 // DJ Smallz, Cindy Nuzzo, & 2 Pistols @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 11 // OG Ron C & Cory Mo @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 12 // Lil Bankhead & Bu on the set of Big Bank Black’s “Try It Out” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 13 // Double D, Tony Neal, DJ Dr Doom, DJ Demp, TJ Chapman, & Kingpin @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 14 // Young Cash, Hot Yella, & Taydizm @ T-Pain’s Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 15 // Jon Geezy & Bigga Rankin on the set of Big Bank Black’s “Try It Out” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 16 // TV Johnny & DJ Demp @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 17 // Ace Hood & Val @ Roxy Nightclub (Orlando, FL) 18 // Charnae & Ms Rivercity @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday party (Atlanta, GA) 19 // Brisco, E Class, & Ace Hood @ Roxy Nightclub (Orlando, FL) Photo Credits: Devon Buckner (18); Edward Hall (02,03); King Yella (04); Malik Abdul (14); Marcus DeWayne (07,09); Ms Rivercity (05,08,11,12,15); Terrence Tyson (01,06,13,16,17,19); Travis Pendergrass (10)
OZONE MAG // 21
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(above L-R): Lil Jon & Lil Scrappy @ Phillips Arena for Jingle Bash in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Julia Beverly); Rasheeda & Kandi on the set of LA the Darkman’s video shoot in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Ms Ja); VIC & Yung LA @ Phillips Arena for Jingle Bash in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Julia Beverly)
01 // Beat Doctor, BG, & Anthony Murray @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 02 // Morton Sisters @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 03 // Youngbreed & Swazy Baby @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 04 // Tony Neal & Corey from Clout Records @ Tony Neal’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) 05 // DJ Merk & Tomeka Pearl @ 8 Lounge for Dorrough’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) 06 // Shawty Lo & Waka Flocka @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) 07 // Uncle Buddy Hunch, Young Cash, & T-Pain @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 08 // Boo & Too $hort @ Yokohama Bay Hall (Tokyo, Japan) 09 // DJ Smallz & 2 Pistols reppin Icebox Jewelry @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 10 // DJ Unk & Sean Teezy @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 11 // Fort Knox, Naughty by Nature, & P Brown @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 12 // Rich Boy, fan, & Dose @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) 13 // Steve O & ladies @ Club Live 618 (Milwaukee, WI) 14 // JW, Double D, & Boo Rossini @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 15 // ET & Meany @ Club Mariachi (Atlanta, GA) 16 // Dose & Cyhi da Prynce @ Cyhi da Prynce’s meet & greet (Atlanta, GA) 17 // Papa Duck & Dose @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 18 // T-Roy, Ms Dynasty, & DJ Q45 @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 19 // Guest, Haitian Fresh, PI Bang, & guest @ Roxy Nightclub (Orlando, FL) Photo Credits: D-Ray (13); Edward Hall (04,05); Julia Beverly (07,08); Malik Abdul (12); Marcus DeWayne (01); Ms Rivercity (06,10,11,15,16); Terrence Tyson (02,03,14,17,18,19); Travis Pendergrass (09)
OZONE MAG // 23
Atlanta native JEZEBELL has a body built from the imagination of Andre 3000 himself. The Atlanta stripper got her name because her body is shaped just like the cover art for the classic outKast Aquemini album. Now she collects stacks of money from men who love her body she wiggles with grace. Jezebell got her start throwing private parties but moved her act to the clubs because it was safer. Now she’s in the club giving the men a more personable experience. “The way I am going to mesmerize you and entertain you, is going to be different from anyone else.” Maybe that’s why Atlanta elite make it rain on her and pay her the top dollar. They don’t hold their tongue while she’s making her booty bounce. “I’ve been promised everything,” she says. “I was out of town working and this customer told me he had a fetish for being dominated by me.” She’s not ashamed to say she makes a lot of money, and she know she’s fly. “Basketball players love me because I am so small,” she adds. While staring at her pictures, one can’t help but want to cover her booty in something sweet. For those men Jezebell has a preference. “Honey would look real good glistening, but the chocolate is more edible.” She’s unapologetically cocky, and very easy on the eyes. She doesn’t sugarcoat her profession and her family knows that she’s an ass shaker. “A lot of girls can’t wiggle like me. That’s just a God-given gift.” The guys flocks to her for table dances because of that wiggle and her amazing looks. If she wasn’t dancing, sheds be doing hair. Jezebell is a licensed barber who is thinking about jumping into the realm of video vixen. “I’m interested in doing videos, but I’m about getting a check! They don’t pay enough,” Jezebell continues. “I’ve already been told I’m killing Buffy The Body and this was when I wasn’t working out, but I want that check!” Next time you’re at Strokers, make sure you check out Jezebell. You won’t be disappointed. // Words by Blogxilla (of Blogxilla.com) Measurements: 36-26-42 Website: Strokersclub.com Booking: twitter.com/strokersclub or 770-270-0350 Photography: DC The Brain Supreme dcphotoimaging.com Make up Artist: Mike Mike 678-732-5285 Hairstylist: Baby Boy 404-396-2739
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(above L-R): Mr Marcus & Lil Wayne’s mother Miss Cita @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Julia Beverly); Soulja Boy & Lil Jon @ Phillips Arena for Jingle Bash in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Julia Beverly); Dorrough & his birthday cake @ 8 Lounge for Dorrough’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX)
01 // DJ Scream & Rico Brooks @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday party (Atlanta, GA) 02 // Sho & Chalie Boy @ Club Che (Dallas, TX) 03 // DJ Charlie Chan & DJ Sir Thurl @ Karma (St. Louis, MO) 04 // TJ Chapman with BG & his mother @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 05 // Big Omeezy, DJ Pizo, & E-40 performing @ Camp Foster Marine Base (Okinawa, Japan) 06 // DJ Unk & Polow da Don @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) 07 // Clipse @ Karma (St. Louis, MO) 08 // Chingy & his sister Ziggy @ her Flaunt shoe store (St. Louis, MO) 09 // Too $hort & DJ Pizo checking out the selection of Japanese women (Nagoya, Japan) 10 // One Chance & G Boy @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 11 // Yung Joc & DJ Ace @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) 12 // Hot Boy Ronald, Na’Tee, & DJ Ro @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 13 // Swamp Izzo & Jon Geezy on the set of Big Bank Black’s “Try It Out” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 14 // Jasper & Erin @ The Loft for I Do Music (Atlanta, GA) 15 // DJ Khaled & Papa Duck @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) 16 // Val, Young City, & Chris Turner @ Roxy Nightclub (Orlando, FL) 17 // Guest, Lil Hot, & Bama @ Club Mariachi (Atlanta, GA) 18 // CO & DJ Khaled @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 19 // Chucc & Tomeka Pearl @ 8 Lounge for Dorrough’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) Photo Credits: Devon Buckner (01); Edward Hall (02,19); Julia Beverly (05,09,10); King Yella (03,07,08); Malik Abdul (06); Marcus DeWayne (04,12); Ms Rivercity (11,13,14,17); Terrence Tyson (15,16,18)
OZONE MAG // 25
WAKA FLOCKA & CASSIE WAKA FLOCKA: Hey Cassie I seen your naked pics. When you gonna let a young drug dealer fuck? Cassie: I know a lot of young drug dealers. Who is this? WAKA: Call me Waka Flocka aka young wild nigga. Cassie: Hell no, I know you don’t got my number!! WAKA: Shawty I got your number. I Got purp, got kush, got pills got white in the trap all night with the hard and the soft.. Cassie: What do you mean hard or soft? You talking about your dick? WAKA: Naw that coka,but my dick is why I text. When you gonna let me rock you to sleep like a baaaaaby!! Cassie: You tripping, I’m not fucking up my relationship with Diddy to fuck with you. He was talking about you last night saying how he murdered you on your own record. WAKA: Diddy talking shit? Hang him by the ropa... Cassie: Nigga please, how the hell did you get Diddy on the remix anyway? That had to cost a grip! WAKA: Yeah I fucked my budget up, ran up in Gucci crib just to get my stacks up, now i’m back on deck so shawty what the fuck you want? Cassie: Nigga I don’t want shit! Besides i’m sure you got a girlfriend....
OZONE EXCLUSIVE Textin’ is no longer safe now that OZONE’s dangerous minds have hacked the system.
WAKA: Got a main bitch, got a mistress, a couple girlfriends i’m so hood rich.. Cassie: Nigga I don’t even know you, who are you? WAKA: Waka Flocka Flames one hood ass nigga. Cassie: I’m telling Diddy... WAKA: Lame ass nigga ain’t got no fight, he know I go hard in the muthafucking paint nigga! Leave him stanking nigga! Cassie what the fuck you thinking nigga!! Cassie: I’m thinking I need to stop texting you and go get my head shaved... WAKA: I saw your head, what happened? You got hit with the choppa? We call that shit hot lava. Did they shave half your head to get the bullet out? Cassie: That’s my haircut! Look I got to go.... WAKA: So this aint what the fuck you want? Cassie: Well you are kind of hot right now, it could help my career....ummm okay we can fuck but don’t tell Diddy.... WAKA: Yeah, We gonna do it, Aye, We Gonna do it......when the next time you in the ATL shawty? From the mind of Charlamagne Tha God Photos by Terrence Tyson & Ms Rivercity
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(above L-R): Monyetta Shaw & Ne-Yo @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party in Atlanta, GA; T-Pain & his mother Aaliyah @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party in Atlanta, GA (Photos: Julia Beverly); DJ Greg Street & Waka Flocka Flame @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Malik Abdul)
01 // DJ Pizo & Too $hort performing @ Camp Foster Marine Base (Okinawa, Japan) 02 // Fiend, Mousa, & BG @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 03 // Bigga Rankin & Fiend @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 04 // Ali, Nelly, & Kyjuan @ Karma (St Louis, MO) 05 // Dose, Chubbie Baby, & Kaspa the Don @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) 06 // DJ Spinz & Travis Porter @ Tuskeegee’s homecoming party (Tuskeegee, AL) 07 // Mr Marcus, Ne-Yo, & T-Pain @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 08 // Mr Pookie & Mr Lucci on the set of “United We Ball Divided We Fall” (Dallas, TX) 09 // Toccara & Trina @ Trina’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 10 // Juvenile & DJ Black N Mild @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 11 // Lil Tony & Pookie @ Urban South Radio (Dallas, TX) 12 // Steve O & guest @ Club Live 618 (Milwaukee, WI) 13 // Papa Duck, Bali, & Mayne of The Runners @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) 14 // DJ Demp & Ballgreezy @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 15 // Kelz & Rico Brooks @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) 16 // DJ Wop, Mia X, & Lil Cali @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 17 // Torch & Geter K @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) 18 // Boo Rossini, JW, Screwww, & 211 @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 19 // Young Cash & Ollie Green @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 20 // Devyne Stephens & DJ Greg Street @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) Photo Credits: D-Ray (12); Edward Hall (08,11); J Lash (09); Julia Beverly (01,07,19); King Yella (04); Malik Abdul (05,20); Marcus DeWayne (02,03,10,16); Ms Rivercity (06,15); Terrence Tyson (13,14,17,18)
OZONE MAG // 27
IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ON THE INTERNET LATELY, let US introduce you to MONTANA DELEON. The video vixen gives her raw & uncut view on love, sex & relationships via her infamous internet video entries. Pay attention as she gives you porn star-like advice on Oral Sex AND Favorite Positions. How did you get the title of being a Sexpert? I’m more like a relationship expert than a sexpert. I give my point of view on sex and love. I give it to you real, raw, and uncut. So you’re an openly bisexual woman... (laughs) Aren’t we all? If you had to choose between men or women, which would you choose and why? I wouldn’t choose. I think the world would be a much better place if we all just lived under one roof happily ever after. Man, wife, and wife. Man, wife, and wife sounds good to me. But, living in an imperfect world, if you had to make a choice, which would you choose? I would have to go with a man because that’s what I was first introduced to. I saw one of your videos and you were talking about oral. Do you prefer giving oral to women or men? And what’s the fastest time you’ve made someone cum from oral? I’m really good at both. But I would have to say, I can’t choose. My fastest time is like 2 strokes (laughs), but the average I’d say five minutes. That really kills a reputation for a guy. I feel sorry for those guys. (laughs) I’m just good at what I do. While having sex, do you prefer the intimacy of missionary or the wildness of doggystyle? I’m really, really good at missionary. I know how to make myself cum real good. So I’ma be greedy & say both. What’s your definition of good head? Giving good head depends on whatever makes a person happy. That’s where everyone gets it wrong, thinking you can do the same thing to every Tom, Dick and Harry. It doesn’t work that way. You’ve gotta learn your man and do what what your man likes. And that’s the best head. What advice would you give to a guy who’s never returned the favor? If she fucks your face, you’re doing it right. If she runs, you’re doing it wrong.
MONTANA DELEON Words by Malik Abdul Photo by Terrence Tyson
Since you’re single & bisexual, what could a person do or say to get you to move into a monogamous relationship? Aww, man. I’d almost have to meet my equal to move into a monogamous relationship. Other than that, I’ll just stay single. Right now, money is my girlfriend, hustlin’ is my boyfriend, and I’m married to money. I’m cut from a different cloth so I need someone cut from that same cloth or it wouldn’t make sense to get into a relationship. What are you into? Any fetishes? A little choking, a little pulling of the hair. If my weave is sewn in, then yeah, you can pull my hair. A lil tap on the booty. Nothing too outrageous, though. Not yet. Do you like to be in control or be pleased? All of the above, but if I had to choose, I like to be pleased. But I’m also controlling. So what does the future hold for Montana Deleon? Big things in the future. Right now, I’m working on my own talk show. It’s a love, sex, and relationship talk show, kinda like Dr. Ruth meets Dr. Phil. In addition to that, I’ve got my first book coming out called How To Treat A Man Like A King. The second book will be called How To Treat A Woman Like A Queen. The sky’s the limit after that. //
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(above L-R): Busta Rhymes & DJ Khaled @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party in Miami, FL (Photo: Terrence Tyson); Jeremih & Dorrough @ Blue Box in Huntsville, AL (Photo: Malik Abdul); Rosci & Nipsey Hussle @ the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Ms Rivercity)
01 // E-40 & some diehard Japanese fans (Nagoya, Japan) 02 // TJ Chapman, Mia X, Wild Wayne, The Show @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 03 // Ebony, Tony Neal, & Aleshia Steele @ Tony Neal’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) 04 // DJ Spinz & Yung Joc @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday party (Atlanta, GA) 05 // Kyjuan & Murphy Lee @ Karma (St Louis, MO) 06 // Juvenile & Lil Cali @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 07 // T-Pain & Young Cash @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 08 // Too $hort & E-40 performing @ Camp Foster Marine Base (Okinawa, Japan) 09 // DJ Drama, Diamond, LA the Darkman, Antonia Carter, & Bobby V on the set of LA the Darkman’s video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 10 // Too $hort & ladies @ Yokohama Bay Hall (Tokyo, Japan) 11 // Terrence Tyson, Tony Neal, Ms Rivercity, & DJ Q45 @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 12 // Bola & Ms Rivercity @ Club Blakely (Norfolk, VA) 13 // Rock City @ The Loft for I Do Music (Atlanta, GA) 14 // Dirty Rotten Skoundrelz & Loaded @ Urban South Radio (Dallas, TX) 15 // DJ Q45, DJ Headbussa, Supastar J Kwik, & DJ Beni Boom @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 16 // Charnae, Malik Abdul, & Amy @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 17 // Yo Gotti & guest @ Club Live 618 (Milwaukee, WI) 18 // Lil Hot & Alley Boy @ Libra for DJ Scream’s birthday bash (Atlanta, GA) Photo Credits: D-Ray (17); Devon Buckner (04); Edward Hall (03,14); Julia Beverly (01,08,10,16); King Yella (05); Marcus DeWayne (02,06); Ms Ja (09); Ms Rivercity (12,13,18); Terrence Tyson (07,11,15)
OZONE MAG // 29
MEN love a woman with a nice body. To the average Joe the perfect size for his significant other would be 36-24-36. But some men might like them a little thicker, with a little bit more curve on them, the ones who are considered “phat.” If you’re a fan of porn, you’ll know about one of the phatTest girls in the industry, Cherokee D’ Ass. STANDING AT ONLY 5’4”, her 36D breastS and 52-inch waist have been in over 100 movies and attracted horny fans of all races. What led you into porn? I responded to an ad that happened to be a porn ad, but I didn’t know it was a porn ad. Once I got on set, I said to myself, “I can do that. That’s easy.” And I’m still here. Everyone has sex, but it was interesting to see the lights and people actually telling them what to do. Once I started to do it with the lights, the makeup, and the re-editing, it was a lot of work, but I thought it was easy. Plus, I like having sex anyway. (laughs) It’s a job. How many scenes have you done? I don’t know how many exactly, but I would say probably over 100 at least. That’s not including the internet. I lost count a long time ago. That’s all on-camera. Off-Camera, what type of guys do you prefer? I like em’ all. I like ‘em dark, I like ‘em muscular. I don’t care what nationality they are. I just love men. My preference is black men because I feel more comfortable with them, but sometimes it doesn’t always go that way. Speaking of that, sexually, would you say you’re a pleaser or a control freak? A pleaser. [Actually] I would say a little bit of both. I love to please, but I also like to be in control sometimes too. I’m selfish. (laughs) I’m very selfish. I mean, y’all want to get pleased. I want to get pleased too. But I want to get pleased first. And I go both ways. So if you had to pick one, a man or a woman You know what, I want both. [In a relationship]I really want both & I’m gonna have both. I don’t have both yet because eventually one of them gets jealous, but….hopefully. I am looking. You really are selfish. Who’s your favorite male porn star? I don’t have a favorite male porn star anymore. I used to have some favorites. I like CJ Wright, Prince, and Nat Turner. Those 3 are my top right now. My favorite used to be Justin Slayer.
Cherokee D' Ass Words by Terrence Tyson & Malik Abdul Photo by Terrence Tyson
How about female favorites you like to work with? Sky Black, Beauty Dior, and Pinky. On an average day, how much does the average female porn star make? It all depends on the girl and how many scenes she does. It’s hard to say because each girl makes different amounts and I don’t know how many scenes [other girls] do per day. When I was doing scenes every day, I was making anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 a week. It all depended on how many scenes I was doing, what particular scenes I was doing, how many people I was working with, and the company I was working for. But now, I just do stuff for my websites, cherokeedass.com and thisisdiorandass.com. Has your porn star persona ever caused a relationship to go sour in your personal life? That’s a really good question. Yes, all the time. It’s hard for me to date. I meet people and they want me to be Cherokee, and then all of a sudden they want to know the real person under Cherokee. That’s like a turnoff for me. Would you prefer someone to meet you as yourself or as the entertainer? Meet me as myself. I’ll meet someone and then they’ll say some “Cherokee” shit and it’s right back to the business mind. It throws you off sometimes. But it is what it is. //
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(above L-R): Roccett & Princess @ Atrium for Salute the DJs Award Show in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Terrence Tyson); Fella & Plies @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show in St Petersburg, FL (Photo: Travis Pendergrass); B.G & Juvenile @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party in New Orleans, LA (Photo: Marcus DeWayne)
01 // DJ Scream & DJ Caesar @ Tuskeegee’s homecoming party (Tuskeegee, AL) 02 // Guest & Yo Gotti @ Club Live 618 (Milwaukee, WI) 03 // Rosci, Kevin Liles, & family @ the BET Hip Hop Awards (Atlanta, GA) 04 // Polow da Don, Monica, Dorrough, & Fonsworth Bentley @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) 05 // Ace Hood & Billy Blue @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) 06 // H2 Hardheadz & Too $hort performing @ Camp Foster Marine Base (Okinawa, Japan) 07 // Bama & Alley Boy @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 08 // Travis Porter & Waka Flocka @ Sub Zero (Atlanta, GA) 09 // T-Pain & his mom Aaliyah, Ne-Yo & his mom Lorraine, & Lil Wayne’s mom Miss Cita @ T-Pain’s private Christmas party (Atlanta, GA) 10 // DJ T-Roc & Marc Decoca @ Throbacks for ATL Record Pool (Atlanta, GA) 11 // Sig HB & Kandi on the set of Big Bank Black’s “Try It Out” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 12 // Young Joe, Tom G, & DJ Kid Hustle @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 13 // Spliff Starr & E-Class @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 14 // Gloria, DJ Bigg V, & guest @ Club Era (Dumas, AR) 15 // Goodie Mob & Wild 94.1 crew @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 16 // Ms Dynasty & Young Cash @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 17 // Bizzle & Lex @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) 18 // Dose, Waka Flocka Flame, & DJ Infamous @ Polow’s Zone 4 Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (Atlanta, GA) 19 // Lady Alvi & DJ Black N Mild @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) Photo Credits: D-Ray (02); Edward Hall (14); Julia Beverly (06,09); Malik Abdul (04,18); Marcus DeWayne (19); Ms Rivercity (01,03,07,08,10,11); Terrence Tyson (05,13,16,17); Travis Pendergrass (12,15)
OZONE MAG // 31
Patiently Waiting
“O
ver the years, it’s been a misunderstanding of the mindframe of a gutta young nigga,” Grand Hustle’s Spodee says as he declares his position in the game. “I’m tryna drop some jewels, promote the intellectual, and still be gutta.” Growing up in the Zone 6/Kirkwood area of Atlanta, a certified “Grady baby,” Spodee strives to see a better day. “I was born in East Lake Meadows projects, but we never glorified that life,” he says. “We were taught to want more, to get up and out.” Following a turbulent adolescence, Spodee caught some serious felony charges when he was 16 and lost his freedom. “At 15 I moved out of my mama’s house and got some money in my pocket,” he says, of the circumstances that led to his imprisonment. “I began to power up…basically I was sellin’ some dope and a nigga tried to rob me, and I got to shootin’ at him.” Initially sentenced to 10 years, Spodee served just under 3 years and spent most of that time rapping. “Prison ended up being the worst and the best thang that happened to me,” he says. “I got out with a level of intensity that is indescribable.” A few weeks after completing his 33 months, the 20-year-old, known as Swagg at the time, took his show to Hustle and Flow Mondays at the famed Club Crucial. With an abundance of words and a complete lack of instrumentals, he had only a microphone to showcase his skills. But that didn’t stop him from impressing the audience. Rapping acapella while beating on his chest, Swagg caught the attention of Clay Evans at Grand Hustle, who signed him after seeing consistency from the young artist.
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“One of the biggest misconceptions is that beating on my chest was a gimmick,” Spodee says, who changed his name soon after signing to the label. “But nobody had [free] beats that were hard enough for me, and I had no money to get beats. I had to go for what I knew, and it worked out for the best.” Spodee hooked up with Grand Hustle producer C Gutta, aka Lil C, for some official beats, and “like magic,” they came up with a hit during their first session. During his first time in the booth Spodee recorded “Don’t Do It,” the single that has made the biggest impact in his city. With support from V103’s Greg Street and Lil Bankhead, the song has trickled into the clubs and onto mixtapes throughout the region. Spodee and his team are now working the single in the open mic circuit, the internet, and wherever possible to build a bigger buzz. Their efforts are succeeding as the catch-phrase “Don’t Do It” is becoming increasingly popular. Presently working on his own mixtape, Spodee released a prequel to the project, an EP consisting of 6 songs. He’s also appearing on his labelmates’ projects, including Young Dro, Big Kuntry, and Yung LA. “The magnitude of my mixtape is going to be a strong point,” he says. “That’s what’s gonna separate me, my content. I’m cool wit’ the dancin’ and the vibe of the club, but that’s not what I’m promotin’. Being articulate and intelligent is what counts to me. That’s what I’m tryna preach.” Words & Photo by Ms. Rivercity
(above L-R): Waka Flocka @ Society in St Louis, MO (Photo: King Yella); OJ da Juiceman @ The Hall in Palmetto, FL (Photo: Travis Pendergrass); Shawty Lo @ Phillips Arena for Jingle Bash in Atlanta, GA (Photo: Julia Beverly)
01 // New Boyz @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 02 // B.o.B. @ Wildsplash (Clearwater, FL) 03 // 8Ball @ Zona La Rosa for SXSW (Austin, TX) 04 // Yo Gotti & All Star @ Wildsplash (Clearwater, FL) 05 // Lil Tony @ Maximedia Studios for Texas Summer Music Conference (Dallas, TX) 06 // The Show & Dizzy @ The Chocolate Bar for BG’s listening party (New Orleans, LA) 07 // Kiotti @ Mansion for All Star weekend DJ Mixer (Dallas, TX) 08 // Dorrough & Big Hoodboss @ 8 Lounge for Dorrough’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) 09 // DJ Slym @ Antigua for Young City’s Birthday Bash (Orlando, FL) 10 // DJ Demp & Montana White @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 11 // DJ Hella Yella, Lil Tony, & guest @ Zona La Rosa for SXSW (Austin, TX) 12 // DJ Dre @ Club Bijou (Arlington, TX) 13 // Question & Tosin @ Zona La Rosa for SXSW (Austin, TX) 14 // Big Chief @ Club Che (Dallas, TX) 15 // Miss Basketball & DJ Young City @ Antigua for Young City’s Birthday Bash (Orlando, FL) 16 // Torch @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) 17 // Bizzle & guests @ Soakin Wet car show (Ft Lauderdale, FL) 18 // Tity Boi on the set of Playaz Circle “Big Dawg” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 19 // DJ Lil E on the set of “United We Ball Divided We Fall” (Dallas, TX) 20 // Sammie @ Opera (Atlanta, GA) 21 // Grand Prix & Wendy Day @ Duval Diamond Awards (Jacksonville, FL) 22 // Jeremih @ Blue Box (Huntsville, AL) 23 // Fat B on the set of “United We Ball Divided We Fall” (Dallas, TX) 24 // Supastar J Kwik & DJ Lil Boy @ The Moon for Demp Week (Tallahassee, FL) 25 // LA the Darkman & DJ Sense @ Opera (Atlanta, GA) 26 // Verse @ Phillips Arena for Jingle Bash (Atlanta, GA) 27 // Crum on the set of Big Bank Black’s “Try It Out” video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 28 // Cee-Lo Goodie @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 29 // Kevin Cossom & Hovie @ The Moon for Demp Week (Tallahassee, FL) 30 // Young City @ Antigua (Orlando, FL) 31 // J Kapone @ Mansion for Dorrough’s Gangsta Grillz & OZONE release party (Dallas, TX) 32 // George Lopez on the set of “United We Ball Divided We Fall” (Dallas, TX) 33 // DJ White Chocolate @ Mansion for All Star weekend DJ Mixer (Dallas, TX) 34 // Zaytoven @ Phillips Arena for Jingle Bash (Atlanta, GA) 35 // Kel & Turro of Richmind Records @ Club Che (Dallas, TX) Photo Credits: Edward Hall (08,12,14,19,23,32,35); Julia Beverly (03,11,13,18,26,34); Malik Abdul (09,15,20,22,24,25,29); Marcus DeWayne (06); Ms Rivercity (05,07,27,31,33); Terrence Tyson (10,16,21,30); Travis Pendergrass (01,02,04,17,28)
OZONE MAG // 33
B
efore the club banger “All The Way Turnt Up” took off, fans of the song were confused about whom the track actually belonged to. Some thought the song belonged to Roscoe Dash, and others thought it belonged to Travis Porter. But it wasn’t until rapper Soulja Boy posted the final version of the song - Roscoe Dash featuring Soulja Boy - on popular social networking site Twitter that fans were convinced. Now, Dash feels that he is finally getting the recognition he deserves, while remaining cordial with Travis Porter. “There’s no beef on my end. I’m cool, and I’m in a better situation now,” he clarifies. “I don’t have time to look back at the past. It’s all about the future.” Before the success of “All The Way Turnt Up,” Dash was already a star in the making. He was a popular teen who played high school basketball, and was a member of the rap group The Blackout Boys. The group dropped a few mixtapes that gained notoriety throughout their school, but eventually dismantled. Roscoe continued pursuing his rap dreams as a solo artist, influenced by ATLiens such as Outkast, Goodie Mob, and The Dungeon Family, Dash plans to create a style that is different from the rest. “I try to be the most different,” he explains. “Everybody is different in their own way, but I try to take it the extra mile.” Dash’s single landed on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, leading to multiple offers from record labels interested in signing him. He eventually found a home with Polow Da Don’s label Zone 4 Inc. “We had a good relationship with Polow,” he calls. “He went in and signed the deal actually before I even met him. He just went off the music.” Dash is turning up the heat again with his new street single “Show Out,” currently gaining spins on the radio throughout the South and beyond. Roscoe is also set to drop a mixtape with DJ Kutt Throat and Waka Flocka. Roscoe may have achieved what some might call “overnight success,” but he’s had his fair share off hardships that has made him more prepared for the future. “You have to make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s when you’re handling business,” he emphasizes. “It’s a really difficult game. You’ve got to make sure you’re on top of everything and have a team that handles all of your business.” Words by Jeevan Brown
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Patiently Waiting
(above L-R): Dorrough @ Mansion for Dorrough’s Gangsta Grillz & OZONE release party in Dallas, TX; Tity Boi of Playaz Circle @ Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, GA (Photos: Julia Beverly); Trae on the set of Trae’s ‘Inkredible’ video shoot in Miami, FL (Photo: Terrence Tyson)
01 // Vince Carter @ Antigua for Young City’s Birthday Bash (Orlando, FL) 02 // Young Jeezy & Bu @ Club Ink (Miami, FL) 03 // Yo Gotti @ Club Live 618 (Milwaukee, WI) 04 // DJ Drop & Doughski G @ Mansion for All Star weekend DJ Mixer (Dallas, TX) 05 // DJ Smallz & 2 Pistols @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 06 // Lil Wayne on the set of Trae’s “Inkredible” video shoot (Miami, FL) 07 // Jeremih, Dorrough, & DJ Fresh @ Blue Box (Huntsville, AL) 08 // Chalie Boy & Rapid Ric @ Zona La Rosa for SXSW (Austin, TX) 09 // On Air Divas @ Wish (Dallas, TX) 10 // Shawty Shawty on the set of 8Ball & MJG’s video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 11 // DJ Khaled @ Mansion for DJ Khaled’s birthday party (Miami, FL) 12 // Big Du on the set of 8Ball & MJG’s video shoot (Atlanta, GA) 13 // JW @ Club Ink (Miami, FL) 14 // Rick Ross on the set of Trae’s “Inkredible” (Miami, FL) 15 // 2 Much & Young T @ Maximedia Studios for Texas Summer Music Conference (Dallas, TX) 16 // DJ Demp @ Demp Week celebrity basketball game (Tallahassee, FL) 17 // Tito Bell @ Zona La Rosa for SXSW (Austin, TX) 18 // DJ Merk & Alex @ Mansion for Dorrough’s Gangsta Grillz & OZONE release party (Dallas, TX) 19 // Ladies @ Wildsplash (Clearwater, FL) 20 // Acafool @ Wild 94.1’s Last Damn Show (St Petersburg, FL) 21 // Montana da Mac & guest @ Atrium for Salute the DJs Award Show (Atlanta, GA) 22 // Trina @ Wildsplash (Clearwater, FL) 23 // Breon & Ron Don @ Ice Bar (Dallas, TX) 24 // Fat Pimp, Ghost, & DJ GT @ Zona La Rosa for SXSW (Austin, TX) 25 // T Will on the set of ‘United We Ball Divided We Fall’ (Dallas, TX) 26 // DJ Bell & DJ Starr @ 100.1 The Beat (Monroe, LA) 27 // Bianca @ The Moon for Demp Week (Tallahassee, FL) 28 // Ben Franks @ 8 Lounge for Dorrough’s birthday bash (Dallas, TX) 29 // Dorrough & DJ Merk @ Zona La Rosa for SXSW (Austin, TX) 30 // Da Block Boi & Tomeka Pearl on the set of “United We Ball Divided We Fall” (Dallas, TX) 31 // Guest & Webbie @ Boomers (Port Charlotte, FL) 32 // Kyle Lee @ Zona La Rosa fo r SXSW (Austin, TX) 33 // Gloria Velez @ Antigua for Young City’s Birthday Bash (Orlando, FL) 34 // Alisha & DJ Storm @ The Moon for Demp Week (Tallahassee, FL) 35 // Bernice Burgos & Trae on the set of Trae’s “Inkredible” (Miami, FL) Photo Credits: D-Ray (03); Edward Hall (23,25,26,28,30); Julia Beverly (08,14,17,24,29,32,35); Malik Abdul (01,07,09,10,12,16,27,33,34); Ms Rivercity (04,15,18); Terrence Tyson (02,06,11,13,21); Travis Pendergrass (05,19,20,22,31)
OZONE MAG // 35
As you probably already presumed from his name, DJ X-Rated emcees and DJs at A strip club. But not just any shaker junt is suitable for X – he only hosts the best, like Atlanta’s World Famous Magic City (Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays). Through his Coalition DJ association, which includes DJs Funky, Fernando, Big X, Burn One, Esco, and Shawty Rock, X is tied into nearly every upscale gentlemen’s spot in the A. Knowledgeable on music and how new records are broken, DJ X-Rated is also very insightful when it comes to the adult entertainment industry. For this year’s sex issue, we sat down with X for a closer look AT the naked hustle, and asked about everything from celebrity sightings to freaky encounters. How did you get into the DJing game and end up with the name X-Rated? I played football at Auburn University and got injured. Once my football career was over, I came back home. I went to a strip club, Pin Ups, on the Eastside. I was talking to the DJ and he went to the bathroom, so I just jumped on the mic and just went off. The whole tempo of the club changed, and the manager asked me if I wanted to host an amateur night. That was when Dirty, which is my nickname, became X-Rated. My style is uncut, it’s not rated. It’s in-your-face. A lot of music, especially in Atlanta, starts off in the strip clubs before it takes off everywhere else. Explain the importance of the strip clubs in relation to the music scene. Breaking a song in the strip club is very important for an artist. You can’t go to a regular club and get that shit played first because the club promoters are always worried about the dance floor. But in the strip club, I can mostly play whatever I want, as many times as I want. That’s how you start breaking a record, by playing it a lot and in the major clubs where big name people go. Most of the Program Directors come to the club to see what’s next. The strip club is kinda like the streets; you gotta give ‘em what they want. If a girl ain’t feelin’ your shit, she’s gonna stop dancing and let you know. It’s a great platform to know if you’ve got a hit or not. Which dancers in Atlanta are pulling the most customers? At Magic City, the hottest is a crew of 5 girls called the Snack Pack. They did Jeremih’s “Raindrops” video. They perform – they’re taking the stripping
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out of the club and bringing it back to theatrical dancing. They be on the pole upside down, doing crazy acrobatics. It’s more like a Vegas show, as opposed to a girl just making her booty bounce. Remember White Chocolate? She branded herself with stage performances. It’s another girl at Strokers named Picture Perfect that’s killin’‘em. She does videos and acting too. At Onyx, there’s a girl named Honey. Magic City also has AppleBottom. Who are some celebrities that have come to your club recently? Last night we had OJ and Kuntry. We get A-listers like Kanye West and Michael Vick. Michael Jordan has even been in Magic City. I’ve partied with The Game, Jim Jones, Rick Ross, and Twista. All the local celebrities come to the club like Gucci, TI, Jeezy – Jeezy might be number one because he kinda started his whole career in the strip club with the BMF era. Who are the biggest spenders in the strip club? Damn, you’re gon’ get me in trouble…The NFL players are the biggest spenders. Rappers mostly do it for promotion. They might throw a thousand ones when their song comes on to bring attention to it. But the NFL guys might get $25,000 in ones. The dude spending $100 is a fan or a spectator, that’s what we call ‘em. But the most I ever seen in one night was going back to the BMF era, something like $50,000 or $75,000 in one night. That’s in single bills. People dancin’ on stacks of money, money flyin’ in your drink, it was crazy. Do girls fight over the money with it being everywhere like that? Fuck yeah. It’s money and women – you know those two things don’t mix. It’s competition. The management and club owners have to work it out. If one girl is dancin’ and got a pile of money, and an NFL player comes in and starts throwin’ money, it’s gonna go into someone else’s pile too. It’s hard to separate who’s money it is. Do you date the dancers? I have dated a dancer. Just because she’s a dancer doesn’t mean she’s degrading herself. I think of it as an American hustle. I don’t know anywhere else you can go for 3 hours and make $3,000, legally. Half the time the girls don’t even take their clothes off. It’s entertainment. As far as dating one, as long as you respect yourself and know what you doing, it’s cool. There’s a lot of guys that would look down on actually dating a stripper. Some guys can’t date a stripper, cool, that’s what you like. I like what I like. A square nigga might not be able to handle that, like, “Oh I love you, why you keep goin’ back to the club.” The first thing
she gon’ say is, “You met me in a club.” There’s no understanding or trust. If you don’t have selfesteem, you’re not gon’ make it. She’s gon’ hurt your feelings. You might as well date one of them bitches at Wal-Mart. A dancer is a little bit above average. When people come in the club they think about sex because you’re naked… So is sex what’s on your mind? How do you deal with that? It’s so fuckin’ hard. I’ve been doin’ this since ’02. I couldn’t control myself for the first 2 years. I was fresh out of college and these girls were drop dead gorgeous. As a man, hormones kick in. You gotta control that. The first 2 years I was probably working for free. I was spending all my money in the club on drinks, dancers, and food. What about when you’re dating someone outside of your profession. Do they have a problem with what you do? Yeah. It’s hard for a woman to know her man’s finna go to the strip club and be around beautiful, naked women every day, and there’s alcohol involved. Some schoolgirls, or nerds, that’s what we call ‘em, they insecure. They‘re not thinking about that’s their man and he’s coming home to them with a fat ass check. Okay, so what you do is a job, but you are in the sex industry and there’s obviously behind the scenes stuff that goes on. What kind of freaky stuff have you witnessed? The freakiest shit I ever saw was some girls in the DJ booth eatin’ each other out. One time I had a girl say a customer jacked off on her ass. She came to the DJ booth asking for a wipe. I’m like, “What the fuck?” She’s like, “Somebody nutted on my ass.” Crazy shit. A dude was walkin’ around in the back with his dick out tryin’ to get a dance. Now, I’ve never seen anyone have sex in the club. Of course, I know it goes on, but the spots I work at are very classy. But in smaller clubs, where they don’t get much attention, they doin’ it. Do you have any projects going on outside the club? I’ve got the website DJX-Rated.com. We’re breaking artists – we work with a lot of regular DJs too like Scream, Montay, Drama, and Black Bill Gates. We’ve got the Tupac Tour coming up with The Outlawz. It’s ten dates overseas – Africa, Moscow, Australia, and Amsterdam. We have some mixtapes coming. We’re getting into film. Google XposeTV – it’s on YouTube. We do photography and music videos. We got Stripper Radio on Sirius XM. I can also be booked to host parties. I want to get more into marketing and promotions, and my film production company. It’s more than what you see. //
OZONE MAG // 37
Words by Maurice G. Garland
Even though Freaknik has been retired for a decade, the mere mention of its name still draws a bevy of emotions. Whisper the word around the city of Atlanta and you’ll get a spectrum of responses ranging from “ah man, good times” to “oh lord, good riddance.” THE EVENT THAT starTed off as a small gathering amongst Atlanta University Center students in 1982 grew into a city wide party that became both legendary and notorious. Very similar to the Spring Break celebrations in Miami, Cancun and Daytona Beach that often made it to MTV, Freaknik was the black version where students from HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) convened on Atlanta for a weekend of partying. But unlike the other celebrations, Freaknik took place within the confines of a major city instead of on the beach. Gridlocked traffic was a common occurrence as Freaknik attendees partied in the streets, making many other ATLiens late for work, weddings and 38 // OZONE MAG
times to resuscitate the festival, but none have succeeded. However, Cartoon Network’s late night programming block Adult Swim has found a way to bring Freaknik back, as a ghost. even emergency hospital visits. While traffic was a tolerable nuisance, Freaknik’s reputation for lewd and sometimes explicit behavior was not. Reports of rapes and robberies often overshadowed the benefit concerts, celebrity basketball games and even job fairs that were also associated with the weekend celebration. Couple this with the thought of 250,000 black people being in one place at one time - a thought which can be threatening to some - and you’ll understand why the City of Atlanta acted swiftly to thwart the party. City officials blocked off streets, boosted police presence and littered the streets with traffic tickets the same way the patrons did with empty food and drink containers. From 1992 to 1997 Freaknik became a thing of folklore that had popular rappers not only name dropping it, but making plans months in advance to attend. But by 1998, the party was strangled to death and eventually disappeared completely by 2000. Party promoters have attempted numerous
Freaknik: A Musical debuted this month on Adult Swim with T-Pain voicing the part of Freaknik. Freaknik is a ghost with skin made out of dollar signs who wears an outrageous gold chain with a charm that is a likeness of himself. Surprisingly, this probably isn’t the most outrageous element of the cartoon. The show revolves around a four-man rap group that goes by the name of Sweet Tea Mobsters. They hail from the fictitious town of Sweet Tea, Florida, and are on a mission to get to the Freaknik celebration in Atlanta so they can participate in the Battle of Trillest (think Battle of the Bands for rappers) where the grand prize winner receives a lifetime supply of money, clothes and hoes. By now, you’ve probably already formed an opinion about Freaknik: A Musical. Which is fine, that’s what the show creators want you to do, on top of have a good time watching it. OZONE caught up with the co-creators, co-writers and co-executive producers of the show, Nick Wei-
denfeld (Head of Development at Adult Swim) and Carl Jones (co-executive producer of The Boondocks) so they could explain the cartoon’s origins and intentions. Where did the idea come from to do a Freaknik cartoon? Nick: We actually started off working on another cartoon that was more about race and politics and a Return of Freaknik episode was just going to be one of them. It was about a character that embodied spring break and the personification of the best party in the world. Who better than T-Pain to be the voice of the party? As I started to work on that idea, we went away from politics and went to fun. I started working more with Pain and he got more involved in the show. From there I started working with Carl Jones from The Boondocks and decided to build a show around the Freaknik character. I loved the idea of A Charlie Brown Christmas special and thought it would be funny to have a spring break special. So it’s a road trip about a group of rappers growing up in a town called Sweet Tea, Florida called the Sweet Tea Mobsters. Rick Ross, Cee-Lo, DJ Pooh and T-Pain’s artist Young Cash are the voices. They are a group of struggling rappers trying to get on. They’re hustling hard and they’re trying to get to the Battle of the Bands contest that’s called the Battle of the Trillest. The winner gets a lifetime supply of money, clothes and hoes. They’re desperately trying to get from Florida to Atlanta. Along the way they run out of gas and wind up at a white frat party. Then they end up in the trap where they meet Trap Jesus, who is played by Lil Wayne. The story is about their struggles to get there and the people they meet who both help and distract them. Tha Bizness produced the music so it’s real funny and it has some bangers. Carl: To clear up confusion, a rumor leaked out saying that Lil Wayne is playing Jesus, but that’s
not true. The character he’s playing is like Jesus. We actually went through several name changes. He’s not the Jesus from the Bible, but he represents a Christ-like figure because he has a flock of dudes that are always following him, but he runs a trap house. In their journey the Sweet Tea Mobsters wind up on the wrong side of the tracks in a bad neighborhood and Trap Jesus give them useful tools for their journey. How did you select the artists whose voices are featured on the cartoon? Nick: When I met T-Pain he was the biggest fan of Adult Swim. It’s on his rider that he has to have Cartoon Network. Big Boi had to be a part of it, George Clinton and Bootsy had to be a part of this. Rick Ross has good relationship with Pain and he has great voice for cartoons. We included Cee-Lo and Lil Jon because we wanted to get as many dudes from Atlanta as possible. We wanted people who made it authentic and people who had a sense of humor. With some of the potentially offensive elements in the cartoon, it would take a person with a special sense of humor to take part in this. Nick: We picked people who wanted people to have fun. There are people who had real fun at Freaknik either performing or participating. A lot of people don’t like it, but a lot of people liked it. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, we’re just trying to say, have a good time. Carl: The media really put a spin on Freaknik. Anytime you bring a lot of people together, there’s always an opportunity for things to go wrong. But for the most part people came to have a good time. Even economically, it was beneficial to the community. It was a good experience for the city of Atlanta but I think the racism that still exists in the South is what got it shut down. Are you expecting any backlash from the show, even though you say your intentions are to simply have a good time? Freaknik was a very racially polarizing event in Atlanta.
Nick: It’s supposed to be funny and fun. If you look up the story about Freaknik: A Musical in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the headline is a joke saying that Freaknik is back. If you read through the comments, it degenerates into basically the most terrible racism with people attacking each other. It quickly snowballs into that. This cartoon is here to celebrate having fun. Obviously bad things happen when you get a ton of people together. The same things can be said about Woodstock and the Puerto Rican Day parade. The core of it is supposed to be fun. Matter of fact, the bad guys in the show are the elder statesmen, the Boule. This has been talked about before; there was said to be a group of black professionals or the black upper class. We don’t get too deep into that, but we do have a jokey version of it to show that it’s true that there is a group of people that don’t want kids to have fun and make sure that Freaknik doesn’t exist. The real Freaknik made a lot of money for Black Atlanta, but they might not have supported the businesses that the government wanted them to. We don’t disregard the other things that revolved around Freaknik. We know people want to watch just to hate on it. It’s dealt with on the show. Carl: When you do something black or “urban,” we are judged differently. You’ll have Steven Spielberg do a movie with violence and negativity and nothing is said. But we are held to be responsible on a whole ‘nother level. We’re not trying to change the world with a cartoon. We’re just trying to be honest. Some people are gonna be mad. I feel like there is an honesty in what we’re saying, and that’s why it strikes people in a negative way. People shouldn’t get mad at us for putting things on TV. They should get mad that they exist in our society. We’re giving an honest interpretation of what Freaknik was. If we we’re showing people something that we don’t do, it wouldn’t be a problem, but because we’re putting light on something we actually did, it is. This is a part of who we are, this is a part of our culture. Everybody went to Freaknik to have a good time. It’s about the freedom of expression. //
OZONE MAG // 39
Dallas rapper, Soulja Boy affiliate, and SOD Music artist BIG HOODBOSS speaks his mind about groupie love, trickin’, and why he prefers cougars. How’d you kick off the New Year? New Years Day 2010 we were celebrating. We got the ambassador suite at whatever hotel we were at. A lot of the [SOD] family came through, but there were too many niggas in there. I was like, man, I ain’t finna buy no room for this chick. I said, “Let me holla at you right fast.” I told her to get in the closet and put her hands up on the wall. We got in and out. I didn’t even walk her downstairs or nothing. Just chunked the deuce. Coldhearted. Yep, coldblooded. That’s how I kicked off the New Year. Big Hoodboss, SOD. Tell the truth – did you use Soulja Boy’s name to get the girl? Naw, naw, it was off the dreads. She was feeling the dreads and my Texas slur. I got it like that. That’s tomorrow though; tomorrow I’m gonna get me some pussy off Soulja Boy’s name. I’m gonna go to Lenox Mall and find me a bad bitch. So you just walk up to her and say, “Hey, I’m with Soulja Boy?” Or how do you work that into the conversation? Nah, I just walk up to her chit-chatting. You know, if the SOD chain is on my chest pokin’ out, then it’s pokin’ out. It’s not premeditated. I just do my thang. Do your women ever get more than just a quickie while standing up against the wall in a closet? Yeah, I go hard when I’m feeling the chick. Sometimes I just wanna get my rocks off but when I’m feeling the chick I go long and I go strong. How has your success with the ladies increased since you became affiliated with Soulja Boy? I’ve been poppin’ for a minute already. I’ve been getting pussy since I was a young dude and now I’m finna use this affiliation to get me some celebrity pussy. I’ve been fuckin’ bad bitches. Ask about me.
SEX ISSUE
What celebrities are you eyeing? I’ve got a couple in mind, but I ain’t even gonna put them out there. I’ma start off for practice with all the VH1 [reality show] chicks. They’re not really celebrities so I’ma run through them first. Then I’ma go to daytime TV; there’s some bad ass chicks on daytime TV. I’ma run through them too. Then after that, it’s just Hoodboss gone wild. I ain’t gonna name a couple of em cause niggas might catch feelings or come hatin’ on me before I even get to her. I fucked two celebrity chicks already but I ain’t gonna put ‘em out there. They know I’m not lying though. My pa’tnas know who they are too. That’s why I love the Magic show in Vegas. You can always catch some celebrity pussy at the Magic show. You said there were too many guys in the room on New Years Eve. So no orgies in the SOD camp? When I said “too many niggas in the room,” I meant it was chicks and niggas. Too many people period. She just ain’t wanna show out in front of her homegirls and I didn’t wanna be the wild cat just poppin’ off 2010 with a bang in the middle of the room goin’ HAM. I was like, “Shawty, come talk to me right here.” I don’t need everybody in my conversation. I’m single, I mingle, I fuck bitches, you know? I’m young. What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen a groupie to do to get at you or Soulja Boy? I’ve seen some crazy stuff. The craziest thing I saw was when I was in the club performing and a bitch stuck her fingers in her pussy and waved her fingers in the air to show the moistness. She wanted to show that she was wit’ it. I was rappin’ on stage with Tum Tum and she threw me off. I was fuckin’ up niggas ad-libs and stuff. Groupies get down like that for Tum Tum? Yeah. I couldn’t find her after the show. I’ma keep it real, I was looking for her. Whoever you are, hit me on Twitter @BigHoodboss. Have you ever paid for sex? Hell naw. I can’t pay for it. If I gotta pay for it my dick ain’t gonna get hard, real talk. I like free pussy. I don’t fuck with prostitutes, I fuck with freetutes. They’re just giving away that pussy for free. They’ve got the potential to be prostitutes, but they’re freetutes. Once they graduate and get their diploma I ain’t fuckin’ with them, but when they’re students just having fun, I’ll hit. Are you into porn? Nah, I’m not into that. That’s [fellow SODMG artist] Lil B. You like the groupies, he likes the porn? I like women. I love women. I ain’t into groupies. Sometimes I wanna chase. Ain’t nothin’ better than fuckin’ a chick you ain’t never thought you’d be able to fuck. Set your standards high and as soon as you hit it, you’ll be like, “Damn!” It could be just a hard-to-get chick or a chick that’s bad in your eyes. How old were you when you first started having sex? I been fuckin’ since age 12. I fucked a lot of 15 and 16 year old girls when I was 12. I like cougars. If you listen to my music, download my mixtape Kushington & 4th with DJ Smallz, or follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I’m always talkin’ about cougars. I’m lookin’ for 40-year-old mature women. For real, those young girls are stupid. Not all of them are stupid, but our generation is crazy. Everybody’s so thirsty just because they see us on TV. Everybody sees guys trickin’ on chicks so they think every nigga is supposed to do that. If you’re in a relationship I understand it, but just trickin’ on a chick, hell naw. Girls are stupid? What do you mean by that? I mean, a lot of chicks are just wildin’ it. The older generation isn’t like that. Younger chicks are always tryin’ to get niggas to fly them out and take them shopping and do this and that. I’m like, “If you’re hungry, we can hit Chili’s. They’ve got the two for $20 special.” If a female doesn’t give it up right away do you continue seeing her? I respect it, but we ain’t gonna hang out like that. I ain’t a thirsty nigga. I’m grown and I speak my mind. A closed mouth don’t get fed. So I’ma see what it is early off top. I ain’t waitin’ no three months; none of that. If we kick it once and I don’t get it, cool. If we kick it twice and I don’t get it, hell naw. Only two chances? Damn. Y’all are coldhearted. (laughs) It’s 2010, nigga. //
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Industry 101
Mr. Boomtown
IN the Past ten years, the name “Mr. Boomtown” has joined the ranks of notable music video directors LIKE Hype Williams, Chris Robinson and Anthony Mandler. The Port Arthur, TX native, born Nahala Johnson, went from working for the Dallas Cowboys Television network to directing music videos for some of your favorite artists including Pimp C, Mike Jones, Slim Thug and Gucci Mane. Here’s his story. So, you started out working with the Dallas Cowboys? Yeah, I produced the Jerry Jones Show and flew out to Aruba to shoot The Making of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Calendar they play on ESPN all the time. Not a bad start. So did you ever use the Cowboys cheerleaders in of any your music videos? I was only working with the Cowboys network for a year before my music video for Pimp C’s “Pourin’ Up” dropped, so I really didn’t know all of cheerleaders like that. They were older than I typically like to cast anyway. Do you direct and cast the ladies? No, not necessarily. Budgets don’t always allow for casting directors or casting calls, so sometimes I call on people. I like to work with individuals who know my style and will get the job done, so there has been an occasion where I’ve called on someone I’ve worked with before. Does it ever get catty on a video shoot? Are girls going at it like an episode of Flavor of Love? I haven’t really had to deal with that personally. That’s a big reason why I like to work with women I’m familiar with. Casting directors generally handle issues like that. The one issue I see or hear the most is the whole light skin versus dark skin complaint. I remember hearing women complaining about how directors were pushing the dark skin girls to the back, so the light skin curly haired girls would be in the front. That really stuck with me, so I try to acknowledge the issue and create a balanced perspective. Your videos always have a strong sexual undertone. Is that something you aim for? Sex sells, but I don’t shoot anything that degrades women. It’s really all about what people want to see, and that’s what consumers of that style of music want to see. Who has been your biggest influence in making music videos? I’d definitely have to say Hype Williams. I remember being in Miami on set of the “Big Pimpin” video with Pimp C and seeing all those women; I had never seen anything with that type of budget before. Pimp C had just bought that Mercedes that he’s was standing next to in the video
and I was just watching Hype work and asking as many questions as I could, trying to soak it all in. I met directors Little X and Benny Boom for the first time there. Back then they were just starting out. They both were Hype Williams’ [assistant directors] at the time. It was crazy. I’m sure that video had to be a wild one to make! So what is the hardest part of your job? I’d have to say the hardest part of my job is staying relevant, just trying to keep the business flowing and keep my name in your ears. Kind of like how Gucci is doing with shooting all his videos or how you always heard Hype Williams name at least once a year. You’ve got to let people know who you are. I’ve made sure you see my name somewhere in my videos. It could be on something like a candy bar or my name across the whole screen, but it wasn’t until I started branding myself that my name started sticking people’s minds. Have you been put in a box for being a Southern Hip-Hop music video director? I really don’t consider myself to be a down South director. We can do rock, pop and R&B videos, but we come from the South; I’ve never shot a video in New York or LA. I mostly shoot in Texas and we have a huge Hip Hop culture in this area. I love Hip Hop but I can do more. I got my start through Rap-A-Lot Records. Is it hard to crossover? It’s all about getting the video commissioner to believe you can market the artist, but it’s really the artist who can bring you in the door. If you do a good job your name begins to circulate. That’s how I got on. Pimp C gave me my first shot at directing and I’ve just been rolling ever since. What do you think made you stand out to Pimp C? Pimp C and I actually went to high school together when I had my own rap group called the Hardy Boys. I was in 11th grade when I met Pimp C, who was in 9th grade. Pimp C was rapping too and we met through a classmate of mine who also happened to be his neighbor, and I would always go over his house cause Pimp C always had recording gear and we’d make beats all day. So when he got put on he looked out for me.
How do you feel about BET canceling their infamous show, Uncut? There was definitely a market for it. I think they started getting more flack for its content as its popularity grew. Artists are still making uncut edits to their music videos because there is a market for it and there will always be. That’s why Scarface and I shot the video for “High Note.” That has to be one of the wildest videos to come out since Nelly’s “Tip Drill.” Was it your concept? Naw, Uncle Face had the treatment in his head already and laid the idea out for us, so we just had to bring it to life. He wanted to do something controversial; something that would make people talk and pay attention. Y’all accomplished that for sure. When shooting a video like that, how do you get a woman to get over any inhibitions she might have? When I approached that video, I was debating on whether or not to cast a stripper or not. I knew we were trying to push the envelope so we needed a woman who’d be comfortable with her body and what we’d be capturing. And a friend of mine came to mind and she had no reservations; she was down. That’s just how you’ve got to come at it. You’ve gotta find resources. Someone will always be willing to work, they just have to be presented with the opportunity. True. Well, you’ve accomplished a lot this decade. What’s been the biggest change in how videos are made during your time in the game? There hasn’t been much change. I think everything was changing when I was just getting in the game. Budgets were just beginning to shrink; it went from getting an average of $400,000 budgets to barely being able to get $100,000 dollar allowances. I’m sure that has been a frustrating trend in the industry. How have you been able to cope with the change? We work, bro. I never let an issue of money get in the way of my money. You have to keep working hard and eventually money and success won’t be a problem. // Words by J. Anderson OZONE MAG // 41
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ALTHOUGH HIS NAME may not yet BE AS FAMILIAR As THE CATCHY HOOK TO his 2009 single “Ice Cream Paint Job,” Dorrough’s face is everywhere. AFTER BLOWING UP NEARLY OVERNIGHT, the Dallas native secured his home state before accidentally catching on in California. Beginning as a freestyle type track for a mixtape, “Ice Cream Paint Job” was not meant to be a single. Dorrough never expected the song to take him touring across the nation, fuel a debut album release through E1 Music, and put him on the BET Hip Hop Awards stage alongside Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, Jim Jones, and Soulja Boy. Even though that performance was one of his biggest looks publicly, there were several pivotal moves that brought Dorrough there. The former high school basketball star caught his first big break with a feature on “She Fine” (b.k.a. Halle Berry”). And as the story goes, the song was purchased from its originator, Supastarr, given to Hurricane Chris, and remixed to exclude Dorrough. Rather than be discouraged, Dorrough and his Primetime Click team advanced with the experience they gained and put out more music. The formula was applied a second song, “Walk That Walk,” the original single being pushed before “I.C.P.J.” hit Billboard. Dorrough’s popularity increased with every spin, and E1 Music came on board with a lucrative deal. It was a sweet reward for his past sacrifices. Just after departing a show in Atlanta, Dorrough took the time to reflect on his accomplishments. As he tells his story, the 23-year-old admits to having room to grow and a lot to prove. Fighting the one-hit-wonder stigma that hangs over Dallas Hip Hop, Dorrough is working towards making himself bigger than a #1 song. Here he outlines the goals, the plan, and the factors working in his favor. On a national level, it almost seems like you came out overnight. Do you
feel that way, or do you feel like you’ve been putting in work and just weren’t getting recognized? It’s crazy. I’ve been doin’ mixtapes since high school. I’m 23 now, I graduated in ’05. I started doing mixtapes when I was 16. Growing up everybody knew me as a baller; I played basketball real hard. I always had a thang for music but I didn’t know how to do it. I thought you had to do everything in a major studio. I didn’t know people was doing songs on computers, or that it was as easy as it was. Even being in Texas? The independent movement has always been strong in Texas. But see, I’m from Dallas. It wasn’t like Houston – Houston’s been on the scene. When you think of Texas music all you think of is Houston, UGK, and Screw. The Houston movement was the Texas movement. We had Dallas artists, but they were much older than me so I wasn’t affiliated with ‘em, I just knew ‘em – until D.S.R. came on the scene. When they came on the scene, that’s really when I started seeing it. Cats like Tum Tum and Lil Ronnie were from my hood. That’s when I saw how easy it was to make music. I was always writin’ my own rhymes and just never did nothin’ with ‘em. When I found out you could make music that way, I went crazy wit’ it. That was during my junior year. Was it that basketball didn’t work out? Or you felt like you had a better shot doing the rap thing? It was both. The rap thing was basically for fun. I had a passion for music, it was just what I would do when I wasn’t playin’ basketball. I would listen to a lot of music, but not necessarily write my own music. My daddy was real big on Marvin Gaye and I used to always be with my daddy a lot so I got a feel for old-school music, and of course everything on the radio. I never wanted to be an artist or a rapper at that time. I was so focused on basketball. I was so good and had so many offers – I looked up to people like Allen Iverson who also did music as well. Why did you make the decision to go this route rather than basketball? When I was in high school during my sophomore/junior year, that’s when I really branched out and started doin’ music. I was actually DJing, not on turntables, but putting together mixtapes for other people that rapped. By
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this time, everybody rapped and I was real good on computers and finding stuff. When I got the virtual DJ programs I started putting together mixtapes of people rapping. I used to listen to they stuff and be like, I’m better than these cats naturally. It inspired me to do my thing. I was already popular because of basketball, so when I started doin’ music people listened to me just because of who I was. That gave me confidence. I was captain of the basketball team so we would run out [on the court] to my music. How did you get the attention of record labels? My senior year I had a scholarship to St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, but it fell through. I ended up going to Prairie View University. By then, I had a big hype just from doing mixtapes. That’s when I started losing the passion for playing basketball as far as playing professionally. I saw so many [players] get hurt. And I had to keep it real with myself - what’s the odds of going pro from Prairie View? I’ve seen cats in the streets who play ball better than dudes in the NBA, but because of their opportunities and where they went they couldn’t go pro. I had to eat that. After playing ball all my life, I woke up one day and literally was like, “I’m finna do this music thang.” I was getting a different type of attention from music than I was from playing ball. You gotta be a sports head to know somebody that plays basketball – but with music, everybody can relate to music. I applied my work ethic from basketball to music. When I played ball, all I did was practice. I wanted to be better than everybody. I had a real strong work ethic and I applied it to music so I caught up. A lot of people say they’ve been rappin’ since they were 7 or 8 years old. I didn’t start till I was like 15 or 16. By the time I was 18 and got serious with it, I made up for that time because that’s all I did. Do you feel like you’ve moved the focus from Houston to Dallas? Or do you feel like the focus has moved and you’re kind of a part of that? Yeah. Actually, Houston started showin’ me love before Dallas did because I was down in that area at Prairie View. The shift came when Dallas started getting on the scene with the dance movement when Lil Wil and the Trap Starz got hot. Dallas was hurtin’ for a leader. You know, there’s a lot of people that paved the way. D.S.R. came on the scene, Mr. Pookie and Mr. Lucci, everybody that influenced the movement, but we never really had a strong leader that could take the city to the next level nationally. Do you feel like you’re that person? Yeah, just by the way I grew up. I feel like my mindframe is different from the average person in Texas. I want everybody to like what I do, whereas the average [rapper] in Texas just cares about what’s around them. A lot of Dallas artists are satisfied as long as they can get in all the clubs free and everybody knows who they are. If they’re good with that, they’ll be satisfied for life. That’s a fact. But I was never like that. With basketball I traveled a lot and everywhere I’d go, I wanted people to know me. Where are some of the places that you’ve been able to travel as your rap career has taken off? Starting off it was Cali. I went out to the Bay Area and I didn’t expect what I saw. People out there loved everything about me, from swag to the way I sounded. It was so different from what they were doin’, but they could relate to it. Cali is one of my strongest areas, as well as Ohio, Alabama, all the Southern states. I get a lot of love in Louisiana and even up north in Pittsburgh. There’s a lot of areas where I never thought I’d be as strong of an artist 44 // OZONE MAG
as I am, but they show a lot of love. Everywhere I go people are starting to call me by my name and not by the song. That’s a hard thang to get by, and it ain’t nobody’s fault. You can’t help it if you come out and people adapt to the first song they hear. But you see people grow. When Soulja Boy first came out, people knew him as the “Crank Dat” boy. But now everyone knows him as Soulja Boy. It’s more about the grind. With your grind you can make people pay attention to what you do. You seem like you’re pretty involved on the business side of things. When I was in school, even though I was down there to play basketball, I majored in business marketing. My daddy is a businessman. He owns a heating/AC company. I’ve always been around that. I’m the type of person that’s gotta know what’s going on. I’m nosy. Even with my label, I call them myself and ask questions. Like, I’ll literally call the head of the label. And it’s not because I don’t trust my people, that’s just how I am. That’s why I’m having the success I’m having, ‘cause I’m involved in everything I do.
and a half. Like I said, growing up I was popular. I started talkin’ to girls early, probably when I was like 12 years old. I lost my virginity at 15, well 14, well no, we’ll say 15 – I didn’t really know what I was doin’ at 14. So you were a young player and now you’ve calmed down a little bit? I ain’t gon’ lie, ya feel me. I’ve had issues in the past with females. If it’s one thang I’ve had issues with it’s females. Not that I’ve had issues in a terrible, negative way, but I used to have fun. I was young, and I’m still young. What kind of female “issues” have you had? One girl getting into it with another girl over me. Or me getting caught up. I’ve got stories for days on these females. But I ain’t never put a female or that side of life over what I do. That’s one thang I make sure I don’t do. So getting on the road and having popularity is nothing new to you? Even when I was in high school I always had a
“Sometimes I look. But [sex] ain’t the main focus. I meet artists and they be like,‘How many hoes you fuckin’on the road?’I don’t really look at it that way.” So Diamond, formerly of Crime Mob, is with your label now? She’s affiliated with my imprint, Primetime Click. When I did the Kwanzaa Fest in Dallas, I brought her out. She’s working on some new records and getting her face back out there. She came into the picture through my management. My imprint consists of artists I’ve been working with for years - like Teddy B, Norm T, and Block Boi. During the next year or so I plan to start branding them and getting them out there. Do you see yourself stepping back from rapping to focus on promoting your other artists? Nah. Even though I’m not on his level, a good example of the direction I’m trying to go is Lil Wayne. He’s doing the business thang but he’s definitely an artist. And Ludacris. If you have an imprint you’re helping yourself out. If you have a movement going on around you and your movement gets hot, you’ll forever be hot and you can eat off that. We’ve always been doing that. We all had the same intentions and dreams. I went a little harder and it came to me, so now if the next person heads in that direction we’re feeding off each other’s energy. It’s about making good music. Dorrough is actually your last name. Why did you decide to use that instead of a rap alias? I hated that. I still think that’s like the lamest shit when people make up names for themselves. It’s cool if your rap name is a nickname that you’ve been called all your life, but it’s the lamest shit when people make up a rap name like Lil This or Big That. But everybody always called me Dorrough on the basketball court. The coach always calls everybody by their last name so that’s what everybody knows me as. I’m more comfortable with it. It’s my name, and I can’t go wrong with using my name. Back in the day people used to call me Tre D because of my initials, but then another Trai’D came out of Dallas and I didn’t want people to be confused. This is the sex issue, of course. A lot of artists have crazy groupie stories. Are you a family man or are you out on the road having fun? I just became a family man. My little girl is one
girlfriend or girls I talk to. I always talked to what people considered the baddest girls in school or cheerleaders. So getting into this music thang, the whole female thang really ain’t new to me. Now, there’s more [girls], and it’s more crazy. So it’s different. But it ain’t like [the situation] Mike Jones described on “Back Then.” I always had females. Are you kinda over it now? I ain’t gonna lie, I could see the baddest female in the world walk through here right now but it’s not to the point where I gotta interact. Sometimes I look. But it ain’t the main focus. I meet artists and they be like, “How many hoes you fuckin’ on the road?” I don’t really look at it that way. Do you feel like that’s the reason people get into the rap game? Everybody wants fame. I don’t care if people say they don’t chase fame - they do. The main reason people get into the whole rappin’ industry, from what I’ve seen, is not just because of the fame. They see money in it too, but they feel like it’s the easiest route to go. You’d be surprised. With everybody thinking that [it’s the road to riches], it almost makes it one of the hardest routes. Then people see stuff like my situation and it seems like stuff happens overnight. They don’t know about all the work. With my grind, it’s no accident that I’ve made it this far. And even with everything I’ve done this year, to some people it may seem like a lot, but to me it doesn’t feel like much at all. You’ve got a hit record, traveled all around the country, and had one of the best performances at the BET Hip Hop Awards. At what point do you feel like you’ve accomplished something? I love music so much that I want everybody to hear my music. My ultimate goal is for everyone to have a desire to hear my music. Like Wayne, I can see that’s what his ambition is. He wants everybody to hear his music. He’s put out so much music and created a desire, so now when he puts out something, people are lookin’ for it, as opposed to him having to push it hard. If everybody’s looking for your music, you can keep putting it out and being heard. When I write songs, I think, “How are people gonna feel when they hear this song?” I’m thinking about everybody, not how is Dallas
gonna feel, or Houston, or the South, or the West Coast. My ultimate goal is to have as many people as possible hear my music. What are you working on now? Since my album dropped August 4th, 2009, I’ve probably shot 4 or 5 videos, just investing in myself. For 2010 my goal is to outwork everybody. My Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama is out now. It’s called Number 23. The concept comes from the single off the mixtape, “Number 23.” It’s kinda making a statement. Everybody thinks I’m talking about Jordan, but I’m really talkin’ about a combination between Lebron and Jordan. The way Lebron came in the game, he’s on the verge of shattering every one of Jordan’s records. I’m just letting everybody know that this is how I’m coming in the game. I think this is really my year. I introduced myself last year, but I don’t feel like Dorrough came in the game in 2009. 2009 was just a consistent grind, trying to get myself noticed. Now I get to let people hear my music. That’s why I used the Number 23 as the concept. Before I drop my album in the springtime I want people to see my grind. I’m not a real cocky person, but I’m very confident. I’m humble at the same time. Just like when I was doing sports. I wasn’t finna let no one outgrind or outwork me. I feel like I’ve gotta be better than the next person, even if it takes time to do it. So this year I want to outwork everybody.
The main reason people get into the whole rappin’industry is not just because of the fame. They see money in it too, but they feel like it’s the easiest route to go. With everybody thinking that, it almost makes it one of the hardest routes.
What motivates you? The music, of course. Everyone is saying I’m a creative artist, and you have to do a lot to get to the point where people believe in you. I ain’t never went a week where I wasn’t working on
music. I hate to feel like I’m not doing something productive. Did you work on Christmas Day? On Christmas I was at home for 3 hours with my little girl. The night before I was in Louisiana and I flew in that morning. I was in Dallas for 3 or 4 hours with my little girl, then I flew to South Carolina for a show. Then I came to Atlanta. It’s a non-stop grind. If you believe in yourself, the world is gonna see it. I feel like if I keep doing what I did in the past, everyone will get on board. I created a movement that everyone bought into, from the DJs to the people. And Dallas needs that movement. Do you think Dallas has been unfairly characterized as a city of one-hit wonders? Even with the T-Town/DSR deal through Universal, people thought that was going to be Dallas’ big break. But it didn’t turn out that way. I think that situation [didn’t work out] more because of their premature separation. But [former DSR members] are still around. Tum Tum and Fat B are still around and going in every day. But I feel like there is a stigma on Dallas, with the one-hit-wonders and dance music. Every day I live to fight it. Wherever I go, it’s the same question in interviews. But it’ll all be worth it when people see me come out of that situation. What was the controversy over the whole “Halle Berry” record? It was originally SupaStarr’s record. He was on our imprint at the time, Primetime Click, so i started pushing it. I was asked to be on the record because of the buzz I had. I was the only one pushing it and I blew it up. I got all my connects, the DJs, everybody on the record. Nobody knew who SupaStarr was but I introduced him to Dallas. He got crazy big in Dallas and was offered a deal with Play N Skillz. He wanted some quick money, and it was his song. They didn’t wanna have me on the record unless I signed to them too. So they took me off the record and made a remix with Tum Tum and Hurricane Chris. Hurricane Chris’s camp was looking for a new single and the song already had a buzz, so they took an interest in the record. SupaStarr is from the country in Killeen, TX, and I guess he didn’t know no better, so him and his management got talked into selling the song. But
I had already copywritten the song before I got on it. So they did a false move and sold it to Polo Grounds for Hurricane Chris, but the paperwork wasn’t right. I’ve put the situation behind me now. It kinda came back on SupaStarr and hit him in the face. He realized it was a dumb move, and he admitted it. We’re supposed to be going to court because he’s suing me for so-called damaging his character. It’s some bullshit-ass lawsuit that I ain’t worried about. What did you learn from the situation? If I could grind and make “Halle Berry” as hot as I made it, I could do the same thing with my own material. And that’s exactly what I did. That day after everything fell through, I decided to push my song “Walk That Walk.” I pushed it and it got the same buzz. When I recorded “Ice Cream Paint Job,” I never thought it’d be a single. It was almost like a freestyle. DJ Amen got it off my Myspace page and started playin’ it and blowin’ it up on the West Coast. It literally took me 10 minutes to make that song, and it ended up being a big record. That let me know it was all about my grind and timing. I know I’ve made records way better than that lyrically, but that’s the one that took off. What else do you have coming up this year? Is there anything else you’d like to add? I’m investing in myself. I feel like that’s hard to do early on and stack your bread. A lot of people don’t do that when they’re coming up. I’ve learned from other cats that that’s how they really made it. My album Get Big is coming out in July 2010. We also did a three-song EP that’s gonna be on iTunes. My Gangsta Grillz is available for free download on www.dorroughmusiconline.com right now, and if they can’t find it there, they can download it on iTunes. The name of the album, Get Big, is also one of my singles that I’m coming out with, produced by Nitti. I always want to come up with a title for my album that gives me a broad range of topics to work with. “Get Big” is a lil slang term we used in Dallas back in the day that’s resurfacing. I’m basically just telling everybody to get big in the game. Step your game up and the music is gonna support it. Aside from that, I’ve also been writing for some big name artists, mostly coming up with hooks and concepts. So I’m writing, recording for my album, and I’m on the road too. I’m doing it all. // OZONE MAG // 45
Video model Tahiry became equally known for her ample assets and for dating rapper Joe Budden. Here, she opens up about marathon sex and toys in the bedroom. You kind of became a sex symbol overnight. Now you’re in magazines and videos. How has the experience been overall? I think it’s awesome. I can’t really complain about it. I think curves on a woman are sexy. I really do appreciate how people put me on that whole sex symbol status. Did you ever think this would be happening to you? No. Not at all. I did think when I was a little young that videos were really hot, and I’d look at video vixens and think that I could definitely see myself doing that. Cause I’ve always been curvaceous and stuff. I never really pursued it cause I’m really shy, although a lot of people may not think so. So, when it did happen, it caught me by surprise that it was actually me on the cover [of King Magazine]. You’ve already said that you are curvaceous. But what do you consider to be your sexiest body part? My cleavage and my stomach. My waist is really small. I’ve always said if you put my ass on a bigger chick it wouldn’t look huge. I just think it’s the way I’m proportioned. Overall, the way I’m proportioned is my sexiest part, or my stomach area. Do you ever feel like your ass brings too much attention to you? I love my booty. And I remember at the age of 18, I was a cadet in college, and I walked into the police academy and I had some slacks on, cause I’m supposed to be wearing business attire. And as I walk into this big gym where all the recruits were working out, they all stopped. That day, I wish I could have just found a little hole and hid. It was a whole gym full of men. It was about 10 women and about 200 men, and all the men stopped and saluted my booty. (laughs) Okay. I’m going to name two celebrities and you tell us which one you’d rather sleep with. Kanye West or Common? Damn, I’d sleep with both of them. For different reasons…Common is so smart. Not that Kanye isn’t smart, but Common and the way he rhymes. And Kanye because of his swag. They both would probably get it. (laughs)
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Reggie Bush or Dwight Howard? Dwight Howard. I love Reggie Bush but Dwight is just chocolate. Dwight is tall and his body is amazing. I really like the tall guys. I remember going to a game and saying, “Who’s that guy with the arms?” I’m attracted to tall guys.
How long did it go? Until the sun came up. I would say it started about 2 [AM]. I’m hard to pleasure, so it was around 5:30 [AM] and we were still going at it. I mean, we took breaks and stuff, but we definitely kept going.
Young Jeezy or Gucci Mane? Young Jeezy, all day. I’m a fan of Gucci, but Young Jeezy, his voice is gangsta. I love a guy with “street factor.” Street factor may not sound good, but street factor in terms of you’re street and you can kinda pull whatever you wanna pull off. Jeezy gives me that vibe.
Do you remember the worst sex you ever had? The worst sex I ever had was with a guy I hung out with, and I knew he had a crush on me, and I kinda liked him. And we hung out and hung out. And he pretty much gave up on getting the ass. So when I finally gave it to him, I rode him and he probably pumped twice and he came. He looked at me and was embarrassed. But I was happy, because I liked him and I’m kinda like the shy girl when I like somebody. I thought he would continue and try to redeem himself. And he was so shy he couldn’t. So still to this day when I see him I’m like, “Yo, you owe me,” and he laughs.
Nas or Jay-Z? That would be Jay. Jay stops a room when he walks in. He really paralyzes a room. And he has that “it” factor. Not to say that Nas doesn’t, but I’m attracted to powerful men. Lil Wayne or Nicki Minaj? Well I’m not into women. I don’t think I’d sleep with either one, but I’m a fan of Lil Wayne. Trey Songz or Drake? I’d definitely sleep with Trey. I mean, did you see the ice cubes [in the “Invented Sex” video]? Ice would never be the same. Obviously, everyone knows that you dated Joe Budden. Would you say that you have a better sex life with someone who is famous or a regular person? It doesn’t really matter if they’re famous or not, it’s all about the connection when it comes to me. I was on Twitter yesterday, and I was like, “One fact that people don’t know about me is that I’m really shy.” And they were like, “How come, you do pictures and online stuff?” But online and pictures [isn’t in] bed. Once I feel like we’ve built a connection then I’m a beast. It has to be about a connection in bed. What’s the nastiest or freakiest thing a guy has ever said you to try and spit game? I haven’t had any guys spit any nasty lines. I’ve had a guy recently that was intimidating, just by his way of approaching me. Everybody loves a confident man, but he really just came out, looked at me, and undressed me with his eyes. And I was like, “Oh shit!” I buckled. And that was recently. It wasn’t a crazy line. I just knew that he wanted me by the look. And what happened after that? We partied. Nothing happened. I just knew I might get in trouble. (laughs) Do you watch porn? Yeah, I’ve watched porn. I’ll watch it if it’s a time and place. If we both feel like watching porn, I’ll watch it. I’ll watch it during sex. Do you have any favorite porn stars? Not at all. I don’t even know their names. I could be watching it and having sex at the same time. I’ll use it as a pleasure or a tool, but I don’t really know any of them. Do you recall the best sex you’ve ever had? Yeah, I do. I’m all about the connection. I’m not the girl that just goes from jump-off to jump-off. To me, that’s just a waste of my pussy juice. I like having a connection, and being manhandled. Pretty much a fucking-marathon. I was like, “Oh, my God, we’re running through hurdles.”
You never gave him another shot? After never and a day I’ll give him another shot. Does size matter to you? I will say that I’m not afraid of a big cock. The bigger I see, the more I’m like, “I can try this muthafucka.” But I have had sex with a small dick and he rocked my world. So, when I looked at it and said, “Oh, shit! Is this yours? What the fuck was in me? What the fuck is going on?” I am a fan of size, but you just have to know how to use it. Cause plenty of men have huge dicks, and they hear you huffing and puffing, and they think they’re doing work, and they’re just really hurting you. So, it’s all about a man’s stroke and the motion in the ocean.
You sound like you’re excited about that. I am excited. I’ve been in a relationship for five years. Me and Joey were together almost all the time. So, we really didn’t have to do much because we were always around each other. And if we wanted to have sex, we’d have sex anywhere. And in terms of me finally being single, and finding that person I can build a connection with, then yeah. If you’re busy, let’s go for broke. And if we have to have Skype sex, I’m willing to have Skype sex. (laughs) But we have to have that connection, cause next thing you know, the world is looking at that recording. Do you talk dirty during sex? I do. I need some dirty talk. Anything he wants me to do to him. I just love to pleasure the opposite sex. The huffs and the puffs and the breathing and all that is necessary during sex. What’s the craziest thing a guy has said to you during sex? I had someone scream really loud. I thought that was my job. (laughs) And when I was done I left him in a fetus position. I was like, “Wait, why are you crawled up?” And I’m walking around like, “Are you ready for the next one?” Do you play music during sex? I love it. Maxwell, Trey Songz, Sade. That shit’s gonna get me in trouble. How is that gonna get you in trouble? Cause that’s babymaking music and I’m not trying to have any babies. So, is it better with music or without music? I kinda like it with music…and candles.
Do you use toys in bed? Yes. I love the Bullet and I love the Cock Rings.
So, you like it romantic? Yeah, but I can still be rough.
Do you think sex is better when you use toys? Sex is always good to me. I mean, it all depends. I’m pretty much a moody person. There are days when I wanna watch porn and be freaky, there are days when I wanna be shy, and there are days when I wanna run marathons, when all you wanna do is get rammed. The last time I did an interview like this I got in trouble. Everybody was like, “You fucking whore!” (laughs) But hey, sex is a part of life.
Do you prefer getting head or intercourse? I am a dick kind of girl, I love to feel penetration but I love giving head. I won’t suck any dick. But I just love to be in control and have the dick in my mouth. But right after that you have to give me some dick.
Are you the type of person to send sexual text messages? As of late I have been. I would say that I’m a late bloomer on a lot of things. I told you I’m shy unless I have a connection with a person. Like, I’ve never had a one-night stand; I’ve never had a threesome. I’m not saying I would never try them. But as I grow I see myself evolving into a woman and not being afraid to try certain things. So I would say that yes, I love sending sexual texts whenever me and that person have that connection. And it’s awesome. I actually get a kick out of them. What’s the sexiest text message you’ve received? I’ma keep it real with you, the last person I’ve been going back and forth with texts, he was just plain blunt. “I want you.” And “I want to fuck.” And I didn’t get offended because he was honest. I appreciate an honest man. Have you ever done phone sex? No, I haven’t crossed that chapter yet. But I will. (laughs)
So, when it’s all said and done, who sleeps in the wet spot? Well, I’m nasty. I don’t even care. I like to feel wet, sweat, cum. When you’re about to cum, take the condom off and just throw it wherever you want to throw it. And if there’s a wet spot in bed, who’s going to change the sheets? If I’m really fucking with you, then I might not even shower, and I’ll just cuddle. I’m really nasty when it comes to sex. I like to feel spit, sweat, anything that’s wet I’m good with. How long can you go without sex? I can go without sex. Do I wanna go without sex? Hell no. I can go without sex, but the minute I find someone that I enjoy having sex with then why should I have to wait. I’m calling you like, “Where are you at?” Do you have any sex advice for our readers? Wrap it up. Don’t do it if you don’t wanna do it. And go all in with your mind, body and soul. That’s what makes the best sex ever. Whenever you can have sex and be in tune with your body. But most importantly, always wrap it up. // Words by Randy Roper Photo by Carlos Peralta OZONE MAG // 47
Over the last few years Drumma Boy has produced some of rap’s biggest hits (Young Jeezy’s “Put On,” Birdman’s “Money To Blow,” Plies’ “Plenty Money,” Gorilla Zoe’s “Lost”), making him one
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of the game’s most sought after producers. Now, this beatmaker from Memphis, TN is making a transition from the hitmaker behind the production to the hitmaker behind the mic. And in the
process, Drumma is putting on everybody that he knows from Ten-A-Key through his own Drum Squad imprint. You already know his beats, but if you let Drumma Boy tell it, 2010 is Tennessee’s year.
What’s new with Drumma Boy right now? Right now we’re producing, we’re rapping, we’re writing. We’re establishing a crazy writing team. We’re doing a lot of different genres of music. We’re focusing on the soul side of music, as far as Hip Hop. Right now the projects that I’m working on are Lil Jon, Usher, [Jeezy’s] TM 103, and Jordin Sparks. I’m working on a variety of different things. Are you bored with Hip Hop? I come from music, you know what I’m sayin’? Music is the blues, it’s country, it’s rock, it’s Hip Hop, it’s alternative, it’s neo-Soul. There’s so many different genres of music from where I come from, Memphis. And I just represent that through D.R.U.M. Squad: Deep Roots Uniting Music. It’s a universal language. Hip Hop was like an appetizer for me. Now you know who I am. I used that to transition into the TV show, Welcome To Dreamland, and diversified our capabilities and I started working with the band. I also produced “Here I Am” for Rick Ross, Avery Storm and Nelly, just to show you more of my background and history. What is Drum Squad and who are the members? Drum Squad is a team of creative individuals that put forth effort in the music world to be the greatest. You might be an artist, a musician, a writer, a producer, or a manager; whatever your role is in the squad, we’re all aspiring to be the greatest in the music business. We’ve got a team of producers, writers, and artists. Some of the artists you may know. I got a dude [who’s] 15, out of Memphis, named Young Phenomenon. I’ve got an artist named Kristyle out of Memphis. Gangsta Boo is one of our artists. I’ve got another artist named Allie out of New Orleans; she’s coming with a mixtape soon. We’ve got GK on deck, he writes a lot of hooks. He did the “Dis Girl” hook. We got about 6.5 million views on WorldStar. That was one of the singles off the Welcome To My City mixtape. We’ve got mixtape downloads available on www.D-Squad.com/mixtape. You’ve got the Welcome To My City 2 mixtape coming out soon too, right? Yeah, it’s gonna be coming out. We’re doing the whole 2-Thousand-TENnessee movement. This is our year. It’s a lot of light shining on Tennessee artists and what we bring to the table. You’re doing some rapping yourself also. Was it always your goal to become an artist? I was rapping and working on an album before I even came to Atlanta. I started producing for other people, but it’s more of a side hustle for me to do music for others. In the back of my mind, I always knew I was gonna work on my own project and put out a lot of my own artists because I know the only movement you have is your own control of your own music, your creative control or seeing your full vision out. And I can see that out through Drum Squad. I don’t have to worry about certain A&Rs or certain labels that I have to answer to. I’m an independent label and I can move how I want to. It was definitely something I planned. I just wanted to attack the music game first, get my foot in the door, get myself situated, create my foundation and go forward. Is there a difference between Drumma Boy the producer and Drumma Boy the artist? Drumma Boy the artist is more like a dude who tells you the stories of what he went through. It’s like a long grind to get where I’ve gotten. So it’s more like the hustler mentality, the grind and street mode, and the things that it took to get here. Basically, it’s a success story. The
producer is just gonna bring you great music and be respected as far as creativity. It’s kinda like two different things, but overall it’s one artist painting different pictures. Whether they’re verbal or whether they’re musically, there’s a certain feeling that each one will be able to give to you. And that’s what people love; it’s the emotion and soul that the music brings. So, you’re an artist, producer and you’re running your own company. How hard is it to juggle all those different hats? Everything is difficult, and you have a lot of hurdles. There’s a lot of tasks where you’re like, how I can I make this happen or how can I switch this around or levitate this three or four things to make six or seven things work? It’s all about being able to create something from scratch with the general idea at making it become something that’s one of the most valuable things in the world. I just keep God first and keep that strength, that passion. That’s the main thing that keeps everything going, it’s that passion. Regardless of the situation or the circumstances, I love to do it, so there’s nothing that can stop me from doing it. Which one do you enjoy more? Man, I just enjoy music. There’s so many things that I’m motivated to talk about, and it’s like a certain environment that I wanna have to release those certain feelings. Or it’s like, you might have certain things to say but you just don’t know how to say it yet cause you’re not feeling that particular way. It might be one day next year that brings out this song I’ve had in my head for two or three years, but I actually feel that way now. I’m a real creative, act-off-emotions type dude, as far as with my music. So, if I’m real mad, the beats are gonna be driven. Or if I’m inspired, the beats are gonna be inspirational, kinda like anthem music. It depends on what the mood is, but I just have fun with it. Gangsta Boo is probably the most recognizable artist in Drum Squad. How’d you connect with her? She was always in the streets of Memphis, and she chose to stop doing business with Three Six [Mafia] a while back. We were some of the first cats that were working with her. After she stopped working with them she was actually coming with that bread, like, “I need some beats, how much do you need?” I told her what I needed and she came through. There ain’t too many chicks that handle their business like that. There wasn’t any “give me ‘til next week” or procrastinating or none of that. So I respected her for that. Plus, she’s like the hardest chick in the South, as far as on the rap tip. I’ve always been a fan. Ask anybody in the South who’s the hardest chick in the South and they gon’ say Gangsta Boo or they’re at least gon’ mention her. So, we just wanted to go hard and keep her afloat, cause I respected her grind and I respected her hustle. Production-wise, what projects do you have coming up? We’re working on Lil Jon, Jeezy’s TM 103, Usher, Juelz Santana, and the next Gucci Mane project. It’s a lot of things that pop up on us too, like the “Money To Blow” record with Birdman. I didn’t know that was gonna come about. A lot of records come out of nowhere. I know we’re working on The Game’s project as well. But I know there’s a lot of projects that’s gon’ pop out of nowhere on me. So, you gotta stay tuned, just like I gotta stay tuned. //
SEX ISSUE
DRUMMA BOY's
Top 10 CELEBRITY HIT LIST
Lauryn Hill
I’d hit just because of her musical talent, cause I’m attracted to talent. I’m attracted to somebody that’s got a crazy brain. And I don’t mean [brain] in a sexual way. I mean mentally she’s got a brain on her shoulders. Sexy chocolate. The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.
Alicia Keys
She’s crazy on the piano. Just the way she works, the way she puts it together, that would be crazy. I gotta throw a red bone in there.
Halle Berry
Baby or no baby, I know she misses that black dick. She’s gotta sneak some in on the side. So, if you chose to sneak some, Halle, holla at me.
Beyonce
The way she’s throwing all that ass around in these videos makes a nigga just…I don’t care if she do got a man. How many chicks cheat on their husband?
Rihanna
I saw a video of Rihanna last year where she had the clit out, titties out, everything. You better stop doing that, girl.
Stacey Dash
Still to this day Stacey Dash will get it. I’ve been wanting to fuck her since Mo Money. Just the way she holds herself, she’s just sexy than a muthafucka. I don’t know what it is about her. She’s just got sex appeal.
Eva Longoria
I’ve always been attracted to that Spanish culture. Just the way they talk, that tongue game. Its exotic.
Teyana Taylor
Just cause the lips are so muthafuckin’ retarded each time I see her. She’s young, but she’ll get it. She’ll get snatched up.
Fantasia
That’s ear candy right there. Just her voice. She’s got those lips and a voice.
Oprah
If I had a relationship with Oprah, she’d be able to spread some of that knowledge. I would be able to learn something. She’d put me up on some thangs, and I’d put her up on some thangs.
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Even while the industry was writing off Mr. Crank Dat Superman as a one-hit wonder and CRITICS WERE USING HIM as the scapegoat for all things wrong with hip hop, DeAndre Way a.k.a. Soulja Boy knew BETTER. NOW RESPECTED BOTH FOR HIS HITMAKING ABILITIES AND MARKETING SAVVY, The burgeoning SOD MUSIC CEO takes a rare break from handling business to discuss SEX with MORE MATURITY THAN YOU’D EXPECT FROM A 19-YEAR-OLD MULTI-MILLIONAIRE >>
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So I see you’ve been linked to a few video models too. (laughs) Oh, you just read your lil Twitter and got up to speed? Nah, I pay attention. So do you prefer regular women, industry women, video hoes, or what? What’s Soulja Boy’s type? (laughs) Man, I prefer… Gucci Wings. I’m so fly. I’m like flyest nigga out now. Gucci Wings, 2010, like stepping out of a magazine. Of course Soulja Boy has a large fanbase. Do you indulge in the groupies or pass them along to the crew? It varies. I’m the type of dude who, I think I’m friendly, you know? I take pictures with all the girls and listen to what they’ve gotta say and all that. What do they say? They say I’m the sexiest rapper alive, shit like that. They say they masturbate to my pictures on the internet. They say I’m a pretty nigga, like one of the prettiest niggas they’ve ever seen. They say they wish they could have a nigga that looks just like me in their life. Like, it ain’t even gotta be me, just a nigga that’s like me. But there’s only one me though. Well, you’re a little more thugged out now with all the tattoos. Are you trying to not be pretty anymore? I think this adds onto my prettiness on a certain level. A lot of girls like thugs. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a thug. I’m just a pretty nigga, feel me? Have you had girls waiting in your hotel room when you got there? That’s like a generic rapper story. “Aw, man, I got to the hotel and there were girls everywhere.” What rapper hasn’t had that happen? It depends on what they’re there for. Sometimes you’ve got super fans that really go hard for you, and I respect that. I don’t know if you can just put girls in categories or label them as “groupies” or “fans.” I just think of all of them as fans. Are you looking for a lady to spend time with or out on the road having fun? What’s your mindset at this point? It’s kinda scary at this age to see the different types of women that are choosin’. It’s like, amazing, but scary at the same time. Just the type of women – like, their status – you know. It’s crazy coming from where I come from. But ya boy loves women. I love girls. I’m pulling the baddest of the baddest, girls I never thought I would ever pull. Well, I take that back. I did think I would. I’ll claim that. I’ll call that. Scary in terms of their celebrity status? Yeah! All types of women. You might see a girl choose on you that you never thought would choose on you. It’s shocking. But, I think I should be able to meet any lady and have a conversation with any female.
the time. Do you think that’s accurate or would you say you deal with females on a more respectful level? I’m a pretty boy, a rich boy, 100 million in the game, so I think that describes itself. Meaning what? You’re arrogant with your women? I just think I’m a beast, man. You’ve gotta watch your boy in action. You know how you turn on the Discovery Channel? It’s like that. You’ve gotta catch your boy in action. If you catch me in my creative process in the studio or catch me with a girl, you know, but there wouldn’t be no cameras on. Do you spend time pursuing women or try to stay focused on work and it comes to you? I think women and all of that is just the perks of what I chose to do for a living. All this is just the perks. You get the Lambo, the big house, the haters… (laughs) It’s all just perks. This is what comes with the job. Now that you’re “100 million in the game,” do you spend money on your females? Do you fly them places and buy them stuff or are you not a tricking type of dude? Honestly, if you’re gonna be with your boy, you’ll have to be on point. If I’m gonna be flying you out and all that, you’ve gotta be on point. People handle different situations differently. You might fly somebody out, or you might not. Somebody might fly themselves out, or they might not. So you don’t have a standard hoe policy? (laughs) She said “standard hoe policy.” I just made that up right now. Well, everybody has their vice or weakness, like porn, groupies, strippers, or a particular type of fetish – I don’t put myself in a box like that. I’m open-minded. I don’t close off relationships cause I just like women. Your boy couldn’t be like, “I like this type of chick” cause that closes off so many other doors. I’m so open-minded. What attracts you to a female physically? Truthfully, I think it’s deeper than all that. I think everything happens for a reason. All the girls that are in my life are there for a reason. I ain’t got girls that ain’t got no purpose at all. I think every person I deal with plays a position and role in my life and I play a role in their life as well. You might meet a girl at a show or a girl on the internet or see a girl at the mall who doesn’t even know who you are. (laughs) But who doesn’t know who Soulja Boy is? Being so young, do you have a lot of older women come at you? Yeah, I got a million cougars that’s on your boy and a million younger girls that’s on your boy as well. So it’s like the best of both worlds.
Out of all the internet rumors about you dating this girl or sleeping with that video model, what percentage of the stories are true? I mean, I ain’t here to verify nothing or clear up nothing cause I don’t mind my name being thrown around. It’s all free promotion. I’m just living life and having a career as a rapper is amazing, so it’s not like I do things on purpose to generate publicity but at the same time, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes bloggers hear a story and are dead on but sometimes they don’t know what they’re talking about at all. Sometimes they make stuff up out of the clear blue sky, or they might hear a story and flip it a million different ways. I don’t think no blogger has ever gotten a story 100% correct. But, I’m entertained by all of that. The facts are: I’m a pretty boy, a rich boy, a young boy, and I’m 100 million in the game. SOD is the label. Those are the facts and the rest of the rumors, I don’t know.
How does the sexual experience compare between older women and younger women? (makes fake orgasm noises) Real talk, not much, because these girls are starting so early.
But you do play into the publicity a bit, don’t you? Like the bathroom pictures you leaked out on Twitter? (right) I didn’t put that picture out. Somebody else put it out and I just cosigned it.
Your artist Lil B admitted he got burned at one point. Do you want to share any safe sex thoughts with your younger fans? The commercial I just did for TV, GYT, means Get Yourself Tested. It’s real out there, you know? There’s so many girls choosing but sometimes it’ll scare you to the point where you don’t even care. There’s girls on my dick everywhere I go but sometimes I don’t even care. Sometimes you might see the baddest girl all on your dick, but it turns you One of Soulja off. Everybody should use Boy’s infamous bathroom pics condoms cause that shit
You sent the picture to a girl and she posted it? That’s another generic rapper story right there. “I sent it to a girl and I told her not to post it, but she put it on Twitter.” (laughs) I don’t know, man. I got a lot of love from it and gained a lot of fans behind it, so, whatever. [The picture] was 100% real though. Wasn’t no Photoshop or none of that. It was a straight cell phone picture. If we had a groupie confession on you, what would they say? I’m the best nigga in the world to be with. You can ask any girl that’s ever been linked to me and you’ll hear goodness behind my name. What’s the secret? What are you so good at? I’m just me. There ain’t no secret. I don’t mean just sexually, but all around. People kinda have the stereotype that rappers just dog women out all
Did you start early? It depends on what “early” is. In 2010, what is “early”? You’ve got girls having babies at 12, so it’s like, wow. Like I say in some of my songs, “I’ve been having hoes since elementary.” I been having teachers choose on me. I was choosing teachers when I was like six years old. Real talk, I was in the second grade and the teacher’s name was Ms. Bailey and I had a crush on her. I remember it like it was yesterday; she was fine. I’ve been wondering if she ever sees me on TV.
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could get ugly. I ain’t never been burnt or anything like that, but I won’t say “never” because it could happen to anybody. So wrap it up. I cosign that heavily. Put that condom on and it’s all good. Is it hard to find a female that’s really into you and not just Soulja Boy? That’s a good question. I could really go deeper and go into further detail, but I don’t know. How does that saying go? When you’re looking for something you can’t find it but when you ain’t looking, it’s all on you? Do you take a girl more seriously if you meet her at the grocery store as opposed to a Soulja Boy show? Real talk, I think differently. So if I’m really feeling the girl, that probably doesn’t even matter. Even with the females I do talk to, some of them are probably on that “oooh, Soulja Boy” type stuff but for the most part once a girl is around me for a certain amount of time, we know each other. If a girl lets you hit right away is it a turn-on or a turn-off? That just lets me know that either she’s diggin’ me real hard, or the next rapper could hit her the same way the next night. What about on the flip side? If you like a girl but she doesn’t give it up right away, how long do you stick around? Sometimes that doesn’t even matter. There’s so many other options, you know, so if you don’t wanna give it up, that’s cool. It just depends on the female and the situation and how deep the feelings are in the relationship. Of course you ain’t gonna keep nobody around that you aren’t really feelin’. It just depends. There might be one girl you diggin’ and you respect her choices but then you might have another girl with a whole different attitude. I don’t know. It’s crazy out here in 2010, for real. Anything could happen. I have a lot of female fans so I wish I could answer each and every question boldly and straightforward, but so many people judge me for my answers that I have to be careful what I say. I am being honest though. Have you hooked up with any girls on Twitter? Nah, I don’t do all that on Twitter. (laughs) I’ve met a lot of girls who are like fans and supporters. But just logging on Twitter, meeting a girl, and smashing her? Nah. Girls send you Myspace messages like, “I’ll fuck you right now”? Of course, you get that all the time. Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, everything going HAM! I mean, you’ve got girls that do like you and some be choosing on you, but everybody’s got motives. You know everybody wants something. Everybody’s hollerin’ at you, even the girls tryin’ to get at you on another level, it’s because they want something. There’s something behind it, so you’ve gotta be careful. That’s common sense. Everybody has a motive. What’s the craziest place you’ve had sex? Oh, I’ve gone HAM in a lot of places. A lot of places. Nowhere super creative? Super HAM? I don’t know. (laughs) Some crazy places, but I can’t say all that. If the tour bus is rockin’, don’t come knockin’? I had a bed on my last tour bus, on that Wayne tour. You should’ve seen that bus, oh my God. Upstairs, downstairs… I had a room upstairs, that bitch was going HAM. I’ve never seen anything like that. I only seem them in Europe, I’ve never seen them in America. Are you into threesomes and group sex or are you more of a one-on-one type of dude? I’ve had some experiences. You can imagine with the success I had at age 16; I made my first million dollars when I was 16. So I was going stupid HAM, even before that. I’m 19 years old now and I could tell some stories. But I feel like I’m just getting started. What’s the most number of women you’ve had in bed at one time? (laughs) You’ve got the good questions. I plead the fifth on that one. Do you think you can ever have too much sex? Can it distract you from your focus? Nah, of course not. Never. I got a dick, you know? And every so often it gets hard. So, nah. I thought that to myself one time, though. Then like four days later I changed my mind. How do you feel about the new trend of groupies kissing and telling? Every girl’s got a motive. If I’m knowin’ that she wants to hit just so she can go write about me in her book, what’s the fun in that? But I might go HAM on that muthafucker just to give her something to write about. I don’t know.
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Is there anything you won’t do in bed? Ain’t no telling what I’m gonna do. You never know what’s gonna happen once you get behind those closed doors. Once you’re in the moment, you never know what’s gonna go down. You never know. You can only imagine what may go down once it’s just you and that person. Nobody else, only you and her. That’s like the realest talk ever. What kind of music do you put on to set the mood? My females have been on this Trey Songz’ Ready album real hard lately. I gotta give my props and respect to Trey Songz. I feel like he’s that new dude in R&B and he’s doing it right now. He’s got it on smash. And I like the whole route he took; [the work he put in] shows. Once a nigga gets to a certain level you’ve just gotta pay homage. That whole Trey Songz album, you can just let it ride. Trey Songz is doing his thang. Baby-making music? Do you have any kids yet? I ain’t got no kids. I’m pretty sure every male has had a scare or two; you might have had a crazy chick. But at the same time I do wanna have a son. Well, if you’re only 19 you’ve got plenty of time. Would you mess with a married woman? Would I smash a dude’s wife? (laughs) Ain’t no tellin’, man. Behind those closed doors you never know what may happen, married or not married. She might have been gay her whole life but behind those closed doors… Have you filmed yourself getting freaky? Me? I am the self-proclaimed Internet King, the YouTube Master. So what do you think? I think there might be a Soulja Boy sex tape out there somewhere. (smiles) Next question. Let’s talk about the SOD projects you have coming up. Now to the good shit. This is what I wanna talk about. Being a businessman, I’ve always thought about my company and my empire. So becoming the CEO of SOD Music Group now is just like taking my career to another level. Is your label through Interscope? That’s what’s so amazing about my movement is that we can work anywhere. It’s like an airport with a whole lot of runways ready for take-off. I’ve got my entity, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, which is a brand, at Interscope Records. Universal Music Group is like my family. Then you’ve got Universal Motown with a lady like Sylvia Rhone, who’s amazing. She believes in my company. I’m young and I don’t know everything and I know a lot of people discredit me and write me off, but for someone [like Sylvia Rhone] with that amount of power and money to believe in you in your company, that’s powerful. I’m taking it to another level in my mind and I always have that pressure to top myself. I’ve got Hoodboss over at Asylum, Jabar over at Universal, myself at Interscope, and my label deal, which isn’t finished yet. I’ve got so many label imprints, which gives me the upper hand. I’ve got my artist Lil B. I’ve got my artist Arab, who was supposed to be the first person to jump off everything. I had Arab a deal with Interscope already when we first got signed. We were supposed to get signed at the same time. I really had plans. But my plans went wrong; they went left. On my first album I had Arab all over the album. I set it up for him. I had him on my single, in my videos, blowing him up to the point where all my fans who know me know who Arab is. I was supposed to jump it off with Arab and then do my SOD deal with Interscope, but it didn’t go down like that. So it just opened my mind up to all kinds of options, because for a long time I was stuck on poppin’ Arab just out of respect. What happened with Arab? I got him a deal with Interscope and it was a real good deal for him as an artist and where he’s at in his career. But he turned it down. He’s still signed to SOD, but he turned down Interscope. And the numbers were good. I don’t know why he turned it down; I never really knew the real reasons behind it. It’s not that we fell out or anything like that. That’s still my brother and my best friend. We’re still cool. SOD is tatted on his chest and my chest and SOD is tatted on his arm and my arm. So it’s no beef or anything like that. It’s always business, never personal. I just think Arab’s mind is in a different place. I couldn’t understand it. The average dude, if you offer them a deal at Interscope, they’ll jump at the offer. But everything doesn’t go how you plan it. What about your solo project? My next album is coming in mid 2010. This album is going to be the biggest album of my career. I know a lot of people are expecting it; my fans go HAM. This is my first year skipping dropping an album. I didn’t wanna skip a year, but I wanted to do it right. I was supposed to drop in December but I’m just sitting back watching the whole game and seeing what everybody’s selling and where the industry’s going. When I drop, I’m trying to make history. //
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As fans of our previous sex issues, the gentlemen of Travis Porter are finally old enough to participate in some grown-up questions of their own. From the sounds of it, these guys have been pretty busy with the females since their ’09 success has taken them on the road. So this is for our annual sex issue… Strap: I love sex. Quez: I’m not gonna lie, I eat pussy occasionally. With the “Go Shorty Go” record you have spinning right now, I see chicks making their own booty shake videos to the song. Strap: I ain’t gon’ say no names, but this one girl really did her thang. Shouts out to her. “Go shorty.” The ladies love it. All the girls be screamin’, “Travyyy.” Who are some famous females you’d want to see shake somethin’ to “Go Shorty Go”? All: Nicki [Minaj]! Strap: Lauren London, Christina Milian, and Nicki Minaj would go HAM. Quez: Buffie the Body, and Ice T’s wife, Coco. Ali: Superhead. She’s a fine freak. Y’all really like Nicki. Have you met her yet? Quez: Nah, I saw her but I’ve never met her. We had a couple shows together. What celebrity females do you think you could get with? Strap: I’d say Nicki. Ali: Diamond. Strap: Diamond from Crime Mob? Well, yeah. She’s cute as hell though. I want Toya, Wayne’s baby mama. She cute. Ali: I think I could get Lauren London too. She looks like somebody I’d talk to. Quez: I think Wayne would kill you bruh. I just run game on everybody and see who I can fuck. Do you have any crazy groupie stories yet? Quez: Shout out to Tallahassee, Memphis, Birmingham, Pensacola, South Carolina, North Carolina, and St. Louis. Ali: If you ain’t fuckin’ them (points to Quez & Strap) then you ain’t fuckin’ me neither. Strap: We have some shorties that just want one of us. And we have some that’s just thirsty shorties and want all of us. We you have the thirsty shorties you have to leave the door unlocked and come in and be like, “Let me thru!!” Then you run through ‘em. So you share girls? Strap: Yeah. Well, it depends. Quez: We had this one lil lightskinned shorty with a fat booty. I think Strap went first. Okay, well, Strap went first, then Ali went first, then I went first, we all went first. Then we passed her to [our manager] Zone 3. What’s the difference between a chick you just want to hit and a chick you would spend time with outside of the bedroom? Strap: I got a girlfriend. Quez: I ain’t gon’ lie, I got a girlfriend. Ali: It be some shorties out of town that don’t wanna come over that night, like they got a life. We gotta respect that. I text them back. I gotta put the work in. And when I come back to they city, it’s on. You’re saying if a girl gives it up the first time you meet her you won’t call her back? Quez: Actually, Strap does… Strap: Aye bruh, chill. We don’t remember dem. 54 // OZONE MAG
(l-r) Ali, Strap, Quez
We don’t go back. We don’t relapse. You all said you have a girlfriend, or something similar to that… Ali: Yeah, a main chick. How do they deal with the things you do on the road? Strap: True love. They just support us. Quez: This interview is gon’ be crazy. They gon’ be like, “what the hell, we ain’t know all this?!” Ali: Shhhh! But y’all don’t share your main chicks right? Strap: Hell no! I spend good money on my bitch. Quez: Hell nah! I’d slap ‘em. Fuck this Travis Porter shit! These my brothers but I’d beat they ass. Ali: I’d kill one of them. Have you ever had sex with a girl and wish you hadn’t? What was wrong with it? Quez: Bruh! We was in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Oh my God! I don’t know why I did it. I was the only one that had her…well…they had another one. Ali: I was talkin’ to her. She was just, ugggh. She was really ugly. Quez: She was tall, ugly, and black! Strap: No, she was tall, dark skinned, and cute. (laughs) Were you drunk? All: Yeah! What about big girls? Do you get down like that? Strap & Quez: Uh uh, no. Ali: I mean, I show big girls love at the shows, I grind on ‘em. I kiss on they titties and everything. Quez: But we ain’t never did nothin’ with ‘em. But that’s the trick, she show big girls love to get the fine chicks. Ali: The fine girls be lookin’ like, “Why he on that fat girl like that?” Then you make a move. Quez: Ms. Rivercity’s like, these fuckin’ players. She’s probably heard worse. Much worse. So when you do pull the chick, do you like all nighters or are you just in and out? All: Oh hell nah! Ali: 15 minutes and I’m gone! Quez: Bang, bang, bang. That’s 10 minutes each. Strap looks like he might take his time, pull some candles out and stuff. Strap: (laughs) Hell nah! Quez: Strap goes quicker than I do. He be in there for like 5 minutes. What about with your girlfriends? Quez: Oh, I’m in that thang for a minute. I take time with my girlfriend. Strap: We goin’ in! Ali: When I’m with my girl I take my time. I go slow a lil bit, then speed it up. What’s the most amount of girls you had in one night? Quez: Don’t ask no questions like that! I ain’t gon’ lie, my limit was 4. I was really just doin’ it ‘cause I didn’t having nothin’ else to do. I’m not gonna say when that was though. Ali: 3. Strap: I can’t count. 3 and a half. I hit 3 yesterday, though. How many days a week do you get it in? Strap: Damn, everyday, or every other day. Ali: I try to get it in every day really. Either with my bitch, or somebody.
You don’t let all that fuckin’ interfere with your work? Ali: Nah, it’s at nighttime, like 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning. So you call ‘em up at 5 am and they come over? Y’all got it like that already? Quez: Shit, hell yeah. How do you pick which ones you want to call up? You have a team and y’all just go down the roster? Quez: Actually, it’s down the iPhone. We just do one scroll and whoever it lands on we call. How many naked pictures do you have on your iPhone? Ali: I don’t even ask for naked pictures. Strap: I don’t save naked pictures. I just wanna see what you workin’ with. Quez: I don’t either ‘cause when I get home my bitch is checkin’ my phone. What would make you consider a girl a good fuck? Quez: That head! Strap: When they just go in. You gotta go crazy wit’ everything you do. You gotta be extreme with this shit. Like extreme dating, it’s extreme fuckin’. You mean extreme like wanting to be choked out? Or in pain? Quez: Nah, not like pain. Strap: I fucked a hoe like that last week. I don’t like that. If you ain’t my main bitch don’t be scratching me or grabbin’ on me. Quez: Yeah, don’t do that. Real shit (lifts up shirt and shows scratches), my bitch ain’t do that. How often do you get in trouble with your girls over other females? Strap: Every other three weeks. Ali: Every other month. Quez: Every other week. Strap was just mad at his girl yesterday. What makes you unable to stay faithful, or what attracts you to step outside the relationship for sex? Strap: I think it’s just the lifestyle. When you meet so many girls on the road… Quez: You know you just gon’ fuck ‘em and leave. Ali: You just see the girls and be like, damn. Strap: It’s just so easy, that’s what it is. Is all pussy the same? Strap: Nope. There’s quality pussy and there’s 5 minute pussy. Ali: Quality is when you come back the next month, after y’all talk. Let’s talk some numbers. How many girls have you been with in your lifetime? Quez: I can’t even count! Strap: We tried to count like a year ago but it ain’t work. What if a girl said she’d had sex with as many people as you have? Strap: If I just wanna fuck you, I don’t even wanna know. Ali: I’m not even finna ask you all that. But if I’m talkin’ to you and you say that shit, no, you can go. Quez: If you’ve fucked more people than I have, bitch I’m not fuckin’ you. What’s one of the biggest turn-offs when you’re getting to know a female?
Ali: Her shoes. If her shoes are bent up in the front, hell no! I look down before I look at anything. If she’s swagged out that make her look good. Some ugly girls can look good if their swagger is right. Strap: I like a bitch with some pretty feet. How old where you when you lost your virginity? Strap & Quez: I was 13. Ali: I was 13. The summer between 6th and 7th grade. Did you know what you were doing the first time? Ali: No! I lost my virginity to a freak. Strap: Me too. Ali: And she got like 3 babies now. Quez: I lost my virginity to a freak too. She had fucked my cousin like a week before that. And my cousin was standin’ over me in the room like, “Hit that bitch, Quez.” Did your first time open the floodgates and it was just on ever since? Quez: Yeah, it really did for real. 7th grade I was goin’ in. Strap: I used to have porno DVDs. I used to get off the bus and walk home and I had like 5 porno discs – I don’t even remember where I got ‘em from – I used to put ‘em in and turn off the lights with the girl, and I’d be humpin’ that hoe! Ali: I ain’t gon’ lie, I used to fall in love with girls all the time. I wasn’t lame though. What’s the oldest chick you’ve been with? Quez: 27. Ali: 24. Strap: 24. So you haven’t been attacked by a cougar yet? Strap: I had some that were ready! Quez: You mean like a 40 year old muthafucka?! Nah, I ain’t been attacked by a 40-year-old, but I had the 27-year-old muthafucka, with her sexy ass. Ali: 27 ain’t old though. Strap: We’re only 19 though. I had one that was like 33 that wanted me. That ain’t that old, but I was like, damn. I ain’t have the time to do that shit though. Quez: Matter of fact, I met a couple strippers in Alabama that were ready, but I was busy. Have you had sex with strippers? Is it the same as sex with regular girls? All: Yeah. Strap: When you naked, you naked. If you know how to fuck, you know how to fuck. Ali: It’s a turn on if you drunk, but the next morning you be like, “what the fuck?” You don’t even let her spend the night or nothin’. Quez: Nah, don’t let her spend the night. It’s just bow bow – bow, then point to the door, then bow. How do you feel about a girl that has a man? Do you even care? All: No. If she don’t care, I don’t care. Quez: Them hoes be coming to the room like, “I can’t stay long ‘cause my boyfriend is waiting.” Bitch, I don’t care. I got liquor, let’s smash. Strap: You just gotta fuck ‘em and leave ‘em. Anything else you want to say for the sex issue? Strap: All us love sex. I love my girl, but I love the road life. Quez: I like sex, I don’t love it. I fuck on the road just to have something to do. I fuck 3 bitches a day and I don’t give these hoes a break. Strap: I love pretty bitches. No disrespect to females. // OZONE MAG // 55
Keyshia Cole
She’s gutta too. She’s too hood. I saw her jump out of a Ferrari at a restaurant with her head wrapped up like she was goin’ to bed. And she went in and ate like that, with the Ferrari outside. We put a Big Bank Black CD on her car.
Rihanna
Jennifer Hudson
I like her skin tone and her whole swag. It seems like I’d remind her of her father. (laughs) I’d probably remind her of someone she came up in her household with. She comes from where I come from.
Jasmine Sullivan
I done had my windows busted out a couple times. I been through that, and I know the reason the bitch busted my shit out, ‘cause I was gone two or three days. I like a feisty bitch. You gotta be crazy to deal with me.
Monique
I love Monique. She ‘bout her business and she got personality. Fat girls need love too. I’ll put that wood that on her ass.
Kim Kardashian
BIG BANK BLACK 20 Celebrity Females that Should Fuck With My Pimpin'
As told to Ms. Rivercity Photo by Diwang Valdez Coming out in 2009 with his Zaytoven-produced single “Try It Out” featuring Kandi, Big Bank Black is known for his pimpin’. Not one to knock a basic bitch, Black has some interesting choices when it comes to celebrity females. “I like an offset bitch,” he claims. “I don’t like what everybody else likes, I need some of that exclusive.” With that in mind, he names several famous women that should try it out.
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Put her on the list ‘cause I feel like she’s a whore, and I like whores. Put all three of ‘em on there. I wanna fuck the Kardashian sisters together. I just wanna break a rule.
Kelis
She’s got her own style. And like she says, her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. I wanna come to the yard too. I heard she was a freak.
Ricki Lake
I used to wanna fuck Ricki Lake too bad. She too cool. If she fucked wit’ my pimpin’, I’d put her ass back on TV.
Judge Hatchet
I want that fine ass judge that’s on TV. She looks good for her age. I’ll jump in her ass.
Oprah
I feel like she needs a real nigga in her life.
Mary J. Blige
She’s gutta. Mary J. jas been through the struggle. She’s been through the shit I’ve been through, so she’ll understand me.
She was new, hot, young, and she’s exotic. I liked her before the whole situation. I don’t like the way she tried to shit on the boy Chris. I feel like she was supposed to respect what they had. Only those two know what went on, whether he was provoked or not. I don’t condone a nigga puttin’ his hands on a woman, but don’t put yo’ hands on me either.
Capricorn Clark
I love that girl that works for Diddy. She’s too stiff. If a bitch can work for Diddy, she can handle Big Bank.
Raven Symone
Who doesn’t like Raven? She can check that bankroll. And her titties are too big.
Toya from the Tiny and Toya Show I just like her braces. Plus I might need her to steal me some [of Wayne’s] lyrics for a nigga. I could come up off that.
Serena Williams
I want her even though she’s ugly. Just chop her face off. Well nah, maybe not Serena. She ain’t shit. She don’t even like black dudes, she like white boys.
Kelly Roland
She was so underrated. She shoulda been bigger than Beyonce. She’s like an underdog.
Michelle Obama
Hell yeah! Fuck yeah! She’s just stiff. I like how she rolls without her dude. She’s got confidence in her nigga. That’s the type I gotta have.
Hillary Clinton
I want her too. I need that presidential pussy.
All the Video Hoes
For nut purposes only. Just to bust somethin’.
All the Bad, Young, Hood Bitches
My dick ain’t went Hollywood yet. I’m still in the hood wit’ it. I can show ‘em a brighter day. (laughs) Have a baby by me baby, and be on welfare.
You don’t really have songs with strong sexual content. Is that something you try to stay away from? I’m a little bit more conscious than a lot of other artists. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s not really my thing. I just go on what I believe. What’s your take on sexuality in Hip Hop? Do you think there’s too much? I think it’s in a good place. I definitely think you’ve gotta have balance in everything. And Hip Hop is losing its balance. If you listen to the radio, there’s only one type of record that can be promoted as a single. But guys like Jay Electronica have good stuff dropping. I think Hip Hop artists need to stand up and support that to change the climate of this genre.
WALE Words by Randy Roper PHOTO BY Jon Dragonette
With that said, do you still have love for Hip Hop groupies? You know what? I think the groupie is almost obsolete now cause these women are a lot smarter and they take a lot more pride in their bodies. And the game has been told already. A lot of these girls know what they can get without even spreading their legs. And that’s just me being honest. It’s the information age. And me, personally, I never really did the groupie thing because it’s just dangerous, man. I fear, even more than anything, impregnating somebody that I don’t have any feelings for, or somebody that I met off the strength of my talent. I think that’s a nightmare waiting to happen. I don’t even play with that. What’s the craziest thing a groupie tried to do or say to hook up with you? “I’m trying to go now.” I told her, “I wouldn’t want you to play yourself like that.” She was like a freshman in college. This was like four years ago, and I was like, “This is the wrong way to go. Do you really want this? Do you really want that in your life? For a nigga to be like, ‘Yeah, I slept with this chick.’ Is that what you want? You’re going to be somebody’s wife one day, right? When it’s time to play the honesty game, you wanna tell him you did this and that?” And she was fucked up. So I just took her and her homegirls to Denny’s instead. Man, that’s somebody’s daughter. I ain’t trying to sound all…you know. But I’m going to have kids one day, I’ma have a daughter one day, and I don’t wanna have to shoot no rapper. (laughs) I don’t wanna have to kill nobody, man. Ain’t nobody jumping my daughter off. It’s karma. I don’t play with shit like that. What happens after you nut? There’s an attachment that she’s going to have with you now. She doesn’t have to be that. So, there aren’t going to be any Groupie Confessions about Walé? Man, it can’t be. Any girl that I’ve ever been with is gonna tell you two things: He was respectful and I miss him. Okay. I’m going to name two celebrity women and you tell us which one you’d rather get with. Beyonce or Rihanna? I gotta say neither because Beyoncé is a friend of mine and Rihanna is a very close affiliate of the family that I’m a part of. So, I might have to take a cold shower on that one, man. Nicki Minaj or Lil Kim? Nicki is a good friend of mine too. See, you’re gonna create some awkward situations when I see shawty. I’ma say Lil Kim by default. Nicki is like the homie. Kelly Rowland or LeToya Luckett? Gotta leave Kelly alone too, cause that’s like fam. I’ma say LeToya Luckett cause she’s got that regular girl thing going for herself. I’m in love with normalness. I envy normalcy.
Kim Kardashian or Rosa Acosta? I’m good on both of them. So you’re not attracted to the model-chick types? On my videos, I don’t even speak to the girls, cause it’s just a job. I just like regular people. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with video girls. I’m sure they’re wonderful people. But I wouldn’t even try to pursue anything serious with anybody in this dark world that we’re in. DC girls or LA girls? Home. Everybody’s comfortable with home, when it comes to relationships or anything. Relationships or intimacy or whatever, they’re only successful when you’re comfortable. New York girls or Atlanta girls? I’ma say Atlanta because I’ma need somebody to make the bed in the morning or cook breakfast. They’re very respectful. New York girls might ask you where there cab fare is. Philly girls or Miami girls?
Philly. I like the way they talk. And they put their outfits together pretty well. The dress game is a very important part of being a woman. You’re real active on Twitter. Do you get any crazy DMs from females tryin’ to get at you? Not crazy. I never let anything escalate. I got too much respect for these women. So, I don’t ever really take it there. Even if it looks like it might be insinuating something, I might play it off like, “Oh, you’re crazy.” I don’t have time for all that. I got too much stuff to do in a day, man. On another topic, ere you happy with the overall sales of Attention Deficit? Yeah, I’m very happy. We had about 70,000 sold, with one single. I’m about to go on my second single, so it’s kinda unprecedented. And I dropped [my single] so long ago, and for [the album] to be under shipped, I’m very happy with where I’m at. //
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For the last three years Angela Yee and Leah Rose have HELPED REDEFINE how women talk about sex in the media. With their Sirius Satellite show Lip Service the duo has provided a raunchy but calming voice in a land where we guys are usually asking women the questions. Ozone caught up with the ladies to talk about some of LIP SERVICES’ wildest moments, and if they take any of their work home with them.
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WORDS MAURICE G. GARLAND PHOTO SALLY BERMAN
How did the idea for Lip Service initially come about? Angela Yee: I was working with Cypha Sounds on the morning show on Sirius and we had a popular segment called “Slutted Out,” where we’d eavesdrop on girls conversations. It was uncensored. We’d have celebrities sit with us too. After a while, people said we should make it into a show. I thought Leah would be a great co-host since she was working on Clinton Sparks’ show and working at XXL at the time. Prior to Lip Service the thought of two female hosts talking about sex was unheard of. Did you have a lot of naysayers in the beginning? Leah: We haven’t gotten anything negative as far as I can remember. It’s been 3 years, but no one has outright hated on the show. Angela Yee: We are female friendly on the show. Most females in the industry get interviewed by males, whether it’s a video star, a porn star or a regular female. In those interviews, it’s harder for a male to ask a female certain questions without sounding crude. So when we ask the females questions, we’re having fun, and these are things that all female talk about. And with the guys, it’s always easier for females to ask certain questions to a guy. When you’re a woman you can ask personal questions. When dudes ask, they may get mad. Plus, we have drinks in the studio. Leah: People think the show is funny and informative. You hear perspective from the girls you see on TV, talking about how they got to where they are and what turns them on. How do you pick who comes on the show? Surely everyone’s sex life is interesting. Angela Yee: Where else can Rosa Acosta go for an interview? Regular radio can’t have guest like those because their listeners may not be aware of who people like her are. As an interviewer, I don’t believe there’s a person that’s not interesting. You just have to prepare for that by asking questions that will make them think. People told us Fabolous wouldn’t be interesting, but we had a great interview with him. Leah: We play on people’s personality and past experiences. Sex is a subject that people don’t usually get to talk about. Rappers usually go on the radio and talk about working with producers and other artists. They aren’t used to being asked if they like anal. That makes it fun because it makes them laugh and they want to answer because they know if they don’t we’ll make them feel stupid. Do people who are known for talking a good game in their music ever turn into church mice when they get on the air, or vice versa? Leah: We get surprised all the time. When Pharaoh Monch was on the how, he really surprised me. You see him as an elite backpack rapper, so you don’t know what he’s into. Once he got started talking, he said he was into porn and all this freaky shit. Angela Yee: I think people want to talk about stuff like this and never get to do it. Guests know about Lip Service beforehand, so if you’re going to be boring, why bother coming? What are some things that go on in the studio that the listeners can’t see? Leah: There is a lot of hooking up after the show and a lot of fondling going on during the show. The porn girls like to get the guys in the studio excited. It’s funny. I wish the show was a TV show. Angela Yee: You’ll hear a guy tell a girl, “Oh, I can’t do this, I’m married,” and after the show he’s asking her for her number and hooking up with her
and going somewhere else. That happens a lot. Later on the girl will tell us that they got up with him in Vegas or something. Do any of the guests ever try to get at you? Angela Yee: They do, but I think we’re experienced enough that we’re used to it. These guys try to talk to everybody anyway, so if you aren’t easy enough they aren’t going to waste their time. Leah: I think it’s also a mechanism where they try to turn it around on us and ask something crazy, but we welcome that all of the time and know how to deal with it. Angela Yee: You’ll have someone like Maino who will be flirting with us and then when another girl walks in the room, he’ll forget all about us. So basically the show has shown you that most dudes are whores. Angela Yee: I think most guys in general. I think they’re down for the right opportunity. I don’t think it’s just limited to this industry, it’s men in general.
“We had a dominatrix on the show once. She brought up a slave, some middle-aged Wall Street guy. She walked him in there on a leash.” Do women think about sex as much as men? Angela Yee: It depends on who you are. A lot of women on our show? Yeah. The porn stars that come on the show love what they do. I don’t know any guys that think about sex more than Pinky does. A lot of the women on the show are very attractive so I’m sure they get a lot of guys approaching them. Has anyone fucked in the studio? Angela Yee: There’s a “no-insertion” rule on the show. Not even a vibrator. Leah: The rule has been broken before, but only oral is allowed on the show. So you’ve actually had to tell guests, “Hey, you can’t fuck here,” or, “Put that vibrator away”? Leah: The only time something was taken out was when Max B took his penis out. He was only trying to show us, he wasn’t trying to stick it into anybody. It wasn’t even hard, so it wasn’t possible anyway. Angela Yee: We could definitely make some things pop off but we have that rule. There’s no point in trying to push people to do stuff. What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen in the studio. I’m assuming the time when Murs… Angela Yee: He put his tongue in Candace Von’s ass and ate out Roxy Reynolds on the floor. We got in a lot of trouble after that one. Leah: We had a dominatrix on the show once. She brought up a slave, some middle-aged Wall Street guy. She walked him in there on a leash and did all kinds of crazy shit to him. Angela Yee: She tied his balls in a noose and whipped them. His balls got all big and swollen, and he was clearly in pain, but he loved it.
Leah: He was paying her to do this too. She put clothes pins on his nipples. That was one of the craziest things that happened there. It was really disturbing. Do you take any of these ideas you see on the show home with you? Angela Yee: There’s no way to not learn. That’s the great thing about the show. You can hear other people’s stories and how they do things, and there’s questions you may have that you’re embarrassed to ask, but they’ll get answered anyway. We’ve had guys call and say that they learned how to eat pussy from listening to the show. Leah: I’ve learned a lot. You get to ask every question you’ve ever had. You can ask porn stars, dominatrix, girls that have had certain types of boyfriends, all kinds of stuff. You can ask about techniques. We learned from Nicki Minaj that you have to be 5 different women for your boyfriend. You definitely get a lot of tips. Angela Yee: It makes you more open to doing things because you find out that so many other people are into it too. Do you have any secret footage you plan to release? Angela Yee: I have interviews I chose not to air because I didn’t want to cause any problems. We’re not allowed to put out some of the video footage that we have either. Like when Max B pulled his penis out. For some reason there’s a rule that says it’s okay to show a woman’s body parts but not a man’s. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Angela Yee: (laughs) We’ve had a male revue show that caused some controversy. We had male strippers, a dominatrix, cougars, magazine people, [Joe Budden’s ex] Tahiry and a buffet of food. They did some crazy shit. It was like hedonism. Leah: When we had [OZONE Editor-in-Chief ] Julia Beverly on the show, we had the same guys on the show. There were four girls in the studio that night and they did something different to each girl. One named King Lex picked me up by my inner thigh and lifted me over his head. Angela Yee: Her hand prints are still on the ceiling. They lit one girl’s ass on fire. They set her ass on fire? Leah: They pulled her pants down, put whipped cream on her ass, lit it on fire and put it out with a towel and it flew everywhere. With everything that has happened on the show, how do you top yourself or keep it interesting? Angela: It’s different. We just go according to people’s vibes. But if you get a vibe like they might not be comfortable, we won’t pressure them. Like when Vanessa Simmons was on, we got the vibe that she wasn’t comfortable, so we didn’t press it. It’s supposed to be fun. What are your plans for the show from this point on? TV? Angela Yee: We have a trailer we shot with Akon, so hopefully we can get on TV. Leah: That’s what people miss out on; not being able to see the women we bring on the show. Angela Yee: I would love to take it other places outside of the studio too.
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Paul Wall & his wi
USUALLY, the only time you hear the word marriage in Hip Hop is when a rapper is talking about being married to the game, married to the money, married to the music or some other non-human entity. Once every blue moon you'll hear a rhyme about a down ass chick OR a ride or die broad, but it's rare that you'll hear the word wife uttered out of A rappers' mouth. For some reason, talking about marriage in a music that is roughly 30 years old now is still a risk. Ozone caught up with Bun B, E-40 and Paul Wall to FIND OUT HOW THEY'VE BALANCED their marriages with their successful careers. Each of them are at different stages of their marriages and offer different perspectives and stories of the celebrations and challenges that have greeted them along the way.
How long have you been married? E-40:
We’ve been together 19 years. I was with her before rap. We’ve been together since the summer of 1984. We were teenagers. I played in the marching band at Franklin High School and she was at Vallejo. I always had my eye on her and vice versa and we became a couple. She was there when I was just Earl. She’s been my backbone, my rib. We were living off of love, man. We’ve been together all these years with no fall outs in between, not even a day brah.
Bun B:
We are going on 8 years of marriage. We were together for 12 years. We got where I wanted to be financially so that we could get married. We wanted to have a real nice wedding without doing what most young couples do and spend all the money on the wedding and leave nothing to start off with. We wanted to celebrate doing
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everything the right way and set an example for our kids. We didn’t want them to grow up and be shacking up.
Paul Wall:
We’ve been married for 5 years. We’d already been together for a while. Our bond together got stronger when we got married though. She was already my best friend, someone I talk to every day and don’t get tired of. When we got married, our bond just got unbreakable. We got closer.
Do you have your wife involved heavily in your career? Has it ever been an issue as far as time spent at home as opposed to being out working? E-40:
She used to come to the studio with me a lot. But
when I started putting a lot of hours in and we had two sons, the kids had her occupied being a mom. I’m not trying to make it look like a perfect picture, but it was. We had hard times, I had my ups and downs before rap, you take your lumps financially, but once I got on, I felt I wasn’t gonna take my foot off the industry’s neck. That’s why I’ve been going hard all these years. But with me and her and the obstacles, she was there when I had funk in the hood. She was just down. I don’t have no complaints. She ain’t one of those materialistic broads. She’s strong. She’s a year younger than me, but we’re cut from the same cloth. We come from a good tradition; we’re from the old school.
Bun B:
My wife is highly involved. A lot of the decisions I’m making at this point of my career have a lot to do with where I want her and my family to be. My wife has a good ear for things that ladies like, what women listen for in music. She is built differently from other women. She’s seen a lot of things in her time so I can talk to her about a lot of things like life and current events. She keeps me balanced.
Paul Wall:
When I met her, she was a singer in Houston locally, just trying to make it on the Houston scene. She sounded really good on the Swishahouse mixtapes and she was doing stuff for Lil Keke. So she’s already creative. She’d come to the studio with me sometimes, hear a beat and come up with an idea for something. She really helped me out on a song I recorded with Trina once. Even though she wasn’t singing on it, she had good ideas for me. I’m a prude, so I try to stay away from getting too explicit. So she has to encourage me to rap a little dirty sometimes.
Do you try to keep them near you often? Like take them on the road with you a lot? Bun B: Sometimes it feels weird when my wife is not around. I get to go to a lot of places and do a lot of things that most people never get to do or see. So more than anything I want my wife to be around to experience those things too. I want to
O’Donis. When I got the beat, it was jamming, but I couldn’t come up with nothing. She started freestyling and some of the things she said got me going. Next thing I knew the flame was sparked and I wound up laying down two verses to the song.
r son Droop
thei Tracey and with his wife E-40 (right) ) ay (Photo: D-R
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experience those things with someone I can talk about it with 10-15 years from now.
E-40:
I just try to take her to the right shit. When I perform, I perform in some of the grittiest clubs, and the nicest arenas. I don’t want to put her in harm’s way, because we all know, this is rap music. I don’t look for trouble, but trouble can find you sometimes. I try to keep her out of the clubs, but I take her to the arenas and the nice clubs. I just try to make the best decisions so I can make sure somebody is there for my kids if something ever happens to me. If I’m on the road for 2 weeks, I’m going to fly her out, or have her on the bus with me. Or I’ll fly home on in-between down days when nothing’s going on.
Have female friends, groupies or just too many women being around ever been an issue in your relationship? Bun B:
I don’t play when it comes to respect when my wife is concerned. For a while I would tell people to just keep all women away from me. But my wife said I can’t do that because a lot of women are fans of mine. She told me I had to learn the differences between a groupie and a fan. She said, “A groupie wants to hold you and fan wants to hug you.” She said I can’t penalize fans for what groupies do. But we’ve only had 3 instances in 12 years when somebody disrespected.
Paul Wall:
Paul Wall:
She comes with me a lot. She brings the kids too. Family is a big part of my life. Being away makes it hard for me. Any tour I go on, she won’t be there the whole time, but she’ll be there for portions of it.
Not really. Even when it comes to girls in the video, she makes friends with them. Or she might pull me to the side and say, “She’s ugly. Take her out of the video.” It’s funny how she be on the set doing that. But all the women usually flock to her. Even when we in the clubs, the women always go to her. They don’t even be worrying about me. Based on what I have seen though, a lot of people like to be messy. I’m honest and faithful to my wife. If I wasn’t faithful that would be a problem. I think being faithful is a big part of the success of our relationship.
What would you say is one of the best decisions your wife helped you make? Bun B:
DO you think marriage will ever become more acceptable to rap about? E-40:
If you ask her, she’ll probably say everything. (laughs) But the best decision my wife helped me make was just her being by my side. Especially when I was going through a lot of things with Pimp C being locked up. That was a lot to go through financially, spiritually and personally. She never gave up on me. I was under the impression that UGK would fall apart when Pimp got locked up; a lot of us were. I fell into a very dark place and did a lot of drinking. I wanted to sit back and feel sorry for myself. That was the turning point in my career. From that point on when I decided to not let that situation beat me and defeat me, my career took off musically and we achieved financial prosperity that we have never achieved before.
E-40:
Just being there. She ain’t know what I was gonna be. All I did was write raps, but she never knocked me. My brothers always tell me that. She never knew what I was gonna be, but she was always there.
Paul Wall:
I can’t think of anything specific, but I know it’s been a few occasions though. Sometimes when I get writer’s block I’ll ask her for help. Like this one time when I was doing a song for Colby
wives now. I guess people are protective of their personal lives.
Bun B:
People tend to not focus on marriage and family in Hip Hop. Male artists who have a lot of female fans have images to uphold. When they say they’re married, that kinda puts a block between them and the fan. You still want them to scream for you. But that’s just not in Hip Hop, that’s the entertainment industry period. Look at how Usher’s career was affected. Women didn’t feel they could have him anymore.
Do any of you have advice for other rappers thinking about getting married, or even rappers who are married and might not be enjoying it? E-40:
If you find a good one, you probably want to stick with her. It’s not about glamour. You want somebody who’s gonna be there for you. Everybody’s got a main squeeze. If you find a good woman and she’s in your heart, stick with her. Don’t get caught up in all this industry shit, man. Find a down to earth female. Different strokes for different folks, but my advice is if you find a good one keep her.
Bun B:
I get calls from younger rappers making the transition. I’ve talked to Wale, Dizzie Rascal and I talk to ESG and Paul Wall on the regular. All I have to tell you is don’t do it unless you are sure. Don’t get married out of convenience, that’s the last thing you want to do. There’s nothing worse than being an unsure married person.
Paul Wall:
Keeping your faith in God is a big part of it. I would encourage people not to do it if you’re not ready. Some people do it too soon, and some wait too long. If you think it’s meant to be, do it. But the biggest part of it is being faithful. If you are unfaithful, it makes it hard and it makes [your spouse] very insecure. //
This game is like making movies, but people take music literally. When you rap about something, people say you ain’t doing that. Me personally, I make songs about my wife. I just did a song called “All I Need.” If you came in the game real mannish, people want to see you stay Words by that way lyrically. I’ve got a Maurice G. Garland young and old audience so I have to mix it up. At the end Bun B, his w of my day I go home to my ife (Photo: Kead Queen, and their kids Br eneshia & Br ron Smith) wife. Now I’ve said some slick andon a.k.a. Young B crazy shit in my songs, but my wife knows that I come home to her. She knows this is just my occupation.
Paul Wall:
It’s entertainment, so I don’t know. It’s like a secret society. Once I got married, I started noticing that a lot of other people in the industry were married too. Before I was married, I didn’t know that a lot of my friends were married. They introduce me to their
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On most nights, Diddy’s suite at The W Hotel in downtown Atlanta is probably a pretty lonely place. With a list price of over $2,000 dollars a night—even on a Wednesday—it’s fairly easy to assume that the suite the hotel simply calls the “Wow Suite” doesn’t have many occupants on nights when it’s not Designated for the likes of Diddy. Situated on a floor most CEO’s room keys couldn’t access, Diddy’s suite employs the type of lavish largesse more fitting of an exhibit than a place to sleep. Walking in, you get the feel that the suite is there more for show than anything—it’s the kind of hotel room that all new employees get to see on a tour their first day at work, but probably won’t ever witness again—and of course, Diddy brought his own show along with him. There are video cameras, a staff photographer, a few managers, publicists, body guards, company reps, and a slew of other employees who all look busy. And then there’s Diddy. Amidst the quiet commotion, three things stand out: A long boardroom-type table adorned with hundreds of promo bottles of Ciroc Vodka in tall white gift bags with blue tissue paper, a tall model chick who methodically escapes to the bedroom as if it’s the only place she’s allowed in the spacious suite, and the window. Not just any window, this is the window. It’s mesmerizing, impossible not to look out of as it overlooks I-75 and the city of Atlanta at rush hour, directly centered over the contrast of white headlights and red taillights that create a kind of art that could only be taught about. As Diddy emerges from the bedroom, leaving his company behind, he walks past the huge window without even taking a glimpse at city of Atlanta below. He sits on a couch in the corner of the living room, glances at his blackberry and gets ready for the part of job his doesn’t seem to care for very much: interviews. You spend a lot of time down here in Atlanta. What is it about the South, or Atlanta in particular that keeps you here so much? It’s just the people. I just love their vibe, their energy, the Southern hospitality, really just the whole Southern swag. Your life has been well-documented in the tabloids, television, and even movies, but what’s something that we don’t know about you? Do you have any bad habits? I’m a workaholic, and it’s hard for me to sleep. I can’t think of too many bad habits, but I’m a regular human and I make mistakes. Some days I’m good, some days I’m not the best person in the world. I think we all have similar traits, I don’t think nobody’s above making mistakes or being a human. In terms of bad habits, there’s not any one specific thing I can think of—and I’m nowhere near perfect. I just can’t think of any bad habits. You’ve been going hard with the Ciroc promotions lately and it seems to be a very successful endeavor. Of course, there were a number of artists before you that tried to promote various
brands of their own liquor, but none have really succeeded. What were you able to differently with Ciroc? I think it’s really in the product of Ciroc. I mean, Ciroc is the star. It’s just a great, quality product. You can make people try something once, but to keep people continually coming back, it has to be the product. And we gon’ really take over the game once we drop these different flavors, because we’ve done something that’s never been done in the industry, which was to produce some great tasting flavors, in raspberry and coconut. Once we get all of these things on the shelves I feel we’re really gonna take off. In what ways does Ciroc enhance sex appeal, or sex in general? Ciroc is known for it’s smoothness and I think ladies are especially attracted to a cat that’s smooth and confident with what he’s about—as long as he ain’t really extra about it. I think the uniqueness of Ciroc is sexy. People get tired of going with the flow of what everybody has been drinking the last ten years, so when you’re with that young lady and you’re ordering that Ciroc, I think she’s taking notice that at least you’re going against the grain with things. Did Ciroc help fuel the 36-hour tantric lovemaking session you were talking about on Twitter? (laughs) Naw, that’s not really alcohol-induced, that’s more just like a natural gift and part of me being a Scorpio. Everybody may not be into that type of thing, but that was just something I was expressing with everybody on Twitter, because that’s what I do when it’s time for me to focus on sex—not all the time, but once in a blue moon, if I’m in that mood. I know it probably takes too much concentration with all the breathing techniques and whatnot to have music playing during something like that, but for a normal session what would you say is the best love-making music? You can never go wrong with Jodeci’s Diary of a Mad Band or R Kelly’s 12 Play would work. I think you can really get busy off those two joints right there. You’re always working on multiple projects at once. You have Ciroc, Dirty Money, and I know you’ve said that “movies are [your] next shit,” but what areas of your business are you most passionate about right now? I would say it’s still music—Dirty Money, that and really coming in and making my mark in the spirits industry, the liquor industry. We’re starting we Ciroc and when the time is right, we’re gonna also expose you to some other brands. I thought the Dirty Money project was kind of atypical of Diddy. What made you go that route? I think at the time it was important for a reinvention of me and the way I present my music to people as a recording artist. I think that I play best on a team and I’ve always been a fan of the three-member groups like Guy, but I’ve never seen a group with 2 females and one male, so I thought it would be unique and it could tell a good story. So it’s kind of like the concept you did with the Unforgivable ads with you with the two naked girls? Naw, that was just a reflection of something that’s happened in my life before.
In terms of the female-female-male concept in your music, how has that experience been so far? I think the approach to the music is so refreshing and different for me as a producer and an artist. It’s not going to be an album full of dumbeddown radio records. These records are very experimental, they mean things; they have a lot of edge to ‘em but they’re dope enough that they will eventually be played on the radio. How are you able to adapt and keep your music relevant after all these years? I think you just have to stay true to yourself, but you also have to listen and pay attention to what’s out there. It takes so skill to do. In order to stay relevant you can’t be out there sounding like yesterday, you gotta be make sure that you’re sounding like today but in your own way. In your opinion, who is the best rapper out today? Um, I don’t wanna just give it up to just one person, but I would say my two favorite rappers out today are Jay-Z and Lil’ Wayne. I can feel comfortable saying those are two of the best rappers in the game right now. As a label owner, why don’t you think there are more female emcees succeeding right now? I really don’t have an answer for that question. But I think Nicki Minaj is gonna come and heat it back up, and I think Lil’ Kim is definitely still relevant—I wouldn’t sleep on her. She has a great album. And I’m actually on one of Trina’s new singles; I know Trina’s got some good stuff. I think maybe [female rappers] just took a little break, to be honest. Do you think there’s truth to the notion that a lot of female artists use sex for leverage with producers or whatnot? I don’t really know about the whole fuckin’ for tracks thing. I never really heard about that shit. As a producer I don’t know if some ass will make you go in the studio and spend three days making a track for chick. I can’t really see that working. It takes too much time to produce a track the right way for you to give it away for some ass. We used to have a section in OZONE called “Groupie Confessions” where some of our more ambitious readers would write about their exploits with different stars. Would you ever be concerned about any of your friends of the program writing about you? I know you’ve had— No, I’m not concerned about that. I don’t really have a lot of experience with groupies. What advice you have given your sons about women? Just to be respectful with women. And also I’m teaching them to make sure that the woman is treating them right. Don’t let no woman not treat you like the king that you are, and make sure you’re treating her like a queen. I have a cousin who is planning on proposing to his girlfriend pretty soon. I know you’ve been able to avoid popping the question thus far, but do you have any advice for someone who wants to propose with the extravagance of Diddy without having the budget? If I propose it probably wouldn’t be in a big “fly her to the top of the mountain” type way, it would probably be more in a sincere way. Women love surprises though, so I would suggest finding a really good way to surprise her without spending too much money. // OZONE MAG // 63
No longer just a teenage girls’ heartthrob, Bow Wow is one of the few child stars who has been able to successfully transition into an adult career. Here, the rapper/actor tells us why you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet, why mama knows best, and why women are his kryptonite. There’s been rumors of you being involved with video models. Do you think that video models get a bad rep? A lot of people have the perception that video chicks are all hoes and are all sleeping with all the rappers. In your experience have you found that to be true? There are some girls in the workplace who know how to handle their business without doing things that video vixens do. I’ve ran across a couple females who know how to do their job and handle their business. It’s kinda like strippers. Some strippers go to work, get their bread, then wake up in the morning and go back to college or use that bread to pay off their student loans. You’ve got some who respect the game, but then you’ve got some who may do bad things to get to the top. If they want that extra celebrity power, they’ll do whatever they have to do to get it. I’ve most definitely ran through my course of video models. For me, it just comes with the game. When you’re a high roller and a big baller, especially in Hip Hop, that shit just comes with the territory. That’s all we’re around – video models and models. We don’t get a chance to meet the regular girls that work at Target or work a 9-5 in an office. We go to the hottest spots. I live in Miami, so I see those type of girls all the time. Not all video girls are [hoes]. Some are and some aren’t. Since you were very young when you started out in the business, have you kinda gotten over the appeal of the groupies and the models? I was exposed to a lot of things at an early age. There’s always moments where I don’t feel like being with a chick, because I know I’m going to be a laughingstock if I try to get too serious with her. There’s probably another rapper or ballplayer she’s kickin’ it with. So, I do get tired of it, but some days I might just want to get a couple of girls around and we’re all just kickin’ it with no strings attached and no feelings. Sometimes you want to have girls around for that. So I’m half and half with it. Some days I don’t want to be bothered with [groupies], and some days I want some fun girls around. Do you think you were exposed to too much being in this industry so young? Was it something your mom was concerned about? My mom was never really concerned. She understood. At six years old, I was running with Snoop and I was out there in L.A. by myself. I was always a smart kid growing up. I was very mature for my age, so my mom never really had to worry about me much. So did Snoop put you up on game? Was he giving you advice on how to deal with females? Nah, I’d credit that to my mom. My father was never in my life, so I never had a man teach me game. I got my game from a woman. I was raised by a woman and was in a house full of women at an early age. I figure that’s the best way, because nobody knows a woman like a woman. If you have a good female friend that you’re not sleeping with, she can give you good insight. My mother raised me, so I just asked her for advice and listened to her. So I guess that’s why I’m so successful with women now. What was her advice? Little stuff. “Bow, clean your ears. Make sure your nails aren’t dirty. Girls don’t like that.” To this day I try to be perfect. I believe in perfection. I try my best at all times to be perfect when women are around. I credit that to my mother. When a girl comes to my house she doesn’t have anything to say to her friends. “Bow is dirty” or “Bow’s room is dirty,” none of that. I’m ten steps ahead of what she’s thinking. That’s how I win my way with the women. I guess you can call that cheating, because I get my game from a woman. Nah, it’s not cheating. That’s fair. So what kind of car would you say helps you get the most attention from females? My Lamborghini. I have an orange and black Lamborghini Murcielago. That always does it for [the ladies]. When the doors lift up, they like that. You mentioned earlier that you wouldn’t want to date a girl who’s kickin’ it with another ballplayer or rapper. Why do you think there’s still such a double standard between men and women? A woman is supposed to be pure. That’s what makes a woman a woman. A woman is supposed to cherish her body. Guys are like, we’re the dog. We’re the inner beast; the lion. I’m not saying it’s cool, but there’s a difference between men and women. It’s been that way forever. A woman is supposed to be pure and respect her body. As guys, we’re dogs. Dogs are messy and dirty. Dogs sniff themselves. That’s just what dogs do. I guess it’s a stereotype that we’ll never be able to get away from. There are some things that women can get away with that guys can’t get away with. So I think there will always be a double standard. 64 // OZONE MAG
You were rumored to have a little thing with Superhead. She even hinted that she was pregnant with your child. If you already know a woman has been with a lot of other men, is that a turn-on or a turn-off? If you’re the type of person that listens to what other people say, and if that dictates your personal life, than you probably wouldn’t deal with that kind of woman. But if you’re the type of person who doesn’t care as long as you’re happy, you can block that out. A lot of people are probably just hating because they want her but they can’t get her. To me, it really doesn’t matter. No matter what girl you get with, she’s been touched before. Even if she’s a virgin I’m sure she’s kissed another guy or done something before. That’s just how the game goes. You have to suck it up and go with your gut. If you feel it, then you’ve got to block it out and forget what everybody else is thinking. To me, [her history] really doesn’t matter as long as I’m happy. As long as she’s good, I’m good, as long as she ain’t done no stupid shit before us. But if she was with another celebrity and it was a high profile [relationship] and then she ends up with me, it’s all good. I’m not trippin’ about the previous dude at all. It is what it is. You’re not going to find a girl who has not been touched before. So you’ve just got to live with that. Are we going to read about you in Superhead’s book number five or six? Nah, I doubt if you’ll find me in there at all. All of those rumors were false. You know the internet is crazy because when people put stuff out there, everybody believes it regardless of where it came from. I’m sure you read stuff about yourself on blogs and websites. What percentage of the things you’ve read would you say is based in truth? Everything is false. The majority of the press makes money off of negative things, so they don’t want to print positive things. For a guy like me, you rarely ever see me doing anything that’s negative or bad, so they just take things out of context. For example, TMZ said that I was driving drunk and they blew this whole thing up when it was really just me being young, having fun, and celebrating my New Year. But they’ll take it and twist it and run with it. If 10 people tell you pigs can fly and only one person says, “No, pigs can’t fly,” everyone’s going to believe the 10 people. That’s just how it goes. The media prints false stuff about me all the time. It’s just amusing. Sometimes if I’m having a bad day, I’ll just log on and laugh at the shit. It’s hilarious, because nobody knows me better than me. If they make up a story, to me it’s funny because I know what really happened. It’s hilarious how people can take something small and invent the whole situation. So don’t believe shit you read on the blogs. Unless they interview me like y’all at OZONE. There are a lot of kid rappers or kid celebrities who were never able to make that transition into being taken seriously in adulthood. Why do you think you were able to do it? Just being smart. I feel like strategy is the main key in this business. I didn’t want to just be wildin’ out or putting out a sex tape or doing a lot of the ignorant shit that you see a lot of young Hollywood stars doing. I wanted to show the growth and maturity through my music. That’s why I dropped records like “Out Of My System,” more mature adult relationship type records so people would respect me. I basically did it throughout my work, whether it’s through my music or my movies, rather than just my actions. I didn’t wanna make people feel like I was forcing [adulthood] by just being on a blog with a blunt in my mouth. That’s just ignorant shit and it’s not necessary for me. They’re not used to seeing Bow Wow do certain things. Or, if I’m playing a role, like my first sex scene on Entourage. I’m going to make you respect me as an adult through my work rather than my actions. Speaking of Entourage, are there any Bow Wow sex tapes out there? Nah, I love the checks that I get so I wouldn’t want to put out nothing like that. I don’t need the attention. So, no. Not at all. You won’t see anything like that. I can’t mess up my brand. You’re never tempted to pull out your phone and snap some pictures? Never. I’ve always been the type of person to learn from other people’s mistakes. So when I see all these other dumb ass niggas on here, and they’ve got camera phone pictures ending up on MediaTakeout, I’m like, how dumb can you be? I never do that. Really, I don’t even allow that. When girls come around they can’t even bring cell phones around me. My security holds their cell phones and they can get them back once we’re done kickin’ it or whatever. We just don’t allow that in my camp. I’m sure you’ve had some crazy screaming fans chasing you down. What’s the boldest groupie approach that you can recall? Everything. I’ve had girls throw tampons on stage, bras, panties, everything. I’ve had girls flash me while I was on my tour bus. I had a girl that snuck into my bus while I was in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and she was laying in my bunk. Before we pulled off, she kept saying, “I’m with Sean.” Sean is my best friend. I was like, “You know her?” He was like, “Hell naw! Get her off the
bus.” We had to kick her off the bus but she swore she knew us. It’s crazy. It is what it is though. I’d rather have [fans] than not have fans. A girl threw a tampon at you? What is that supposed to do? Doesn’t seem like it’d be a turn-on. It was a disgusting. It was a turn-off. Yeah, girls are wild in the heat of the moment. They might feel like this is their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch my attention and they’re going to do whatever is necessary for them to capture that moment. I don’t know. I guess they’re trying to make it a memorable moment. You’d have to ask them. Are there any celebrity women you’ve met that had you starstruck? I never get starstruck. Nobody amazes me because I’m a celebrity myself and I feel like this whole thing is just a big-ass high school. I do the same thing you do. We go to the same award shows, so you ain’t no different than I am. No girl intimidates me. I just kick it and have fun. I’m 23, so I ain’t tryin’ to be tied down like that. I need room to flex a little bit. Is it hard to tell if the women you do meet are into you personally or if it’s more about the celebrity status? I’ve had “regular” girlfriends before who weren’t famous and it worked out fine. For me, I think it works out better when she’s not in the business, because you’ll have some type of reality in your life rather than just the Hollywood glitz and glamour. When I get a chance to talk to my girl, it’s cool to hear that she’s at the grocery store and I don’t have to send security with her. I get a sense of realism in my life rather than this fake stuff I see all the time. As hard as I work, I would love to come home and just feel regular. To me, nothing feels like that. It’s one of the best feelings in the world if I have a girlfriend. Was your situation with Ciara more of a real-life relationship or more about the Hollywood glitz and glamour? That was serious, it wasn’t nothing play about that. It was all serious. Do you think you’ll ever get back together? I’m not even focused on that. With my ex-girlfriends, if it didn’t work, it didn’t work and I move on. If it didn’t work we just need to part ways. I’m not the type of man to get stuck in the past when it’s time to move on. The past might block you from something great in the future. I have no intentions on moving any steps back. Only forward.
You’re pretty active on Twitter. A few celebs have gotten caught out there posting some sexual stuff that looked like it was intended for DMs. Do you try to stay away from the sexting? (laughs) Nah. I get caught up too much in the press already for saying stupid shit on Twitter. I just keep it straight business. My Twitter is a bunch of Xbox Live updates and dates of my [shows and events] and stuff like that. Do you have a favorite porn star? Nah, I’m not a porn fan at all. I get way too much action for me to be sitting around watching pornos or even to know porn stars. I’ve had a couple porn stars hit me up on Twitter before, but I don’t even answer them. I’m cool. Being a young celeb, have you had a lot of cougars come at you? I love older women. As a young man, that’s the best feeling. Women always say men mature way later than women, so it’s nothing like talking to an older woman because it makes you feel mature. It makes you feel like you’re doing something. On top of that, a lot of guys come from a background where we don’t have a father, so we’re mama’s boys. There’s nothing like having an older woman who knows everything. That’s like your girl, your mom. After sex they might clean up and cook and do all the things that the young girl isn’t even thinking about. The young girl, y’all might do y’all thing, and you get in the shower and come out and your room is still fucked up. An older woman might get in the shower with you, bathe you, beat you out of the shower, and clean your room up. When you walk out it’s clean and you’re like, “Damn!” She’s in the laundry room washing your clothes already. It’s just on another level. I don’t mind cougars. I love them. What’s the oldest woman you’ve been with? I ain’t going over 33. Anything over 33 is like a grandma to me. And you’re 23. So anything over ten years is too much? Yeah, that’s perfect. I know what to do with a 33 year old woman, most definitely. Do you have a preference as far as different races of women? I love them all. I don’t discriminate. I love white women, black women, light
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skinned black women, Oriental women, Japanese, I love them all. I’ve had my share of just about all races so I never discriminate. I just love women. That’s my only weakness. That’s the only thing that could ever distract me from anything is a woman. I love all women. Women are my only weakness. It’s like kryptonite is to Superman. If a woman comes around me it could just throw my shit all off, in a good way. Like, if she’s in the studio I might not get any work done.
used too much recently because I moved to Miami.
Have you ever kicked it with a married woman? I have, but I won’t do it again. I felt bad. I was looking at her wearing her wedding ring and wondering, damn, what is he doing right now if I’m with her? They might be going through their problems or whatever. But what if her husband is just at home watching the game and missing his wife and here I am boning the shit out of her? It’s not cool. It’s like, what if this shit comes back on me? I only did that one time and it was years ago. I’ll never do that again. I feel bad to this day. I don’t think that’s cool at all to sleep with a married woman.
Before you “retired” from strip clubs, did they ever take you back to the champagne room and give you the royal treatment? Nah, I haven’t done that. Too many people have camera phones now and they’ll send that shit straight to YouTube. I’m cool. Anytime I do my dirt, I do it in my comfort zone – my house or my hotel room.
What’s your opinion on gay marriage? Do you think it should be legal? If that’s what they’re into, let them do their thang. It’s a huge population of people all around the world, so I figure it’s not my business. Let them do them. I know it’s a sin, but fuck it, if that’s what they want to do then go ahead and let them do what they do. But me, I’m strictly women. Have you ever paid a woman for sex, directly or indirectly? What’s your opinion on breaking females off? Do you pay their rent or car notes? I’ve never in my life paid a girl’s bills or rent. I’ve never been a trick. Never. I think that’s terrible. If you’ve got to do that, that means you’re lacking and slacking in your conversation skills or you’re not confident with yourself. Paying for sex is cheating. You get no respect from me if you do that. But if it’s your girl and you’ve established that she’s your woman and she holds you down, that’s a different thing. You trick off on your woman because you want to make sure she’s lookin’ fly, but other than that, the closest thing I’ll ever get to trickin’ is throwing ones at the strip club. Don’t ask me to pay your phone bill or nothin’ like that unless you’re my woman. Speaking of strippers, didn’t you do a video where you had a pole in your basement? Do you have a stripper pole at the crib? Nah, not at this crib, but we got one at the studio [in Atlanta]. It hasn’t been
There’s plenty of strip clubs in Miami. Do you have a favorite? Not at all. I calmed down with the whole strip club thing ever since I moved to Miami. There’s so many beautiful women and so many hot clubs you can go to without spending too much money. I really can’t even tell you the last time I was in a strip club.
Have you had any bad sex experiences? On my momma, I’ve never had a bad sexual experience. The only thing I hate is when a girl moves too much. I don’t like it when a woman moves too much. It throws me off. Stop moving, just stay your ass still! All the obsessive movement throws me off. The rubber could slip off or anything could happen. Like, why are you moving around? You’re fucking up the coordination right now. Keep your ass still. I don’t get that all the time, but once in a while I will get the wild ones or a girl that does not know how to stay still. I hate that. That’s like the only part about sex I hate. Stay still! What kinds of music do you put on to set the tone? XM Radio Heart & Soul does it every time. Around 2:30 in the morning all kinds of shit comes on: Luther, R Kelly, Keith Sweat, all that old shit that your mama used to play. Then it’s on. So shout out to them, most definitely. Finally, what’s going on with your new deal over at Cash Money? I’m on my way to the studio now to meet up with Stunna [Birdman]. Right now I’m in the recording process. I’m not pressured to finish an album right now. I’m basically just getting in where I fit in with my labelmates. I’m just trying to contribute and do what I’m known for doing – making hit records. Hopefully we’ll be able to make history together. My mixtape The Green Light II is going heavy on the internet. I just wrapped up a brand new movie with Ice Cube called Lottery Ticket that’s coming out in August. So I’m just wheeling and dealing, kicking back and recording, and doing what I love to do. //
TYGA Words by Randy Roper
It’s been two years since Tyga first appeared on the rap scene. Back then his bars were sweeter than “Coconut Juice” compared to the “Bedrock” rhymes he’s been spitting alongside his Young Money colleagues of late. Needless to say, in a short period of time, Tyga Tyga has come a long way. With his new album Careless World due out later this year, the only YM member from the West is ready to earn his keep within Tha Carter Empire. How did you link up with Wayne? I was at the MTV VMAs and ended up performing because I was on a remix with my cousin [Travis McCoy]; he’s in a band called Gym Class Heroes. I ended up performing with [Wayne]. That was the first time I ever met him. I didn’t even know he knew my name. After [we performed] I asked him if I could send him a few songs, cause at the time I didn’t have a deal. He gave me his info and we went from there. What do you think he saw in you that made him what to bring you to Young Money? He saw the potential and the hunger that I had as an artist. It’s crazy, cause when I first started, he had a goal. He had a vision and he was still working on Tha Carter III. It’s amazing to see all that, from an artist on a large scale like him, like the process and then the results, and now the process with [Young Money] and then the results. It’s like a formula they got and now I’ve learned it. Where do you think you fit in on the YM squad? I’m somebody with a whole ‘nother swag from the West Coast. We’re all different and we all have different kinds of fans, but they all love us together, because when we come together, we’re one.
Did you feel like your first single “Coconut Juice” was slept on? No, I felt like I was doing something that I didn’t wanna do. I was trying something new because I was around a lot of rock [influences]. I was 16 when I recorded that song. I really didn’t understand what I really wanted to do in music; I just knew I loved to do it. I really didn’t know what it was going to take to get big and I went about it the wrong way. But everything I’ve done, I’m glad that I learned. So now I know what fans wanna hear from me and I know what type of message and image I want to portray now. You released your first album, No Introduction, in 2008. Were you happy with the album? I won’t say I was happy, but I wasn’t disappointed. Like I said, it was a stepping-stone and I learned from it. The new album that I’m working on now is called Careless World. And that album’s going to be crazy. It’s really gonna let people know, “Okay, this is Tyga. I see what the hype is. I see why people have been talking about him.” What’s the biggest difference in who you are as an artist now, compared to when you first came out? I’ve grown and matured a lot and I’ve learned a lot. In this game you’ve really gotta pay close attention and see how it’s done the right way. And I’m seeing how it’s done from both sides of the game, from crossover to straight urban, and [I’m seeing it] from the best people. There’s nobody in the game that’s fucking with Wayne [or] this whole Cash Money, Young Money movement. Look at the freedom we’ve got and the music we make, and the way we relate to the people.
What do you have to say to the people that feel the only artists people care about in Young Money are Wayne and Drake? How do you take that kind of criticism? I mean, Drake is doing his thing right now, as well as Nicki [Minaj]. I think it’s just over time, people will accept you when they wanna accept you. I can’t focus on the people. All I can do is continue to make good music. People will catch on and I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing until they do. What’s your relationship like with your cousin Travis? Do you talk to him often? Yeah, I talk to him all the time. He’s working on his new album right now, too. I definitely think he’s an influence. To see how an artist grinds from the bottom to the top; I’ve seen his success. From rock to pop, they’re touring. They’ve got different kinds of fans; their fans are more loyal. Who do you think is the core of your fanbase? I honestly don’t be knowing until I go out at these shows and see people’s reactions. I know it’s a lot of girls, for sure. (laughs) But I think it’s a lot of people young like me feel the way I feel. But we’re grown at the same time. People wanna hear some real shit but they still wanna dance. I basically just talk about what I know and what I’m into. I feel like a lot of artists don’t do what their fans really wanna hear from them. I do both. I’m my own fan, so I know what my fans wanna hear is the same thing I wanna hear. What do you see in the future for Young Money as a whole? More albums, more tours, more success, man. // OZONE MAG // 67
Young Money (l-r): Gudda Gudda, Shanell, Tyga, Mack Maine, Lil Wayne, Short Dawg, Lil Chuckee, Jae Millz, Lil Twist, Birdman
According to Young Money's hit single 'Every Girl,' Lil Wayne and Co. wish they could fuck every girl in the world. But let's be honest, there are some girls in the world who probably aren't worth opening up their legs and filet mignoning. To test this notion, we sat down with YM members Jae Millz, Gudda Gudda and Mack Maine and threw out some celebrity names to find out who honestly could get the business. As told to Randy Roper Photo by D-Ray
Amy Winehouse
Gudda Gudda: Yeah. Definitely. Lady Gaga, she can get it. She’s straight, man.
Jae Millz: I’d definitely have to fall back off Amy Winehouse cause I really don’t know what’s going on with her. Her whole situation…I ain’t got no problem with a chick that might smoke some bud, have a drink here and there or might pop a pill here and there, but her definition of drugs is hard drugs. She parties to another level. And all the cutting herself, if she can cut herself with glass and all that, that means she’ll try to cut me. And I’m afraid of what I’ll do to her, so I’ma fall back off her.
Jae Millz: I’m definitely falling back off of, and I don’t care who takes this the wrong way, Lady Gaga. I don’t believe that Lady Gaga is a lady. I need 100% proof that Lady Gaga is a lady. It’s something about the VMAs when she accepted her award. Her legs didn’t look too womanish. Her legs looked like she was supposed to have on some basketball shorts and a tank top.
Mack Maine: No. No. No. I’m not doing nothing for her. My shit is exclusive. The more people you let slob on your knob, and the more times you put your peter piper in a little groundhog hole, your shit deprecates. Shit’s real. You can’t have no bitch out here false promoting and misrepresenting your dick game. No, I’ll do a song with her. Gudda Gudda: Aw, hell no! Hell no! Like hell! No! I saw a picture of her the other day that just wasn’t right. She’s got missing teeth and shit. Like, c’mon. Nah.
Lady Gaga Mack Maine: I wanna tape that one and sell it. I’ll tape me and her and put it all over the internet. I’m Ray J and she’s Kim Kardashian. First of all, she’s sexy. Second of all, I met her before. She’s a weirdo like me. I’ll switch to my alter ego, Stupid Mack Nupid, fuck Mack Maine. He be on some Lady Gaga shit too. He’s a weirdo, he be on some other shit. We’ll be in that bitch making wild noises, doing all kinds of different, crazy positions, all on top of the fan, all outdoors. You couldn’t smash her indoors. You’d have to be smashin’ her on a rollercoaster, at the park, at the game, just getting arrested smashing. Lady Gaga, that’s the experience of a lifetime.
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'My shit is exclusive. The more people you let slob on your knob, and the more times you put your peter piper in a little groundhog hole, your shit deprecates.' - Mack Maine
Wendy Williams Gudda Gudda: I don’t fuck with Wendy. She looks like a dude. Her face looks chewed. She be at my brother’s neck too much. I can’t fuck with her and I wouldn’t fuck her. Jae Millz: No bueno. Never ever. Not in a million years. I wouldn’t fuck Wendy Williams with your dick. This is just my personal opinion. I’m not saying she’s ugly or she might be a man undercover. I ain’t saying none of that. I’m just saying she doesn’t do it for me.
Mack Maine: Nah, I wouldn’t smash her, bruh. She talks to much. I might make her mad. What if I smash and don’t call? She might be on the radio making up lies and all that.
Superhead Jae Millz: Superhead can get it just to be like, “I was a part of that.” It’s sad to say and it might sound kinda groupieish but I wouldn’t mind being a part of that circle. But I ain’t trying to end up in no book. Me and her would have
to have some type of understanding or something like that. But she’s cool peoples.
Gudda Gudda photo and shirt by Alan Pugach
Mack Maine: I’d get some skull but I wouldn’t smash. She’s cool. That’s my people. Me and her are cool. I’d have to see what that head game is about because of the rep, but I wouldn’t smash. I’m picky. I gotta keep my shit exclusive. Gudda Gudda: I don’t know, that’s a toss up. If me and her were in a situation where it could happen, I don’t know. She be doing too much for me. I’m too calm and try to keep to myself. Me and her wouldn’t make it, so I wouldn’t fuck her neither. I definitely wouldn’t fuck her. I’m not trying to be in her next book.
Oprah Jae Millz: Oprah can get it. I’m definitely trying to put a little Millzie in Oprah the first chance I get. I don’t need a Magnum, I don’t need none of that. I want her to have twins. Mack Maine: I’m skeeting in that, ya heard me? (laughs) I’m trying to have twins with her too. Tell Stedman he could the fuck [out]. I’m trying to wife her. If you get my mixtape Freestyle 101 I said that shit. No disrespect but hell yeah, nigga. Gudda Gudda: C’mon, my nigga. What nigga in America would not pop Oprah? I’ll pop Oprah gladly. Any nigga in America would pop her and want her pregnant. I want a child with Oprah, my nigga.
Queen Latifah Jae Millz: Queen Latifah is another one. Definitely gotta put a little Millzie in her if I get the chance to. Queen Latifah ain’t the average Shanaynay, Shaunte, Keisha or Tiffany on the block. That’s Queen Latifah right there. She can change a nigga’s life. If you wanna talk about Oprah…that’s the hood version of Oprah. Latifah’s got that bread. Gudda Gudda: I’ll pop ‘Tifah. Hell yeah. She’s a cute big girl. Mack Maine: Yes. But you know what, that would be a dilemma because I met her before and she got some work. She’s got more women than me. So, if I smashed her, she could either promote my sex game, or she might fall in love with me, and I can’t mess with the other chicks she could turn me on to. You know how many chicks I’m gonna lose messing with her? That’s a hard one to answer.
Whoopi Goldberg Jae Millz: Now Whoopi Goldberg can definitely change my life, but she cannot change the way that I look at her in the morning. She can’t, so I think I’ll fall back off that one. Gudda Gudda: That’s another no. Hell no. I wouldn’t pop Whoopi. She ain’t my style. I’ll never pop Whoopi. Mack Maine: That ain’t my style either. Me and Whoopi would probably just have good conversation. She seems like she’s intelligent, but I wouldn’t smash.
Macy Gray Mack Maine: Nah, bruh. Me and her would probably be good friends too. I can’t do that. No, Macy Gray. Jae Millz: Just her whole aura, her whole demeanor is like, that’s just not really my type of late night situation. Her voice is something that I don’t think would take me to the next level, so I might fall back off her.
Michelle Obama
us. Obama gotta get a pass. Barack gotta get one of those passes like, “You better be lucky, he’s my man.” You gotta give Michelle one of those passes on the strength that that’s Barack, that’s the big homie.
Mo'Nique Gudda Gudda: (laughs) I don’t know, man. I might pop on one of those bad nights. Catch me on one of those I-had-too-much-to-drink type nights. But not on a regular night, I wouldn’t pop Mo’Nique. I met her once and she kinda gave me that “mom” vibe. So I definitely wouldn’t pop her. Jae Millz: Wow! You’re playing with fire. I’m trying to be respectful in this situation. I don’t really think Mo’Nique would want any parts of me anyway, she’s married. So, I’ma play that one safe. Mack Maine: Nah, that’s like a motherly figure to me. That’s my girl. I love her. That’s like family, so that would be incest. I’ll tell you who I would [fuck]. Everybody that I named on that song. Paris Hilton, I’d give her all nighters. Hopefully I’d really get free suites at the Hilton. I like everybody on there. D. Woods, Rosa Acosta. Miley Cyrus when she’s old enough, that’s my baby for real. I really would marry her. When she’s of age, though. Now everybody’s seeing her develop, and they’re like, “We see what you were talking about.” Nigga, I saw it. That’s why I’m in the position I am with Young Money. I see talent. You’ve gotta see this shit before it happens. I already know it’s gonna pop when she’s 18. I wish I could cuff her right now. She ain’t there yet, but when she’s 18, nigga, that should be mine. I love her. Tell Bill Ray chill out. I’m a good dude.
India.Arie Jae Millz: No bueno. There ain’t really too much wrong with her, but there ain’t really too much right with her. I’d definitely have to fall back off India Arie.
Star Jones Gudda Gudda: I’ll hit her on a bad night, you know what I mean? Stumbling in from an afterparty or the club. With a little bit extra to drink she could get it. Give me somebody good, nigga. Give me some good ones. Remember, I only had 8 bars on that song. I wouldn’t fuck every girl in the world.
Rosie O'Donnell Gudda Gudda: Oh, no, no, no, no. She gets nothing. I can’t fuck Rosie.
Whitney Houston Mack Maine: Nah, I’m straight. That’s a real good friend of my homie Ray J. That’s one of his good friends. I ain’t saying that’s his girl but I wouldn’t do it on the strength of that. And because I can’t come behind Bobby Brown.
Gudda Gudda: Hell yeah, nigga. More than Oprah. She’s actually nice with it. She looks good and all that. [Barack Obama] would pop my bitch. I don’t trust that nigga. I bet he’s running around the White House fucking a gang of bitches, so I definitely would pop his.
New York (from I Love New York)
Mack Maine: I don’t mess with married women.
For The Love of Ray J girls
Jae Millz: Nah, just off the respect for Barack, I don’t think no black man should wanna touch Michelle. Just off the respect level for what he did for
Mack Maine: I already been there, done a few of them. So, I gotta say yeah and keep it honest. //
Mack Maine: That’s not my style. That’s not what’s up. She looks like she’s got that funk, ya heard me? It look like it ain’t right.
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LOVE IS A VIRTUE Words by Julia Beverly Photos by Matt Conant
70 // OZONE MAG
Everybody wants to talk about LIL WAYNE's 12 month sentence, 8 root canals, 4 baby mamas, and rumored drug addiction. But even as he heads to Rikers Island, there's only 2 things on Wayne's mind: love and music.
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A
side from a casino, few places on earth have the ability to suck away time like a recording studio. Inside the walls specifically designed to keep sound out, the silence is almost therapeutic. It is here, amidst this vacuum, that Lil Wayne is most comfortable.
Whenever the notorious workaholic isn’t touring, grossing a reported $42 million in just 10 months (from December 2008 through September 2009), he’s recording. Often, he’s both touring and recording. And tonight – just three days after he created his Twitter account (an event which was considered headline news by MTV News, Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, and Vibe Magazine, among others) and five days before he is set to begin a yearlong sentence at Rikers Island on gun possession charges – is no different. Wayne has just arrived at Atlanta recording studio Tree Sound for normal vampire business hours, the when-the-sun-goes-down-til-the-sun-comesup schedule favored by many creative types.
Wayne thinking up some creative Tweets (Photo: Julia Beverly)
Playaz Circle rapper Tity Boi lounges in the studio, playing a rough cut for Wayne of the video they shot a few weeks prior for “Big Dawg,” one of a gazillion videos Wayne has shot and/or appeared in while preparing for his time away. After the video draws to a close, Wayne leans over his own laptop and gazes at his Twitter page. “I’m trying to do like The Carter III,” Wayne laughs of his rapidly expanding Twitter follower list. “A million in one week.” But why the screenname @liltunechi instead of just @LilWayne? “That’s how you know it’s me,” Wayne explains. “When I saw @NickiMinaj, I had to call and make sure that’s really her. [The fans] are gonna be like, ‘@liltunechi? I don’t know what the fuck that means, so it must be him.’”
“What’s happening?” Twitter asks. “If I’m too deep, stop diggin’,” Wayne types, then reconsiders. He slowly backpedals, erasing each character with a tap of the “backspace” key. “Nah, that sounds too regular,” he muses. “I don’t wanna sound like anybody else.” Are you confident that the Young Money brand will endure even without you being present for a few months? Yeah. It’s kinda like the Lakers right now. The Lakers just lost Kobe [Bryant] for like five games, and they [won] 4 and lost 1. Today on ESPN one of the commentators said, “I believe the Lakers are a playoff team without Kobe.” And I believe Young Money is a championship team without me. Drake, Nicki [Minaj], [Lil] Twist and [Lil] Chuckee taking over the kids, Shanell’s got the alternative heads, Tyga’s got the West Coast and the females goin’ crazy, Short Dawg’s got the niggas, Gudda’s got the gangstas. You’re known for your crazy work ethic. How do you inspire them to keep up that same pace even without you being present? I think it’s instilled in them and embedded in them from day one. When they get [to Young Money] they see what the ethic is around here, and that is work, period. I think it’s embedded in them. I think that’s the reason why they are artists on my label, because of their work ethic, period. So I think that’s never a factor. In the past, you’ve always stayed away from things like Twitter. But you just joined and your followers are multiplying rapidly by the hour. How’d they convince you to join? Lil Twist. He got to me. Is Lil Twist related to somebody in the crew, or how did he get down with Young Money? Lil Twist is my artist; he was [my manager] Cortez’s pick. I think Tezz met him at Hot Beats [Studio] or something out here [in Atlanta]. Your tweets are mostly about love. Is that your mentality at the moment? I asked Twist when I got on Twitter, “What am I supposed to do?” He said, “You’re supposed to say what you’re thinkin’.” That’s what I be thinkin’. 72 // OZONE MAG
Is love what you think about all the time? Or just right now? Right now. I think about the moment, but my thoughts usually last for days and lifetimes. Do you think having a deadline approaching, so to speak, is amplifying your emotions? I’m human, so it has to have an effect. Therefore, the effect has to be an emotion being amplified. So I guess that answer would be yes. What do you have planned for the next few days before you start serving time? Work as usual. Family. Work as usual. No different. How have you prepared your kids for you going away? They’re young. Three of ‘em [aren’t old enough] to speak yet, and my [oldest] daughter, she’s okay with it. She knows what’s up. I know you’re generally not too concerned about the critics, but you did get a lot of flak for the four baby mamas. I don’t think what people think should be any concern of anybody’s. It’s definitely not a concern of mine. I’d be crazy if it was and you’re crazy if you are. I think people translate “he has four baby mamas” as “he disrespects women.” But that goes back to me not caring about what people think or say. They wanna be [baby mama] number five, six, and seven, so… Did you go through a phase where you were, um... wanting to spread your seed? Or was it just the way things happened? You’d have to be a woman that’s with me to know what phase I was going through. If I was to answer that question for you or for the world or for this magazine, then I’d be the dumbest nigga on the planet. Fair enough. Too personal with the questions? You did your job and I did mine. I know you’re a weed connoisseur, among other things. Do you think this time in prison is going to be like detox for you? Are you looking at it that way at all? No. I believe that weed and any other drug should be – I didn’t say “is,” I said “should be” – of your own preference. And since it’s a preference, you should be able to tell yourself when you can’t prefer it. When you have to prefer something else. According to your cover story in Rolling Stone, you quit syrup cold turkey, which is impressive because not too many people can turn their drug use on and off like that. How were you able to do it? Four words: it’s a mind thing. Why did you decide to stop using then? You just woke up one day and said, “I’m not gonna sip syrup anymore”? (nods) It was just a decision I made. I didn’t want it no more. I wasn’t really fuckin’ with it too much no more anyway, and I just got a point where I was like, “Fuck it. I’ma leave it alone.” Was health a concern? You know, it was a concern of others. Yeah. It wasn’t one of my concerns. I think you know what you’re getting into when you [start], or you should. There was some controversy over the release of The Carter documentary. Did you feel like they emphasized the drug addiction aspect too much? Is that the reason you didn’t want it released? The fact that we didn’t want it released was business; paperwork. I feel like, if I agreed to have that camera around me, then I can’t tell that person what to edit when they go to the editing room, unless I am in the editing room and editing with them. If I’m not then I shouldn’t complain, but I was supposed to have a say-so because I had to approve it. And that was the whole [problem]. I didn’t approve it and they still put it out. So you weren’t happy with the creative aspect or the business or both? It was some of both. There were females on there with me and shit, you know? Why give them some shine when I’ve got baby mothers? I believe as an editor or whatever, as a person associated with me, if you want to become a real business partner with me I believe you should consider things like that. I shouldn’t have to be the one to consider it. How are you able to have several baby mothers and they all appear to get along pretty well?
That’s another answer that’s none of your concern. Shouldn’t be. Well, some of our male readers would probably want some advice on how to deal with their own baby mothers. It’s all in the person that you are. It’s nothing about what you do. There’s no rules or certain things to do or say. It’s who you are. Period.
grill, so that’s the whole process.
Lil Wayne’s “going away party” @ Dolce in Miami after the Super Bowl with the whole YM family including Lil Twist, Short Dawg & Lil Chuckee (above) & Tyga, Drake, & Nicki Minaj (below) (Photos: Julia Beverly)
A lot of people have this idea that paying child support determines if someone is a good or bad father. Obviously, it’s more about giving your time than money. How would you define good fatherhood? I’m not on child support with none of my kids cause I’m a great father. So it’s not determined by how much money you’re paying at all. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about being there and being that important person in their lives. It’s about being #1 or #2 in their life. That’s very important for your child, to make sure you’re that #1 or #2. Because if you’re not, you know what #1 or #2 could end up being. That’s the most important thing of all. I just try to make sure I’m of the highest importance in their lives, next to their moms. How does your background affect the way you treat your children? I had a great stepfather, Reginald Rabbit. As far as my “real dad,” I don’t know what that is. So I guess that pushes me [to be there]. Kind of aiming to be what you didn’t have? I don’t get when people say that. How could you be something if you never had it? It’s just aiming to not be what you had, you know?
Well, just from being around you myself, I’ve observed you as somebody who’s very polite and respectful towards women. But at the same time, in your music, you still do have a lot of “bitches” and “hoes” talk. How do you justify that or how do those two things coexist? There’s two answers to that. One is – there are bitches. There are hoes. There are ladies. There are women. There are girls. Pick which side you’re on. When somebody’s saying something about “bitches,” if they didn’t say “Julia is a bitch,” if it doesn’t apply to you then it doesn’t apply to you. The second answer is, you’d have to be a woman who’s met me to know if I believe you’re a bitch or a hoe or whatever. You worked with Shanell a lot on the Rebirth album. Was it more of a musical connection at first and then became more personal, or vice versa? Since when did it become a personal thing? I don’t know. I thought y’all were an item. That’s a rumor, sweetheart. No, it’s never been a personal thing. As far as us being friends, yeah. That’s my friend. Shanell is a great artist and that’s it, period. She’s a Young Money great artist. I heard a rumor that she was pregnant from me. How could that be? We’ve never had sex. How could she be pregnant from me? You’ve got to have sex to be pregnant. That’s one of the things you have to do. I don’t understand how people’s brains work. You know? I’m a really big person. I’m a real superstar. I’m not afraid to tell you or nobody else, you know? I die every week [according to the rumors]. I’m in jail right now [according to the rumors]. So the intrusion into your personal life bothers you? No, it bothers you, because you have to actually think if it’s true or not and come sit down and ask this dumb ass shit. I know you have to feel stupid, because it’s like me sitting here and looking at your [brown] hair and asking you, “Since you dyed your hair green, how do you feel?” Your hair obviously isn’t green. It was a rumor that appeared to be substantiated so I have to do my job. Folks wanna know. So how’d you make it through eight root canals? Were you knocked out? Yes. Sedation. Are you happy with the pearly whites? Oh, my grill is about to be put back on. [The pearly whites] are temporary. That’s why I’ve gotta go through so much to get my teeth worked on, because my grills are permanent. They’re not just the ones that can be snapped out, so when I have a problem with my teeth, they have to break the grill. That requires messin’ up the grill, which requires getting a new
With less than a week to go before you have to start serving time, are you feeling like the world is about to end? Or feeling like you have a new adventure or a new phase in life to look forward to? What’s on your mind at this point? I don’t think about that. I just live in the present. You’re never supposed to think about the future; it comes soon enough anyways. Has this whole legal process been a humbling experience? No, I wouldn’t say that, because I’m an emotional dude. I wear my passion on my sleeve so it’s not humbling at all. I’m too passionate and too emotional, so everything gets to me.
Your “going-away party” after the Super Bowl at Dolce in Miami was really one of the few times I’ve seen you appear to just..have fun. At that point, I didn’t care about it being a going-away party. All that didn’t matter to me. I felt like I was with my real friends. Anytime I go in the club I’m with one or two friends, and we end up with 18 people we’re just okay with. You know? But that party – I was in there with my real people, that I fuss at, that I care about, you know what I mean? So that was the difference that night. That’s why it was so fun. Literally, I’ve never experienced that with them. And I don’t think I even had a drink that night. What do you think separates an artist who goes away and comes back with more hype than they left - like Pimp C or Gucci Mane – from an artist who goes away and is forgotten? Do you think it’s having somebody on the outside still representing, or the volume of music pre-recorded? I think it’s that too, but I think it’s who you are, period. If people care about you or not. If people wanna follow you [on Twitter] and that type of stuff, they actually give a fuck about you. If they give a fuck about you being [in prison] they’re still gonna give a fuck when you come out. It’s about being who you are, period. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to make people give a fuck about you. I mean, you can do things, but I don’t know how much those things would really help you or hurt you. That’s why we shot a billion videos, just for the sake of – I am loved. We didn’t shoot it just because I’m going in. Did you keep track of how many videos you’ve shot recently? Nah, I didn’t. I just know that I shot ten videos in two days. But that was just in two days. I shot more after that. We just kept shooting. Some artists have said they weren’t inspired to write music at all while they were locked up because of the surroundings. Yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna be too inspired to write anything either, because I usually get inspired off music. Since I don’t write [lyrics on paper], it’s the music that gets me to do something. So if I get some music back there and keep my thoughts fresh, maybe. Will this be your first experiment with writing down lyrics? Nah, I’ve been writing before, when I was younger. So I don’t know. I guess that’ll be my form of recording for now. I’ve got so much material already, and I work so hard, I really just need a break. That was my next question. In some sort of way, are you looking forward to it? I mean, obviously, it’s not the ideal situation, but at least you are getting a break. Yeah, that is what I’m thinking about. I’m looking forward to sleeping and stuff like that. Sleep? A foreign concept for you. Is that the plan for the first few weeks? That’s my plan for the whole time. (laughs) If I could have power, that’d be my plan. To sleep the whole time. Turk’s younger brother passed recently. Have you been in contact with him? I heard about it but I didn’t know if it was a rumor or not. I haven’t talked to him, but of course, my condolences. My condolences to him and the family and friends. In New Orleans, shit is crazy. Baby did a few interviews recently where he said that he was definitely feeling the loss as far as you going away for a little while and he planned OZONE MAG // 73
to move the Cash Money offices to New York temporarily so he could still be near you. Are you feeling the same way about the separation? I’ll be aight. (laughs) I ain’t trippin’. I told everybody, “I ain’t trippin’, man.” So everybody else is acting like it’s the end of the world, and you’re just taking it in stride and planning on getting some sleep? I don’t know, cause I really don’t get into what everybody else is feeling. I tell ‘em to keep their feelings to themselves, cause I don’t want you to bring a damper to me. You know what I mean? Aside from sleeping, do you plan on using the time to read up on anything? You were studying psychology in college. Is that still an interest? I read, period, so that’s nothing new. What’s the last good book you read? The last good book I read was called Exit to Freedom. It was about a guy who beat a murder charge. He was tried for murder and found guilty, but after some crazy shit, he ended up beating the case, which was cool. Do you feel like you accomplished your goal with Rebirth? I’m accomplishing. I haven’t “accomplished” yet. The reviews weren’t that great. Did you feel like the critics didn’t understand or it was ahead of its time, or you still have to perfect your craft? All three. I felt like they didn’t understand and they weren’t ready, and of course I have to perfect a whole lot of it too. But the people that do like it usually like it because it’s just me. The people that love it are the people who actually get it. I respond off their response, and their response is what makes me keep going. So as long as you have fans, you’re good. Yeah. And you know what it made me feel like? It kinda made me feel like I could be another artist. I felt like I could step out and be an artist that just goes to joints with my band and tears that shit up. It has nothing to do with me rapping. That’s what it makes me feel like. And now you’re working on The Carter IV? It’s finished already. Is there a set release date as soon as you touch back down? We don’t know. You know how [the label] does with my music. They don’t know what to do with it cause it’s that good. Do you have a couple mixtapes done to be released while you’re gone? Nah, I’m finished with the mixtape shit for now. You gotta buy my music. We’ve talked about oversaturation of a lot of artists who do tons of features. Do you think you’ll ever get more selective? No, because I love music. People don’t understand that music comes with instructions. So as long as it comes with instructions and it instructs me what I’m supposed to do, I’ma keep doing it. The day it doesn’t come with instructions, that’s when I’ll stop or become more picky about my features.
When you come back out, is it business as usual? Back to work? Return to the normal routine of recording, touring, recording, touring? Or is it too soon to tell? That’s not even a question. You know what I’m gonna do when I get back. Just gonna lay back for a while and come back same as always. That’s the plan. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned, but that’s the plan. With the interview complete, it’s back to the task at hand. After several hours of listening to a hard beat with a throbbing, stuttering X-rated hook (“make that pussy cum, make that pussy cum”) play back on repeat endlessly, it’s now well past 3 AM. Wayne, wearing a crisp white tee and blue jeans tucked into his untied Adidas, chain smokes Swisher Sweets, downs bottle after bottle of Publix raspberry iced tea, faces the blue fabric walls of the recording studio and stares off into space, muttering lyrics to himself. “[The girl singing the hook] really sound kinda sexy,” observes Tity Boy, in his Southern drawl. “Get you a slight boner.” “This should be Lil Chuckee’s song,” Wayne jokes, nodding towards his 13-year-old prodigy, mimicking a young female fan. “Hey, you heard that new Lil Chuckee [song]? ‘Make That Pussy Cum’?” “It’s a masturbation song,” observes a female friend drowsily asleep on the sofa, baseball cap pulled down low to cover her face. “Don’t need nobody else.” Wayne grins. Exactly what he was going for. Finally inspired, Wayne leaps back across the studio to his Macbook, still logged into Twitter. “Love is a virtue,” he types, and presses “Tweet” emphatically, looking pleased with himself. “233 new mentions of @liltunechi” the screen flashes seconds later. Then “276,” then “294,” then “313,” all in rapid succession. Unlike most Twitter addicts, he appears unconcerned with reading the @ replies. It’s enough to know that the fans are there. He may be out of sight for the next 12 months (8 with good behavior), but for the 340,000+ fans following him and enjoying constant Twitter updates courtesy of @LilTwist, never out of mind. If you believed everything you read on the internet, you might think of Lil Wayne as a drug-addicted, ignorant, germ-covered gremlin who impregnates every woman he meets – all from anonymous commenters who have likely never met him before. And Lil Wayne loves them too. “Hate is only a form of love that hasn’t found a way to express itself logically,” he says of his detractors in the first letter (“Gone Til November”) posted on his website WeezyThanxYou.com. The letter ends with this poem, entitled “Pray”: Give me the patience that I need To keep my piece of mind, And with life’s cares, I hope, Dear God, Some happiness to find. Give me the courage to face life’s trials and not to from troubles run. let me keep this thought in mind. “Thy Will,” not “Mine,” be done. //
Wayne on the set of “Roger That” with YM’s Tyga, Gudda, and Short Dawg standing by (Photo: Julia Beverly)
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Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, businessman Reality Laster relocated to Atlanta and Miami in search of the best place to launch his rap career. With the release of “Candi Girl” his label FUP Mob (Fuck U Pay Me) is finally STARTING TO SEE THE success he’d dreamed of. How did you end up in Miami? Were you just looking for better opportunities as far as the music business? The weather was real nice, and I just wanted to get out of Atlanta. When I first moved there I was hoping to peep the rap game and take my game to another level. But I was kinda disappointed to find out that a lot of the rappers I had idolized were kinda fake. They were selling records and had platinum plaques on the wall, but for the most part, they were broke. In the rap industry, the majority of the rappers are lying. Probably about 10% of them really have money and are really doing what they say in their music. So that turned you off from Atlanta or turned you off from the rap game, period? I had all these music dreams, but I realized it wasn’t real. These aren’t even the type of people I want to hang around with because it’s all hype. It was a good reality check for me. So I just started to focus on getting my life together. I moved to Miami and put the music stuff on pause a little bit so I could focus on some of my other business ventures and my real estate ventures. But I still have a passion for the music business and a passion to make music, so after I got comfortable, I started my company F.U.P. Mob. It stands for Fuck U Pay Me. That’s the name of my record label and also my group, which includes six guys. I’m surprised that Atlanta was such a bad experience for you. To clarify, I have a lot of respect for the artists in Atlanta. They’ve come a long way from when I lived there over ten years ago. I consider Atlanta the new black Hollywood or black music mecca, and I love what they’ve done for Hip Hop and for the South as a whole. But most of the rappers in the game are broke and don’t own shit. We still have a long way to go. But I don’t want to come off like I hate Atlanta, because I loved the experience I had there. So you’re more focused on your solo career at this point? Yeah, because three of those guys are in jail right now. And having six guys work together in a group is very difficult. Everyone has different ambitions. Some dudes are really trying to have a career, but some of the guys are just doing it for the hype trying to get some pussy. Everybody was going in different directions. You never know what type of goals people are trying to accomplish. Since I was the most business-oriented of the group, I was trying to get them to focus on the business aspect. But I realized that if they have no money invested, they’re not looking at it the same way you’re looking at it. So I’m focusing on my solo career right now. You just shot the video for your single “Candi Girl,” right? Yeah, I did the video for “Candi Girl” and I also did the video for “All My Money Real,” which is going to be the second single.
I have a P&D deal through Universal. It’s a label deal, but I do my own marketing and stuff and they do the pressing and distribution. I own all my masters. I’m going to put out these singles and see if I can create a buzz and come up with a record that’s catchy and that’s working. The “Candi Girl” record is catered more towards females, which is my target market. After “All My Money Real” I’m going to continue to put out singles until something catches. Why did you choose the name Reality Laster? Actually, that’s my given name. Reality Laster was easier to copyright than just “Reality,” so as far as trademarks, everything was pretty simple. It’s a brand, just like Tommy Hilfiger. You mentioned real estate and some of your other business ventures. What other kinds of businesses are you into? I’ve had an internet company since 2003. Since the market crashed my real estate ventures have slowed down a lot, but there’s still a lot of good deals out there. I’m working on my clothing line and my Candi Girl Vodka, which is the most expensive vodka in the world. It costs a thousand dollars a bottle and the bottle is made out of crystals, so you don’t throw the bottle away. Would you say your musical style is in the same lane as some of the other Miami artists? Or being from the Milwaukee, does it have more of a Midwest sound? I’ve got a nice variety. There’s some songs for the girls, some street records, and some club records. A lot of it is Midwest influenced, West Coast influenced, and down South influenced since I’ve spent the last nine years of my life in the South. I like all good music. My sound is pretty versatile. I’m coordinating features with other rappers from all over the country. I’m going to give people a variety of music and stay consistent and continue to release singles. I’m working on the All My Money Real mixtape. When will your album be coming out? The album is called Remember My Name, and I’m going to release it when the demand is ready, I have shows coming up in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas; I’m going on a 20-city promo tour next month and I’ll be hitting up all the markets to touch the people and give them a real live show. Where can people go to get more information about you? They can visit realitylaster.com, fupmobmanagement.com, and my internet company intsolutionsonline.com, which offers a lot of services for guys in the music industry. The “Candi Girl” will be available soon and they can go to Reality Laster TV, YouTube.com/ RealityLaster, to see the Candi Girl vodka commercial. // Words by Julia Beverly Photos by SoCoolPhotography,com
At this point do you plan on building a buzz with the intention of getting a major deal, or putting the album out yourself? (above) Candi Girl Vodka on the set of “Candi Girl” 76 // OZONE MAG
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& Lil WaynE/Rebirth Cash Money/Universal After one listen it’s obvious why Lil Wayne’s attempt at becoming a full-fledged rockstar was continuously pushed back. Simply put, Rebirth doesn’t sound good. The album’s first single “Prom Queen,” the second single “On Fire” and “Drop The World,” featuring a guest verse from Slim Shady, round out the handful of somewhat likeable songs. The rest of Weezy’s rock album is bad enough to make Jim Hendrix spin in his grave. Lets hope Wayne got these rock aspirations out of his system and delivers a classic in The Carter IV. – Randy Roper Young MoneY We Are Young Money Cash Money/Universal There’s no question, with a line up that includes Drake, Nicki Minaj, Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz and Tyga, Lil Wayne has assembled one of rap’s most talented crews/ labels. Unfortunately, this Young Money album doesn’t exactly make for the best showcasing of this aforementioned talent. “Every Girl” and “BedRock” are cool singles, but add those to “Ms. Parker,”“Wife Beater,”“Girl I Got You” and “She Is Gone,” and damn near half the album features lukewarm tracks about YM groupies. There are other standouts like “Steady Mobbin” and “Pass The Dutch,” and you can’t complain about listening to new verses from Weezy, Drizzy and the rest of Young Mula. But overall this album is more random than reputable. – Randy Roper B.o.B., DJ Drama & DJ SensE May 25th Since B.o.B. has finally been blessed with a release date for his album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, this Aphilliates’ mixtape serves as the perfect promotion for his debut (which is due to be released on May 25th, if you didn’t catch that). May 25th the mixtape has a good balance of B.o.B. and Bobby Ray. B.o.B. is the rapper who attracted fans at the start of his career with songs like “Bet I” featuring Playboy Tre, “Gladiators” with J. Cole and “Fuck The Money,” produced by Kanye West and featuring Asher Roth. And for Bobby Ray fans that adore the his rock/pop/bluegrass side, this mixtape has songs like “The Rain” and “Don’t Feel So Good.” May 25th is a good tape, and with DJ Drama keeping his commentary and drops to a minimum, it flows even better. – Randy Roper Bun B/No Mixtape Bun B released a project entitled No Mixtape, rapped over other artists’ beats and ripped track after track the UGK way, but according to Bun it’s not a mixtape (so I’m not sure what to call it). Besides a few snippets off Bun’s upcoming Trill OG album that could have been saved until they’re ready to be heard in their entirety, from top to bottom, No Mixtape is a solid effort. – Randy Roper Yo Gotti & DJ Drama Cocaine Muzik 4 The Cocaine Muzik series continues with Yo Gotti bringing us the fourth installment. This time, however, Gotti, brings his friend Zedzilla along. While Zedzilla isn’t stellar he does a good job on CM4, which also features a good dose of Gotti. Tracks like “Both Sides,” “Women Lie Men Lie” and “Touchdown” help Gotti maintain the quality of his CM brand and are likely to make their way among your Gotti favorites. Not surprisingly, Gotti keeps his streak alive with CM4 and gives us another reason to pay attention to him besides his white Lambo. – Rohit Loomba
Travis Porter, Waka Flocka Flame,& DJ Teknikz Streets R Us An unlikely matchup at first glance, this blend of teenie-bop plus street-crunk turns out to be a good balance. Travis Porter continues to improve their songwriting abilities and concepts with new singles like “Go Shorty Go,”“Call You” featuring New Boyz, and “Uh Huh, Pt 2” ft. Bryan J. The TP/Waka collabs (“Hell You Talmbout” ft Frenchie & “Waffle House”) are repeatable as well, with Waka’s solo tracks turning things up throughout the tape. Apart from a few redundant tracks, Quez, Ali, Strap, Waka, and DJ Teknikz created an entertaining project here. Ms. Rivercity Trae Tha Truth & DJ Yerp Nothing But Tha Truth Trae Tha Truth has always delivered with his mixtapes and Nothing But Tha Truth is no exception. Trae matches his deep, throaty street-inspired rhymes with mostly borrowed beats. “Incredible” and the “Uptown” freestyle find Trae displaying his Hip Hop skills alongside friends such as Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. Where this mixtape falls short is with tracks that only have one Trae verse, leaving listeners with an unquenched Trae thirst. While this mixtape serves to hold fans down, right now it’s safe to say we all need this Asshole By Nature to drop his next full length. - Rohit Loomba Soulja Boy & DJ Holiday DatPiff The Mixtape Starting off with “Gully,” Soulja Boy preps listeners for some of the strongest material he’s released thus far. If a few freestyles and fillers were replaced with a couple more singles, this could almost serve as an album. DJ Holiday does a good job of balancing the catchiness of songs like “I Look Good,”“Swag Flu,” and “Poppin Tags” with aggressive bangers like “Hottest Rapper” and “Go Get Money.” Featuring the “Turnt Up” remix with Roscoe Dash and the Drake collab on “Play Ball,” this tape goes down as one of Soulja Boy’s most memorable moments. - Ms. Rivercity Sparkdawg, DJ Scream, DJ Ill Will & DJ Rockstar @Sparkdawgmusic Sparkdawg’s latest mixtape has quite a few bangers (“Drank N Dank,”“Skype Hype,”“No Relatioship,”“Gangstaz & Grindaz”). But for every banger, there’s a song that’s a bore (“We So On,”“O My,”“Feelin Myself,”“I’m on Fire,”). But @Sparkdawgmusic boasts good production and a long list of guest rappers (Chalie Boy, Trai’D, Gudda Gudda, Paul Wall, Lil Flip, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Joell Ortiz and a gang of other rappers I don’t feel like naming), who often kill Spark on his own shit. But overall, Sparkdawg’s mixtape has plenty of tracks to check for. - Randy Roper Young Thad, Zaytoven, & DJ Smallz/Straight Out of P.A. Young Thad makes a memorable entrance with this Zaytovenlaced, street-themed compilation. Including his current single “Put Me In the Kitchen” featuring Gucci Mane, Straight Out of P.A. has several songs worth recapping. “Tools On Deck,”“Move that Work In,” and “Midget” ft. Yung Ralph are instant standouts, while “Purple Trax,” “Alphabet Boys,” and “Bubble Kush” make for good riding music. There’s room for improvement in Thad’s verse writing and technical recording skills, but his hook delivery and overall image is on point. - Ms. Rivercity
OZONE MAG // 79
PITTY
DA KID Born and raised in Garyville, Louisiana, a small town near New Orleans, Kirston Pittman a.k.a. Pitty da Kid pursued a career in football but never forgot his first love, music. The St. Louis Rams’ defensive end was recently released due to injury, and has been spending his time in recovery focusing on his true passion: rap. What was your situation like growing up? I grew up in the ‘hood but I never had to go the [street] route. I had brothers that kept me out of the streets and protected me pretty much until I got to college. I wasn’t sheltered, but I was well looked after. Where I’m from, everybody played ball. So I did whatever my brothers did. Throughout high school, football was really our way out of the hood. I played football, baseball, and basketball. At what point did you decide on football as a career path? Actually, for me it was different. Even though I played sports all the time, I never was the type to be like, “One day I’m gonna be in the NFL.” I always said, “One day I’m gonna be a big-time rapper.” Once I started writing rhymes at 13, I no longer saw myself as a football player. Most of the time I was writing music. I was a smart kid so I didn’t have to study all the time to get my grades. I even had a [record] deal offered when I was 16, but my parents shunned it. They were like, “You’re not gonna rap. You’re gonna play ball.” Since I wasn’t able to do what I wanted, I was like “fuck the world” for a long time. But I got over that. Where did you end up going to school? I went to LSU. I was a freshman All American. I played in 2004, got hurt in ’05, got hurt in ’06. I came back in ’07 and got my starting job, and won another national championship. I was really the first two-time national champion. That’s historical, I appreciated that. I graduated in ’07. Last year I signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Rams but I got injured in training camp. I’m just starting back at [football]. I’m finally 100%. I got a call from the Jacksonville Jaguars recently. I think I’m gonna either end up with the Rams or the Jaguars this coming season, or whatever else God has planned for me. And in the meantime, you’re putting more emphasis on pursuing your rap career? To me, rapping was always the plan A but I was never able to pursue it while I was in college. As a full-fledged athlete in college, your schedule is crazy. Rapping was always my passion but since football was a way out, I wasn’t just gonna stop playing football totally. To this day it’s still paying off, so I would never just shun football. I had a lot of time once I got injured and had surgery on my foot. I came out here to Atlanta and met [singer] Sky and a lot of other dudes. I got ProTools and started writing and recording more music. A lot of athletes have tried to rap before. What do you think is different about you? I let people judge for themselves, but I’m not the average ballplayer that wants to be a rapper. I really take pride in my music. I take time to construct my songs. I’m not just putting shit together talking about jewelry and cars, because I don’t have all that shit. I really take time to emphasize storytelling and be real lyrical. What kind of music did you grow up listening to and how did it influence your style? My sound is somewhat East Coast and somewhat Southern. I’m very diverse. I can flow many different ways and write many different styles. I don’t even really know what to call it. It’s like a gumbo. I was introduced late to Biggie and Jay-Z. I grew up in the South so I grew up listening to UGK, Cash Money, No Limit, Scarface, Bushwick Bill, the Geto Boys, stuff like that. I listened to ‘Pac too. I get the storytelling part of my flow from listening to Biggie and Jay. I pick a lot of East Coast beats but it just depends on what I’m feeling. And you have a mixtape coming soon, right? Is it original tracks? It’s me rapping over other beats. I used Jay-Z’s “I’m Feelin’ It,” Biggie’s
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“I Got A Story To Tell,” Trey Songz’ “Say Aaah,” Kanye West’s “Say I Will,” the Ron Browz’ joint, a bunch of other beats. I tell a whole story on the “Say I Will” joint; everything I’ve been through from 2005 until now. That’s one of my favorites on the mixtape. I also have a joint from the Trackmasterz out in Philly called “The Time Is Now.” A lot of people like that record. Are you emphasizing your NFL background on the mixtape? Nah. I’m really just trying to come out hard and make a statement. A lot of people just know me as a ballplayer and they don’t even know that I do music. There’s nothing football-related on the mixtape. I was going to call it Pussy, Paper and Politics, but since my mother’s a minister I decided not to just out of respect for my family. I’ll probably call it Scars and Success, because of all the scars I have from football and all that I’ve overcome to become successful. Are you hoping this mixtape will lead to a major record deal? I am hoping to get a deal. Football is still there, but I really have a love for music and the art form. I’m really trying to get a buzz and build a fan base and take it full throttle and leave everybody else in the dust. Is there anything else you want to add? All of my music is on myspace at www.mypace.com/pittydakid. I know some people are going to read this in the magazine and think I’m just a football player. You can Google me playing for LSU and the St. Louis Rams, but don’t just look at this article and think, “Okay, this is a big handsome guy, but he’s a ballplayer, not a rapper. He can’t spit.” Don’t just judge me by my past. Go get the mixtape. Go to Myspace and download the songs. When I put it on iTunes, buy the iTunes songs. It’s some original music. I’m not on a funny boy flow or bubblegum rap type shit. I’m really, really spitting. I think it’s going to be something people really want to hear. It’s original music, original flow, and original style. It’s going to create a buzz. Kirston Pittman is the ballplayer, but Pitty da Kid is the artist. Don’t get it twisted. //
DJ Smallz & DJ Scream
Follow Us!: Georgia Edition
1. Dutty Laundry, Nitram Knarf, the Senate DJ & Ghetto Allstars “Dirty
R&B” Twitter.com/DuttyLaundry
2. DJ Ames “International Hustle” Hosted by Slick Watts Twitter.com/DjAmesUK 3. DJ 5150 “NO To The BR: Louisiana Bound” Dj5150br.com
4. DJ Knuckles “Secret Session R&B 8” Twitter.com/djknucklez 5. DJ Jooz “Welcome 2 FLA” Hosted by Ace Hood Twitter.com/Djjooz 6. DJ RPM “The Texas Takeover: Dallas Edition Part 3” Hosted by Fat Pimp Twitter.com/dj_rpm 7. DJ Smallz “Follow Me!” Hosted by Lil Boosie Djsmallz.com 8. DJ Cannon Banyon, DJ Effect & DJ Dyce “Shooting The Breeze 46: Mega Man Edition” Traptapemusic.com 9. Evil Empire “Interstate Trafficking 9.5” Twitter.com/ItsEvilEmpire 10.Trap Music “Trap Story” 11. LeerJet, Cartune Netwerk & T. Brewer “Atlanta to Alabama 2” Trapsntrun
ks.com muzikfene.com 12. DJ Chuck T “Down South Slangin 66: New Years Resolution” Djchuckt.com
13. Lil Fats “Coast 2 Coast 105” Hosted by Wale Coast2coastmixtapes.com
14. DJ E-Top “Becoming A R&B Star Part 15” Twitter.com/djetop 15. Hot 107.9, DJ Drama & DJ Sense “La Familia: Gangsta Grillz Radio” Hosted
Twitter.com/DJSmallz Twitter.com/DJScream
Once again DJ Smallz and DJ Scream unite, proving that two Dirty South juggernaut mixtape DJs are better than one. These former adversaries combined to compile a mixtape featuring a bunch of shit—from to Young Jeezy to Gucci Mane—that you’ve never heard. Smallz and Scream put in some work for this one, and that at least deserves a Twitter follow: @djsmallz and @djscream. DJs, send your mix CDs (with a cover) for consideration to: OZONE Magazine 644 Antone St. Suite 6 Atlanta, GA 30318
by Dirty Yella Twitter.com/djdrama
16. DJ Dellz “Holiday Hold Up Vol. 3” Twitter.com/djdelz Djdelztv.com 17. DJ Green Lantern “Myspace Invasion 6” Djgreenlantern.tv
18. Fleet DJs, Dutty Laundry, Nitram Knarf, the Senate DJ, Ghetto Allstars “Hood Crack Radio” Twitter.com/DuttyLaundry 19. Tapemasters Inc. “Codeine Hitz 8” Tapemastersinc.net 20. DJ 31 Degreez “Forecast 37: Movin’ Oreos Edition” dj31degreez.biz
OZONE MAG // 81
endzone
Yo Gotti Venue: Club Live 618 City: Milwaukee, WI Date: November 27th, 2009 Photo: D-Ray
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RAW, UNCENSORED WEST COAST RAP SHIT
E-40 THANK HIM LATER
MR. S MARROCRU A AU JOLIE
BNLTEINM PJRVO E ALE
KUZZO FLY T R O H $ O O T
SIESSX UE
6th Annual
editor’s note I’m Just Sayin’tho by D-Ray
Y
eah, this is the sex issue, so I know my editorial should be about sex. But because I’m a very private individual, I’m going to share another feeling with you:
LIFE IS AMAZING! Some of us live with extreme caution, while others hit the fast lane without a care! Again, we must remember that we’re here on borrowed time. We should live life to the fullest without forgetting that with all of our decisions, there are consequences. Good and bad. Some people make radical impulse decisions, which almost always lead to bad outcomes. You might end up behind the walls of the penitentiary, or even worse, in a permanent bed in a coffin six feet deep. Some people live life with a little more care and purpose. These are the people that we need to strive to be. With a little focus and purpose, miracles and dreams can happen more regularly. I’ve been on the move gettin’ it in tough. I went to Miami twice in one month. I was lucky enough to get a lot of exclusive Lil Wayne footage and photos before he had to turn himself in. I have to salute Lil Wayne on how hard he’s been working these past few months leading up to his incarceration. I’m sure it has to be hard to stay focused, knowing that your freedom is being taken away. Regardless of the amount of time you’re down, anytime being down is stressful, I’m sure! The haters can’ t help themselves, trying to uncover any rumors they can use to keep their hate alive. I can only speak on the way Wayne is when I’m around, and he’s a REAL and SOLID person to everyone around him - whether you’re someone in the industry, an everyday fan, or just a worker backstage or on a video set. I’ve been around many artists and camps and Young Money is like an EMPIRE! They have the business down and hold nobody in the camp back. They understand the business aspect of it - you need to keep planting seeds or your crop will die off! He’s been planting those seeds with his new camp. I’m trying to remember how many videos he just did, not for himself, but for countless other artists both inside and outside his camp. I just know it was the most videos shot in consecutive days I have ever witnessed or heard of. There is going to be so many surprises in store for their fans
Me & T-Woods (R.I.P.)
Fuzzy & Me @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas
Mos Def f/ Slick Rick “Auditorium” Reflection Eternal “Back Again” Jay Electronica f/ Mos Def “Exhibit B” DJ Quik f/ Suga Free “Nobody” Strong Arm STeady f/ Talib Kweli “Get Started” Dil Jackson (J Rocc) “Player Has Butterflies” U-N-I f/ Miguel “Lately” Verse Simmonds “Buy You A Round”
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while Lil Wayne is locked up. This way, as soon as he gets home they can jump straight on tour to touch the people. That tour is gonna be crazy. Shout out to my nephew Lil Chuckee & Lil Twist; they are future superstars. See y’all when you get to the BAY AREA! As great as the trip to Miami was, I lost a few of my close homies to senseless murders while I was gone. I hate getting those calls when I’m out of state: “Hey, D-Ray, I know you’re out of town, but do you have any pictures of [insert name here]?” All I could think was, damn, seriously? Another very hard day at my computer to find R.I.P. photos of fallen stars. Going through my archives of pictures brings a lot of emotions out of me. I find myself drifting away in memories. I often see multiple people in the same photo that are no longer alive! It’s crazy! Lost to the fast lane, and now they’re diamonds in the sky. I don’t just shoot national “superstars,” but I hoot neighborhood stars and celebrities. I’ve branded myself by shooting reality as well as real hood figures. R.I.P. to fallen stars T Woods and Green Eyes. I’m blessed to be able to live my dreams. I’ve made the transition from the hood to the red carpet, from the streets to the suites! People tend to lose themselves in the bright lights of Hollywood; that’s something I refuse to do. I wouldn’t be me without my street and hood support. That’s who I do it for: the people that can’t and won’t leave the hood. They can now live through my camera and pictures. Life becomes stressful when you forget where you come from because you look up and everyone around you is a new face. Nobody can do it all alone, and I’m thankful for my support group. My grandmother always told me it’s better to give than to receive. So when I feel like I’m not receiving, I know in my heart I must give even more. That’s why I must continue my journey, because it’s bigger than me! R.I.P to all my fallen soldiers and one love to all the homies locked down! - D-Ray, OZONE West Editor-At-Large dray@ozonemag.com
Jeremih & Me @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas
Me & Snoop with our matching Chuccs
DJ SHIVA’S
TOP SLAPS
Sade “Skin” Goapele “Milk & Honey” Flying Lotus “Zodiac Shit” Collie Buddz “Phone Call”
B
efore I ever had sex, when I was still a virgin dreaming about getting my dick wet, I always wanted the prettiest girls. I’ve always been into the beauty, not the booty. I’ll take the girl with the small tits and lil ass but pretty as hell over the girl with the big booty and big tits but an ugly face (it’s a California thang). I never doubted the fact that beautiful women were in my future. I loved the Jet Beauties of the Week. I’d been looking at my daddy’s Playboy, Penthouse, and Players magazines since my elementary school years. I knew what I wanted several years before I got it. I pasted pictures of beautiful women all over the walls of my room. When I first learned how to masturbate, those were “my bitches.” I didn’t know ‘em, but they were all mine. I was a true player in the making, laying the foundation to my player career. And boy, has it been a good one! Girls used to say, “Why do they call you Too $hort? Is your dick little?” I would just pull it out and shut ‘em up. I’ve made a lot of “good friends” like that. I lost my virginity at 14, but I only had sex once at that age. When I turned 16, I had a girlfriend who was a year older than me and way more experienced. She literally taught me the basic fundamentals of how to fuck. I was in training for six months and she truly created a monster. I thought I had a little dick. She told me it wasn’t and how good it felt, but the problem was that I didn’t know how to do it right. After my training lessons, we broke up and I started trying what I had learned on other girls. I realized I was good at it. Around that time, I started getting a little fame, and that allowed me to get the pussy I wanted. From the age of 16-21, that’s how it was. Five years of just doing okay. The best was yet to come, but I had no complaints. When I dropped the song “Freaky Tales” and the album Born To Mack, everything changed. I was having money and cars and doing shows and taking down some of the prettiest young thangs in the whole Bay Area. I love those Bay Area bi-racial mixed girls, and I seriously fell in love with a half-Filipino, half-black girl from San Francisco. We were together damn near every day for around 18 months until I got a call from Eazy E asking me if I wanted to go on tour opening up for N.W.A on the Straight Outta Compton tour. I said, “Hell yeah!”, packed my shit, told my girl I loved her, kissed her goodbye, and jumped on the plane with four ounces of the best weed you could find in Oakland. The first show was in Nashville. A groupie jumped on the tour bus and was showing us all her private parts, so me and my homie took her to my room and had her doing some thangs while the other homies banged on the door yelling at us for being stingy. After we were done, we let the crew have her cause she wanted more. I went somewhere quiet and called my girl talking all innocent, lying about everything. The next morning, it seemed like everybody had a story about what they did to her that night, and I felt kinda proud cause I set it off. The next night we hit Memphis and I fucked one of those thick-ass Southern redbones with a country accent. I love Cali girls but they don’t fuck like girls from the Dirty South. That night, I didn’t call my girl and I never called her ever again. As much as I loved her, my dream was coming true and all these pretty girls were mine. They weren’t on the wall now. I had ‘em in bed doing anything I wanted them to do. Sometimes they would beg me to take ‘em with me or just beg me to fuck ‘em again. Too many stories to tell or even remember. After the tour ended, I couldn’t get the girl I really loved back so I made another album and went on another tour and did the same thing. This time I was co-headliner on a tour with Ice Cube. It was like instant replay, me and all my beautiful women. When that tour ended, I was doing a video and had a cold crush on one of the girls in the video. We became friends first and then we started liking each other and I fell in love again. Truthfully, I like it better when I have one quality woman instead of a bunch of groupies, but when that relationship ended, I swore to myself that I would just be a player for life. Every now and then love tries to find me and I try to resist, but sometimes you just can’t. I still don’t have kids and I’ve never been married. Dudes always say they wish they had it like me, but I’m thinking, I wish I had it like them. I wish I had a wife and kids. You gotta watch what you wish for. All those years, I dreamed of all those beautiful women on my bedroom wall and finally the shit came true. Now I look back and think, what the fuck did I do that for? Did I jinx myself? Hopefully, one day I’ll settle down with the right woman cause now I’m telling myself, I don’t wanna be a player no more... but I am. Biiiiiiitch!!!!! Hit me up on my crackberry at ShortStories@ozonemag.com 6 // OZONE WEST
“I KNEW WHAT I WANTED SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE I GOT IT. I PASTED PICTURES OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN ALL OVER THE WALLS OF MY ROOM. WHEN I FIRST LEARNED HOW TO MASTURBATE, THOSE WERE ‘MY BITCHES.’”
(above L-R): Yukmouth & DJ Franzen @ Party Heights Nightclub for Street Cred’s Christmas party in San Francisco, CA; Rich Boy & Roccett @ The CORE DJs Retreat in Las Vegas, NV; Jeremih & Ray J @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas in Los Angeles, CA (Photos: D-Ray)
01 // 211 & Terrace Martin on the set of Snoop Dogg’s “Malice in Wonderland” video shoot (Los Angeles, CA) 02 // Husalah & Mitchy Slick @ Street Symphony Studios (Fremont, CA) 03 // Travis Barker & Damani @ Vanguard for Snoop Dogg’s release party (Hollywood, CA) 04 // U-N-I @ Club Independent (San Francisco, CA) 05 // K-Boy, Jay Rock, & Pooh @ Tatou Nightclub (Los Angeles, CA) 06 // Young Doe @ Club Theorie for Young Doe’s record release party (Denver, CO) 07 // New Boyz & Ray J @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 08 // Second to None, Too Short, & DJ Quik @ The Nokia for When The West Was One Tour (Los Angeles, CA) 09 // Devi Dev, 40 Glocc, & Cecilia Mamacita @ The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 10 // J Diggs, Cecilia Mamacita, DJ Dre Dae, & Devi Dev @ The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 11 // G Malone & B Fly @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 12 // DJ Impact & Donata Elis @ The Stratosphere for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 13 // Lola Luv & TJ Chapman @ The Palms for The CORE DJs Jam Master Jay DVD premiere (Las Vegas, NV) 14 // Mars, Brodie, & Renz of 1500 or Nothin (Los Angeles, CA) 15 // Kuzzo Fly & Big Omeezy @ Phoenix Theater (Petaluma, CA) 16 // Rob Love, Roccett, Smurf, Mitchy Slick, & K-Loc @ The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 17 // Ray J & Tony Neal @ The Stratosphere for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 18 // Baby Bash & Skillz of Play N Skillz @ Magic Convention (Las Vegas, NV) 19 // D-Lo & Problem @ Tatou for Rob G’s C-Day party (Los Angeles, CA) Photo Credits: D-Ray (01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,10,11,14,15,16,19); Julia Beverly (12,13,17); Santiago Interiano (18)
OZONE WEST // 7
(above L-R): Young Dro & BG @ Magic Convention in Las Vegas, NV (Photo: Julia Beverly); Problem, Kurupt, & Roscoe on the set of Problem’s “I’m Burnt” video shoot in San Fernando Valley, CA; Jay Rock & DJ Eque @ Styles P’s afterparty in Los Angeles, CA (Photos: D-Ray)
01 // DK Quik & Devi Dev @ The Nokia for When The West Was One Tour (Los Angeles, CA) 02 // J Diggs & the Dirty Girls @ The CatHouse on New Years Eve (Las Vegas, NV) 03 // Hawkman, Nuch, & Young Doe @ Club Theorie for Young Doe’s record release party (Denver, CO) 04 // Trell, Tyga, & guest @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 05 // Lil Fly, Husalah, & AP9 @ Phoenix Theater (Petaluma, CA) 06 // Nipsey Hussle & Lola Luv @ The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 07 // Keyshia Cole @ Acts Gospel Church for her Christmas turkey giveaway (East Oakland, CA) 08 // The Jacka & Kilo @ Rasputins (Berkeley, CA) 09 // Ray J & 40 Glocc @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 10 // Yae Neech, Starbuks, & Baydilla @ Gold Rush (Fairbanks, AK) 11 // Mercedes & DJ Tex @ Rum Jungle for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 12 // Fuzzy & T-Pain @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 13 // John Costen, Kafani, & Ras Kass @ Rum Jungle for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 14 // DJ Dre Dae, Mixmaster Ice, DJ Big Dee @ Rum Jungle for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 15 // B-Real & Freeway Ricky Ross @ Vanguard for Snoop Dogg’s release party (Hollywood, CA) 16 // Chuck, Big Von, & J Valentine @ Heights Nightclub (San Francisco, CA) 17 // Big Rich, BandAide of Dem Hoodstarz, Shad Gee, & Kafani compare chains on the set of “Laughin’” (San Jose, CA) 18 // Baydilla & Madeleine @ Elixir’s (Anchorage, AK) 19 // Jeffro & Traxamillion @ 17 Hertz Studios (Hayward, CA) 20 // Rob G getting some love @ Tatou for his C-Day party (Los Angeles, CA) Photo Credits: D-Ray (01,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,12,15,16,17,19,20); Julia Beverly (10,11,13,14,18); Malik Abdul (02)
OZONE WEST // 9
(above L-R): Travis Barker & Sean Paul @ Vanguard for Snoop Dogg’s release party in Hollywood, CA; Problem & Murs on the set of Snoop Dogg’s “Malice in Wonderland” video shoot in Los Angeles, CA (Photos: D-Ray); Jadakiss & Baby Bash @ Magic Convention in Las Vegas, NV (Photo: Santiago Interiano)
01 // Nik Bean, Stress, & Roscoe on the set of Problem’s “I’m Burnt” video shoot (San Fernando Valley, CA) 02 // J Diggs & DJ Daisy Dukes @ The Stratosphere for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 03 // Traxamillion & D-Lo @ Toons Nightclub for Tito Bell’s birthday party (San Jose, CA) 04 // Jay Rock, Trey Songz, & Mike Green @ Styles P’s afterparty (Los Angeles, CA) 05 // Matt Kemp & Fuzzy @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 06 // Problem & Terrace Martin on the set of Snoop Dogg’s “Malice in Wonderland” video shoot (Los Angeles, CA) 07 // Keak da Sneak & Ya Boy @ The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 08 // The Jacka & Husalah @ The Catalyst (Santa Cruz, CA) 09 // T-Wayne & his daughter on the set of “Laughin’” (San Jose, CA) 10 // Layzie Bone, Big Sloan, Nipsey Hussle, & Fuzzy @ Club 720 (Los Angeles, CA) 11 // Andre Nickatina, Gary Archer, & Garrett @ Andre Nickatina’s listening party (San Francisco, CA) 12 // DJ Amen, DJ Jon Static, & DJ Shabazz @ Andre Nickatina’s listening party (San Francisco, CA) 13 // Baydilla & Don Megga @ Elixir’s (Anchorage, AK) 14 // Ro & Big Rich @ 17 Hertz Studios (Hayward, CA) 15 // Roccett, Mitchy Slick, guest, & J Diggs @ The Stratosphere for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 16 // DJ Shabazz & DJ Amen @ Phoenix Theater (Petaluma, CA) 17 // Ya Boy & Big Rich @ The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 18 // Fatal Mack & Matt Kemp @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 19 // Guest, P-Nut, Julia Beverly, Dorrough, & Baydilla @ Elixir’s (Anchorage, AK) Photo Credits: D-Ray (01,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,10,11,12,14,16,17,18); Julia Beverly (02,13,15,19)
OZONE WEST // 11
Since you have access to a lot of celebrity women, are there any that have caught your attention? Maybe I’m a little old school, but I just feel like they’ve got too much going on. Not in a bad way, but they’re busy as hell and I’m busy too, so if we were in a relationship at some point somebody would have to give in. And it’s not going to be me. I’m all for the woman having her life and being independent, but I am old school and I want home cooked meals and that’s not going to be the case when you’re dealing with a celebrity or fame. Trying to make somebody choose between you and their career isn’t fair.
SEX ISSUE
San Francisco, CA singer, songwriter, and producer J Valentine may not be a household name yet, but along with his Song Dynasty production team (which includes singer Tank), he’s written records for the likes of Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, LeToya Luckett, Pleasure P, Omarion, Tyrese, Mario, and N’Sync. “My favorite thing is to write records and produce records for other people,” he explains. “I never really chased fame.” Even though he prefers being a low-key celeb, he doesn’t eliminate the possibility of pursuing a career as an artist a la Ne-Yo or The Dream, and has plans to drop his own album later this year. Do you have a special somebody at home or are you just out having fun? I had a girlfriend but I’m single now. I’m selective, though. Groupies aren’t my thing. I would be lying if I said there hasn’t been situations in the past, but that’s not really what I go after. What do you go after? Of course the first thing is physical attraction, but I like conversation. I like a woman with some sense. Not always book sense, but common sense also. The saying that “common sense isn’t common” is a very true statement. A lot of people don’t get it, and I can’t deal with a dumb pretty woman. Physically what’s your type? I love women’s bodies. You can be skinny and sexy or you can be thick and sexy. It comes in different shapes and sizes and I’m attracted to both. I like a woman that’s fly; a woman who can dress. There was some controversy recently when the rapper Maino claimed video model Rosa Acosta wore “cheap shoes” and it turned him off. Are “cheap shoes” a turn-off to you? It doesn’t have to be name-brand shit to look fly, if you know how to make it work. I’ve seen girls that have on a gang of expensive shit looking foolish. You can’t buy fresh. Everybody doesn’t look good in everything. I’m from the hood where girls used to have on cheap jellies and make it look like something even with their feet fogged up cause it’s hot outside. As long as you’re clean and are presenting yourself right, you ain’t got to paint the red bottom on for me. You say you’re selective, which is almost a rarity now. Because even if you listen to the radio, every song is about meeting at the club and hooking up the same night and that type of thing. That’s not my thing. I try to at least spark up conversations to see what they’re about. Niggas act like diseases ain’t floating around. I’ve got to know you. It ain’t my thing to just see a chick in the club and throw her in the car. It’s more personal to me. As far as the music, I guess that’s a sensitive subject to me because I do write music. But it is what it is - entertainment. You don’t have to take it literally. A lot of the cats that are rapping and singing are bold face liars, and I know because I’m really in the studio with them. I know what’s real so I don’t think people should live their lives off records. Do aggressive females turn you off, or if they give it up too soon? Lately it seems like women don’t understand the fact that men do like to chase. It’s not cool to just throw yourself at us. That’s not sexy to me. There is no ideal timeframe as far as getting intimate because we’re all adults and you can do as you please. I don’t judge a female off of that. 12 // OZONE WEST
Do you think achieving a bit of fame and celebrity status has made it easier to meet women or made relationships more complicated? I haven’t really reached fame level yet. I’ve been a writer and producer for a minute, so maybe some women are looking at me with money signs on my forehead. I’ve been dealing with that for a minute so that’s why you try to get to know people. If you ask questions, they’re gonna tell you something. You can find out a lot just from having a conversation. There are certain things that set off alarms to me. But, I don’t look at women as being gold diggers anyway. I think it’s natural for a woman to want to be taken care of. If they’re doing the right things, why wouldn’t you want to take care of somebody you care about? If [money] is the only reason they’re there, you have to watch out for that. But if you care about somebody, they’re family. I look out for my family. If I care about you I’ll make sure you’re good, but I’m not gonna frivolously just fly somebody I met out to Bora Bora. It ain’t gonna happen. Do you have a favorite porn star? I fuck with the porn every now and then to see what’s poppin’. I don’t really know their names like that, but the girl with the pink hair, she goes hard. What’s the most creative place you’ve had sex? Outside is always good if you can find a little cut somewhere. I’m big on fashion, so I stay out in the boutique and the malls. I ain’t never mad about sliding off into a dressing room. Have you ever been caught in the dressing room? I’ve never been caught, period. Well, wait. I take that back. I got caught when I was in high school by my brother’s baby mama, getting some head. But if you lock the door it takes away from the excitement. What do you think about the groupie tell-all books? That whole kiss-and-tell shit is whack. At some point you’ve got to grow up. As people in the music industry, you do have to be a little more careful and cautious of who you’re dealing with. But you don’t always know. A female might be super cool but if you don’t call her back, now she’s doing a YouTube video. And it’s so easy to lie now. I believe you should deal with people face to face and y’all deal with it or bury the hatchet. What’s your style in the bedroom? I’m tastefully aggressive. I want to make sure a woman feels comfortable with me but also knows that I’m in control of the situation. All women are different, though, so it depends on what she wants. Have you seen a difference sexually between different races of women? I think it’s more of a rhythm thing with black women; at times it’s almost like you’re dancing. I haven’t really been around the world yet so I can’t comment on women from different countries. I think that women from other countries [outside America] are more open with their bodies, period. American women are a little more guarded. I think in a lot of other places they don’t get labeled as a “hoe.” I think they’re a lot freer. Do you have any safe sex advice for our younger readers? Strap up and be selective. You definitely don’t want to catch the monster, so you always want to be safe. If you’re lucky you might just have a baby, and that’s a whole other thing. Do you really want to have a baby by somebody you don’t know? I actually said on Twitter one day, “Shout out to the girl who trapped a broke nigga on accident.” If you’re chasing a nigga down for $150 a month in child support, I feel sorry for you. What do you have coming up musically? I’m putting out my album this year, called I Swear To Tell The Truth. Keri Hilson, Tank, and Twista are on the album and I’m doing a duet with Chris Brown. We just did Tank’s first single with a verse from Drake for the remix. We just did a deal with Atlantic Records for our company, Song Dynasty. We’re working on Keri Hilson’s album and LeToya Luckett’s album and we just did some stuff for Mario and Jamie Foxx. We just did seven songs for Pleasure P; he’s transitioning into Marcus Cooper. Ron Isley just came home and we wrote some records for him; I was super excited about that because I grew up on him. We’re just trying to make sure R&B is here and alive. //
(above L-R): Tito Bell & Keak da Sneak @ The CORE DJs Retreat in Las Vegas, NV; Husalah, Andre Nickatina, & Paul Wall @ Street Symphony Studios in Fremont, CA; Pitbull & DJ Felli Fel @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas in Los Angeles, CA (Photos: D-Ray)
01 // Kuzzo Fly & his son Lil Fly @ Phoenix Theater (Petaluma, CA) 02 // The Clipse & Steezy @ Club NV for Steezy’s birthday bash (San Francisco, CA) 03 // Even Odds & Theo @ Where Hip Hop Meets Couture (San Francisco, CA) 04 // Karl & Monte Ellis @ Highline Jewelers (Hayward, CA) 05 // Problem & Dae One @ Club 720 (Los Angeles, CA) 06 // Rick Edwards, D-Ray, Roccett, & Julia Beverly @ The Palms for The CORE DJs Jam Master Jay DVD premiere (Las Vegas, NV) 07 // Chamillionaire & DJ Felli Fel @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 08 // Yung Black & Slim Thug @ Gold Rush (Fairbanks, AK) 09 // T-Pain & DJ Felli Fel @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 10 // Matt Blaque & Scoot of Dem Hoodstarz @ Heights Nightclub (San Francisco, CA) 11 // DJ Amen & Big Von @ Club NV for Steezy’s birthday bash (San Francisco, CA) 12 // Jay Rock & J Grand @ the New Boyz FYE in-store (Los Angeles, CA) 13 // Guest, HK, & Ray Rizzy @ The Stratosphere for The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 14 // Roccett, DJ Dre Dae, 40 Glocc, Ras Kass, & J Diggs @ The CORE DJs Retreat (Las Vegas, NV) 15 // New Boyz & Big Boy @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 16 // Travis Barker, Russ, & Warren G @ Vanguard for Snoop Dogg’s release party (Hollywood, CA) 17 // B Legit & Erk Tha Jerk @ Club NV for Steezy’s birthday bash (San Francisco, CA) 18 // Bad Lucc & CeCe @ Vanguard for Snoop Dogg’s release party (Hollywood, CA) 19 // J Diggs & Baby Bash @ Prive for Billionaire Mafia Magic afterparty (Las Vegas, NV) Photo Credits: D-Ray (01,02,03,04,05,07,09,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,18); Julia Beverly (06,08,13); Santiago Interiano (19)
OZONE WEST // 13
She would say that I’m hella freaky and hella good at what I do. I’m a pleaser. I just get off on women getting off. I’m passionate and affectionate and I like to please. I like to be in control and I get satisfied off the women getting satisfied. That’s my turn-on. What type of women are you into? Conservative, educated, classy, sexy, strong, powerful businesswomen. The type of women you would find at lunchtime in downtown New York or Atlanta. I don’t like strippers or sluts or groupies. Who’s your favorite porn star? Myself. If anybody would be my favorite, it would be myself. My name would be Thang Long a.k.a. Mr. Clothes On. I would only come out of my zipper, because I know it’s a lot of DL niggas that watch porn to look at the men.
SEX ISSUE Bay Area rapper KUZZO FLY tells men why honesty is the best policy, and tells women why it’s important to pass the scratch & sniff test. So you lived with three women at one time? How did you manage that? Yep. I was also married to one. I lived with three women and I married another woman while I was living with the other three. Are you a pimp? Were they working for you or what? Nah, it was just a sexual situation. They were bisexual. They like girls, and I like girls that liked girls. How did you end up marrying someone else while living with those three? It was love at first sight. But she didn’t believe me when I told her that I lived with three women. She wanted to come and see. I was upfront about it when she asked me if I had a girl. I said, “I have three.” When you got married did you still have a relationship with the other three? I stayed in the house with the three girls and me and my wife had our own place too. But we’re divorced now. We were married for three years. Did the divorce have anything to do with the three other women? That somewhat came into the situation. But honestly, I would recommend it to other men, because you would be surprised what women actually want or will let you do when you’re just honest with them. There was a lot more too it than that. There were other women involved. I was being hella greedy trying to add a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh. I kept trying to add on and it just got out of hand. You were trying to have your cake and eat it too for real. Did you meet them on a personal level or was it more about the rap persona? The first and second women I would say it was more on a personal level. The third was kinda more into the rap scene. After that, I really don’t know. Has your rapper status increased your luck with the ladies? No, because before my name started really ringing like that I was already living like that. I think it was more or less that I was honest about the situation, and that the women were curious. Now that you are getting more attention as a rapper, do you get a lot of groupie attention? Are super aggressive women a turn-on or turn-off? Total turn-off. I don’t like that at all. I’m low on the [rapper] totem pole, so if you’re throwing yourself at me, I can only imagine what you would do for somebody higher [on the totem pole]. I did have one girl who just came in my hotel room and got butt naked, instantly. Straight assholes and elbows. What’s the difference between sex with your wife and sex with groupies? You rock raw at home but you can’t rock raw on the road. But once I know you, it’s no holds barred. What did you enjoy more, the married committed sex or the threesomes? [Getting married] was honestly just like a phase; a fluke. I honestly would’ve rather just stayed the way it was. If we had a Kuzzo Fly Groupie Confession, what do you think she’d say? 14 // OZONE WEST
Having been with three women at once, do you find that being with one woman is less exciting or is it more passionate because it’s more of a one-on-one connection? What’s the difference between the two? There’s not really a difference to me because I’m passionate either way. With three women there’s more pleasure points that can be hit at one time. Like, I can’t lick the left and right nipple at the same time. But when you’re with more people you can work it out. But that doesn’t take the passion away from being with one woman. It can be passionate either way. What kind of music do you put on to set the mood? I don’t listen to music when I let it rock. I like it quiet so I can hear the voices and the moans and the yells and the screams. I like to talk during sex. I ask questions. I want to know, “Does it feel good? Do you want me to go harder? Do you want me to go lower? Do you want me to stop? Do you want me to pull your hair? Do you want me to smack your ass?” It’s not that I don’t know what to do, but I like direction because every woman doesn’t like things the same way. So I ask questions and try to fulfill their fantasies. Most dudes really don’t take the time to wonder what the woman wants; they just throw the rubber on, rock, nut and then they’re out. I really want to know what you want. Have you gotten any crazy answers to your mid-sex questions? I was about to rock this one girl but she told me she couldn’t because she ate onions earlier. I don’t know what that meant. She wasn’t kidding either. I was taking her pants off and she was like, “Nah, I don’t want to do that because I ate onions earlier.” I was like, what the fuck does that have to do with it? It seems like [the onion smell] would affect your breath, not in between your legs. But I just left her alone to get back dressed cause that threw me the fuck off. Maybe she thought she was going to taste funky. I wasn’t going to taste nothing. I’m not tasting you if I don’t really know you, especially if you don’t pass the scratch & sniff test. So if she doesn’t pass the scratch & sniff test you would still hit it? Yeah, sometimes even if you fail the scratch & sniff I’ll still provide a hitting, but not a licking. There’s a difference between a little regular sweat and an odor where something’s wrong. There’s two different kinds of odors – really three. On is the “I’ve just been in the club dancing” odor. Two is the “I’ve got something going on and I need to get it corrected” odor. Three is the “I tried to get this shit corrected and it’s not going to get corrected so it’s wrong” odor. It’s just like when you see a dog go up to something and sniff it. If he doesn’t lick or continue to bother it, something’s wrong with the odor. If the odor is category one, I’m hitting. If the odor is category two or three, I’m not hitting. Sometimes you can’t even really tell because it doesn’t come out until you actually start hitting. So you really want to moisturize with the fingers and let it get wet because then you’ll be able to tell. You might want to rub around a little more just to make sure. I met a woman once who smelled like ice water. Somebody asked me what ice water smelled like. I was like, “You’re dumb as fuck. Ice water doesn’t smell like anything.” She smelled like ice water so I gave her the full service treatment. Hygiene is important. You’ll see women wearing all this Gucci and Louie shit and then when you touch them between their legs, they smell like hot fish. That ain’t cool. Before you worry about your outer cosmetics, worry about your inner cosmetics as a woman. I ain’t gonna put nobody on blast but I met some bad chicks at the OZONE Awards that didn’t pass the scratch & sniff test. What do you have coming up musically? My album Old Guns New Money is coming out under Smoke A Lot Records. I’m also in the group Atlfornia and our single “Inside Outside” is out now; we’re about to shoot the video for that. Of course they can find me on Twitter @KuzzoFly and on Facebook under Kuzzo Fly. //
(above L-R): Kafani on the set of “Laughin’” in San Jose, CA; Lee Majors @ 17 Hertz Studio in Hayward, CA (Photos: D-Ray); Nelly reading OZONE @ Magic Convention in Las Vegas, NV (Photo: King Yella)
01 // Terrace Martin on the set of Snoop Dogg’s “Malice in Wonderland” video shoot (Los Angeles, CA) 02 // Warren G reppin’ Terrace Martin @ Club Independent (San Francisco, CA) 03 // The Jacka & PK @ 17 Hertz Studios (Hayward, CA) 04 // Scoot of Dem Hoodstarz @ 17 Hertz Studios (Hayward, CA) 05 // Selomon Goitom & Fabolous @ The Sports Arena (San Diego, CA) 06 // PK & Gary Archer @ Toons Nightclub for Tito Bell’s birthday party (San Jose, CA) 07 // Lana Fuchs of Billionaire Mafia & BG @ Magic (Las Vegas, NV) 08 // Cellski @ 17 Hertz Studios (Hayward, CA) 09 // Mohawk Marlon @ Toons Nightclub for Tito Bell’s birthday party (San Jose, CA) 10 // Traxamillion @ Toons Nightclub for Tito Bell’s birthday party (San Jose, CA) 11 // Nipsey Hussle & AB @ Tatou Nightclub (Los Angeles, CA) 12 // Baby Bash @ Magic (Las Vegas, NV) 13 // Legacy of the New Boyz @ Magic (Las Vegas, NV) 14 // David Banner on the set of “Laughin’” (San Jose, CA) 15 // Jadakiss @ Magic (Las Vegas, NV) 16 // Selomon Goitem & DJ Fubu @ Spring Break afterparty (San Diego, CA) 17 // Honest Bob @ Suede (San Francisco, CA) 18 // Young Dro @ Magic (Las Vegas, NV) 19 // JBar @ Spring Break afterparty (San Diego, CA) 20 // DJ Dre Dae, BG, & DJ Big Dee @ Magic Convention (Las Vegas, NV) 21 // B Fly @ Power 106’s Cali Christmas (Los Angeles, CA) 22 // Dem Hoodstarz @ 17 Hertz (Hayward, CA) 23 // Freeway Ricky Ross @ Magic (Las Vegas, NV) 24 // Goldie of The Federation @ Magic (Las Vegas, NV) 25 // K Loc & Big Lucc @ Club Independent (San Francisco, CA) 26 // Gary Archer & DJ Franzen @ Party Heights Nightclub for Street Cred’s Christmas party (San Francisco, CA) 27 // City Spud @ Magic Convention (Las Vegas, NV) 28 // B.G. @ Magic Convention (Las Vegas, NV) 29 // DJ Devro @ R5 for Gorilla Pits’ in-store (Sacramento, CA) 30 // DNI Mike @ Blunt World (Livermore, CA) 31 // Shake the Mayor & sons @ his video shoot (Burlingame, CA) 32 // The Dragons @ R5 for Gorilla Pits’ in-store (Sacramento, CA) 33 // Jose Garcia @ Blunt World (Livermore, CA) 34 // Droop-E @ Club WET (San Jose, CA) 35 // DoItMovin @ R5 for Gorilla Pits’ in-store (Sacramento, CA) Photo Credits: D-Ray (01,02,03,04,05,06,08,09,10,11,14,16,17,19,21,22,25,26,29,30,31,32,33,34,35); Julia Beverly (07,12,13,15,18,20,23,24,27,28)
OZONE WEST // 15
A
s a fifteen year veteran of porn movies, IT’S ONLY APPROPRIATE THAT internationally recognized and award-winning porn star Mr. Marcus HAS now literally WRITTEN the book on how to fuck. But it wasn’t always that way. In this excerpt from THE FIRST CHAPTER OF his upcoming book The Porn Star Guide To Great Sex, HE BEGINS BY RECALLING his less fortunate days as a typical male high school student trying to get laid. . . . A year came and went, and by the time I started my sophomore year, the waiting had become unbearable. I wasn’t the most popular guy in school, never really part of any clique, so even though I knew plenty of girls, I wasn’t having much success getting them to go out with me. But by my second year, I’d determined that I was going to get me a fine-ass girl and fuck her silly. That’s when I met Elaine. She was a pretty Latina, a sophomore like me. We met in a history class. I sat behind her. I never really said much to her, just sat there, staring at the back of her head, sending her these crazy sexual vibes. I’d just focus on the back of her head and flirt telepathically: “I want to fuck you…” “Come here and suck my dick…” Just wild stuff. I know she felt me, although, at first, she didn’t provide much indication that she did. But every now and then, when class would end, I’d catch her looking over her shoulder at me, smiling a satisfied smile, as if we’d yet again completed some heated round of passionate sex. Eventually, we started talking. And one day we arranged for me to come over to her house. Her mom would be gone to work. And one morning, at her mom’s house, the sexual energy that’d been building between us erupted. I’ll never forget it, partly because it was my first time actually having serious sex and partly because the TV was so loud while we were doing it. We screwed like greyhounds in heat, humping, grunting and, all the while, “The Price Is Right” blaring in the background. I wasn’t great then (even though the sex was). I didn’t know how to make it better. But I knew I wanted to get better, not because I lacked confidence but because sex just seemed to offer so many endless opportunities. I could meet women, get inside them at one of their most precious entryways, and share myself with them. Likewise, there was a “dirty” side to sex that was equally appealing. Some of the best sex induces a sense of vulnerability, a permissiveness that allows your lover unlimited access to your erogenous zones and G-spots and pressure points and nether regions. She’s spreading her legs, letting you lick her here, sucking you there, fondling and fingering and whispering your name. You are a part of her, and her you. She’s yours to do what you will—as long as you do it right. This vulnerability gives you a certain power when making love, the power to manipulate, to compel her to act out her wildest, darkest fantasies. She wants to be filled, to be used, to be satisfied. Even as a teenager, I found a paradox in sex— that she’s giving you permission to violate her—that was in itself an aphrodisiac, an addiction that would quickly morph into my avocation. Sex is for me, and should be for everyone, a unique and personal experience. My early experiences and interest in sex has taught me what not to do and how to do to get exactly what I need sexually. I’ve experimented with many women, looking for new and exciting experiences and for ways to improve my technique. I know for a fact that the more sex you have the better you are at it, and the better you get to know yourself. Remember, practice makes perfect sense.
16 // OZONE WEST
I accidentally discovered porn in ’86. I used to borrow my step-dad’s socks. He always had brand-new clean socks, so I would sneak into his drawer and take a pair. One day as I was digging for a matching pair, I discovered his stash of hardcore adult magazines. No one was home, so I pulled out the stack and went through all of the magazines. There was a mixture of black and white photo spreads and a series of color photos all set to differently themed magazine titles. They immediately caught my attention. All of the magazines were hardcore, so there was a photo or two to establish a sort of story, followed by immediate action and ultimate penetration. Here were these complete strangers engaged in something so intimate. Or so I thought. The women had smiles on their faces and the men looked commanding and competent. It was the picture of sex taken for my viewing pleasure. This discovery of porn, stashed in my dad’s sock drawer, had given me a view into the future. Women had a commanding role in my sexual experience and they were about to get a new script. I wanted to be the commanding and competent man in the pictures with the smiling women. At the time of my discovery I was 17 with only a few sexual conquests in my life. I want to be in those magazines. But it was clear these porn models were much more experienced. So I did the next best thing, I masturbated twice a day to the images in my mind from the magazines. Both were vivid and explicit, creative and narrative. I had a running story, an established relationship with these pictures. I viewed them over and over sometimes forgetting to put them back where I found them. I couldn’t erase the impression they made on my mind. I became resolute in my decision to become a part of the adult industry. I did my homework. Who produced the magazine? Who were the models? I checked out other magazines like Club, Penthouse, Hustler, Cheri, Black Tail, Fox, High Society and Oui. But they were tame compared to one’s in my dad’s drawer. They were soft-core. No penetration, only the simulation of sex and there in the pictures there was only the act of fucking, everything was implied. What I’d discovered at the bottom of my dad’s sock drawer were a group of underground magazines that catered to the hardcore fan. I quickly sought out hardcore magazines, where the sex was real and I could see a real sexual connection. These magazines weren’t in the mainstream newsstands; they were in the sex shops. And they were expensive, so I’d have to read as much of them as I could absorb there. Then leave as discreetly as I came. Those early images left me with a hard on I could not escape. The twice masturbation sessions were not enough to squelch the desires I had. Pussy became my motivation. Getting into those magazines assured me there would be a constant stream of pussy. By the time I turned 23, I not only knew I wanted to be a porn star, but I knew what porn models I wanted to fuck and what lucky porn guys were lucky enough to fuck them. I even knew the names of porn companies I wanted to work for. So I read up on the stars and the industry in L.A. Express, a very cheap and accessible magazine that informed the reader of what was going on in the porn industry. From what movies were being made to what parties they were going on, to what new starlet was making headlines. So when I read about the annual porn awards show in Las Vegas I made the 300 mile trip. Right place, right time, because before I knew it I was handed a card and told to call if I wanted to get in the business. A porn star was born. When I discovered sex, it changed something in me, it brought out what I believe was a talent, the knack for bringing out a sexual nature in people. The changes I felt first was that I felt more confident, I became certain in my actions and thoughts towards women. I also felt a need to please them and if I came on sexually strong, then I would satisfy them as
well. All this came from having a sexual presence that I was beginning to understand. I didn’t really discover - or better yet, appreciate - sex until I was I older, around the age of 20. This is when I was briefly a male stripper. I met a guy by the name of Kalif who had started a group called The Men of Color. I met him one night in a club, we were both checking out girls, we took turns taking a pretty girls to the dance floor and turning them out. 2 or 3 songs and it was time to switch, all the girls wanted to dance with us. One night he asked me to join his group Men of Color, they were a group of 5 guys who would go to different events and dance for a bunch of women. I fit in easily, because I love to dance and I especially like to dance for women. And I was going to get paid for it. At one of our first events, we were at this club called Backwaters. The dance floor was sunken in the floor and it was surrounded by railings. This particular night I came on first, so I had to look up at the girls surrounding the dance floor. They all were leaning over the railings trying to reach for me, but this one girl in particular was especially attractive, so I started to dance just for her, creating this invisible connection. As she responded to what I was doing I did more of it. That night I learned something about what I did and how women responded to it. I know I was a dancer, so it came with the territory, but this was different because it became a mental bond not just a physical connection. Snoop Dogg would have the hit song “Sensual Seduction” later in his career, but I felt that song could have easily been written for what I was doing 18 years ago. Her attachment to me continued off the dance floor, she followed me off to a corner where she channeled an interest into my mind as well as my body. She wanted to fuck and I knew I could fuck her back. I would later that night to the same beat in my head that had only been playing a few hours earlier. I needed her to be satisfied by what I was giving her, a thorough mind fuck. This type of sex was going to be my specialty. I sent thoughts out to have them returned pleased. It was the beginning of my discovery to provide content, in a sexual way. Now that I had uncovered this new ability I needed to know what it could do. I had to know my limitations and strengths. I knew my mind had the message and my body was the messenger, but if my mind wasn’t right then the body wouldn’t be either. Important to get the mental aspect solid and this would take practice and failure and practice again. My relationships during this time varied; I met women, girls and ladies who were all down to help me get my mind right. My stripper career was brief. I only lasted a few months with Men of Color. My friendship with Kalif remained solid. He continued to dance with the group, and I just continued to dance. I wasn’t a very good stripper anyways. I’d knock over drinks and didn’t know how to please so many women at once. I was better when I had one girl to focus on at a time. And that’s what I did for a while: focused on one girl at time, time after time, leading up to porn. Sex was still very mental for me, I just used my body to express what I was thinking. From that first experience of realizing the effect sexually you can have on someone to continuous use of that ability gave me a sexual power that had been 15 years in the making. Stripping unleashed it and I worked to develop it. I see the same qualities in female strippers. Many are comfortable in their bodies, they are aware of the reaction they provoke and they are very confident in their sexual abilities. I was no different. I didn’t feel any different because of this discovery, but I did feel enhanced. And I was determined even more to do
something useful with this elevated state. I decided on porn long before I had realized I was heading in that direction, even though I unconsciously went in that direction, it could be argued I was already consciously there. My first adult porn set was out in Palm Springs. The girl who had brought me into the industry, Heather Lee, she was out there doing a shoot. She wanted me to drive out there to meet the director. If he liked me, he might hire me in the future. His name was Roy Brewington and he was actually a photographer who happened to also be a director. What I would learn later is a lot of the successful producers in porn were also very good photographers. He was one of the best. I drove down to Palm Springs and met up with Heather. She had talked highly of me, so when I showed up, Roy was very hospitable and professional. I felt comfortable, like I belonged. Heather pulled me off into a room and asked how I was feeling. I was good, especially since I didn’t know what to expect, but I was game. Me and Heather had had sex a few times before at her place and mine, and she was already a successful porn star so it was her suggestion I get into porn. I guess she had been fucking me just to make sure I was ready and up to the task. After a few minutes, she says, “Roy wants you to be in the scene”, I was like “Okay, no problem”. I was a 23 year old kid, and I had already said, “Okay, no problem,” to stealing, robbing, and driving without a license. Shit, what was going to stop me from fucking on film? Nothing. I was where I belonged and everyone knew it, but there was one catch. There would be another guy in the scene. “Huh? How’s that going to work?” I asked. Heather looked at me with a look that said, “Don’t worry I can handle it.” I realized that this was perfectly normal. 2 guys and 1 girl was normal in porn. The girls could handle it or in this business, they better be able to handle it, because it’s normal. I was still a young guy in a very mature business, naivety abound. It wasn’t long before the other guy showed up, Mr. Sean Michaels. This guy was cool from top to bottom. He strolled in all suited up, clean as fuck, and the first thing I noticed was how clean and pimped he was. One of a kind instantly. I couldn’t think of anyone like him, a very unique cat. I was also familiar with his work. I had been a fan of porn since I was 16 years old and I remembered all the black dudes I had seen. I wanted to be like them, and here was someone I had admired right there in front of me. He came over and shook my hand and said, “Wanna smoke?” Without hesitation I said, “Yeah”. I didn’t even know what we were going to be smoking, but I didn’t give a fuck. I thought it was cool that he asked. Roy only hired the best and Sean was the best. 2 other guys arrived shortly after Sean, Marc Wallace and Peter North. More legends. I knew their faces and I had seen their work. I was in good company, and this solidified my feeling of belonging. I stood there thinking I couldn’t believe my luck. It was like meeting Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh and KRS-1, except this was 1 black guy and 2 white dudes and they made porn. These were the top 3 in the business. I had been placed squarely in line with distinction. If they were the porn version of celebrity, I was sure to be of significance . . . The Porn Star Guide To Great Sex will be available at all major booksellers on June 22, 2010, and is currently available for preorder on www.MrMarcus.com AND MANY OTHER ONLINE BOOKSELLERS.
OZONE WEST // 17
porn starAurora 10 RULES Jolie’s FOR PROPER
Sex etiquette
1. HOLIER-THAN-THOU VIDEO VIXENS
One of my biggest pet peeves is girls who are “models” or “video vixens” trying to talk down on porn stars because we fuck for a living on camera. Bitch, you fuck for a living too! The only difference is that the world doesn’t see it. They only see the byproduct of that, which is, of course, the girl getting casted in the video. I’m not saying that ALL these girls are fucking to get jobs, but the ones that do need to stop talking foul and thinking they’re “holier than thou.” Just accept that we are ALL WHORES. Thank you ;)
2. GROUP SEX ETIQUETTE
Group sex can be a wonderful activity for experimentation and pleasure, but when done incorrectly, group sex can also end relationships and friendships. As a general rule of thumb, when it comes to the traditional threesome (Boy/Girl/Girl), it is essential for
A)
The lead female to choose, or have a say in picking, the second female partner. B) the love must be mutual all the way around. There’s nothing worse than a threesome where the guy is getting all the lovin’ and the females aren’t into each other. C) obviously all participating females must be bi and attracted to each other. D) the love must be evenly spread; all parties must do their best to keep everyone active during sex, because if the second female is getting more attention from the male than the other girl, that’s where jealousy and other problems arise. Other threesomes (Boy/Boy/Girl) are less demanding because generally guys aren’t as quick to become jealous during sex and less catty than the females. That being said, there’s many ways to carry on this way. Guys can take turns or while the girl gets fucked she can suck the other guy off and then switch. Of course, there’s always the good ol’ DP action. Anything beyond that and you pretty much step into gangbang territory or an official orgy. The point is, in all cases, the parties must be down and willing to please one another and leave all baggage and insecurities at the door. That is the recipe to a SEXessful group sex session!
3. STRIP CLUB ETIQUETTE
I started dancing a few years ago when I was 19 years old. At the time, the world of strip clubs was so foreign to me. Very quickly, through the school of hard knocks, I learned what the Do’s and Don’ts of the gentleman’s club. There needs to be a list of rules for customer etiquette, because some men just don’t know what to do when they go to the club. Here are some tips: If you aren’t getting dances and are at the club to mingle with friends, drink, and watch sports, TIPPING IS A MUST! No, you don’t have to “make it rain,” but every dollar counts. When a girl comes off stage, even if she didn’t do a phenomenal set, just stuff a couple dollars in her g-string or hand it to her. She WILL appreciate it! B) If you’re sitting at the stage watching a girl go through all her best dancing/pole tricks, don’t wiggle your measy $1 bill in her face. That will more than likely piss her off. C) DO NOT.. I repeat.. DO NOT try to stick your dirty ass dollar bill in her pussy or asshole. Any self-respecting stripper will go off at this totally unsanitary action. D) You know girls are at the club to work, not for the hell of it. So if a dancer sits next to you and starts a conversation which goes on for more than ten minutes, it is your obligation to tell her if you’re not intending to buy a dance and let her move along, because every second at the club equals money or wasted money.
A)
18 // OZONE WEST
If you do take a girl back for a lapdance, before the dance starts, ask the girl what her personal boundaries are and what you can and can’t touch. She will surely appreciate this. F) DO NOT pull your dick out of your pants while the girl is dancing. Freaky girls won’t care, but most dancers think this is foul behavior. G) Like Chris Rock said, there is NO SEX IN THE CHAMPAGNE ROOM. Obviously, we all know what really goes on back there, but is it really worth it? With all the raids going on, it’s too much of a liability for all parties involved, including the actual club. If he’s trying to fuck and you’re into that sort of thing, just get a damn hotel room! Champagne rooms are icky cuminfested rooms anyway, even by my porn star standards.
E)
4. VIRGIN ETIQUETTE
I really shouldn’t have to tell you this, but believe it or not, there are some men out there that just don’t know! One thing I’m known for in porn is that I was the only porn star who was a vaginal virgin (hymen and all). I only did anal scenes on film and wasn’t yet ready to take the vaginal plunge on or off camera. My first vaginal experience was horrible! It hurt a thousand times worse than any anal experience I’ve ever had, partly due to the breaking of my hymen muscle. The man who popped my cherry didn’t know what he was doing! Men, if you ever get the blessed (some say cursed) experience of de-virginizing a girl, there are rules you must follow. Here are some guidelines:
A)
Make sure this is what SHE wants. Don’t ever force a girl to give up her virginity, because it is sacred! B) Once she has expressed that she’s ready to lose her V-card, make sure she is as comfortable as possible. C) Get her WET. Even if you don’t normally eat pussy, you might have to make an exception. She’s a virgin – what are you worried about? D) Go with whatever position makes her most comfortable, whether missionary or cowgirl. The key is to let her control the pace. E) Some women are extremely tight so if it takes more than one night, don’t fret (it took six months and two different guys for me). F) GO SLOW. I really shouldn’t have to say that but some guys are morons. G) If worst comes to worst and the girl is in so much pain that she’s crying, don’t call her a baby. Don’t get up and leave and never speak to her again. You know who you are and YES, YOU’RE AN ASSHOLE.
5. ANAL SEX ETIQUETTE
These tidbits of advice are for girls and gay guys. Anal sex can be wonderful! It can also be painful and messy, but if you follow these rules, it should be great:
A)
Preparation is key. If you’re planning on having anal sex, don’t eat burritos or beans and make sure you’re clean in that area. Take an enema (don’t use the liquid that comes in the bottle; pour it out and put warm water in the bottle) at least an hour before. B) Make sure your ass is well-lubricated. Don’t use crappy lubes either, because they will get sticky. KY Jelly is the worst, but Vaseline works rather well and is inexpensive compared to EROS or some of the other high-end lubes you can find at adult stores. C) Start off slow. There’s nothing I hate worse than a guy who thinks he can just shove 12 inches in my ass with no warm-up. That shit hurts! Go in one centimeter at a time. D) Ass to mouth is hot! Once he starts pounding your ass, ask him to put his dick in your mouth so you can see how your ass tastes. I never met a guy that didn’t like that shit! E) Have fun and be safe! I know anal is no fun with condoms, but HIV is definitely not fun either!
6. SEX, DRUGS, ROCK N ROLL
Okay, maybe just sex and drugs. Both can be euphoric wonderful joyous experiences (the best sex I ever had, I was either drunk or on E). I mean, who hasn’t heard about Tiger Woods’ infamous sexperiences with Ambien? This is quite popular among some people. To be safe, there are a few things you should know:
A)
In order to have the best possible journey when getting high, make sure before you take your drug of choice (weed, alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, whatever) that you make sure you’re in good frame of mind. If you’re worried or troubled, taking a controlled substance could bring about paranoia or anxiety. B) Make sure your partner is someone you know and trust! DO NOT and I mean DO NOT have a drug-fueled sex romp with a stranger! This can lead to potentially disastrous and cataclysmic events! C) Be safe and don’t take too much of anything. Needless to say, overdosing really sucks. I know this makes me sound like a junkie, but I really am not. I smoke weed every day thanks to my medical marijuana license. I have tried other drugs in the past, but I was fortunate to get this experimentation out of my system. You won’t know whether or not you like something if you don’t try, right? D) From what I’ve heard, apparently cocaine is good for women during sex because it makes women uncontrollably horny, but it can make a man’s dick go numb rendering it useless. E) Sex and drugs are fun but never let the altered mindstate allow you to do stupid things like having unprotected sex. I have heard that meth is rampant in the gay nightlife community and you don’t want “feeling good” to lead you to your demise (AIDS). Wrap it up! F) When incorporating drugs and sex, certain chemicals should never be mixed. This can cause ODs and even death. You can always go to Drugs.com and input whatever you’re taking to make sure it’s safe to do so. G) Engage in these activities at your own risk. I’m not condoning drug use, nor am I denouncing it. We’re all adults and you’re going to do what you want to do whether the government condones it or not. But there is a safe, smart way to do it.
7. THE CASTING COUCH
Everyone has heard stories in Hollywood or the music industry where people are fucking for work. It’s even worse in the porn industry. There may be a casting couch in Hollywood, but any producer or director in the adult film industry who tells a girl that she has to fuck before she gets a part is a LIAR! If anyone tells you that, you’re obviously not dealing with a true professional. When I started out in porn at age 18, I was fortunate enough to have a good agent who only dealt with reputable companies. Not all girls are so lucky though. I can’t tell you how many girls I’ve met that were green to the industry and fell into the hands of some shitty pimp, not a real agent. I’ve also met girls who were freelancing and searching talent websites and met some sleazy producer that told them to come “audition” for a role in a hot new porn movie by fucking him ON TAPE. Then, he sends the girl off and she never gets a call back and certainly doesn’t get paid. Let me explain a typical REAL porn audition. If you’ve ever seen America’s Next Top Model, you’ll know what a “Go See” is. Generally, a girl’s agent will arrange a day full of Go Sees. A girl might visit 10-15 companies in one day. During a Go See, a girl will present two forms of ID and fill out a bio sheet with info including measurements and what she is willing to do (and not willing to do) on camera. At some point she will be asked to undress and take a series of Polaroids. After that, the producer/director may ask you a few questions, and that is it. Now, a personal experience I will share to discourage any girls from jumping on the casting couch. When I was 18, I went on a Go See with another girl from my agency. As we were leaving the producer called the other girl back to the room. After fifteen minutes, I headed back to the office to see what was taking her so long. The girl was getting fucked on the producer’s desk! As it turned out, the producer booked me but did not book the girl he fucked earlier. What a dumb bitch, I thought. Ladies, if you want to get into porn and a director or producer wants to fuck you, DO NOT fuck him off camera. Tell him to book you in a scene and trust me, he will!
8. IT'S HARD OUT HERE FOR A PIMP
Around 90% of the girls I know in the sex industry (porn, dancing, & beyond) had or have some type of “management,” myself included. Most girls who say otherwise are either lying or too blind to realize that their so-called “boyfriend” who was taking their money for “savings” was really a PIMP. I may get a little flack for this but it’s more important to be open and honest about such a tough subject than to lie because I’m concerned about
a superficial image. I’ve met many girls who loathe and abhor pimps and I’ve also met many girls who were absolutely infatuated and enamored with their pimps. The point is, the relationship can be either PARASITIC or SYMBIOTIC. Beware, the PARASITIC pimp is exactly what you think he’d be. He takes everything he can from you and gives you nothing but trouble and pain. These so-called men are the pimps that beat and steal from their women. They’re constantly playing mind games and forcing the girl to do things she doesn’t want to do out of fear. He’ll have his goons watch her constantly to report back if she gets “outta pocket,” even going so far as to steal her identity (passport, ID, birth certificate) just to make sure she doesn’t leave him. They aren’t real pimps, they are just weak, scared, and insecure. A pimp shouldn’t have to punch a bitch to keep her in line. If she wants to walk, a real pimp will let her walk no questions asked. The second type of pimp is the kind that bitches love, the SYMBIOTIC pimp. This pimp cares for his bitch and his bitch cares for him. He doesn’t feed off her; rather, they feed and take care of each other. He never makes his bitch do anything she doesn’t feel comfortable doing. He never beats her. The true pimp isn’t insecure and worried that his bitch will leave him, because he knows he can always get another, badder bitch because he has game. Therefore, there’s no need to steal her identity. Just because a girl has a pimp doesn’t necessarily mean she’s a streetwalker or call girl. There are many dancers who have pimps that would never want them to fuck another guy. Even in the porn world there are “suitcase pimps” who drive girls to the set, pick them up, and make sure they get their hair and nails done. Pimps are people too. Some are bad, wicked, horrible people. Some are loving sons and devoted fathers and overall good men.
9. PORN PEEVES
A little known fact outside the porn industry is the fact that porn is even more racist than Hollywood. At least Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, and Jennifer Hudson have won Oscars. A black woman has never won an AVN (the Oscars of porn) but has rarely even been nominated. The same goes for black men in porn as well. Most of the top porn companies like Vivid, Wicked, Hustler, and Adam & Eve don’t even have one black contract girl (Vivid has had three black contract girls in the past 25 years). And these companies want to know why sales are slipping? Clearly all the free porn websites have played a part in slipping sales, but maybe these companies aren’t catering to their audience (which is mostly white, but there is a large market for interracial porn). Sometimes I just feel thoroughly disenfranchised and I know I’m not the only one. Ethnic women are so underappreciated in the porn industry. I have respect for AVN and all the companies mentioned so I’m not bashing them, just airing my opinion. My only hope is that one day soon the industry as a whole will evolve and appreciate minorities. If Hollywood can have Academy Award-winning minorities, AVN needs to accept us as well.
10. GROUPIE STEREOTYPES
One thing that’s always irked me long before I had my first kiss was the groupie stigma. Growing up, I didn’t listen to much rap. I was raised on The Doors, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, etc. I read up on rock & roll history. Long before there were Hip Hop groupies, there were rock & roll groupies like Pamela Des Barres and Plaster Caster and Bebe Buells. When I got my hands on Des Barres’ infamous book “I’m With The Band: Confessions of a Groupie,” (I have a signed copy) I couldn’t put it down! I imagined what it would’ve been like to be her and live through all the debauchery she’s been through. The power she must have felt when she fucked Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and Jimi Page and Robert Plant! She was like my idol! Being a groupie back in the day didn’t have such a negative connotation. It was almost a romantic ideal. Pamela Des Barres and a lot of the other rock & roll groupies weren’t just fucking these guys because they were famous; they really did love and appreciate the music. Even the groupies in L.A. during the whole 80’s hair metal scene – a lot of those so-called groupies were supporting the bands, feeding them, getting them drugs, promoting them, and putting up signs. They were like unofficial roadies. Groupies have even contributed to some great songs, maybe not on the record but behind the scenes. Behind every great musician is a great groupie! //
OZONE’s SEX ISSUE OZONE WEST // 19
I hope you had a babysitter. Naw, the kids weren’t there.
Compton rapper Problem is apparently not only a problem in the rap game, but also in the bedroom. Here, he tells us why two baby mamas are better than one. You must have quite a reputation because everybody on the West Coast told me I’ve gotta talk to you for the OZONE West sex issue. (laughs) I don’t know if I have a reputation. I’m just free with what I say, that’s all. Are you a groupie lover or do you like a little more of a challenge? I’m not really into the groupie thing. Rap ain’t never got me no ass. I was cool with the ladies before rap. So I don’t really get turned on by the Problem groupies. I like somebody that really doesn’t know who I am and we get it poppin’. It’s way better like that. I have had groupies and it’s cool but I prefer somebody that really likes me for me. That means I can go all the way in and do everything. I guess you don’t have too many exciting groupie tales from being on the road yet. Fuck a groupie tale. I’ma tell you some wild shit. They’re probably gonna be mad at me, but I don’t give a fuck. My baby mamas – I had ‘em both at the same time. Wait, what? You had a threesome with two women and they both got pregnant? No, they both had a kid of mine already. It took a lot of talking [to convince them] and they hate each other to this day because of it. I was with [my son’s mother] and I wanted to do a threesome and she didn’t want me fuckin’ nobody new. I was like, “Well, my daughter’s mother is bisexual.” She was like, “Fuck that.” It took a good minute to convince them. One good loaded night it happened, though. They had another homegirl, one of their friends involved. They fought afterwards though.
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How did you split your attention up evenly in the bedroom? That’s when it got tricky; the actual fuckin’ part. It was like, “Oooh, you makin’ all that noise for her, huh?” I’m gonna moan, man. I’m not gonna try to be Mister Tough Fuck. That ain’t my thing. If the shit feels good, I’m like, “Oooh, shiiit.” And they kept getting jealous, you know? But there’s a lot you can do [with three women] if you’re a visionary. I’m an artist first. My imagination is wild. You just gotta do it, you know? We all have tongues and there’s all kinds of tongues that need to be filled. You just gotta go for what you know. If you can handle it, man, it’s a hell of a story to tell. And I speak the truth. I wish I could get them on the phone so they could vouch for me. I hate niggas that lie on they dick. That shit is dead. But they didn’t get along afterwards? It got bad afterwards. A fight ensued. I felt bad about it, cause I was like, this is gonna have some lingering effects on my relationships with these two. To this day they can’t stand each other. But we’re cool, nobody’s trippin’. This was a few years ago. Have you paid for sex? Everybody pays for sex. When we go out on a date, I’m paying for sex. I’ve never walked up to a prostitute and given her money and said, “Fuck me,” but if I pick you up, put gas in my vehicle, risk an accident driving around, pay for the hotel room – if any money comes out of my pocket before we fuck – I paid for sex. The condoms I bought, the food you ate, everything. At least you’re a gentleman taking them out to eat. Not everybody gets that. But we’re talking about the good ones. The ones that get fucked just get fucked. I’m trying to nut as fast as I can and get out. I got in trouble tryin’ to make love to everybody. When you try to make love to everybody, [women] think you love them. I used to go all out, lickin’ everything from head to toe just cause I was on one. I was raised around women so I know what they like. Every woman is the same, from your granny to your daughter. There ain’t too much difference. What’s the distinction between somebody you’d treat like a gentleman
and somebody you just wanna get a nut and get out? It’s a thin line, I’ll say that. It’s just a certain vibe. If you get off by calling me Problem, I’m just gonna fuck you. I’m a pretty good judge of character. I can tell if somebody wants to fuck Problem or if somebody wants to fuck Jason. I’ll eat it though. I’m probably gonna eat it most of the time cause I’m just like that, but if I’m into you I’m doing everything. I’m tryin’ to make you cum a few times before I fuck you because I want you to remember me. Even if you’ve got a nigga or got problems in your life, whatever’s going through your head, I want you to be like, “This nigga was on one.” What kind of car gets you the most attention from females? I’m telling you, I was fucking bitchies on my auntie’s living room floor with no money. That shit doesn’t mean anything to me. I’ll take a nigga’s girl who’s got a Bentley. I don’t give a fuck, honestly, man. Some females are into cars and stuff but the majority don’t give a fuck. Some niggas just buy cars to overcompensate for what they don’t have. Have you made a lot of Bentley-driving enemies by stealing their girls? I can’t say I’ve made enemies. I don’t know these niggas personally so it’s not my place to respect their relationship. I’ve had a nigga call me like, “Who are you?” Apparently you know me very well if you’re calling my fuckin’ number. He was like, “Hey, my nigga, why you calling my girl?” Bro, she calls me. I don’t know you, my nigga. I ain’t gonna get in no trouble though. A long time ago this nigga was mad as hell over some girl I didn’t even fuck. It was the craziest shit in the world. He swore I was fuckin’ his bitch. Are there any celebrity females you have your eye on? I can’t say. I wanna say but I can’t. I have my eye on a few and I think they have gazed my way as well. But I can’t say because I gotta get ‘em first. I can’t be putting it out there and then I don’t win. It’s like a game. But trust me, if we do a part two [of this interview] and I win, I’ma give it all to you. Do you send out sexy text messages? I’m into the shock factor. I’m not into that smooth shit. I’ll be like, “I’m hungrier than a muthafucker. What you got to eat over there? I’m about to come wherever you’re at and lick you from the crack to the…” you know. It’s gotta be on man. Especially if I’m drunk. The liquor makes me a lot bolder. I’m gonna say [those types of things] anyway, but liquor gets me to the point where I’m like, “I’ma come over there and fuck the cum out of your pussy.” That type of shit. What type of liquor is an aphrodisiac? For me or for a female? For females, I don’t know, because I don’t like fucking a drunk bitch. That shit is annoying. It’s cool if you’re a little buzzed but if you’re drunk as fuck, I might kick you out of the house. Sounds like you’ve had some bad drunk sex experiences. Hell yeah, millions. My shit will just go limp. I just get so unenthused, like, “What am I doing?” I remember being drunk once and I did a show at some pool party. I met this little broad and we came back to the house. We were both loaded and she was irritating the fuck out of me. I fucked her anyway and then we got in the shower. The whole time she’s been calling me Problem and I’m calling her whatever her name is. We get in the shower and she looks down at my dick and then looks at my face and she says, “I know you.” I’m like, “Huh? Yeah, you know me.” She was like, “No, we fucked before.” I said, “What are you talking about? I’ve never seen you before in my life.” She was like, “Yeah, your name is Jason. We fucked a few years ago.” That shit tripped me the fuck out. Neither one of us remembered and we had been kickin’ it the whole damn night. That’s when I knew I was doing too much and I had to slow myself down. Yeah, that is a bit much. I’m not proud of all that stuff, man. I’m really trying to make love to somebody right now. I’m just not into the bam-bam, coming over there and knocking that shit out. I want to fuck and suck and get fucked. I want to do everything. I’m at a freaky point in my life where I want to do everything. I might just pull the car over and be like, “C’mon. Get on the hood.” Boom! I’m into that shit right now. That shit is crazy because you’ll get a female who isn’t used to the spontaneous, crazy shit. It’ll drive her nuts and she comes all over the place. Like, we’re at the movies and I put you on my lap, boom boom boom. If a female gives it up quick would you say it affects your perception of her later in the relationship? Hell naw. We could die tomorrow. Nobody has time for that shit. If you want to fuck, I won’t judge you. Are there any Problem sex tapes floating around?
(laughs) I hope not. I’ve filmed myself before but I don’t have the tapes in my possession, so you never know. She has them. Honestly, I should put it out. A lot of these weak dick niggas don’t know what they’re doing. It might help your career out a little bit. They get mad at me for doing songs like “Fuck Your Man,” but it’s a reason those songs are created. You niggas aren’t doing your job, man. What kind of female do you prefer physically? I go off a vibe. I can’t say I just like light skin or I just like dark skin. I’m into good people and sex and chemistry. Like if we fuck and I’m to the point where I have to control my mind to keep from cumming, that’s the shit. I had this one female and I swear every time we did it I thought I was going to cum every time I put it in there. She had me feeling like I was about to nut for ten minutes straight. I fucking can’t find her. Her name is Nikia. Nikia, if you’re reading this, you can twitter me at @ItsAProblem. I just want to talk to you and find out what you’re doing, because I know if another nigga’s been in that shit he ain’t letting that go. When you have to control your mind what do you think about? Baseball? Hell yeah, because that’s a boring ass sport. Then I start counting shit on the wall. Then I might pull out and start eating pussy to re-up real quick. Would you fuck with a female like Superhead knowing she was going to write a book about you? Are you more private with your sex life? I’m private, but the competitiveness in me would make me want to do it to see if I can stand up against the niggas she be talking about. [Fucking Superhead] is kinda like, you made it. It’s like playing at the Apollo. The newest Superhead wannabe is texting rappers on Twitter, hooking up with them, and blogging about it. If a female hits you up on Twitter would you fuck with her or are you more cautious meeting people on the internet? The internet is the craziest shit on earth. It’s funny. I’ve met so many beautiful people off Twitter. Shouts out to everybody I met off Twitter. I really don’t get into Twitter as far as females hitting me, but I do get some crazy DMs. Twitter is like a great stress relief. I can say what the fuck I want and that’s why people fuck with me. I love the ladies on Twitter. I love hearing what they’ve got to say, good or bad. My DM shit is crazy. I get all kinds of invitations so I could just imagine what Soulja Boy and them niggas’ DM boxes look like. I know that shit is crazy. Since you like a variety of women, have you seen a difference between different races of women as far as what they’re into sexually? The Spanish women that I’ve had sex with, their pussy is insane. It kinda grabs you. Have you ever had Malt-O-Meal before? Get a box of MaltO-Meal and put it in a warm bowl and stick your finger in it. That’s the way some bomb ass pussy feels. Spanish chicks have the Malt-O-Meal. Black women be trying to fuck you like they’re on TV. The white chicks I’ve chilled with were cool. People say white chicks give better head, but I can’t say that. I’ve had some super head from black chicks. This one girl made me cum three straight times. My mind was blown. Like when they say “blow your socks off”? I literally had to take my shoes off. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. I never experienced anything like that before and I probably won’t ever again. That shit was insane. When did you lose your virginity? When I was 10 that was the first time I had sex. The girl was older than me. When you’re that young you just get the shakes. You ain’t developed nutting yet so it’s like this little feeling, I don’t know what it’s called. The next time I had sex I was like 14. But when I got my heart broken, I haven’t been right ever since. I was 18 when I got my heart broken. I got her ass back, trust me. I ain’t the only one that was heart. But that was the thing that triggered it. I was a totally different dude. I really believed in trust, one girlfriend, and all that bullshit. All that shit had to get thrown out the window and I went on a fuckfest that’s still going on to this day. I’m 24, about to be 25. But as soon as I find that Malt-O-Meal I’m gonna calm down. Do you have a favorite porn star? I’ve never been into porn. I don’t really do strip clubs too much either. I don’t see the point of getting my dick hard if nothing else is gonna happen. I like a women’s titties touching my chest. I’m into grabbing your waist while you’re riding me. I’m into the controlling thing, so porn movies really don’t do it for me. You mentioned the movie theater. Where are some other creative places you’ve had sex? continued on pg. W24 >> OZONE WEST // 21
22 // OZONE WEST
HANK ME LATER THANK ME LATER T ANK ME LATER THANK ME LATER TH NK ME LATER THANK ME LATER THA K ME LATER THANK ME LATER THAN ME LATER THANK ME LATER THANK LATER THANK ME LATER THANK ME LATER THANK ME E-40 knows that you love him, LATER THANK ME he also knows that you hate ATER THANK him. But all he wantsME you to LATER THANK ME L know is that he’s been in this Words by Maurice G. Garland Photos by Trevor Traynor
eyebrows. With most fans growing either accustomed to or annoyed by the constant barrage of free music via the internet and mixtapes, asking fans to buy one album is a hard sell, so how can you expect them to buy two?
game for 20-plus years and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.
“I was sellin tapes out the trunk of my car, when you was running ‘round drinking Simalac” - E-40 on ”Record Haters” from the album Hall of Game The rapper born Earl Stevens is aging quite well. Not a wrinkle in his skin or a grey hair on his head (thankfully, he cut those dreads off last year), E-40 in 2010 looks almost exactly the same way he did on the cover of his 1992 album Federal. “They tell me I’ve been drinking out the fountain of youth. They say I’m aging backwards,” he chuckles. “I’m not trying to be 21 again, but I do think I’m in my 3rd childhood.” After years of debating if it wanted to stay young or mature, Hip Hop is finally looking as if it wants to act its age. For the first time the “young man’s game” is seeing some of its stars and most powerful voices achieve success and maintain relevance at and past age 40. Rappers like Jay-Z, Too $hort and most recently Raekwon are showing and proving that being “over the hill” doesn’t mean that their career is headed downhill. In E-40’s case, age has never really been a factor. He’s been able to stay ahead of the curve by being active in every change and trend that Hip Hop comes up with. When the South was on the rise, he was recording with 8Ball & MJG, Master P and Cash Money. When the South began reigning supreme, he made songs like “Rep Yo City.” When snap music exploded, he hopped on Lil Jon’s “Snap Yo Fingers.” When Hyphy became a movement, he helped lead the charge with his 2006 hit “Tell Me When To Go.” “I stay woke,” 40 states bluntly. “I don’t use ancient slang. Ain’t no nigga my age rapping like me. I’m on some updated shit, and I got that OG in me. I got that 80s game in me and today’s game in me. I can whup these youngsters with their own game.” That’s what 40 hopes to do with his new 2-part album Revenue Retrievin’. Similar to what Nelly did in 2004 with his Sweat/Suit concept, 40 will be releasing a Day Shit and Night Shift version of the album separately on the same day, giving consumers three choices at the store. “I had so much material, I took the budget that I had and squeezed it into two albums,” he says. “It’s two separate albums; two different packages with two different barcodes. Some may like Day Shift but not Night Shift or vice versa. If I was an E-40 fan I’d just snatch both of them. You’ve got to draw interest in selling albums nowadays. A lot of people are curious to see how this pans out, and that’s why I did it. One album wasn’t enough for me. If I did a single album I don’t think it would be this much awareness around it.” Revenue Retrievin’ isn’t 40’s first crack at dropping a double album. He released the 1997 compilation SouthWest Riders on his Sic Wit It label that featured two discs worth of music with UGK, 8Ball & MJG, The Luniz, Twista, Three 6 Mafia and virtually every artist from the South, West and Midwest that was hot at the time. In 1998 he dropped his first solo double, and perhaps his most hyped album, The Element of Surprise. So if anything, this should prove that 40 knows what he’s doing. However, releasing a double album in today’s musical climate does raise
“A lot of people who do mixtapes do it to keep their name hot, and that’s cool,” says 40 when asked why he elects to release albums and not mixtapes. “But my music needs to be documented in the history books and barcoded. I don’t like wasting music because I put my all into my raps. There’s certain things you have to do for free, like shows for radio or shows when you’re first starting out. But I’m already a well-known dude, so I feel like that’s not something I have to do. But I understand why the newer artists do it.”
“In case you suckers didn’t know, I told you once before / I ain’t rapping too fast, see y’all just listening too slow.” - E-40 on “Fallin Rain” from the album Grit & Grind Call it a gift or a curse, but there is no such thing as a fair-weather E-40 fan. You either love him or you hate him. If you have one E-40 album, you probably have at least four more. If you have none, you probably won’t be planning on get one anytime soon. Though he didn’t mean to become it on purpose, E-40 is secretly one of the most polarizing and most unappreciated figures in Hip Hop. While he has a fanbase that has supported him for nearly 20 years strong, he’s yet to appear on the cover of a mainstream music magazine (excluding OZONE). He has four gold albums and one platinum, but he’s rarely invited to sit on the couch of your favorite talk show. He had two of biggest hits of 2006 with “Tell Me When To Go” and “U And Dat” but wasn’t nominated for any awards that year. Only BET was nice enough to realize their oversight and invite 40 to narrate their Hip Hop Awards show the following year.
“Every rapper got a little E-40 in them and don’t even know it. I’m not knocking, I’m just letting it be known that a few pages been ripped out of my book.”
“People don’t like what they can’t comprehend,” shrugs 40, comparing himself to the likes of Roger Troutman and George Clinton, artists who weren’t fully appreciated until decades after their prime. “It goes right over their head like the balloon boy. They’re game goofy; they don’t get it until years later. They want everybody to rap the same, but I’m in my own lane and I’m comfortable in my lane.” “[E-40 is] the most original MC to ever record,” says Bun B of UGK, who has had a working relationship with 40 since the mid-90s. “[He is] the most copied MC ever to spit. One of the most underrated lyricists in the game, with the most credited and uncredited additions to the Hip Hop and world lexicons of slang. One of the best natured guys in the game.”
It’s probably that same good-natured spirit that’s kept E-40 from griping about not getting more props for his props and contributions. Sure, he addresses it occasionally on songs like “Why They Don’t Fuck With Us” (“partly from the fact that I’m a force / they never put me on the cover of The Source”). But he’ll never fix his own mouth to talk down on anyone or say that Snoop Dogg stole his slang or that Jazze Pha copied his swag, even though his fans will. “Improbably the most bitten rapper in the game, people don’t even realize they’re biting me,” he says, mentioning that he has love for those that acknowledge, but none for those who don’t. “Every rapper got a little E-40 in them and don’t even know it. I’m not knocking, I’m just letting it be known that a few pages been ripped out of my book.” OZONE WEST // 23
40, who was the first rapper to feature T-Pain on a hook, continues, “I put it all in the hands of God. I know I’m unorthodox and not like everybody else. I’ll be griping all my life if I started griping. I just know they’re gonna appreciate me later. In due time they will look back and say, “That was a sick muthafucka rapping.” That griping shit don’t get you nothing. It makes you sound like the mad rapper.” “I got the gift of gab I’m off the choo choo tracks / I want the fetti, fuck the fame, y’all can have that” - E-40 on “Earl, That’s Your Life” from Charlie Hustle: Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire Retrievin’ will “A lot of people who Revenue be E-40’s eleventh aldo mixtapes do it to bum (and twelfth if you to be technical). keep their name hot want However, the energy and that’s cool. But surrounding it makes album feel like a my music needs to the fresh start. After spendover a decade on be documented in ing Jive Records and then a the history books couple years on Warner Bros., Revenue Retrievin’ and barcoded. I will be 40’s first fully don’t like wasting independent album 1993’s The Mail music, I put my all since Man. This will also be into my raps.” the first E-40 album to not be released through his Sic Wit It Records. E-40 is now signed to his 22-year-old son and producer Droop-E’s label, Heavy On The Grind Entertainment, which has a direct distribution deal with EMI. “We cut out the middleman,” he explains, mentioning that he still has Sic Wit It and plans to release albums from his groups through a partnership with E1. “He had a better situation than what I would’ve had so it was a better look. I had offers from major labels but we wanted to go straight through. I felt like I could do it with me and him together with him as the producer and me as the hard worker I am.” The album also signals somewhat of a return to a strictly Bay Area sound for 40 after his last two albums flirted heavily with both a Southern and crossover sound.
Problem cont. from pg. 21
I tried to have sex on the roof one time and it didn’t work out. I’ve had sex outside. I pulled over and had sex on top of the car. I haven’t done the airplane thing, but I’m interested. I’m not a part of the mile high club yet. That’s on the to-do list? Of course. I have a freeway fetish. I love having sex on the freeway. When you’re driving, you have her get on top of you. It has to be late at night cause if somebody catches you doing that shit you’re going to jail. I’m not talking about getting head. I’m talking about actual intercourse while you’re driving. Do you attract women your age or cougars? It depends. I will say that the younger females are way more aggressive now. They’ll come up to you like, “I just want to fuck.” The older females play more games. They think they’re smarter than you. Do aggressive females scare you off? Nah, it doesn’t scare me. I’ll tell a female quick, “You should only play with kids.” I’m grown as a muthafucker. Even though I might be young, in dick years I’m about 52. I get a kick out of it because people will look at me and think, “Aww, this little nigga ain’t gonna do nothing.” Then we get going, and... I’m not saying I’m the best, but I ain’t bad. What would you say is your best sexual attribute? I would say my dick, shit. I’ve got a lot of girth. Is that the right word? Yeah, that’s the right word. Do you measure it? I haven’t measured it in years. I used to when I was younger because I thought I had a little dick. When you’re in junior high school everybody thinks you’ve got to have 12 inches to have a big dick. I would talk to my mom cause I’m real close to her. “Mom, I think my thing is little.” And she did the typical mother shit: “Girls don’t like it when it’s too big.” When I was older she saw some pictures somebody had taken of me and she mentioned it. “Yeah, remember that
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“This album is vintage E-40,” he says, also insisting that the word “hyphy” isn’t even mentioned on the album. “I kept it all the way Bay’d Out and worked with a lot of Bay Area artists and acts on my label. Gucci Mane and Jazze Pha are the only Southern features I have on this album.” The album features a number of Bay Area artists including San Quinn, Tha Jacka, Clyde Carson, Ya Boy, Husalah, Keak Da Sneak, Turf Talk and of course Too $hort and his family members from The Click. It also has a bit of Southern California sprinkled throughout it with appearances from Snoop Dogg and Suga Free. With the way the game operates now, it’s a feat in itself getting to work with so many people on one project. “I think the days of working with more artists from your immediate area are going to continue because of all of the politics in the game now,” he says. “You might have a rapper you’d really love to get down with and they do a song with you, but the label won’t clear it. So that keeps them from appearing on local or up-and-coming artists albums. But one thing about me, even when I was signed to majors, I never acted like I was too good to work with anybody.” Year after year 40 proves this by hopping on songs and remixes with whoever is on the rise. “I’ve done so many guest appearances over the years, I should’ve been ran out of bars. Some rappers save their bars for remixes for songs that’s already hot. I do remixes too, but I also do shit that people will never hear because it’s underground independent shit.” E-40’s decision to keep this album Bay’d Out also signals that 40 is at a point in his career where he accepts his place in the game and can do what he wants, which may be a potential risk. Outside of “U And Dat,” 40 has never been known for blatant radio singles or attempts at mainstream success. Couple this with 40’s assertion that all of the urban radio stations on the West Coast have been replaced with stations that only play crossover hits, and this puts 40 in a spot where he has to return to the underground roots that made him. “It’s back to blood, sweat and tears,” he says. “Record sales are down so its not even about first week sales now. It’s back to the grind, hitting cities, rubbing shoulders, kissing babies. Using these social networks and creating visuals for the internet.” He pauses. “Fuck double platinum, I’m trying to go double profit.” //
talk we had? I knew you were going to have a big one like your daddy.” That’s a pretty open relationship. My mom is like my best friend. She knows everything I’ve done. Have you ever used drugs to enhance your sexual experience? I used to pop a lot [of pills] but the reason I don’t like fuckin’ with ecstasy is because I don’t get to cum. I’m not tryin’ to fuck for two hours and not cum. A lot of niggas are like, “I’ll fuck for an hour.” Man, I don’t know what type of money you’re getting, but I’m out here chasing it. I don’t have time to fuck for an hour. Honestly, females, if you have time to fuck for an hour I don’t need to be fucking you. And if I can’t make you cum within the first ten minutes, we’re not working. I don’t need drugs. I like fucking in the daytime. 2 o’clock. A lunch time quickie? Not a quickie, it’s just random. Spontaneous shit. On the music tip, what do you have coming up? My new single is called “Fuck Your Man.” That’s doing really well. Malice In Wonderland just dropped; check out the big homie Snoop Dogg. I’m in the movie, and I wrote and produced on the album. I’ve got a lot of new things coming. Problem all day. Compton is back. Is there anything else you want to say for the sex issue? Lil Wayne turned the world out talking about eating pussy, but you niggas don’t got nothing on what I’m going to do to your girl. Try to see what I’m doing, because I can make her cum in three minutes with my tongue, I swear. Do you have any techniques you want to share? Hell no. These niggas ain’t getting my shit. Have their girl hit me at www.itsaproblem.com and then they can run back and tell you what we did. That’s how you’ll find out. Three to five minutes to find out the small simple shit. They’re too busy looking at TV thinking you’ve gotta be licking fast with all that speed tongue shit. Get the fuck outta here, my nigga. This ain’t 1992. //
Bueno Can’t Knock The Hustle SMC Recordings Sacramento emcee Bueno starts off his Can’t Knock The Hustle album impressively on opening tracks “Bueno Season,” “Unstoppable” and “Fuck Goin’ Broke.” From there, with the exception of “Presidential,” his ”can’t knock the hustle” theme starts getting redundant (especially since Jay-Z did it best in ’96). But since Bueno is spittin’ hard throughout the album, we won’t fault him too hard for his cliché rhymes. - Randy Roper Skeme Black FriDAY The “New West” is producing an abundance of hard-edged lyricists and Inglewood, CA’s Skeme is one of its most promising offspring. He can successfully reinvent beats like Andre 3000’s “She Lives in My Lap” (“I Live with My Strap”) and F.L.Y.’s “Swag Surfin,” as well as formulate original concepts like “Head Above Water” ft. Big Bank Black. Black Friday could use a few more dominant singles, but it’s not lacking in versatility. Skeme is a strong rapper who molds well with any instrumental, making Black Friday an impressive and intriguing listen. – Ms. Rivercity Dom Kennedy From The Westside, With Love On From The Westside, With Love, Dom Kennedy takes listeners on a stroll through LA’s Leimert Park, where Dom’s throwback rap flow over new school beat is a refreshing listen. From a trip down memory lane on “1997,” to the rude boy inspired “Play On” featuring Skeme, to the neighborhood reppin’ “A Leimert Park Song,” Dom delivers gems. The album’s only flaw is the abundance of sappy R&B influenced songs like “The 4 Heartbreaks” and “She Go.” Those songs notwithstanding, From The Westside just about rides from opening to closing. – Randy Roper
Kendrick Lamar The Kendrick Lamar EP Kendrick Lamar’s name isn’t among the list of New West MCs—Nipsey Hussle, Pac Div, Fashawn—bringing the Left Coast back, but the sounds on The Kendrick Lamar EP adds to the list of quality music coming out of Cali these days. This newbie Compton rapper’s flow could use some work, but his good beat selection and in-depth subjects throughout this 15-track project makes for a fresh sound on records like “Is It Love,” “P&P” and “She Needs Me.” This EP isn’t groundbreaker, but it’s enough to make Kendrick Lamar a name to know in 2010. – Randy Roper Richie Rich Town Bidness Considering the fact that Richie Rich has literally been in the rap game for 20 years, is probably best known for his collaborations with 2Pac, and hasn’t released a solo album since 2002, the Oakland veteran doesn’t sound too rusty on Town Bidness. There are songs like “Wet It” and “Twitted” that should have been left on the cutting room floor, but Richie’s flow and rhyme skills are still decent, and tracks like “#1” and “Fire” make this mixtape worth a listen. – Randy Roper Ayomari The Peanut Butter & Jelly Solution Much like his counterpart TiRon (check back to issue #81 for TiRon’s Patiently Waiting feature), Ayomari’s music represents an atypical Los Angeles rap sound. And on The Peanut Butter & Jelly Solution the LA emcee’s carefree approach to music makes for a collection of standouts like “Happy Thoughts,” “The PB&J Manifesto” and “Just A Dreamer.” No, Ayomari won’t blow you away with his lyricism, but this mixtape is the perfect soundtrack to kick back, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and unwind to. Which isn’t a bad thing at all. – Randy Roper
endzone
Snoop Dogg & Too $hort Event: When the West Was One Tour Venue: The Nokia Theatre City: Los Angeles, CA Date: November 19, 2009 Photo: D-Ray
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