Just in case you weren’t aware of his exact coordinates, Birdman and his tattoo are tailgaiting at the Saints game.

Spotted at MG

Props to Scream TV/Rap Hustlin.

SCAM AFTA SCAM: A TRUE STORY

OZONE investigates how a new breed of greedy artist managers and booking agents, led by Gucci Mane’s representatives, are sucking the blood out of the music industry.

by Julia Beverly (this article also appears in the upcoming print edition of OZONE Mag)

“Johnnie [Cabbell] is the grand vampire,” proclaims legendary Chicago-based promoter Godfather. For over twenty years, Godfather has been promoting concerts through his company Star Power Entertainment Group. He estimates his losses from bad business deals with Johnnie Cabbell and Debra Antney to be nearly $100,000. “I don’t work with Johnnie anymore,” he states emphatically. “He sucks the blood out of you.”

As the CEO of Hitt Afta Hitt (otherwise known as HAH), Johnnie Cabbell is Gucci Mane’s exclusive booking agent and also manages Bankhead rapper Shawty Lo. Johnnie’s “partner in crime,” Godfather says, is Debra Antney, who describes herself as Gucci Mane’s “business partner and manager.” As CEO of Gucci’s So Icey Records and the management company Mizay Entertainment, Antney also oversees the careers of OJ da Juiceman, Nicki Minaj, and others. Multiple promoters from across the country allege that Cabbell and Antney have collaborated to defraud them collectively of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
THE SO ICEY TOUR

Scheduled for at least 12 cities in July 2009, the So Icey Tour was supposed to feature OJ da Juiceman, Nicki Minaj, and the headliner, Gucci Mane. It sounded promising. Gucci’s buzz was at an all-time high. He had just returned home from prison a few months earlier to ecstatic crowds at “Welcome Home Gucci” parties throughout the South. His artist/protégé OJ had been steadily building a buzz of his own and helping to keep Gucci’s name alive by flooding the streets with mixtapes and fresh material. They were both hot commodities. And in an industry nearly void of female artists, up-and-coming emcee/sex symbol Nicki Minaj was quickly building a name for herself, strengthened by her affiliations with Lil Wayne and Gucci Mane. The timing seemed perfect.

But by all accounts, the “tour,” organized by a Carolina-based promoter named Shannon Marshall, was a mess and fell apart almost immediately. None of the artists showed up for the first two Florida dates (July 4th & 5th), leaving veteran promoter Mr. CC (who, like Godfather in Chicago, has been successfully promoting concerts for over 20 years) with losses of over $140,000. He claims that nearly half of that money, around $70,000, is in the hands of Cabbell/Antney, who refuse to return the deposits or reschedule his dates.

On July 19th, 2009, midway through the scheduled tour dates, Soulja Boy tweeted, “My nigga Gucci back in jail. Free Gucci.” (right) Rumors quickly spread that Gucci had again violated the terms of his probation and was back in jail (or rehab). Although Gucci’s management and label denied the rehab rumors and it’s still unclear exactly where Gucci was in mid-July, it’s clear where he wasn’t: He wasn’t on the So Icey Tour. Of the 12 scheduled tour dates, OZONE has confirmed that at least six, but probably more of these shows (Jacksonville, FL; Pompano Beach/Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Louisville, KY; Chicago, IL; Baltimore, MD; and Detroit, MI) never happened, leaving furious promoters demanding refunds…..

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We featured Laws recently in the Patiently Waiting section of the mag. He just signed a record deal. Here’s a video Laws made announcing his new situation as a full-time musician.

Here’s a freestyle Jon Geezy, aka Jon Jon, did for DJ Scream. Jon Jon also has a Bigga Rankin tape about to drop soon, and a collab mixtape with Waka Flocka.

Here’s a web cam video to go along with the Studio Watch we featured the other day.

New music from Arrogant Music’s Sean Teezy, produced by Lex Luger.

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Q45 celebrated his birthday on Thanksgiving night In Pittsburgh @ Dreamz Night Club. Check out the video and see why Pittsburgh is the place to celebrate.

This is one of Block Ent’s new artists. Supplya is from the Kirkwood area in Atlanta. This song is off his new Gangsta Grillz with DJ Drama.

This is Zaytoven’s new group The Eragance. They put out a video clip of them in the studio recently and everyone’s been asking for the song. Here it it.

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Most artist talk about giving back to their communities, but Polow Da Don showed that he is not all talk.
The super producer brought his staff, community volunteers and Atlanta radio station V103 along with Greg Street out to the greenbriar mall parking lot and did a live broadcast along with a free benetit concert in his old neighborhood of zone 4.
Polow organized a free concert with performances from Keri Hilson, Rich Kids, Wacka Flacka, DJ Unk, Dorrough and many more. The evening was very festive with free turkeys and free rides at the fair.
Peep the videos of some of the performances, and then check out our photo gallery to look at pictures from the event and the celebrities who lended their hand in support.
Fonzworth Bentley, Tiana Taylor, DJ Unk, Waka Flaka, Terrence J, Devyne Stephens, Monica, Rich boy and a host of others who came through to show support and lend a hand.

Tagged up via DJ Smallz.

Brandon = B of Nard and B

They brought out a lot of people for a daytime video shoot on a rainy Sunday. Impressive.

If You Missed It: Masspike Miles – Patiently Waiting

There were numerous celebs in the building Friday night, from Jazze Pha to Scrappy & Diamond to Greg Street. Not to mention the wall-to-wall club full of people gettin’ white-boy-wasted. Shouts to the promoter, Benny Ent., for looking out.

Check out all the photos here.

Here’s a video clip of Trillville making some country rap tunes with producer jCOOP. I was informed today that Trillville has reunited, officially. This info comes from Red Snappah, thanks for the heads up.

Props to Raw Report for the footage. Mike Will, aka Nyquil, aka 15 Min Shawty, stays in the lab whippin up the beats. Preciate the Ozone shout out in the video too.

The grind is never ending for DJ Nasty. In addition to him and his brother LVM making up the producer group Nasty Beatmakers, DJ Nasty is also a prominent figure on 102 Jamz, at Club Roxy, Firestone, and several other venues. Alongside Khaled, Nasty manages The Runners and works with new production duo The Inkredibles. 

What have you been up to lately?
I don’t even know where to start. As I get deeper into this music business, I’m not just DJing anymore. I’m a producer, a manager, and I got my own company. I manage producers and artists now. We been working on Khaled’s album. Me and my brother from Nasty Beatmakers did some work on Ace Hood’s album. We did a beat with Ace featuring Ludacris that we shot a video for a couple months ago. We’ve been working with Weezy for his Rebirth album. Me and Khaled manage The Runners so we’ve been working with Usher, Mario, Jeezy, Lloyd, Wayne, you name it. I’ve also got my producers in VA, The Inkredibles. Me and Khaled got ‘em on the Jay-Z album featuring Young Jeezy.

What’s your radio schedule look like?
You can catch me on 102 Jamz at 5 O’clock. Also catch me on Saturday night from 10 to 12 during the Classic. DJ Nasty and DJ Khaled are taking over the radio heavy. You can also catch me in the clubs. I just got back from Europe with Rick Ross. We did 5 shows in Germany and we also hit London. It’s non-stop. They don’t call us We The Best for nothin’. 

Who discovered The Inkredibles?
My partner in crime, Spiff TV. He discovered them on Myspace. He would play me their beats all the time, and I would be busy with all types of other stuff. I’d hear it and be like, “Oh, that’s alright, it needs a little work.” He would keep playing me stuff as they were advancing. One day it caught my attention. I was like, “Damn, who is that you playing?” They sounded dope. We set up a meeting and brought them down. Then it was on.

Being a producer yourself and being hands-on with music, how does that help you with the management and business side of things?
When it comes to music, there’s unlimited resources out there when it comes to putting these albums together. There’s a million producers, but only the cream of the crop is getting on these projects nowadays. With me being hands on, I like to get on the project as much as I can. When it comes to producers I looked up to, like Timbaland, Neptunes, The Runners, and now The Inkredibles, those dudes are on another level. They do pop, R&B, rock, you name it. I take my hats off to them. They drop bangers left and right; I get in where I fit in.

What are your plans for Classic weekend?
It’s goin’ down in a major way. On Friday we’re doin’ Phat Friday at Roxy with Frontline Promotions. Saturday night we got The Classic Fest at Firestone – We The Best and Friends with DJ Khaled, Ace Hood, Red Rum, The Runners, The Inkredibles. It’s the family. Sunday I’ma be at the Sunday Night Shut Down at Firestone Live. I got the home team there – Disco and The City Boyz, DJ D-Strong, DJ Chino, Young City.

Is there anything else you want to tell the people?
Stay tuned for the new Rick Ross album – Teflon Don. We’re gonna be on there heavy. Stay tuned for the Lil Wayne album. Hopefully it’s dropping this year. I’m hearing a December date. We got a lot of greats on that album. Ludacris is droppin’ real soon – Battle of Both Sexes. Check me out in the streets heavy. If I’m not in Orlando, I might be in a country near you. Follow me on Twitter.com/DJNasty102 and Myspace.com/DJNasty.

An Orange County native, Sho Boy takes pride in representing for his city. He gained local support through DJ Nasty for his song “Sip Slow” which went on to collect over 100 radio spins. Since then he and his independent label have continued putting up numbers and are now focused on producing a movie and book for the upcoming year.

Tell us about your background and how you came up in your rap career.
I’m still coming up and catching a buzz right now. I started writing in 2007, but you’re not a rapper until you get the deal. My grind has been impeccable, doing hand-to-hand sales. I met DJ Nasty and was able to establish a good cosign. I got over 100 spins on Clear Channel 102 Jamz. With my Haitian decent, I was already doing shows in Haiti. That was all within 12 months.

What was the song that got you all those spins?
It was a song called “Sip Slow” produced by David Breed. He went on to do production for Lil Boosie, Anthony Hamilton, and Young Jeezy. We’re all on the come up and it’s a blessing he did the track. It also got me on the corner store and street mixtapes that DJ Khaled does. It was a good look for me.

What did you move on to after that? What came next for you?
I did records, like DJ drops, for DJ D-Strong, Chino, and other guys that were coming up at the time. It kept me on the radio and kept me poppin’ on air. Soon after I caught a buzz, getting on every central Florida rapper’s features and whatnot.

What made you want to start doing music in the first place?
I think money is the biggest motivation on the face of this earth. Everyone moves for money, and nobody moves without money. But back in high school, I started off with my homie Big Rob making beats first. We had our own little studio and it was kinda cool. Then I started getting in the freestyle ciphers and freestyling over beats and started getting recognition. When I heard girls reciting the words, that’s when I kinda knew what was good. What really got me into it, was when I was in the cafeteria and I got $5 for one of my tapes. I went home, dubbed two more, came back, and made $10 more. It was on and poppin’ ever since.

Being from Orlando, who would you say are the pioneers in your city’s music scene?
I got to give my #1 shout out to Preacher. Other than that, I’d like to say that I’m the future and I will be a forefather of Orlando rap. A lot of people migrate to the city, so most of the rappers that have made it out of Orlando aren’t really from here. I feel like I’m one of the representatives of Orlando as a forefather.

What’s the significance behind your rap name? Where did it come from?
Being Haitian, “sho” in Creole means “hot.” When I was younger, and still to this day, I’m a hot boy so that’s why people called me Sho Boy. Some people think it has to do with me performing, so I guess that could be the meaning too.

Are you with a label?
My independent label is called Swamp House. I’m backed up by big homie Kizzo. We’re doing pretty good numbers. We do move more indie sales than any other artist, period, in central Florida.

What are some things you guys are working towards in the near future?
Well, right now, I’ve been talking to David Geffen, he’s interested, and Warner Brothers is interested in me. There’s a movie situation we’re working on. I’m also finishing writing a book with my publishing company Norfolk. We’re on set and have the screen play of the movie finished already. My goal is to release that during the 1st or 2nd quarter. We haven’t picked the official title yet. I want to call it 100, but of course they want to go with something more commercial.

What do you have going on for the Florida Classic?
On Friday I’m booked at Club 57 West downtown. I’m also booked at Dawgman’s Car Show. 
 
Is there anything else you want to say?
People can always check me out at Myspace.com/TheRealShoBoy. I’d also like to say this, $10k to anybody who can say who’s hotter than Sho Boy at the top of 2010. I’ll put up $10k to anybody who does it harder. I got 10 mixtapes, 6 videos, the movie, and the book. I ain’t braggin’, I’m just swaggin’.

Cash Chris is a new name with Maybach Music. Now residing in Orlando, Chris is originally from South Florida but relocated to central Florida to work on his craft. Being in a centralized location, in a city that brings out the major figures, Chris’ music eventually found its way into the hands of the right cosigners. Through DJ Nasty, Chris was given the opportunity to showcase his talents on-air and at various nightclubs, building a name worthy of the Maybach Music stamp of approval. 

How did you build a name for yourself in Orlando?
I’m originally from Palm Beach, and I moved to Orlando in 2000. My homeboy had moved up here and he had met this producer from Miami named Da Deacon. Me and him started making music. We had a group for a couple years, then I wanted to move on to my solo project. In 2007, I met Spiff TV. At the time he was an A&R for DJ Nasty and the Nasty Beatmakers and he eventually introduced me [to them]. DJ Nasty started putting me on the 5 O’clock Traffic Jam and I would perform at his parties. I started getting a lot of attention from that.

When did the situation with Maybach Music come about?
Rick Ross came down for one of DJ Nasty’s parties, and Spiff TV was working closely with Rick Ross. He had me come to the radio station and I met Ross; then I saw him at the studio with Khaled, Fat Joe, and The Inkredibles. We talked after that and Ross did a feature for my song that was produced by OZ n Da Deacon. After that, he was hearing more and more of my music, and on March 15th, they aired a video on WorldHipHop saying I was signed. I didn’t even know. A month later they put down the contract and the rest is history.

You have the “Duffle Bag” video out with Rick Ross. What are some other songs you’re known for?
If you listen to “Duffle Bag,” you’ll hear a lot of shout outs. It’s kinda like my welcome to Maybach Music song. Prior to that, Rick Ross was featured on two of my other songs: “I Like Dat” was the first one, and “Put Em On Me” has Rick Ross doing the hook. It was produced by Natural Disaster.

Besides Ross, who are some other Maybach Music artists you’ve collaborated with?
I’ve done a song with Magazeen, he’s a reggae artist on Maybach Music. It was produced by The Inkredibles. I’m currently working on a song with Masspike Miles, an R&B singer on Maybach Music. And I did the song with Triple C’s.

Are you putting out any mixtape projects?
I’m working on a mixtape right now called Everybody Hates Chris. I got one out right now on DatPiff called Dirty Sexy Money hosted by DJ Slique of Block Movaz.

Why are you calling your new tape Everybody Hates Chris?
I’m not from Orlando, and I felt like in a lot of situations I wasn’t shown love because I’m not from a certain area. But you gotta keep going on anyway and not let that be a problem. And I call it Everybody Hates Chris because it’s catchy. Everybody’s gonna pay more attention to it. All I have to do is deliver the music.

It’s interesting that you’re from South Florida, and after you moved to Central Florida, that led to you signing to a label based in South Florida.
Yeah, that’s crazy. That’s the thing about Orlando, being a tourist spot and a central part of Florida, I felt that if I could started gettin’ heard here, because there’s so many tourists, my music could be taken so many other places. A lot of people from Jacksonville, Miami, Tallahassee come in and out of the city. And we’ve got a lot of schools and universities here. 

What else should people know about you and your story?
I’ve been doin’ this for a while. This is authentic music, this isn’t a guy livin’ somebody else’s dream. I did this. When you hear the raps, this is actually my life. I done did those crimes, anything I did you can look up in public records. I’m not rappin’ things I don’t really know about. This is authentic street music. It’s not coming from a guy that was from the suburbs, I’m from a hood. I have a mother addicted to drugs and I’ve never seen my father, so my music comes from a whole different place.

Whether he and his Clientell Family are donating 1,000 turkeys for Thanksgiving or orchestrating the some of the hottest events in Central Florida, Dawgman is the embodiment of the Florida Muscle Movement. This multi-faceted Orlando icon declares the Florida Classic as his domain, and he dares anyone who denies this claim to come forward.

What is Florida Muscle in your definition?
To be honest, Florida Muscle is us just doing some shit from the heart and basically givin’ it 100 and putting the game in a chokehold. Florida Muscle is a spinoff of Florida Power—OZONE did a Florida Power issue a while ago, and I was on that [cover] with DJ Khaled, but a lotta mu’fuckas ain’t authorized right now, so we changed it to Florida Muscle. It’s basically the same thing with how a lotta little bullshit ass magazines tryin’ y’all—but they ain’t got that Florida Muscle, so they can’t fuck wit’ y’all. So basically, we’re just re-defining Florida Power, because we are the creators. Print this: Dawgman Entertainment is the new Orlando. I got 90.9 backing me a hundred percent, I got some Taliban niggas that’s backing me up a hundred percent, I gotta couple of banks that’s backing me up a hundred percent, and I got OZONE backing me up a hundred percent. I’m straight. With Florida Muscle we went and got the niggas that were making the most buzz which was Mighty Mike, Bone, and Dirty G. Dirty G missed his plane so he couldn’t be here at the photo shoot, but we’re just gon’ rep for him in ink.

What does the Florida Classic mean to you?
The Florida Classic? We are the Florida Classic. Next question.

(laughs) Okay, can you elaborate a little so people from out of town can get a better understanding?
We is the Florida Classic, we do this. But shouts out to Frontline, them the only niggas that I feel put in work for the Florida Classic. The rest of these niggas, I’ll give ‘em an A for trying, but that’s about it. I’ll share the Florida Classic with Frontline, because they showed me a lotta little shit and I showed them a lotta little shit. We do the teen parties at 360. We got Club Destiny for the grown and sexy, we got DJ Nasty on Saturday, he’s bringing the whole Live from the 305 and I got all my niggas coming from the A, then on Sunday we got over 10,000 people at the riding big car show—it’s just too many names on that roster to list. But they’ll see the ads. We’ve got the official afterparty that we’re doing with OZONE for everything that’s going down on Friday and Saturday at Club Koha, and the official after party for the Riding Big Car Show at Icons. We’re just trying to be blessed, man, and we gon’ bless the hood by doing a turkey drive for Thanksgiving. We’re giving away 1,000 turkeys!

You have a good reputation around Orlando and do a lot for the city, but why is that traditionally, most promoters are looked as shady individuals?
Because promoters are putting their money and their reputation on the line by bringing artists and events to the city and if one small thing goes wrong the people hold you to it, and think you’re trying to be shady. And it happens to best of us [promoters], like when Shawty Lo got sick and ain’t show up to our shit, it looked bad on us. It’s the promoters that hold on to that type of shit. But I don’t think promoters try to do it on purpose. To make a long story short, we were the first to do this type of big shit for the Classic, and we even got a movie coming out called “Ridin’ Big: The Movie.”

I know you always have a lot going on, so aside from the Florida Classic events, what are you working on?
Right now at DME we’re looking for talent. We looking for producers, we got the studio, we do CD and DVD duplication, we got a promotional company, and we’re doing a big dance competition called “Who’s Got It,” and that’s going to be on January 16th at the arena, it’s gon’ be big. Look out for the SEMA (Southeast Music Awards) Show, that’s coming up. And we got our own fleet of DJ’s called Clientell Party Starters Reloaded.

Damn, so you’ve been pretty busy.
We’re just trying to get money. Wachovia, Suntrust, and Bank of America; those are my sponsors. But I just want people to know that I’m a sincere cat that loves to give back to the community. We know we can’t save the world, but we do give back.

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Dade County born Bone has been asking the world to listen to him for years, and now he’s done asking. It’s time to kick down the door and take what’s his.

Why is the Florida Classic important to your music?
The Florida Classic represents a very big market and it only happens once a year. I think every artist that’s trying to get their music out needs to attend that and do a lot of promo. People are coming from all over just to attend the FAMU-Bethune Cookman classic and being that it’s in the middle of Florida, it’s easier for people from all parts of the state to attend.

Do think Florida artists are finally getting the national recognition they deserve?
Florida has been slept on for a long time. It’s not like we just started it, we were just slept on for a long time. Now, we ‘refinally getting recognized, but what we just gotta do is use what we got to actually get further, because really, we still ain’t getting the respect the state deserves. We just gotta really get our respect off the muscle; that’s why we named the mixtape Florida Muscle.

Talk about the bats and the all-black you guys are wearing. You don’t think that’s a little intimidating for the Florida Classic?
Well, black has always been perceived as a negative color, unfortunately. But that’s not always the case. Everybody wearing black could also signify unity. We could’ve all worn something different on the cover, but that wouldn’t catch your eye. If a bunch of people walk in with all black on, it’s like, “Damn.” It makes you wanna know what’s going on. It’s a statement that we’re trying to make, a strong statement—we’re here, it’s Florida Muscle.

Okay, so when people see the black and wonder what’s going on with you specifically, what do you want them to know?
I just want everybody to know that everything I say is real. I’m not just all about being in the club, or all about being the block, but I done been on the block, and I done been in the club, so you gon’ hear some of those songs. I also had a lot of pain. I had a lot of joy and a lot of happiness, so you gon’ hear all that in my music. I don’t want people to just assume that I’m this or that, because really you gotta listen to it for what it is. I don’t want people to automatically label me negative, because I’m not negative like that. I done did a lot of negative things, but who didn’t? I want people to look at me for what I’m doing now, and how far I done came from that.

How’d you get involved in the Florida Muscle movement?
I’m from Dade County and all of us are from different places and we’re doing our own individual thing, cause we’re all bosses. We were all making noise individually, and we all knew of each other and had respect for each other. It ended up that we would always be in the same place together doing shows, so eventually we started talking about forming a powerhouse group, and that’s what we’re doing right now. Believe me, if you ain’t got the mix CD Streets Most Wanted, make sure you get that because it’s serious. It’s killin’ ‘em.

How has Dade County sculpted your music?
That’s where I’m from and I love it. It’s rough, but it’s also fun. A lot of people think you can’t go down there because it’s so bad, because they see The First 48, and whatnot, but if you go down there to party and have fun, you’re gonna have fun. If you go down there to be in a different realm though, yeah, you gon’ get caught up. As far as Miami relating to my aura in terms of the music, I don’t want to be too tied in to nothing. I’m not trying to be labeled as somebody who tries to follow the trend. I don’t want to do the same music as everybody else. I’m not trying to get caught in a box, I believe it’s all about being yourself, and that’s what I’m doing.

Finally, tell us in your words exactly what Florida Muscle is.
Florida Muscle is this: When you get tired of asking for so long, and not being answered, then you get to the point where you just gotta go ahead and get it yourself. It ain’t no asking. We done been asking, we done been trying, now we kicking the door in. We was trying to tell y’all we was hear, and y’all wasn’t listening, so now we ain’t asking for it no more. We taking it.

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Sometimes looks can be deceiving; most of the time they aren’t. In Mighty Mike’s case, his appearance is right on. His image portrays the exact sketch of what he wants his life and music to contain: Muscle. More specifically, Florida Muscle.

What does the Florida Classic mean to you and how does it pertain to your movement?
First of all, Orlando is like my second home. My family’s down there and Clientell. I’ve been fuckin’ wit’ Dawgman forever; and the Classic is like one of our pressure points when you’re trying to takeover Florida. You’ve got Orlando, you got Tampa, you got Miami, Jacksonville, Tallahassee—basically any city that has a big event, and the Florida Classic is huge. We’ve been grinding, putting up posters and move CD’s in Orlando forever. During the Classic there’s gonna be like 2 million people down there so we really gotta step it up.

What do you want people who are coming to visit Orlando just for the Classic to know about Mighty Mike?
I just want them to know strictly that I grind. If they don’t know nothing else, know that I grind and respect the grind if you don’t respect nothing else. I got flyers everywhere, street team everywhere, and when they see that they gon’ know that Mighty Mike is in the streets. Mighty Mike is everywhere.

How have you been able to build your buzz? Recently it seems you’ve been building a lot of momentum.
It ain’t no play-play about my music. I hooked up with my cousin BloodRaw, BRE Entertainment, and I represent that shit, I represent the CTE shit—I’m well connected. Everybody who knows my grind knows that I’m a real cat, and that’s made people start talkin’ about my music. Right now we really buzzing in the streets and if you ain’t got that Streets Most Wanted mixtape with me and my cousin Bloodraw you’re missin’ out on a raw ass CD.

Aside from the mixtape, what other projects have you been working on?
I’ve been doing a lot of tracks with a lot of major artists; I did a track with Pastor Troy called “Kill ‘Em Dead,” talking about snitches and stuff. I done did a song with Lil’ Boosie talkin’ about that fire-fire. I did a song with Brisco, and some of everybody, so basically I’m out here. Niggas know me from the streets, niggas know me from the industry, niggas know me from everywhere.

I know you’ve been doing music for a minute, but how exactly did you get started in rap?
I really don’t rap, I just tell you what I did in life. But basically, me and my cousin Bloodraw started this shit when we got outta prison. I gotta outta prison before him so I started the NFL Riders. Then he got outa prison after me and our dream was always to do something to get up out the hood and do better for ourselves and our family. We had a song together with Lil’ Jon, but then [Bloodraw] caught on and I started helping him out, and then Jeezy and Kinky B came and sat down with us one day at the Superbowl in Jacksonville and it just kept going from there. This shit just don’t happen overnight, you gotta be persistent. If you ain’t persistent you ain’t finna get it—and I’m a persistent cat. If you go to the library my music would be over there with the real shit, like the Malcolm X type shit. I ain’t over there wit’ Snow White and all that shit. My music is gon’ touch people.

How did going to prison at the age of 15 affect your outlook on life, and how is that expressed in your music?
When I went to prison at 15 it was a crazy experience, but I never let shit like that bring me down. I took it and made the best out of it. I caught 15 years and prison made me read, play a little chess, and taught me how to go in the law library and represent myself. I had to go learn the law myself to bring that shit back to they ass and get back out, because if I didn’t, I would still be trapped up in that bitch. I ended up only doing 3 and a half years and then they found out that they over-sentenced me, but that’s what they were doing to youngblack males. Clarence Foster was the Judge that was sending niggas over the guidelines. He was fuckin’ us and if you didn’t know nothing about the law you woulda been stuck up in there.

Wes Fif has been busy since the last time he spoke with OZONE. He’s been all over the blogs with new videos, controversy with the City of Orlando, and a questionable photo with Keyshia Cole’s mom Frankie. They say timing is everything, and in this case, it was the perfect opportunity for Fif to drop his new single “Goin In.”

How’s life with no hair treating you since you cut off the braids?
Life with no hair is good. I don’t get too many of them funny looks like I used to get. I guess I used to look like a hoodlum or somethin’. Now I look handsome and shit.

I see the new song “Goin In” is doing well. Is that your official single?
Yeah, despite all the other singles I’ve put out, that’s probably my first official single that we’re pulling out all the stops on. I look at all the other singles as buzz singles. This is the first one we’re putting everything behind. I’m about to go up to Power 95.3 with DJ Prostyle on his mixshow for the world premiere. He holds down everything I do, as far as Orlando radio goes.

What’s your label situation looking like? Tell me about the team that holds you down.
I started my label Street Smart Music earlier this year. I’ve got my management team – Nick Love and Dinero Jones – out of Atlanta, and my partna Leon Bailey in Orlando, who also runs WordOfSouth.com. I got a publicist out of Houston named Sharelle Renee. That’s my core team. I’m pretty much hands-on with everything. Between us five, we get everything done like email blasts and viral promotions.

What happened with Clientell Music? Are you still working with them?
That’s family right there. Dawgman is always gonna be a mentor to me. We still break bread together, but as far as the paperwork situation, as far as me being an artist with Clientell, my time with that ended last November. They still doing their thing. They got a few artists and Dawgman still got the party shit on lock.

You travel back and forth between Orlando and Atlanta. How does that influence your sound or affect your business moves?
In Atlanta, they’ve been on top for so long they’ve got it figured out. It enables me to move more professionally when I’m in Orlando. A lot of people in Orlando haven’t got the opportunity to go outside of the city and see how shit operates elsewhere. As far as the music, it’s different, but it ain’t too much different. Going to Atlanta enables me to get in touch with [producers like] CNote and JUSTICE League and all that. The level of production in Atlanta is top notch. That allows me to sound different and makes my quality better. It’s more crisp and it hits harder.

We haven’t had a chance to talk to you about what happened with the “Get It In Orlando” video. The media came down on you pretty hard.
That was really just the media being media. I think they were bored as fuck that day. The whole purpose of the song was saying that Orlando is basically like anywhere else. Shit goes on here just like anywhere else. At one point in the song I said, “You better watch the news before you leave your hotel room.” Somehow they got the idea that I was threatening terrorism and put shit on the news like five days in a row. The FDLE had opened up a case on me. At the end of the day it was a misunderstanding on their part. We actually reached out to them to come kick it with us, ride through the hood or whatever and do an interview, of course they declined.

I see you on a Twitter a lot and you’ve always had a pretty heavy internet presence. How important is that, in addition to being out in the streets?
People don’t really understand, but the internet for me is like a shortcut. It doesn’t cost you as much. My last mixtape got 6,000 downloads and it didn’t cost me shit to upload it and throw the link out, versus pressing up 6,000 CDs. I tell niggas all the time, you need to find somebody who’s good with that shit, or take the time to learn about it. It’s cost effective. Nowadays you either have to have spins or have the internet on smash. You can spend 30 or 40 stacks for spins, or you can spend $1,000 for a laptop and get the internet.

What else do you have going on that the people should know about?
I got two mixtapes in the streets – Just Watch Me with DJ Spinatik, and I got my group mixtape called Public Enemies with my partnas Hoodlum and Ill Essence. “Goin In” is the official single. I got the “I’m Tellin Ya” video comin’. We ain’t lettin’ up. If you see me in Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, wherever, when you see me fuck wit’ me. I’m a good nigga most the time, as long as you don’t catch me in a bad mood. (laughs) Follow me on Twitter.com/WesFif.

Orlando-based rapper PI Bang got the streets (and traps) of Central Florida jumpin’ with his new Zaytoven-produced single, “Trap Keep Jumpin’.”

What’s your story? How did you end up becoming a rapper?
I’ve been rappin’ since like ‘01. I first started by calling the radio station with a dude Copafeel, y’all probably know him as Malik. He was on an underground station and I used to call in and freestyle. He ended up giving me my own show and everybody liked what I was talkin’ about. I came out dissin’ everbody and shit. I’d be like, “Fuck so-and-so, fuck Smilez and Southstar.” I got my name buzzin’ in the city. I got good at [rappin’] but I just didn’t have the right record. Now I got a hit record.

Why were you dissing everybody? Did you really feel that way or was it just a way to get on?
I half felt that way, and I wanted to make a name for the O ‘cause wasn’t nobody doing it. I wanted to be the first person to do it. I was like, fuck everybody else. If I gotta push everyone else down to do it, then that’s what I’ma do.

You said you have a hit record now. Let’s talk about the “Trap Keep Jumpin” song that Zaytoven produced. How did you link up with him?
I hit him on Myspace. I had just got out of jail a few months before that, last October, and when I got out the first thing on my mind was coming up with a record and getting on the radio. I hit Zay and his people hit me back and sent me some records. The night I recorded it I went to do a show with Dawgman at Destiny. I performed that song and when Disco J.R. heard it,he was like, that’s it. I started pushin’ it, it got hot, and I did the video.

You mentioned Disco J.R. and Dawgman. Who are some other people in Orlando that support you and your music?
Greg G and DJ Prostyle, definitely. He’s spinnin’ the record on his mixshow on 95.3. D-Strong messes with me a little bit. The whole Disco and the City Boyz. Everybody messes with me except a few DJs. My song is getting played in almost every club every night.

So you’ve been rapping for about 8 years now. Is it what you expected it would be in the beginning when you first started?
Hell naw. When I first started, I thought if you was hot you would just get on, like if somebody sees you hot then they sign yo ass. But the game done changed so bad, you gotta invest a certain amount of money to even have your name known. Otherwise you gon’ waste your time. You gotta put some money in. You gotta have a serious marketing game, you gotta have mixtapes, you gotta buy beats from producers. It’s nothin’ like I thought it was gonna be. It’s more of a challenge.

Are you with an indie label? What kind of team do you have behind you?
My team consists of me, really. I got my own label. I played around with a couple artist over the years, but ain’t nobody stickin’ out. They ain’t tryin’ to do what I’m tryin’ to do. They ain’t tryin’ to grind and pass they own CDs out, holla at the DJs, get on the internet. I just try to stick to myself and do my own thing.

Within those 8 years of you rapping, what projects or other songs had you put out?
I did a lot of big shows. I opened for a lot of artists – Boosie, Plies, Juvenile, Gucci Mane, OJ da Juiceman. I was actually throwing my own concerts and doing teen nights. That’s how I really stayed relevant. The last mixtape I put out was in late 2006 with White Boi Pizal. That did real good and that’s when my name really startin’ ringin’. I had good records, but never really had a hit song, so what kept my name relevant was shows and mixtapes. I got a mixtape coming out this month. It’s really more like an album ‘cause it’s all original beats, but it’s gonna be put together like a mixtape. Me and Sho Boy got a record coming out too called Paper Chase. We tryin’ to show each other love. We both kinda got a name in the O and got people behind us, so we’re trying to put a movement together.

Are you performing during Florida Classic?
I’ma be at Dawgman’s Car Show.

What keeps you motivated to make music?
I’m trying to turn a negative into a positive. I come from the street and ain’t nothin’ good out there. The money is good, but it ends up negative. If you put work into your music, shit will start lookin’ good. Right now I’m getting paid to do a couple shows and features. I’m just tryin’ to get out the street. I’m tryin’ to speak for the city of Orlando. We gotta support each other. I ain’t tryin’ to toot my own horn, but I’ve got the hottest record outta Orlando in a long time. If everybody supports that, then we can move a little faster. If somebody else had a hit record, I would do the same thing. If it woulda been Drop, Sho Boy, Wes Fif, any of these dudes, I would support. If somebody asks who’s the hottest in Orlando, I’m not gonna say myself, but I have a hot record. That’s the problem with Orlando, everybody wanna be a rapper, even the DJs wanna be a rapper. We need to show support for each other.

DJ D-Strong has been with 102 Jamz for about 5 years. Along with his full club schedule, which includes nights at Club Firestone and Icon, among other venues, Strong also plays new music on his mixtape series Strong Radio.

Where can people catch you spinning?
Sunday nights I do Club Firestone. Tuesdays I’m at Cleo’s. Wednesday I do an all new night in Daytona that’s crazy at The Coliseum. Friday I do Icon. I like to keep Saturday open so I can bounce around. I’m on radio Monday through Thursday for the 8 O’clock bomb. That’s from 8pm – 9pm, and then I have my own radio show on Sunday from 3pm to 7pm on 102 Jamz.

If someone comes to one of your parties what can they expect from you as a DJ?
You’re gon’ have a great time. They hands are gonna be in the air, they gon’ start dancin’ and not stop all night. If they partyin’ with DJ D-Strong they gonna wanna come back.

There’s a big difference in DJing for radio and DJing for the club.
Radio is a little more conservative. When you DJ in the club you’re able to open it up more, whether it’s a street-based club where you’ll get to hear a lot of songs you may not hear on the radio. You’ve got a lot more freedom in the club.

What are the hottest new club records?
For me, the biggest club record, whether it’s new or not, is Gucci Mane “Wasted” with Plies, and the remix with OJ and Wayne. Plies’ “Becky” is crazy. Gucci Mane’s “I’ma Dog.” Lil Wayne’s “Steady Mobbin.” For the ladies, a crazy song right now is Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams.”

Are there any highly requested songs from local artists right now?
Right now I wouldn’t say there’s a particular local song that’s highly in demand. There’s a couple local artists out there that’s on the grind and doin’ their thing, but I don’t think they’re really penetrating the market to where people are coming to the DJ booth requesting their song.

You’ve been doing your DJ thing for a while. What are some things you’re most proud of in your career so far?
Honestly, I’m just proud to still be here at this point. The way the music game is going, it’s just becoming so small. People are fallin’ off, people are disappearing – from the DJs, to the rappers, to the promoters. I’m blessed to know that I’m still relevant. I’m still here and I ain’t goin’ nowhere for now. I got a lot of things goin’ down. I’m blessed and thank God that I’m still doin’ my thang to this day and I ain’t fall off.

What are your plans for the Florida Classic?
My normal parties are goin’ down as usual. On the business tip, I got a couple websites I’m setting the launch date for during that weekend. I got a social networking website and my own personal website 247Strong.com. I got a couple mixtapes I’m gonna drop that weekend. I’m gonna do a big mixtape release party that Friday and Icon. And I’m doing a part 2 continuation party that Sunday at Club Firestone.

Tell us about the mixtapes.
I’m gonna do another D-Strong Radio Edition. I’m also thinking about dropping another mixtape catering to everybody in central Florida. I’ll probably do a joint venture with Disco J.R. It’ll have artists like TREAL, Drop, Popov, Papa Duck, and more. Other than that, I’m working on this album I’m dropping independently with distribution through Universal Records. It’s going to be under my company, S.M.G. – Strong Music Group. I’m focused on leaking the single for 1st quarter.

DJ Slym understands that a big element of DJing is also promotions. Through his company Street Buzz Ent., DJ Slym is strengthening his impact in the Orlando market through mixtapes, club DJing, and party promo. During this year’s Florida Classic weekend you can catch him at several big events, including Dawgman’s 11th Annual Car Show.

What’s new? Where have you been DJing?
I DJ at Rain on Thursdays with Q45. I’m booked a few nights for the Classic weekend. I’m at a fashion show at Firestone that Thursday during the day. Friday and Saturday I’m at the after party at KOHA’s with Dawgman. Saturday I’m also at Firestone and Roxy. Sunday I’m at the car show and Sunday night I’m DJing at Antigua.

When did you move back to Orlando from Palm Beach?
I moved back about 4 months ago. Palm Beach is home, but for what I’m trying to do, I’m trying to do things on a bigger scale. What I’m doing would make a bigger impact in Orlando.

Are you working with any artists in Orlando?
I’m putting together something called The Pipeline to promote different artists to different regions. We’re gonna release a south Florida Pipeline for artists in Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade. We’re gonna be cross-promoting those artists in Orlando, helping them get a buzz up here. I’m gonna take that nationally. I have DJs placed in Mississippi, Dallas, Atlanta. We’re gonna do a Florida/Atlanta Pipeline, a Florida/Dallas Pipeline.

Have you put out any mixtapes recently?
I’m putting out the Classic Weekend mixtape. We’re putting out 20,000 copies. We’re doing that with Frontline Promotions and Flyer Promo.

Who are some of your favorite artists in Orlando?
PI Bang is doing his thing. He’s really making a lot of noise. Drop is really increasing what he’s doing. Wes Fif is making noise with his single “Goin In.” He’s from Orlando but he has the song buzzing in Atlanta. KC is doing his thing with the R&B side. Armstrong had a strong movement before everybody went to jail. If we take it back to Palm Beach, G Boy is doin’ his thing. There’s a new producer out of Palm Beach named Schife. He’s working with Triple Cs. Another person to lookout for is Tay Dizm. He’s got a real good single called “Point Em Out” on the Classic mixtape. It’s a banger.

How do people get in touch with you?
They can contact me at Twitter.com/DJSlym or call me 561-542-8444.

Ft. Lauderdale rapper Loochie is making his debut in the Florida rap scene. As a self-described “feel-good rapper,” he keeps the state dancing with songs like his new single “She’s Perfect.”

How did you get into rapping?
I always loved music. I ‘ve always been a music dude. I’m an old school music lover, I like R&B and rap, so music has always been a part of my life. I’ve always been able to put rhymes together. I played around with rappin’ and I started taking it seriously when I was in high school. I started writing when I was goin’ through thangs, and I got used to writing. I started my own label called Lu-lew Entertainment about five years ago. In my spare time, I started letting people hear my music and I got a good reaction out of that, so I decided to pursue it.

When you started letting people hear the music, were there any songs that they liked the most? Or did they just like the music in general?
I just got good responses all together. I already knew I was good at making songs by that point, so once I heard from other people that I was pretty good, I decided to take it serious.

What are some topics you cover in your music?
I’m a feel-good rapper. I write about things I’ve experienced. I never talk about things I don’t have a clue about because I’m not trying to sound ignorant. My music is explaining things I’ve done. I’ve done probably everything there is to do, so I’ve got a lot to talk about. Basically my music is just a feel-good vibe, dancing music. That’s pretty much it. Being from Ft. Lauderdale, and in the South, we like to party. We’ll spend our rent money to party. We’re very fast-paced and like to have fun so that’s the kind of music you’re gonna get outta Florida, music that makes you move.

What are you promoting right now?
I’m promoting my single “She’s Perfect” featuring Young Cash. It’s doing real good. And I’ve got the 4th Quarter mixtape coming soon with Bigga Rankin and DJ Bigg V.

So you linked up with Young Cash for the single and Bigga Rankin for the mixtape. You seem pretty big on supporting the Florida movement and working with artists from your home state.
That’s very important – if you can’t make it where you’re from, if you have to go somewhere else to make it, I don’t think you’re career is gonna last as long because you’ve always gotta come back home. You gotta have that home team and fan base behind you at home, so if nowhere else loves you, you still have home.

Have you been working with anyone else?
I did a song with Ace Hood called “In My Donk.” I wanna connect with a lot of these artists that have been in the game from Florida like Trick Daddy, Plies, Rick Ross. I just wanna show my respect. Once I make it I don’t want nobody to say I didn’t keep it G with my hood.

Where can people check out your music?
Myspace.com/Loochie75 and Twitter.com/Loochie75.

Last weekend JD Style showed OZONE some Northern hospitality by bringing us up to Minnesota to celebrate  DJ Enferno’s inclusion in our annual DJ Issue. It was definitely a raucous event as we kicked it with a capacity crowd at Club New York.  Click here for the pics and when you’re done check out one of Minnesota’s nicest emcees.