Ozone Mag #35 - Jun 2005

PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Julia Beverly MUSIC REVIEWS: ADG, Wally Sparks CONTRIBUTORS: Bogan, Cynthia Coutard, Dain Burroughs, Darnella Dunham, Felisha Foxx, Felita Knight, Iisha Hillmon, Jaro Vacek, Jessica Koslow, J Lash, Katerina Perez, Keith Kennedy, K.G. Mosley, King Yella, Lisa Coleman, Malik “Copafeel” Abdul, Marcus DeWayne, Matt Sonzala, Maurice G. Garland, Natalia Gomez, Noel Malcolm, Ray Tamarra, Rayfield Warren, Rohit Loomba, Spiff, Swift SALES CONSULTANT: Che’ Johnson (Gotta Boogie) LEGAL AFFAIRS: Kyle P. King, P.A. (King Law Firm) STREET REPS: Al-My-T, B-Lord, Bill Rickett, Black, Bull, Cedric Walker, Chill, Chilly C, Chuck T, Controller, Dap, Delight, Dereck Washington, Derek Jurand, Dwayne Barnum, Dr. Doom, Ed the World Famous, Episode, General, H-Vidal, Hollywood, Jammin’ Jay, Janky, Jason Brown, Joe Anthony, Judah, Kamikaze, Klarc Shepard, Kydd Joe, Lex, Lump, Marco Mall, Miguel, Mr. Lee, Music & More, Nick@Nite, Pat Pat, PhattLipp, Pimp G, Quest, Red Dawn, Rippy, Rob-Lo, Statik, Stax, TJ’s DJ’s, Trina Edwards, Vicious, Victor Walker, Voodoo, Wild Bill ADMINISTRATIVE: Melinda Paz, Nikki Kancey CIRCULATION: Mercedes (Strictly Streets) Buggah D. Govanah (On Point) Big Teach (Big Mouth) Efren Mauricio (Direct Promo) To subscribe, send check or money order for $11 to: 1516 E. Colonial Dr. Suite 205 Orlando, FL 32803 Phone: 407-447-6063 Fax: 407-447-6064 Web: www.ozonemag.com Cover credits: Trillville photo

by Julia Beverly; Memphis Bleek & Young Gunz photo by Eric Johnson. OZONE Magazine is published eleven times annually 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 2005 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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Send your comments to: feedback@ozonemag.com OZONE reserves the right to edit comments for clarity or length.

JB, I read your article on BET, and I wanna tell you, man, keep bussin’ they ass! That’s a real reality check for their ass. We need more writers to do the same! – Greedy, greedy@mycingular.blackberry.net (Jackson, MS) JB, I loved your “2 cents” editorial. I must say I’m quite impressed because you’re a girl and love hip-hop (no disrespect towards your female abilities). You are now my new role model for 2005 and forever. Love the magazine. You get two thumbs up. Congratulations on your recent awards, and I wish OZONE the best as it grows to become even more successful. – Trell Bolling, shyne70058@yahoo.com Fuck BET! Ha ha. I loved your editorial. Damn, JB! You really impressed me with the way you handled BET and their staff of haters. That really took some balls. BET should be trying to interview you! I know it ain’t easy being a female in the industry, especially being a white female.

It’s a whole lot stacked against you and your success, so for you to have taken your magazine from nothing to what it is today is a huge ac-

complishment. Much respect to OZONE! – Ms. Rivercity, msrivercity@yahoo.com (Jacksonville, FL) Yo, OZONE, don’t sweat the negative feedback from people who were mad that their favorite artist wasn’t on the MTV Jams/OZONE 25 Greatest Southern Artists list. I’m not too sure what it was based on, but I’m glad someone at least took the time to recognize the fact that we Southerners have what it takes. On another note, free Pimp C! That was a really good look doing an article on that cat. I miss the UGK combo even though Bun B is holding it down.

Hopefully this mag will blow up to the point where people ain’t buying The Source, VIBE, and all those other New York mags that are out there. Jax got your back. – Enemy904@aol.com (Jacksonville, FL) I read your editorial about BET. That’s some real bullshit. That was some hating-ass shit. Being that you’re white, I’m laughing because I would think the cops wouldn’t sweat you like that. But you are a part of hip-hop, and anything hip-hop

is a threat to cops and security guard-types. In my eyes, all that happened was you being invited by some friends of yours in the rap game, and BET was hating cause you was cool with them. I’m with you. Fuck puss-ass BET. Wait til OZONE gets their own channel. – Q904balla@ aol.com (Jacksonville, FL) I’m a fan of your mag, for real. I read JB’s current 2 cents and I’m glad you got vindication and are still willing to forgive and forget with that whole BET situation. – Rad-Z, raddness@ mycidco.com (Deland, FL) I checked out your May 2005 edition, and I must say again that the “all of the above” journalist has done it again. You were holdin’ it down in your 2 cents section. I’ve always hated the way BET handled their business. They are beginning to suck. You should do an article on that new Marques Houston video that they banned from BET. They play all kinds of shit, like Nelly’s “Tip Drill” with him sliding a damn credit card down a chick’s ass crack, but as soon as a naked man appears on TV with the camera

“[After I got out of prison], hip-hop is the same shit, different toilet. Four labels, already two radio stations, one video station. And if you ain’t in cahoots, then you are 2005) (June Source The Kass, Ras line.” bottom g fucked from the beginnin .

“I’d never have surgery on my face. I’ve never seen that work out for anybody 2005) (June e Magazin Blender Presley, Marie You should leave your face alone.” – Lisa never came out “Niggas look at me like, ‘Why Prospect and Geddy never came out?’ Maybe they (May 2005) XXL Joe, Fat work.” to want because they never went into the studio and made an album. Maybe they didn’t learned lesson one of surviving in the hood: under “[Dave Mays’] heart pumps pink kool aid. For all his love of the ghetto, he never to take the ass-whoopin’ than to be [Benzino’s] no circumstances are you to ever give your lunch money to a bully. It is far better – Reginald Dennis interview on hiphopdx.com ATM.” l persona “[Lil Flip] is on some real gay shit. He a cake for real. He a hoe-ass nigga.” -

Slim Thug interview on sohh.com

girl - not, ‘Hey, bitch.’ I wake up every morning and “Mario is my new boyfriend. You see what he’s singing about? Respect your Fair think, How did I end up in this hip-hop shit?” – Kimora Lee Simmons, Vanity “People need to stop trying to do a hundred different things and pick what they

do really well and own it, wear it, and master it.”

– Steve Stoute, Vibe Magazine (May 2005)

to love. And I think love’s twin brother or love within “Southern hip-hop, in everything we do and everything we say, it comes back an ability to hurt us. All the stuff we talk about in has it because is ng itself is pain. Because the only reason why you love somethi to the shooting and the busting to diamonds in our our music is pain, whether we want to admit it or not. From the hoes in the club into the ground from slavery up until now.” – David hands. We shine because we felt bad for so long. Our self-esteem was beaten Palmer’s book Adventures in Dirty South Hip-Hop Tamara to d Banner’s forewor

all the way down to a nigga’s penis, shit gets shut down! What’s up with that? Not hot at all.

No female fun whatsoever. I think MTV is getting more viewers than BET, and that’s a damn shame. Hip-hop is getting bigger, but where the fuck are we going to display it if we can’t air it on a network for the people who created it - Black Entertainment Television? - Danielle, poohlove112@hotmail.com

Man, I don’t know what to write. I really don’t know how I can top last month’s “fuck BET” rant. In fact, I wish people would kick me out of events more often so I’d have something to write about. A lot of people loved that BET editorial.

One person that emailed me even had a pretty good suggestion: after I make my first mil or so, I might fuck around and start my own TV channel. Watch out, BET. I’m plotting right now. Females will watch my channel instead of BET because I’ll have some decent male hosts (no Ray J’s). We all know the ladies really run shit.

I just got the new issue of OZONE in the mail and I read most of it already. I actually skipped XXL and Scratch to get to the OZONE. My favorite part is always your “Industry 101” section.

Do you have a deal with Blackberry? Cause if not, you’re giving them free press. They better give you a free phone and accessories since you’re plugging them. And by the way, I read your 2 cents, and I’d like to point out that Viacom also owns BET so they have a monopoly on the two biggest media avenues for music: BET and MTV! - Dajie, jrabellard@aol.com (West Palm Beach, FL) I just happened to see your magazine for the first time in the Affiliates’ office yesterday. IYour “Fuck BET” article is so hilarious. Keep up the good work! - Leighton, lakeshow@mycingular.blackberry.net (Atlanta, GA) What’s up, OZONE? I’d like to say first off that I love your magazine. I read it all the time.

I’m not a rap artist from Tampa, but I love the local talent. I think everyone from Tampa: Tampa Tony, KRazy, Rated R, and Tom G are all okay artists. But on the real, everybody in the streets and hoods of Tampa knows that Tango a.k.a. The Tan Man is the best rapper around here. You need to put him in your magazine.

Big ups to you, OZONE! - Big C, biggcinne@aol. com (Tampa, FL) Correction: In last month’s “Industry 101,” the studio number for Ray Seay’s The Vault was listed incorrectly. The correct number is 305956-9435.

In my BET editorial, I didn’t name names, but at the time I didn’t know so many other people (including other media) felt the same. So, I’ll say it now: Fuck Marcy Polanco. She needs to be fired from BET. I’m not speaking to one person in particular, but I’d like to give a shout out to the magazines that go through each issue of OZONE and call all our advertisers trying to get money out of them. Let me give you a hint when it comes to advertising solicitation: we don’t call people and ask them for money. They call us. If your shit was as hot as ours, they’d call you too.

I was the quiet smart kid in school, like, borderline nerdy. Used to sell the test answers for $5. Back then, they didn’t listen to me, now I’m hot they - well, you know the rest. I get calls at all hours of the day (and night) that go like this: “Hey JB! This is [insert name of person I don’t know] with [insert incredibly stupid name of a record label I’ve never heard of]. We met at [insert event I don’t remember]. We want you to do an interview with [insert name of artist I’ve never heard of].”

A magazine by itself cannot create a superstar. If you don’t believe me, look at Benzino. A magazine is a reflection of the community. If you’re hot, we’ll come find you. Simple as that.

Of course, you should stay accessible, but harassing editors generally doesn’t work.

Or, you could try the Gucci Mane method for free publicity: diss a rival rapper, then kill anyone who comes after you. Of course, there are bothersome side effects like murder warrants you might have to deal with. But, your label and publicist will be happy as hell when they bond you out on your album release date!

Kids, don’t try that at home.

It’s a scary thought to think that I have some sort of power. In fact, I learned this month that I have more power than I thought. Apparently, I single-handedly got an entire security team fired and my entire staff trespassed from a club I haven’t even been to since last year. You see how we have like, forty million pictures in each issue, right? There was one photo in last month’s issue of a few rappers taken at a well-known Orlando nightclub. One of them was pointing a gun directly at the camera. Anyway, apparently the club owner wasn’t too happy about the negative publicity generated from the image, and shit hit the fan.

Hey, Elliott at XXL! I know you see OZONE coming up strong! I know you’re running out of shit to write about too, now that your Destroy The Source mission is nearly complete. Time to play defense. Say hi to G-Unit for me. Ha! But pay no attention, I’m just talkin’ shit cause y’all never send me any damn freelance work. At least VIBE appreciates me.

Hey! It’s finally June. Happy birthday to me. By the time you read this, I’ll be 24. I’ve been waiting six months to accurately quote T.I.’s “Tha King”: I’m [queen] of the South but there’s fifty states I’m gon’ spread out and eliminate who’s in the way I’m 24 today, give me ‘til I’m 28 I’ll be ruler of all that I survey, and not just in the States - Julia Beverly (jb@ozonemag.com)

Guilty pleasures: 50 Cent “Just A Lil Bit” & Nick Cannon f/ Anthony Hamilton “Can I Live” Young Jeezy f/ Jazze Pha “Then What” Smilez & Southstar “Found Out” Brooke Valentine f/ Miss B & Remy “Girlfight (remix)” Gucci Mane f/ Mac Bre-Z “Go Head” Frayser Boy f/ Mike Jones & Paul Wall “I Got Dat Drank” Memphis Bleek f/ Swizz Beatz “It’s Like That”

David Banner “Play” Young Cash “In My Chevy” Joss Stone “Spoiled” Young Jeezy “Street N*ggas” Fats f/ Maceo “Nextel Chirp” Mike Jones “Back Then”

01: Wyclef and Buggah @ a Florida Marlins’ game (Miami, FL) 02: Trick Daddy and David Banner @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 03: Eddie DeVille, Chingo Bling, and friends reppin’ OZONE on the set of Paul Wall’s “Sittin’ Sideways” (Houston, TX) 04: Young Cash and Brisco @ Crobar (Miami, FL) 05: Teach, K-Foxx, and M-Dot at 99 Jamz (Miami, FL) 06: B5 reppin’ OZONE @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 07: Prince Markie Dee, Nina Chantale, and Trick Daddy (Miami, FL) 08: Chris of the 727 Boys and Webbie reppin’ OZONE @ the Underground (Tampa, FL) 09: KC, Rashad Tyler, and Slim Goodye @ Club Paris (Orlando, FL) 10: LaLa and Slim Thug @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 11: Boy Wonder and Mr. Bigg Time @ Club Troy for the Hittmen DJ’s Showcase (Miami, FL) 12: Noreaga showing off his personalized t-shirt @ House of Blues (Orlando, FL) 13: Big Gee of Boyz N Da Hood and DJ Chill reppin’ OZONE @ Studio 7303 (Houston, TX) 14: Ted Lucas and Pitbull (Miami, FL) 15: Bigalow, Reese, & P Boy Stone reppin’ OZONE @ Junkyard 2 (Canton, MS) 16: Three 6 Mafia and Frayser Boy on the set of “I Got Dat Drank” (Houston, TX) 17: Trick Daddy, Jae Millz, and Chingy @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 18: Mike Jones teaches some white folks how to sip “dat drank” on the set of Frayser Boy’s video (Houston, TX) 19: Mob B and the Lake Road Boys reppin’ OZONE (Orlando, FL) 20: TJ Chapman, Gorilla Tek, and T-Pain @ Club Troy (Miami, FL) 21: Roy Jones Jr. and Wally Sparks reppin’ OZONE... and what is going on behind them??? (Chattanooga, TN) Photo Credits: Carmen Davis: #21 J Lash: #07,14 Julia Beverly: #02,03,04,05, 10,11,15,16,17,18,19,20 Keadron Smith: #13 KG Mosley: #08 Malik Abdul: #06,09 On Point: #01 Spiff: #12

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01: Brooke Valentine and Amerie @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 02: The Outlawz reppin’ OZONE @ their release party (Atlanta, GA) 03: UTP reppin’ OZONE @ Southern University’s Springfest (Baton Rouge, LA) 04: JC, DJ Dirty, and Felisha LeBlanc reppin’ OZONE on the set of Frayser Boy’s “I Got Dat Drank” (Houston, TX) 05: Mike Jones shooting pool during lunch break of Frayser Boy’s video (Houston, TX) 06: Kevin Black and Marques Houston on South Beach (Miami, FL) 07: Pat Nix, DJ Wal-Gee and Willie Fischer @ Club Paris (Orlando, FL) 08: Smilez and Southstar reppin’ OZONE @ the Blue Room (Orlando, FL) 09: Aziattik Black and Marcus. @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 10: Freeway and Peedi Crakk performing @ Tabu for Big Earl’s Birthday Bash (Orlando, FL) 11: TJ Chapman and Kaspa @ Club Troy (Miami, FL) 12: Tha Union reppin’ OZONE on South Beach (Miami, FL) 13: Money Mark and DJ Kool Aid @ Perfect Rack (Houston, TX) 14: Bedo and KC @ House of Blues (Orlando, FL) 15: Grandaddy Souf and Frayser Boy @ his “I Got Dat Drank” video shoot (Houston, TX) 16: Tank and fans (Miami, FL) 17: P$C’s Big Kuntry, Memphis Bleek, Roland Powell, and P$C’s Mac Boney @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 18: Butta Smoove, Chill Will, Freeway, and Peedi Crakk by the OZONE truck (Orlando, FL) 19: Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul, Jim Jones, and Juicy J @ Paul Wall’s “Sittin’ Sideways” video shoot (Houston, TX) 20: DJ Doc, Aziattik Black, and Sonic @ Junkyard 2 (Canton, MS) 21: Xzibit, Ras Kass, and Trick Daddy (Miami, FL) Photo Credits: Dove: #01 Iisha Hillmon: #02 J Lash: #06,16,21 Julia Beverly: #04,05,09,11, 12,13,15,17,19,20 King Yella: #03 Malik Abdul: #07,08,10,18 Spiff: #14

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Disclaimer: These interviews are anonymous, so we cannot verify if they are true or not. All details (cities, club names, hotel names) have been removed. These stories do not necessarily represent the opinions of OZONE Magazine.

These stories did not necessarily occur recently, so if you are currently seeing one of these fine gentlemen, no need to curse him out.

These stories are from different women.

So it sounds like there was a lot of foreplay.

Well, we were really rushed because they were leaving to go to the next state, and I was on my way [back home].

So, during that initial encounter, there was some foreplay. The actual conversation started the night before when it was time to leave the afterparty. We had planned to hook up the night before but kinda lost track of each other. So we talked about the fact that the night before was basically like a missed opportunity.

If you have a celebrity confession, send an email to feedback@ozonemag.com and we will reply with a phone number where you can call anonymously to be interviewed.

NELLY: How did you meet Nelly?

I have a friend who’s a fashion stylist. She does some work in the music industry, and I was working with her and went with her on some business trips. She was working with some people that were associated with a tour Nelly was on.

Basically you met him through work.

Yeah, more or less. It was actually at an afterparty when we first met. We’d went to the concert and I met Nelly at the afterparty.

You don’t have to give a specific date, but how recent was it when you met?

Several years ago.

When you met was it a friendly vibe or sexual?

It was definitely a friendly thing, but we were really attracted to each other. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go there. We communicated for the next few weeks and I continued to go with my friend to various cities. Every time I was at a show or an afterparty, we were just going back and forth on a friendly basis.

kinda poked me, like, “Girl, you better go get your man!” I went to his room just to say bye and we ended up sleeping together.

The girl in our last groupie confession about Nelly didn’t have a good experience with him.

My experience is completely contradictory to what she said, because I didn’t find that to be true. As a person, he’s incredibly charming.

Every other word is “sweetheart.” I found him to be really personable and respectful. To me, he’s a good person, and the sex was excellent.

The other girl said he had a small dick.

That’s the one part of her story that was semi-

Did he have a girlfriend at the time? Did you talk about stuff like that?

We talked about my career goals, and a little bit of his background. He’d tell me about life on the road or whatever. At the time he was popular, but he wasn’t as popular as he is now.

He was kinda leery of some of the things that came along with being famous. At the time I was working on my degree and he thought it was really good that I was in college. We talked about previous jobs he’d had and his background playing baseball. Getting into music was basically like an accident for him.

Do you still see him?

I’ve seen him from time to time, and sometimes we do have sex. We’re basically friends with benefits.

What’s his situation with Ashanti?

From my understanding of the situation, they were trying to make a relationship work but it didn’t seem like it was serious enough for him to stop sleeping with other people.

I probably shouldn’t have even said that, though. From what I know, he cares about her.

“[Nelly] was some of the best sex I’ve ever experienced in my life, to be honest...He’s a talker. He asks a lot of questions and talks throughout the whole process.”

Why were you hesitant to “go there”?

I don’t know. I was just thinking it was bad, and I probably shouldn’t. Because of how I was raised, I guess.

You didn’t want to sleep with him because he was a rapper?

Well, it wasn’t so much because he was a rapper. It was mostly because we just didn’t know each other that well.

Did he tell you why he was attracted to you?

We talked about it at a later date, as far as what the initial attraction was. Part of it was just how I look. Later on he told me that it was because I wasn’t really chasing him.

Did you see a lot of girls chasing him?

Definitely, yeah.

At what point did it become sexual?

A few weeks after we initially met, he had another concert date and we were flirting at the afterparty. We were staying in the same hotel, and everybody was up late. I got back late and eventually just went to sleep. The next morning me and my friend were saying goodbye to everybody from the tour.

We’d gotten really familiar with most of the people on the tour, and the artists knew who we were. I had the chance to go say good bye to Nelly and my friend

accurate. The size isn’t that great. It’s short and wide. Maybe like six inches. It’s wide, though, so maybe it looks shorter than it is. I think she was exaggerating a little bit, but yeah, I wasn’t impressed by his size either.

So the sex was good?

It was some of the best I’ve ever experienced in my life, to be honest. He’s really considerate. He’s a talker. He asks a lot of questions and talks throughout the whole process. He’s very considerate and concerned with your feelings.

What kinds of questions did he ask?

Before he did anything, he’d ask, “Is it okay if I do this? Can I touch you there? Do you like this?”

Stuff like that. He asked me, “Are you gonna cum? How can I make you cum?” He’s definitely a talker throughout.

Since it was a good experience, did you wish you’d slept with him sooner?

No, I was glad that I waited so long. I think the fact that we did wait so long was part of the reason that it even occurred, like, that was part of the reason he was attracted to me. If I had to do that over, I probably wouldn’t change it.

Do you think he asked questions like that to protect himself from any false accusations?

You know, make sure you wanted the same thing he wanted?

Yeah, I think part of it was self-preservation, but some of the questions went above and beyond that. I think his nature is just that he likes to talk during sex.

Have you slept with any other rappers besides Nelly?

No. This was an exception for me. When I met him, I knew who he was, but I definitely wasn’t a fan of his. I had never purchased a Nelly CD. I was just attracted to him physically, because he’s my type. I’ve been approached by other rappers, but I definitely don’t plan on sleeping with them. I don’t agree with sleeping with every famous person or entertainer that you meet, but I guess some people might read this story and consider me to be a groupie.

Would you be offended if someone called you a groupie?

I don’t think I’d be offended, but I wouldn’t agree with them. A groupie is a person who pursues someone for the sole reason of their fame. I don’t think that describes me. I’m not looking for anybody’s money. I have an established career and a college degree, so I’m not out here sleeping with rappers to get money.

If the sex was good and y’all were friends, why not try to develop a relationship?

I know who he is and I know that I could never really try to have a one-on-one relationship with a rapper who gets panties thrown at him on a daily basis. A man is only as faithful as his options, and he’s got plenty of options. If I’m gonna call somebody my man, I’d like to be able to spend time with them more often.

I didn’t go into it thinking he was gonna be my future husband.

OZONE MAY 2005

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01: Gotti and Game @ House of Blues (Orlando, FL) 02: T-Pain and Teddy T @ Club Troy for the Hittmen DJ’s showcase (Miami, FL) 03: Doc, TJ Chapman, and H Vidal @ Manilla (Tampa, FL) 04: Slim Thug riding in style on the set of the “I Ain’t Heard of That” remix video (Houston, TX) 05: Video models reppin’ OZONE on the set of DMX’s “Pump Ya Fist” (Miami, FL) 06: Tampa Tony and Plies @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 07: DJ Khaled, Ebony Eyez and David Banner @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 08: Jody Breeze reading OZONE (Tampa, FL) 09: Lil Wyte and Paul Wall on the set of his “Sittin’ Sideways” video shoot (Houston, TX) 10: Legend the Great and D-Rocc @ Plush (St. Louis, MO) 11: H Vidal and Tori Alamaze (Tampa, FL) 12: Wally Sparks and Spike Lee (Chattanooga, TN) 13: Acafool and Proof @ Ludacris’ concert (Tampa, FL) 14: Khia reppin’ OZONE @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 15: Trina and friends (Miami, FL) 16: Unique and LucDuc @ Club Troy for the Hittmen DJ’s showcase (Miami, FL) 17: Boyz N Da Hood and Miss T in the French Quarter (New Orleans, LA) 18: John Tucker, Paul Wall, Frayser Boy, and Mike Jones on the set of “I Got Dat Drank” (Houston, TX) 19: Raekwon and Bizmarkie @ Mansion (Miami, FL) 20: P. DIddy, Rob Love, and Smitty @ Crobar (Miami, FL) 21: Benz and Boo da Boss Playa @ Junkyard 2 (Canton, MS) Photo Credits: H Vidal: #03,11 JC: #10 J Lash: #15 Julia Beverly: #02,04,06,07, 09,16,18,20,21 KG Mosley: #08,13 Malik Abdul: #05,14 Marcus Jethro: #17 Sophia Jones: #19 Spiff: #01 Wally Sparks: #12

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OZONE JUNE 2005

You guys have a new album coming out?

Kane: (rapping) I got a ten-foot pole that’ll go in yo’ hole / Take yo’ soul, make nut come out yo’ nose / Ha, ha, ha, fall all on yo’ clothes, bitch / Now that I got you in the bed, I’m gon’ pull yo’ hair / Snatch yo’ ass up out of here, I’m gon’ pull yo’ hair.

Interesting.

Kane: Me and D-Roc got something for these niggas. For every nigga, I’m gonna spit a rap on y’all cause I’m gonna tell y’all that. Gangsta like Frank Nitty, don’t want the keys to my city like P Diddy / I just wanna rep for the neighborhood / So when you slide through my city I can always keep the word that the flavor good / Now I don’t sell this and I don’t sell that / But I dwell where them boys get them cell cases at / To a thug that might be thinkin’ young grip ain’t street / You ain’t gonna up your ranking if you worryin’ bout me / Your mind on the decline, your line on thin / If you don’t find something to do wit’ ya time you won’t win / I ain’t tellin’ y’all fuck niggas again / Y’all can’t fuck with the Ying Yang Twins / They hated on me before I got a grip / I got it now but still they don’t give a fuck / I’ll be a fool to think that y’all like me / I bet it’s some niggas that don’t know me that wanna fight me / Ain’t too many niggas that can rap that excite me / A lot of these niggas walk around here tryin’ to bite me / You can’t recite me and you might not like me but don’t dislike it, get like it BITCH! D-Roc: Yeah, what he said.

So now that we’ve all heard “Wait,” we are waiting to hear what your album is gonna sound like.

D-Roc: It’s gonna sound like what he just said.

Our album is called U.S.A.: United States of Atlanta. It’s gonna explain that you better understand Atlanta after you hear this album. We made an album for everybody that thinks Atlanta is just about crunk music. It’s not. You’ve got people that go to church in Atlanta, people that work in Atlanta, people that sell dope in Atlanta, you got skrippers in Atlanta, you got bums in Atlanta. Atlanta is not just crunk, but still, people been getting crunk in Atlanta since I was zero years old.

Twenty-six years I’ve been getting crunk in Atlanta. Crunk has been the way of Atlanta since Atlanta been Atlanta.

Kane: I don’t consider crunk to be a movement. I just consider the East and the West coast and then there’s the South, cause we wasn’t making enough noise to be like them.

So now life goes in a full circle.

D-Roc: HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kane: Life don’t go in a boomerang.

D-Roc: HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kane: So now it’s time for the third coast to get they fair shot.

D-Roc: HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kane: Cause the East coast and the West coast been controllin’ the game since it started.

D-Roc: HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kane: The third coast in there now. Don’t get mad. We got 63% of the game.

D-Roc: HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kane: And it ain’t because we fake.

D-Roc: HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kane: Like my homie Jeezy says: real talk, nigga!

What other types of songs do you have on there besides the “intimate club music” songs like “Wait” and

(l to r): Kane and D-Roc

“Pull Yo’ Hair”?

D-Roc: Everything. We got a gospel song on the album, an Al Green remake.

Kane: We got a war song on the album for the soldiers called “Ghetto Classy.”

D-Roc: We got a song called “Live Again” with Maroon 5. That’s for the strippers that are tired of working at the strip club?

Kane: Me and my brother wrote the song. I wrote the hook and Maroon 5 sunt it. I’m just lettin’ you know before it get out. We wrote that song.

You want me to sing the hook for you?

Sure.

Kane: She stuff off in this lil’ room (room) / Wit’ nothin’ else to hold on to (to) / Her life is in a lil’ box (box) / She wondering, will it ever stop? (stop) / Life of a stripper / I’m so sick and I’m so tired of this club / I keep crying every night cause the years pass me by / I give up, I’m all in / My whole life is full of sin / This road is a dead end / I wanna live again. But it sound like Maroon 5 wrote it. I told my momma, I was supposed to be a white boy (laughing). Hey, since this is for OZONE, since I did the hook I’m gonna go ahead and do the rap.

D-Roc: This is live and direct.

Kane: From the nipple to the bottle, never satisfied / But the money got you doin’ things to mess up your pride / But you really just tryin’ to get by / Every day you lookin’ up in the sky / Sometimes shit gets so hard it really have you bothered / First you sigh, then you cry up a whole puddle of water / It seem like shit ain’t never gonna end / Merry-go-rounds turn to whirlwinds / Wait ‘til it turns into a hurricane / If you see joy, you got to see pain / Shit in the world ain’t ever gonna change / Even when you die, it’ll be the same / You ain’t lookin’ at my circumstance / Jobs ain’t callin’ so you forced to dance / Hopin’ and prayin’ for a second chance / Just wanna put back on yo’ pants / Walk out the club and throw up yo’ hands / Tired of being disrespected by a man / Sayin’ this shit ain’t right for you / A nigga been yellin’ all night for you / Gotta do what’s best for you / Walk up to the club and tell ‘em YOU’RE THROUGH!

What inspired you to cut your hair off, DRoc? Kane: He wanna be the Ying, and I’m gonna stay the Yang.

D-Roc: Nah, I cut my hair, cause, don’t I look cute? (laughing) Nah, cause I wanted to go on more of a business look. Don’t I look cute though?

You’re going for a different look and a different sound this time around?

D-Roc: Yeah, yeah, yeah, cause you gonna see a lot of business comin’ out of Ying Yang this year like HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our business gonna be on point like HANNNNNNNNNH!!!!!

What kind of business ventures do you have coming up?

D-Roc: Everything! Everything I put my hands on. I’m tryin’ to make it go gold. I might open up a soul food restaurant. I might open up a Laundromat. Hey, I might do anything. Ying Yang gonna venture off this year. Just be on the look out. I might make my own car and call it Yingsu.

Who else is featured on the album besides Maroon 5?

D-Roc: Man, you got me on the album, and my brother on the album (laughing). Nah, we got Mike Jones on the album, Lil Jon, Teedra Moses, Pitbull, Jacki-O, Anthony Hamilton. United States of Atlanta in stores June 28th. Bet when you buy our album you gon’ be satisfied. I ain’t even got a copy of the album yet. I been waiting for a copy my damn self. My boss man won’t give it to me, but when he do, ain’t nobody gonna know.

Kane: We puttin’ it down for our folk at OZONE as only we can. It’s the Ying Yang Twins, we doin’ a lot of things so we got to cut the time short. So now it’s time to say goodbye / To all our OZONE friends / Thank you from D-Roc and Kane / And we make the Ying Yang Twins / Gone!

- Interview and photos by Julia Beverly OZONE JUNE 2005

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01: Ray J, former boxing champ Ray Bell, and Roy Jones Jr. @ Power 94’s celebrity bball game (Chattanooga, TN) 02: Cool Runnings and the Hittmen DJs @ BCR (Daytona Beach, FL) 03: T-Pain and Akon @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 04: Lil Keith, DJ Chill, and Mike Deazel (Houston, TX) 05: Bizmarkie, Too Short, and Freestyle Steve @ Mansion (Miami, FL) 06: DJ Chill and X-Trct (Houston, TX) 07: The Unusual Suspects’ Big D and Jim Jonsin reppin’ OZONE on South Beach (Miami, FL) 08: O-Eazy and Butta Smoove reppin’ for the OZONE truck (Orlando, FL) 09: DJ Laz and Pitbull at the Bad Boy Latino welcoming party (Miami, FL) 10: Faith Evans reppin’ OZONE @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 11: Reese and Boo da Boss Playa reppin’ OZONE @ Junkyard 2 (Canton, MS) 12: On the set of Paul Wall’s video shoot for “Sittin’ Sideways” (Houston, TX) 13: Flava Flav @ Club Empire (Tampa, FL) 14: Mike Jones fans waiting for autographs (Houston, TX) 15: Paul Wall and Juicy J reppin’ for that sizzurp (Houston, TX) 16: Michael Watts, Mike Jones, and Coach @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 17: 112 and David Banner @ the Sheraton (Miami, FL) 18: Roc-A-Fella’s Peedi Crakk, Young Gunz, Tierra Marie, Freeway, and Memphis Bleek @ 99 Jamz (Miami, FL) 19: Stay Fresh, TJ Chapman, Felisha Foxx, Gorilla Tek, T-Pain, and the Nappy Headz @ Club Troy for the Hittmen DJ’s showcase (Miami, FL) 20: Trick Daddy and Memphis Bleek @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 21: Stone, UTP, PartnersN-Crime, and Juvenile @ Firestone (Orlando, FL) Photo Credits: Carmen Davis: #01 J Lash: #09,17 Julia Beverly: #03,04,07,11, 12,14,15,16,18,19,20 Keadron Smith: #06 Malik Abdul: #08,10 Sandman: #13 Shoeb Malik: #02 Sophia Jones: #05,21 18

OZONE JUNE 2005

When did you start rapping?

Oh, I got into rap when I was like ten. I started writin’, rappin’, you know, and once I was about 14, I was hot. I’m 21 now.

Was that when you hooked up with Trill?

I was already like the hottest in my city before I was with Trill because I was with C-Loc and the Concentration Camp. C-Loc had gotten in a little trouble, and Trill came and snatched me up.

C-Loc is back out now, right?

Yeah, we just did another song together called “Take A Picture.”

Are you gonna be doing another project with him then?

Nah, I’m loyal to Trill now, I just did it for him when he came home because he put me in the game.

And you ran into a similar situation with Trill, because Pimp C got locked up.

Yeah, but our CEOs, Mel and Turk, they had to step up.

Isn’t Pimp C supposed to be coming home soon?

Yeah, he get out at the end of the year.

Do you think that’s gonna be a big boost for your label? Do you plan on recording with him?

Yeah, as soon as Pimp come home, we gonna go back to the studio right off top.

Do you think that people like C-Loc and Pimp C get the credit they deserve on a national level?

Yeah, in certain people’s eyes they get credit, but most people don’t know. It wasn’t like it was supposed to be. But that’s why they got me now. I’m taking it to that level. I’m gonna take over that.

When is your next album coming out?

It’s coming out August 5th. It’s called Boosie Bad Ass. What was the situation with Mr. Magic and Roy Jones Jr.? You and Magic had that song called “I Smoke, I Drank,” and Roy took you off the song and put it out nationally and it blew up.

I guess Roy Jones is the boss or whatever. They just took me off the song. It wasn’t no big deal, though.

So you’re cool with Magic now?

Yeah, we straight. It ain’t no beef or nothing.

That wasn’t his call, you know.

I heard you were on the radio talking about how you were gonna sue Roy. Nah, man, I’m too real to sue somebody. I ain’t gonna sue nobody. I got people that owe me right now, but I ain’t gonna sue them for a couple G’s. I’m already getting money like that.

So when you first came out you were a solo artist?

Yeah I was the first solo artist on Trill. I put out my first album on Trill, it was the For My Thugs CD. Then after that, me and Webbie came with that Gangsta Muzik and people started really liking Webbie too. Us together, it kinda

blowed us up even more. But we solo artists, though, you know.

Do you think people were confused which songs were yours and which were Webbie’s?

Yeah, I really think so. You know, I think they was confused. But we on the big screen now, so they know.

Do you plan on putting any more albums out together?

We dropping his album in July, you know, and my album in August. Then we’re gonna drop Trill Family Volume One, kinda like Cash Money Millionaires. That’s how we’re gonna come with that.

lum, do you think you’ll have to switch up your style yo sound a little more commercial or radio-friendly?

It’s still gonna be all the way gutter. I got a couple songs on there for the ladies, four or five songs about the struggle and the hustle, four or five songs about the headbussin’. Every album I drop, you can just put it in and let it drop. That’s why they be waiting so anxiously for me to drop.

Do you plan on putting out a mixtape or anything ahead of time to promote your album?

I might put out that Bad Ass Holdup. I don’t know, it depends on how good my boy Webbie’s album is doing.

Who produced most of your album? Your inhouse producer Mouse?

Yeah, Mouse. It’s mostly my in-house dude. You know, we probably gonna be getting some more tracks from Mannie Fresh.

Is there tension between you and Webbie?

Nah. We got our differences, but you know, that’s what makes us raw. Everybody got our differences. Webbie, he’s the wild type. I’m laid-back, big dawg status. Webbie is wild.

Who else is featured on the album?

Mostly just Webbie, and I’ll probably put Camron and Juelz Santana on there. Maybe Joey Crack too, I don’t know yet.

Since you’ve gotten your deal with Asylum, did you make any major purchases? Any houses or cars?

I got a couple cars. I got a 745 Beemer, I got that new Magnum, I got that new Monte Carlo, that race car. I got a couple Cadillacs.

You’ve got some East coast dudes on there, trying to switch it up a little bit.

Yeah, I’m trying to get that New York market, that Cali market. I might do something with Mya. It’s jumping off right now. I just did the video for “Ain’t Got Nothing,” me, David Banner, and Magic. That’s hot right now, you know?

Do you think you and Webbie are gonna be the ones to put Baton Rouge on the map?

Yeah, every hood that we go through, they love us. We got real love, you know what I’m sayin’?

We’ve got our music on a national level. We sellin’ 45,000, shit, we got 10,000 CDs at a time with 40 states behind us. We gonna take it to that level, you know? We gonna be like Pac and Biggie like some of that shit.

Now that Trill has signed a label deal with Asy-

So you’re the man in Baton Rouge.

Yeah, I been the man in Baton Rouge since I was like 15, since I was in C-Loc’s camp. As soon as they heard me, I was hot. We kept dropping albums. I been the man, they love me in my city.

Everybody that knows me knows I’m not telling no lies. They 100% behind me.

Is there anything else you want to say?

Free Mystikal. Rest in peace Lil Ivey and my grandmother, she kept me focused. They always told me I was gonna be a good rapper. And my album Boosie Bad Ass comes out August 5th, the first single is “Super Fly” and the second single is “Fresh Cut.” - Julia Beverly (photo: King Yella) OZONE JUNE 2005

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01: Trina, Tigger, and DJ Khaled (Miami, FL) 02: Models reppin’ OZONE (Miami, FL) 03: Indio, Da Sick One, and Big Earl @ Tabu for his birthday bash (Orlando, FL) 04: Janky, Sherry, and Aziattik Black @ Junkyard 2 (Canton, MS) 05: Barry from the movie Life, Juicy J, and Darius McCrary from Family Matters on the set of Frayser Boy’s “I Got Dat Drank” (Houston, TX) 06: Chill Will, Freeway, and Peedi Crakk @ Tabu for Big Earl’s birthday bash (Orlando, FL) 07: Sean Paul of the YoungBloodz and Oozie @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 08: Mike Jones never stops promoting (Houston, TX) 09: Twisted Black performing @ Club Troy for the Hittmen DJ’s showcase (Miami, FL) 10: 8Ball reppin’ OZONE @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 11: Kristi Jordan and Troy Marshall reppin’ OZONE on South Beach (Miami, FL) 12: DJ Epps reppin’ OZONE @ Club 112 for his birthday party (Miami, FL) 13: Brian McKnight and friends on Orange Ave. (Orlando, FL) 14: Gaby Acevedo and David Banner @ Springfest (Miami, FL) 15: Felisha Foxx and Young Cash reppin’ OZONE @ Club Troy (Miami, FL) 16: Greg Street and DJ Jelly @ the Ying Yang Twins’ press junket (Atlanta, GA) 17: Camron, Jigga JT, and Juelz Santana (New Orleans, LA) 18: John Tucker, Paul Wall, and Three 6 Mafia on the set of “Sittin’ Sideways” (Houston, TX) 19: Reppin’ OZONE on the set of Paul Wall’s “Sittin’ Sideways” (Houston, TX) 20: Warner Bros. staff (Miami, FL) 21: Luc-Duc, Paul Wall, and Teddy T @ Konnections (Houston, TX) Photo Credits: Bogan: #02 J Lash: #01,20 Julia Beverly: #04,05,07,09, 11,14,15,16,18,19,21 Keadron Smith: #08 Malik Abdul: #03,10,12,13 Marcus Jethro: #17 Spiff: #06 20

OZONE JUNE 2005

Talk about your new compilation, Young, Fly & Flashy, Vol. I. It’s just letting everybody know that we are continuing what So So Def has always been.

We live off young, new niggas that’s flashy and fly. TYoung, fly and flashy is just the motto of So So Def. From day one, that’s how I came in. “Money Ain’t A Thing.” The whole overall thing was to put people in that mentality. So So Def is going to continue no matter what home we’re in. So to start off our new relationship with Virgin and as our new home, why not put this out, let everybody see the new artists? So the Afroman continues to shine.

That’s the mindset of it, but it got more indepth as I started looking at it, because at first I was coming with new artists off the gate like my man Young Capone. But if I come out with a new artist that nobody knows, it’s going to be a little harder to do than to come with an established artist. And I was looking around for the established artist and I couldn’t find one, and then I looked in the mirror and the established artist happened to be me. So I took out a record, “Gotta Getcha,” that I did for my album The Green Light that was supposed to come out through Arista. I said, This record is smoking. It should have been came out. I made this the first single of Young, Fly & Flashy Vol. I and I put myself back on the block as an artist.

You’ve got several new artists, like Young Capone, T. Waters, Slim. What was it about these artists that made you sign them?

Everybody came to me individually, as me looking for my gang. What can you bring to the gang? You never have enough guns. T. Waters was an artist whose cousin was pushing him heavy at Magic City. I’d see his cousin and he’d say I should listen. I never listened.

I never listen to CDs that people give me at strip clubs because nine times out of ten it ain’t no shit that you want to hear anyway.

I would take the CD but never put it in. But if you persistent like that, eventually I’m going to check you out. He went over the top.

He was really persistent. Every week. I finally put the CD in and I heard this kid’s voice, and I’m like, where he from? I couldn’t imagine he was from Atlanta the way he sounded. Then I started hearing a lot of country slang as well as a lot of up-top slang. Right now, to me 50 Cent sound like a New York country dude. I felt like, this is what the industry’s missing.

That’s what Biggie had. He had the connection between the South and New York. He had that down pat. He spoke the same words that MJG & Eightball was talking but he was still from Brooklyn. I signed T. Waters. Young Capone is a little more lyrical than the average crunk artist. Most crunk artists just yell and scream at you. Capone is the epitome of young, fly and flashy. He doesn’t have a record deal and he’s popping shit about how fly he was and how he’d take your girl. I liked it. It spoke to me as young, fly and flashy. He fit that gang.

Slim was a young artist from Queens that I brought to Atlanta. He got the flair of the South with the dialect of New York.

Do you have a lot more responsibility as head of Urban Music at Virgin?

A lot of new responsibility. You got to watch everybody. You got to watch your whole staff and make sure they doing they job. You got to stay on top of them. You got to watch your numbers, the money you’re spending. As an en-

trepreneur, I just rolled reckless. Now I got a job and I got to make sure I keep everybody in line as well as myself.

How did you get the position at Virgin?

It came from shopping around a deal for me, looking for places to go. I wanted a position like this. I wanted to be the President or CEO of one of these companies. That was my goal. I was looking to be more in control. I feel like I bring a lot more to the table than just making records and giving some advice. I never got a shot to show people.

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned over the years in this business?

Business is business. That’s the biggest one.

That’s a lesson that you got to really understand.

That’s like shooting someone in cold blood. I had a friend named Mohammed Bell, Kool’s son from Kool & The Gang. Me and his son were best of friends and he had an artist named ROCC that was signed to So So Def before. ROCC was a great artist but we hit a snag in the business side. We weren’t on the same page with his records.

When I left Columbia, I left that artist with them. It was all business. I can’t snag my life for something that don’t work for us. It wasn’t like I cutthroat him. Business is business. I don’t make money unless I put out product that sells. A lot of people want you to put out records just to put them out. “That’s my man, put him out. You my man.” There’s guilt when you have to drop somebody, but it’s business. Hopefully, you can get past it. Anybody that’s young, trying to be an executive, you have to understand that.

How do you keep your business and personal lives separate?

I’m learning how to leave my pagers off, and turn my phones off. In life, every room has a door. I look at it like the Matrix going down the hallway.

If you open the door and bring your phone in there, you’re bringing all the other shit that goes along with the phone in there, into your house.

And the next thing you know, it’s all going to be in your house. And it’s going to turn your private

life into, it’s all going to be meshed together.

You got to turn your cell off. You got to learn to break it down. A lot of people look at me strange, but you have to. At this point, my girlfriend is from the most famous black family in music and people are always trying to be in her business as much as possible whether because of her brother or brothers. And you can never tell who’s there for the right reasons. When it comes to my private life, I just shut everything down.

What do you say to people who say that Southern hip-hop is a fad?

I don’t know what that means. What’s the definition of a fad? A fad is only 2-3 years, to me.

I made Kris Kross records in ’92. It’s 2005 right now. That’s 13 years. That’s no fad. This is here to stay. The kids in the South, they don’t care.

This is good music. This is what they want to hear. If you go to the South, they don’t care about 50 Cent being #1. They want to hear some of that country music. They don’t care if Usher sold eight million records. So what? The Loretta Twins sold 20 million. Country music has its own world. That’s how Atlanta’s going to be in a minute. You go to Nashville and they got their own publishing companies. I feel we should have our own publishing companies in Atlanta. This city is musical. I’m not going to stop until I see that it’s like that. Until everyone in the world understands that Southern music is a non-stopping movement and Atlanta is the new Motown.

You have a three-year contract with Virgin, so what’s your three-year plan?

My plan is to make Virgin become hot as far as culture and music. Now, people want to work for Virgin. Artists want to sign to Virgin. That’s something that wasn’t going on before I came.

People was telling me, “You gonna ruin your career [going with Virgin].” Now I’m sitting in my office, niggas trying to get jobs. Sending me demos. So Virgin is a place that people want to be because of me. Now I just got to sell some records.

OZONE JUNE 2005

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Not too many rappers have a story like Rich Boy. After getting his song played on a local radio station in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama, Rich Boy met up with Polow of Jim Crow and was soon signed to Interscope.

Currently working on his debut album, he’s been in the studio with Kanye West, Timbaland, Jazze Pha and Needlz. And he’s only 21.

In addition to music, his resume also boasts a short stint at Tuskegee University studying mechanical engineering. In addition to being a rapper, Rich Boy also makes beats. As a young producer, Roy Jones Jr. was one of his clients. Ready to follow in the footsteps of his influences: UGK, 8Ball & MJG, South Circle and Crime Boss, Rich Boy is ready to let the world know that Alabama rappers got game too.

What’s the hip-hop scene like in Mobile, Alabama?

It’s more of a local scene, local artists. Everybody watches 106th & Park. Everywhere you go, you’ve got someone trying to make it. I’ve been rapping for two years. I was trying to make it in school but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Around the time Ice Cube had “Today Was A Good Day” out, I used to freestyle, but I was never serious about it.

What was your first performance?

My first performance was actually in Puerto Rico with Mannie Fresh for the Mixshow Power Summit last year at Club Arena. It was backwards for me because I know you’re supposed to start off doing local performances and talent shows, but I got a deal before I had a chance to perform locally.

How did you get a deal so easily without going through the local circuit?

My homeboy Polow from Jim Crow hooked it up. When [Jim Crow] were hot, they were coming through Mobile to the radio station.

I know DJ Nick@Nite [from WBLX] because I took my CD up there for him to play. He was playing one of my songs, “Cold As Ice,” and he called me when Jim Crow came through the station. Me and Polow hooked up. Jim Crow were with Interscope. When Polow heard my CD, he flew me down to Atlanta to work with him and Bubba Sparxx. They put some money behind studio time for me and we did a demo. Polow went to Jimmy Iovine and Jimmy loved it. We got a deal. We didn’t even have a meeting.

Do you think you were signed because the South is so hot right now?

My style of rap, I switch it up a lot. I don’t feel like I’d be stuck if I came out any other time. It’s not really about the South being hot.

The way my music is, it’s more of a universal thing. I got songs that sound like you probably couldn’t pinpoint my location.

I heard a few of your songs and they have a real party vibe. What other types of songs do you have?

Most of the topics I talk about on my songs are street characteristics, things I did on the street, or seen first-hand. It’s just rapping about stuff I can relate to as far as the streets of Mobile, Alabama. All of them, they give a different vibe. Depends how the person feels when they hear it. Sometimes a party vibe just

came out. Every time I hear a beat, I try to vibe with it.

What was it like for you growing up?

My childhood wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. I’d say it was somewhat in-between. I had bad days and good days. I wouldn’t say it was the slummiest of the slums. I’ve seen people killed, all the dope. I seen all the negativity but I also had a positive side. My mom always tried to keep me in church. She balanced it out.

What do you think you’d be doing today if you weren’t rapping?

That’s probably why I’m not in prison today, because of my mama. A lot of my kinfolk got locked up so it was an example before me. I took that as a lesson. I did a lot of stuff where if I got caught I would be locked up.

Didn’t you used to be called Lil’ Rich? How’d you get your name?

I got the name Rich Boy because my daddy owns a liquor store in the middle of the hood, and people call him Rich. So, the people in the neighborhood would always say, “That’s Rich’s boy.” That’s how I came up with the name Rich Boy. Do you feel pressure to come out strong, because there aren’t any major rappers that have come out Mobile?

It’s a lot of pressure. A lot of people think it would feel good, but it keeps your mind working. Every morning I wake up and I feel like I got to do something for the hometown. They never had anybody on TV representing them. It’s big for the city [for me to get signed to Interscope].

They probably feel better about it than me. I’m just trying to stay focused.

Getting signed to Interscope is big. They’re basically the biggest hip-hop label that’s out there right now.

I feel like it was destiny. I feel sometimes that God put me here for a reason. I feel like I do have to deliver a positive message sometimes

because he gave me this chance on this big label. At the same time, it’s very competitive because they have the big guys over here like 50 Cent and Eminem. So, I have to try my best to give them the best material to the point where they won’t look over me. I have to stand out.

It’s an everyday fight.

How did you hook up with Mannie Fresh?

I was messing with Jazze Pha because Polow gave him my CD. So Jazze Pha flew me out to a Cash Money session because he wanted to meet me. He introduced me to Mannie Fresh and we hooked up. Fresh wanted to work me ever since then. He stuck to his word. He wanted to work with me and he made it happen.

Did Polow produce the majority of your album?

Polow produced a lot of the album. But he’s not the type of producer that wants to just put all his records on there. We came up with the best of the best.

So your first single is called “D-Boyz,” right?

What’s the concept of the video for that song?

It might sound like it’s glorifying the drug game, but it’s really not. It’s not glorifying drug boys.

It’s telling drug dealers who are already in the dope game, here’s the rules. It represents how everybody wants to be a drug dealer these days. The kids look up to the drug dealers more than they look up to people who graduated from college.

Do you think that’s a big problem with hiphop today?

I feel like some rappers do give a positive image, but some give off a negative image. But, if people are buying their CDs, that’s what they want to listen to. You can listen to the negative stuff, but it all depends on how you’ve been raised. If you’re raised right, it won’t rub off on you.

- Jessica Koslow (photo: Julia Beverly) OZONE JUNE 2005

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In our May 2005 interview with BME artist and Lil Jon protege Bohagon, he said, “I ain’t no country bumpkin. A lot of people have this perception of the country that I’m trying to erase. People see videos of the country where niggas playing with pigs.” Field Mob, who featured a pig in their video, apparently took the comment as a personal insult and dissed Bohagon during their concert at The Firehouse in Columbus, Georgia. We spoke with Bohagon, Field Mob’s Shawn Jay, and the concert promoter (101.3 The Beat’s Program Director DJ Controller) to find out what really happened. (interviews by Julia Beverly) SHAWN JAY: What did Bohagon say that started this beef?

I heard he said something in XXL? It wasn’t XXL, it was that beautiful OZONE Magazine. And it’s crazy cause I was just tellin’ Jazze Pha the other day that I liked [Bohagon’s] music. And I seen him at Body Tap and he said what up to me but he was actin’ funny. Then I go home and read the OZONE Magazine and he’s in there talkin’ ‘bout people havin’ pigs in their videos.

Are you sure his comment was supposed to be a diss to you? Bubba Sparxxx had a pig in his video too. Maybe it was just a general statement.

We started that country shit, even though [Bubba Sparxxx is] my dawg, we still did it first. I don’t give a fuck. I never made any sly remarks that [Bohagon] woulda thought was supposed to be a diss to him. Real niggas do real things.

And y’all got into a fistfight in Columbus?

What happened exactly?

Shit, I’m still pretty. I left with all my jewelry after fightin’ ‘bout four of five of them boys. I ain’t fight with Bohagon; we never had a fight, let’s clear that up for the record. Do I look like I was fightin’? You see me. I’m very pretty. I’m my biggest fan. So whatever story y’all wanna put out there, it’s cool. I’m good. I still got all my jewelry on. I just wanted to clear that up, because you know how the internet is.

Allhiphop.com must not like me, cause they keep lyin’ on me and puttin’ some bullshit out there. But it’s all good, cause I’m still pretty.

It’s no beef. I have no beef with the nigga.

So if Bohagon walked by right now, would y’all be able to have a civil conversation or would it be a fight?

A fight? No, for what? I heard people were comin’ up to my label the next day tryin’ to squash the shit, and I’m like, what are you tryin’ to squash? There’s no beef. He didn’t say anything to me. I’ve still not talked to Bohagon. You good, homie! Come see me! I’m good, I’m excellent! But don’t be tellin’ no lies on me. I did start this country shit. Niggas be tryin’ to sound like Smoke and shit. Everybody be tryin’ to bite that country shit, but we did start it.

Anything else you want to say?

I ain’t no hater. Buy Bohagon’s album when it comes out. Buy it! I can’t believe that nigga dissed me, though. That’s what hurt me ‘bout it. He wasn’t even near me and I was showin’ this nigga love, biggin’ him up! Ask Jazze.

Ask a real nigga how I’m showin’ this nigga love, and then I’m reading the magazine, like, what!? Yeah, I got a pig in my video! I’ll have another one if I want to! Why do another nigga worry about how I get my paper?

24

OZONE JUNE 2005

BOHAGON: Was your statement in OZONE about pigs intended to be a Field Mob diss?

Nah. I didn’t say their name. I just said that because, when everybody finds out where I’m from, they automatically assume that I’m like [Field Mob] and link me to them. People think we kick it the same way. All I was sayin’ is that you ain’t gonna see no pigs in my video. [Field Mob] took it differently, and they came to my city and disrespected me.

They dissed you at a concert in Columbus?

I did the birthday bash with one station there, and [Field Mob] was on the other station dissin’ me that same evening but I wasn’t listening so I didn’t know nothing about it. I get to the club that night and me and my folks go to VIP, and all I hear is, “Fuck Bohagon, fuck you, you pussy nigga!”

Shawn Jay said I just wanna be like Field Mob, I can’t rap like them. He said, “Don’t hide, come see me.” He in my city, sayin’ this! In my hometown, my backyard!

So it turned into a physical altercation?

Yeah.

Was anyone injured?

I wasn’t injured. I’m good. I know what went down, but I ain’t tryin’ to put their business in the street. I ain’t tryin’ to make it like no Flip and T.I. shit. I ain’t tryin’ to be rappin’ about them. We had a disagreement, and if they ready to let it go, I’m ready to let it go. It’s on them. They disrespected me, and that’s why the shit happened. I ain’t like I got some vendetta against them niggas.

You were cool with them before?

Yeah! We had just kicked it a few weeks before. Smoke had come to a show I did at Chocolate’s, he was on stage with me and shit. I seen Shawn Jay at Body Tap a few weeks ago.

Yeah, he mentioned that, and he said that it seemed like you had an attitude or were kinda cold towards him.

Hell naw. When I seen [Shawn Jay] at Body Tap, it was a party Greg Street threw. It was packed to capacity. I was high as hell. I dapped him up and kept it moving. I definitely ain’t dissed him at the party. I got love for them cats. Why would I be out here disrespecting him? I just let people know that I’m not gonna have pigs in my video. I ain’t wish no ill will on them or nothing. Regardless, if he felt like I ain’t show him no love at the Body Tap, I dapped him up and said “What’s happenin’.” I ain’t disrespect him. Like, the towns we’re from are like 30, 40, 50 miles apart. I don’t need to be dissin’ these cats, cause we reppin’ the same area.

It sounds like everybody’s ready to smooth over the situation. What’s the chances of you sitting down and talking to Field Mob and resolving things?

I actually talked to Smoke the other day on the phone. It was like a six-way call. I told him I ain’t got no problem with them, but at the same time, I’m a man and you can’t disrespect me.

Anything else you want to say?

I want everybody to know that I ain’t got nothing but love for Field Mob. I was put in a position where I ain’t have no choice. They put me in that position. I was actually a Field Mob fan. I disagreed with the pigs in the video, but aside from that, I’m a Field Mob fan.

DJ CONTROLLER: What did you see happen at the concert in Columbus?

While Field Mob was doing their show, they took a long pause and talked about Bohagon like a dog.

They said they represent the South, and don’t appreciate Bohagon doin’ magazine interviews putting down the South. When they came off the stage, Bohagon’s entourage met them with blows.

Was it an all-out fight or a minor scuffle?

It was way beyond a minor scuffle.

We saw Bohagon’s entourage successfully whoop Shawn’s ass, however, Field Mob’s entourage did considerable damage to Bohagon too. Smoke kinda ran out of the action.

Did security or police get involved?

There was no police involvement, but the club security had to pull several people apart.

Being the promoter of the event, did you feel like it was a negative situation for your station or for the city?

I think it was negative for hip-hop shows across the board, because we already catch hell trying to get venues and insurance for these type of events. I really hated to see these guys that are looked up to by our listening audience demonstrate that type of hostility and lack of self control.

Anything else you want to say?

Bohagon personally called me the next day to apologize, and I thought that was big of him.

He said it wasn’t his ambition to be out here with that type of hostility, but the fact that he was being disrespected and there was 2,000 people in the place, he felt like he had to do something.

Who exactly is Greg Street?

From the radio to the studio to the clubs, Greg Street is a radio personality, DJ, and entrepreneur.

Where are you from?

I’m from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, which is about ninety miles from Jackson. Me and David Banner are boys from back there. I started doing radio after school and when I graduated I started working for the radio station full-time in Hattiesburg. I left school after my second year and got my break working at 93 WLBX in Mobile, Alabama, which is like a legendary station in the South.

How did you end up here in Atlanta?

I left Mobile in 1990 and went to Houston, DJing at Magic 102. I moved to Dallas in 1992 and then Atlanta in 1995. In 2002, I started DJing in both Dallas and Atlanta. I was flying back and forth between the two cities. Now it’s 2005, and 40,000 sky miles later, I’m back in Atlanta full-time. I’m still doing some stuff in Dallas as far as consulting, but I’m moving back to Atlanta full-time to go back to V103. That’s the station I’ve been working at since 1995. Seven years full time, three years part time.

Aside from radio, what else do you have going on?

I’ve got a lot of projects jumpin’ off. The celebrity car/bike show DVD is coming out soon. It’s a mixtape/soundtrack with a DVD. It has footage from the car show in Dallas in 2004 and Atlanta’s car show in 2005 over Easter weekend. Everyone was at the car show in Dallas – Mannie Fresh and Baby, Jermaine Dupri and Bow Wow, Ciara, Boyz N Da Hood, Young Jeezy, Slim Thug, and a lot of athletes.

At the Atlanta show of course we had Bobby Valentino, the Young Gunz, Memphis Bleek, Young Jeezy, T.I., Big Boi, Evander Holyfield, and Xzibit. The DVD is designed for guys who have screens in their cars. We’ve got a couple more celebrity events and concerts coming up. The parties are gonna be crazy. It’s a whole movement coming back to the ATL. When you were traveling back and forth between Dallas and Atlanta, how hard was it to maintain both markets?

It wasn’t that bad. I did a hot club in Dallas called Club Blue on Friday nights, so I’d stay up all night, catch the 5:30 AM flight to Atlanta. Get in around 9 AM, go home, take a nap, then go to the radio station around 5 PM. I’d go on the air at 6, spin at The Bounce and Pin-Ups, then go back to Dallas on the 3 o’clock flight and be at work in Dallas by 6.

Were you living out of a suitcase the whole time?

I didn’t have to pack because I had houses in two cities, so all I had to do was take my backpack and car keys. I’d leave one car at the Atlanta airport, fly to Dallas, get my other car, go to work, then come back to the airport and fly back out.

Coming from a small market like Hattiesburg to two major markets is a huge accomplishment. How do you think you were able to pull that off?

Prayer. You’ve got to believe in what you’re doing. You’ve got to be honest with yourself: do you have the talent to do what you want?

Are you a slick enough marketing person to make it happen? You’ve got to be creative, not just doing what everyone else is doing. For all the Mississippi people out there, me and David Banner are committed to doing a project. We’re gonna do a Mississippi album of all new artists and put it out there underground. We gonna find the hottest artists all through out the Delta and put together an underground Mississippi album, and he’s gonna do the tracks. We gonna team up wth the different radio stations in Mississippi to find the talent, bring them all into Jackson, and judge it to pick the winners to be on the album.

Aside from DJing abilities, what do you think are important skills to have in radio?

Marketing is very important. You’ve got to do things to brand your name and be out here in the community, for real. I do scholarship funds, after-school programs. I take kids every year to the White House, the Smithsonian Institute, Tuskegee, Disney World, stuff like that. People can tell if you’re real or fake, so if you’re able to really connect with the community that makes you stand out.

Do you want to give out any contact information?

GregStreetCarShow.com or GregStreetOnline.com.

OZONE JUNE 2005

27

What’s the name of your new album?

Don P: Trillville Reloaded. It’s goin’ down.

Don P: You talkin’ about the issue with Pimp C on the cover, right? All I gotta say is that when Pimp C gets out, that shit is gonna be on!

Walk me through some of the songs on the album. What’s the concept of the songs, and who’s featured on them?

L.A.: Well, the intro is us three lettin’ you know that we’ve been gone and now we back. We’re household names now cause of “Some Cut,” and we just tryin’ to let people know where we been and where we tryin’ to take you.

Do we have features from the rest of the BME family on this album?

Dirty Mouf: Yeah, we got E-40, Lil J from Crime Mob, and Lil Jon, of course.

After the intro, what’s the first song on the album?

Don P: ”Speak Nothin’ Less,” produced by ya boy Don P. Doin’ it real big. I think Dirty Mouf’s verse on this song is one of the hottest verses on the album. Y’all gotta check that song out, that shit is jammin’. It’s off the chain so make sure y’all get that. Number three is the “Yeah” song with Three 6 Mafia. You know, it’s my trademark “Yeah.” I had it on the first album, the Trillville/Scrappy album. They was all asking why I say “Yeah.”

How is it different than the Lil Jon “Yeah”?

Don P: (demonstrates the difference between his “Yeah!” and Lil Jon’s “Yeah!”) Then I got the “A” and the “Yeah’s” that I’ve had for years, but niggas try to take my “Yeah’s.”

Do you consider crunk music to be hip-hop, or do you feel like it’s something totally different?

L.A.: Crunk music is its own general character, ya feel what I’m sayin’?

That’s what it is. Crunk is crunk.

So if somebody up North was like, “Oh, I don’t fuck with Trillville, that’s not real hip-hop,” what would you say?

Dirty Mouf: Sounds good to me! That’s crunk!

Don P: I mean, I love hip-hop, man. I’m a DJ too so of course I play hiphop records. DJ Corleone.

Do y’all listen to East coast artists?

Don P: Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, I love Jadakiss.

Dirty Mouf: Wu-Tang.

L.A.: Shawn Carter, holla at ya boy.

What do you think about 50 Cent battling Jadakiss and Fat Joe? Don P: Shit, they doin’ they thing.

Dirty Mouf: Doin’ they thug thizzle.

L.A.: Definitely.

Don P: They rappin’ on records and they doin’ it good, fa sure.

How many tracks did you produce for this album?

Don P: I think I only did two on this album cause I’m saving my tracks for Trilltown Entertainment. Besides, Lil Jon is the king. Fuck that. Go ‘head, Jon. How exactly did you get the sound effects of the creaking bedspring for “Some Cut”?

Dirty Mouf: We was at L.A.’s house and, you know, we just had the recorder up under the bed and it went down.

So you were all in the room together?

Don P: Nah, we had slipped it up under the bed and he ain’t even know it was in there.

I don’t know if I believe that. It sounds a little too crisp on the record.

Don P: Anything can be done in the studio. It wasn’t really even intended to be used on a song. IT was gonna be a “skeet” but then Jon was like, “We need to get that on a song.” So we put it in the beginning, and there it was.

So you guys are getting a lot more cut now.

Don P: I’ve been gettin’ cut.

L.A.: Yeah, ain’t nothing changed but the range, you know?

Speaking of cuttin’, I heard there was a mixtape coming out about Don P and your, uh, bedroom habits.

Don P: Yeah, yeah. There’s a little mixtape. AIn’t nobody really paying attention to it, so I don’t really wanna blow it up. I ain’t even gonna respond to it. It’s a lot of mixtapes where people try to single me out, I guess because I be doin’ some crazy shit other than just rappin’. I be producing and all that shit, and niggas just try to call me out for some reason. Everybody knows what the real is. When I take my shit to the streets, then niggas wanna change their minds and shit so I’d rather just not even speak on it. A lot of niggas got mixtapes out about us. That shit don’t mean shit, cause niggas ain’t makin’ no money off it. I come out with my own CD about me and it’ll sell more than these niggas talkin’ ‘bout me.

“The hood ain’t cool. A lot of people try to make it seem like staying in the ghetto is cool, but that’s where a lot of people are forced to be. Once you get that chance to move out the hood, that’s what you do.” - Don P

Are y’all on good terms with everyone right now, or are we gonna hear any diss records on this album?

Don P: I doubt it. Ya know, if I’m gonna diss somebody, I try to bring it to the streets if it’s a real problem. I really don’t want to waste my time, but you might hear something from me on a mixtape or something if I’m just trying to warn a nigga.

When y’all were beefing with Lil Scrappy last year, he made a comment that y’all were from the suburbs to diss you.

Dirty Mouf: Everybody from the suburbs. Can’t be in the hood too long.

Don P: Your whole goal is to get out the hood. The hood ain’t cool. A lot of people try to make it seem like staying in the ghetto is cool, but that’s where a lot of people are forced to be. Once you get that chance to move out the hood, that’s what you do. You can always go back to your hood. I always ride back through my hood. But where am I gonna park my truck with 26’s at? Not in the hood! That shit gon’ get stolen.

How long have you had the name Trillville?

Forever. As long as we can remember.

There’s a lot of people using that term. There’s Webbie and Boosie’s label Trill Entertainment, Treal from Mississippi with Reese & Bigalow, the group Treal from Orlando…

Don P: That’s the originators of trill, Bun B and Pimp C, that’s they thing so of course they gonna have a label called Trill. But we got Trilltown Entertainment.

The group Treal had some comments about you guys in the last issue of OZONE. Do you have a response to that article?

What’s the first project coming from your label Trilltown?

Don P: We’ve got the Trilltown Mafia coming out this summer. That’s Montay C, Big Mill, and T-3. Trilltown Mafia will be out this summer.

There’s been a good response to them already.

Do they have the same type of sound as Trillville?

Don P: It’s a lot of the same, but a little different. They still in high school, so they crazy cool.

So it’s kinda like when y’all first came out.

Don P: Nah, kinda like Crime Mob, but a lil’ different. I did the beats, so you kinda get a little chance to feel my vibe.

Is that an independent project, or are you doing it through BME? Don P: Yeah, we’ll probably set it up so it’ll come out through BME and Warner Brothers.

Anything else you want to say?

Dirty Mouf: Trillville Reloaded coming real soon: June 21st.

L.A.: New album, new album, new album.

Don P: Shouts to my boy Eric from BME with the shirts and the shades.

He do a lot more than that too, but this is what I like the most besides him callin’ me, wakin’ me up at six to catch a flight. OZONE Magazine, we got the cover, yeah!

- Interview and photos by Julia Beverly OZONE JUNE 2005

29

What is your job title?

Big Mouth Marketing and Promotions is my company.

I’ve been self-employed for about six years now.

I’m the fusion between the record labels and the corporations and the streets. I understand my market, so I’m able to pull the trigger on projects and help corporations connect the dots. Basically, I sell street credibility.

zon Wireless, Guiness Extra Stout, Hennessy, New Balance, Reebok, Alize, and Seagram’s Gin, to name a few. The music game has always been consistent, but the corporate shit keeps my lights on. The labels ain’t gonna pay you shit, and you’re waiting three months for a check. If you know how to hustle, you can make side money. With most of the labels I work with, I have personal relationships with the artists and their management. If Lil Scrappy’s on a promo tour, for example, you can leverage things out for yourself. These labels be tryin’ to pimp niggas, and they’ve got a hundred interns working for them for free. They want you to be on call 24/7. I don’t regret working at a label, though, because all this stuff helped open up the doors for me.

And you also manage Pitbull, right?

I guess my title is manager, yeah, but we’ve also got Team Pitbull, Pitbull Productions, which is another company within itself. I’m just a team player.

“Manager” is just a title. I play my position, like, whatever I need to do so we can win as a team. Me and Pit are here to win. I just want to see homie go over the top. I’m tryin’ to get Pit that other money – that money outside of the music.

Did you go to school for marketing?

I went to school for business administration, marketing, and advertising, but I never really finished.

Actually, first I went to school for culinary arts. I love cooking, but when I started doing it as a career, it took the love out of it for me. I was working in a restaurant, but I was also doing security with my dude Duberry at this club. They’d let me set up a picture booth, do promotions, whatever. I was just hustling, trying to get in where I fit in. When I walked away from my job with the restaurant, they just saw that I had charisma and was willing to work.

I was in the streets, dealing with people. I loved it and I went hard with it. It was like a crash course in promotions. I learned the market real quick.

There’s a difference between record label promotions and club promotions. If you’ve got a club night every week, you gotta go hard every day all day.

You’re pretty much working 18 hour days, 7 days a week. It ain’t no rest, but you learn your market.

He did the straight hood parties, so I learned quick.

He took me through Carol City, Liberty City, and I just built good relationships with people. I’d see the dudes out there with the record label promos, the wrapped trucks. These dudes were getting big accounts, but I’m in the hood, everywhere, all day, and I ain’t seen these dudes. Me and my team were like, hold up, we need to get that money. I started trying to make relationships in the music industry.

I’ve never been, like, a dick-riding type of dude.

I’m not star struck or anything. If I see an artist somewhere, I ain’t tryin’ to get an autograph, I’m tryin’ to tell the nigga, “Dawg, I could help you out here.” I just needed the right person to see what I was doing and from there it would pop.

What was your breakthrough?

It was actually some karma shit. Jeff Sanchez, who was working for Luke Records, was in Opium and he lost his 2way. That’s when 2ways had first popped off and everybody in the industry had one.

Jeff kept paging the 2way, and my man had found it and didn’t know how to use it so he brought it to me. I returned Jeff’s call and of course, he was really happy to get the 2way back. He started seeing me everywhere doing promo. A few months after that, he was moving back to New York and trying to find somebody to fill his shoes at Luke’s label. He asked me if I wanted to work a 9 to 5 with Luke. A lot of people say Luke be fuckin’ people and stuff like that, but I just saw that shit as an opportunity. Dude has been in the game for twenty years strong, so I figure this nigga got to have something to teach me. I wasn’t planning on making a mil off Luke, I just wanted to learn something in the school of hard knocks. Luke basically taught me everything I know as far as working records and thinking

Big Teach

Big Mouth Marketing & Promotions outside the box. Luke’s been through a lot of challenges in his career, so if you can pass six months with Luke, he’s a good dude. Once he sees that you want to learn, he’ll show you.

Luke taught me the importance of relationships. I went on tour with Luke; we did like 35 cities. It was different than working for a big label like Def Jam. We had seven people on staff doing everything. And that’s how I met Pit, working with Luke. Me and Pit was on tour together, so we have the same mentality, the same grind, the same hunger. We understood each other.

When Pit’s contract was up, he started doing his own thing. After 9/11, everything got crazy across the board, and everything slowed down. Luke shut down the promotions department at the label for a few months so I started doing my own thing. I wanted to start a promotions company to get some corporate accounts. I started working with Akademics and getting on people’s radar.

What did you do for Akademiks?

I played a big role in helping to brand them out here. When Clue was endorsing Akademics, niggas were confused.

They thought it was his record label.

I helped them develop an identity.

Everybody was trying to go after the same label accounts, so I decided to go left with it. I started getting jobs from the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital – we did a safe sex campaign – stuff like that.

Who are some of your other clients?

Bad Boy, TVT, CRUNK!!! Energy Drink, Sony Ericsson, Cingular Wireless, Veri-

Big Mouth seems to be extremely organized. How did you develop your business structure?

I pay attention. I sit back and watch the labels and corporations. I look at their structure and watch what works and what doesn’t work. Not having a structure at all just doesn’t work. If you’re trying to win, you’ve got to have some kind of structure. We just have a good team. I’ve got so much shit going on that if I’m all over the place with it, it’s not gonna work. Pit had a big year last year, and Pit’s work ethic is just crazy. You can ask anybody and they’ll tell you, a lot of success comes to his team too. If he has an idea, we pull the trigger on that shit. We appreciate TVT and everything they do, but we do our own shit too. We don’t just sit back and wait for things to happen, we go look for opportunities.

As Pitbull’s manager, do you have to play the bad guy sometimes?

Well, we deal with a lot of people, and you have to separate the personal from the business. We take care of our people, but we’ve got bills to take care of too. When people deal with Pitbull directly, because of certain relationships, sometimes I have to be the asshole and put my foot down just to make sure niggas ain’t tryin’ to take advantage of the relationships. We’ve got roles to play. I’m Pit’s manager and Purple is his road manager, and we have our own system. We go to the club, we have fun, but at the same time we have somebody posted up by the DJ booth making sure our records is getting played. We have our fun but at the end of the day everybody on our team realizes we’ve got to make sure our work is good too.

How did Pit’s new situation with Puff and Bad Boy Latino come about?

Bad Boy Latino is still in the real early phases, but we made the announcement because of the Latin Billboard Awards. It was a good time to let people know. Pit is gonna be playing an executive role in Bad Boy Latino. He’s the perfect person for that, because he is the link. He has records playing on mainstream radio, but he also has records playing on official Spanish stations and it doesn’t sound corny. It doesn’t sound forced when he spits in Spanish because it’s authentic. The first time Puff seen him perform was at Khaled’s birthday party.

Khaled pulled me to the side like, “Yo, Puff was askin’ about your man,” so when Pit came off stage they started choppin’ it up or whatever. Puff told me to holla at his man about some Sean John shit, and 8 in the morning the next day dude is paging me. Next thing you know, we in Atlanta for the Sean John photo shoot.

“I sit back and watch the labels and corporations. I look at their structure and see what works and what doesn’t work.”

Anything else you want to say?

To contact me, visit www.bigmouthpromo.com or www.pitbullmusic.com.

Frans, Bogart, and C-Eye, keep ya head up. Demi, see you when you get home.

OZONE JUNE 2005

33

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