Off Da Glass

Hawaiian-born, Alabama-bred DJ Frank White is the man you need to know when it comes to getting your music heard and respected in Montgomery, Alabama. Holding both Assistant Program Director and Music Director posts at WJWZ 97.9 Jamz as well has hosting his show everyday from 6-11pm, its almost impossible to visit and not see or hear him.

How did you get into DJing?
I got into DJing after watching the movie Juice. That’s what got me interested. After that movie me and my friends started getting up every morning and practicing. When I moved to Alabama, I didn’t have anyone to DJ with. I was on my own, DJing in my bedroom. After about a year I started getting into the clubs and then I met a DJ at the radio station who I would go and get vinyl from. I started interning at the station and I’ve been in radio now for seven years.

What was it about Juice that made you want to DJ?
Seeing how Q rocked the crowd and the people loved him. You know the competition he was in, right before they went and did that robbery [in the movie]? That’s what made want to do it, so I started practicing at my cousin’s house.

What would you say is your claim to fame?
I break a lot of music here [in Montgomery]. My mentor is Greg Street. I get music from different places that hasn’t broke yet, so I get it and break it here. I fuck with the local artists heavy too. I did a six-mixtape series called The Gump’s Most Hated. That’s the nickname for Montgomery, “The Gump.”

You’ve talked about practicing in your bedroom, but how long did it take for you to get comfortable enough to actually DJ gigs?
A lot of people think DJing is easy. It took me about two years to get comfortable going in the clubs and getting paid for it. I used to do a lot of shows for free or for $50. A lot of people get into [DJing] for the money or the hype, but it ain’t that simple. You have to do the free gigs to get your foot in the door.

Well, judging by how many are out there now, it kinda does look easy to become a DJ.
Well, yeah. But I think it started happening over the last five years. I got into it for the love. I was inspired by Juice and my girl was buying DJ equipment for me out of the catalogs. I didn’t want to do any clubs or get paid. I just wanted to DJ in my room or go DJ at my friend’s house. As it grew and I got into radio, it became a part of my career and I had to start doing it for money. But, in small cities, it’s bad. They’ll want you to DJ from 9 PM to 4 AM for the same rate than an Atlanta DJ gets for just couple of hours. That’s no fun. Then there’s DJs who don’t even know how to mix and just use a laptop. They’re getting paid, but probably can’t even name the four elements of Hip Hop.

That said, what would you say is the advantage of being in a smaller market?
People say I have a big advantage, but I’m trying to get bigger. People tell me I’m in a good spot, saying I can be a big fish in a small pond. I’d rather be a whale in a big ocean. Yeah, you can be the most known and get in everywhere free, but I want more. But, one of the advantages is that when any artist, big or small, comes through Montgomery, they have to come holla at me because they know what I do and what I can do for them.

Let’s talk about Radio vs. Mixtapes. Do you see these two worlds growing apart or growing closer?
At this moment I see them growing closer together. We do music meetings every Tuesdays. For the last couple of months there hasn’t been a lot of big music coming out. I say it’s growing closer together now. Look at [an artist like] Waka Flocka. Five years ago he would not have gotten a shot. I think it’s giving people a shot who wouldn’t have gotten noticed years ago because all the bigger artists were taking up all the space. Artists like him and Travis Porter have built their buzz off mixtapes. When you do that, you end up making it to radio. A lot of people have it mixed up thinking they’re going to build their buzz by being on the radio. It’s the other way around. It has to be organic. //

Twitter.com/djfrankwhite
Myspace.com/djfrankwhite96

Words by Maurice G. Garland

Tyme waits for no man, but occasionally she will dance for one.

Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, 20-year-old Tyme moved from her native Canada to America at age 13. Eventually, she made her way to Atlanta where she currently works as a dancer, but her ultimate goal was to pursue a career in music. It’s been her desire since childhood, and the main reason she moved to the city.

“I came here for the music,” says Tyme. “That’s it. That’s all I wanted, and it’s still my dream.”

In order to facilitate her dream, the Canadian import has been regularly working with a vocal coaching and spends as much time in the studio as much as possible. But unfortunately, she finds Americans to be much less friendly than our neighbors to the north.

People down here [in America] are much crueler than people in Canada,” she laments. “In Canada, we’re very friendly, but people down here are just mean.”

Still, Tyme is optimistic about her situation and even maintains a positive outlook after being accidently shot in the chest. The shooting, which is something she’d prefer not to speak much about, left her with a unique perspective on life.

“It taught me a lot,” she admits. “And that’s why people call me Tyme—because I have time on my side.”

Soon, the singer/dancer hopes to start her own a club, a laid-back restaurant/lounge type spot much less “primetime” than her current climate.

Though she realizes it’s a very difficult industry to penetrate, the club business definitely has its perks, especially since it would provide her music with an audience.

For Tyme, dancing is temporary and music is paramount.  Her attitude toward her craft reflects that of DJ Khaled. “I’m the best!” she says. In terms of her future success, only Tyme will tell.

Words by Eric Perrin

Website: Strokersclub.com
Booking: myspace.com/strokersatl
Photography: DC The Brain Supreme
dcphotoimaging.com
Make up and Hair Styling by
Mike Mike 678-732-5285

PITBULL: Como estas Papi?

PLIES: No hablo espanol

PITBULL: How you doin’ dog?

PLIES: Hola. I’m in el studio

PITBULL: Bueno! I need you on my new record papi. Lets get in the studio together!

PLIES: Yeah, yeah, we could do that bra…I normally charge 50,000 for a verse, but since Im gon’ have to learn Spanish to work wit you, let’s make it a even 100 stacks.

PITBULL: Ay Carrumba! Oh shit, that’s a mucho dinero! LOL!!

PLIES: I’m trynna help you out essay. I don’t hop on just nobody record…Plus you ain’t had a hit since what, ’05?

PITBULL: Why you callin me ese’?  I’m not Mexican, soy Cubano. I’m Cuban.

PLIES: My bad amigo, you know what I mean.

PITBULL: What you mean I ain’t got no hits though, I got “Hotel Room Service” and “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” all over the radio…don’t you watch MTV?

PLIES: Naw, I don’t watch that telemundo shit and us goons don’t listen to Spanish radio, but since you got plenty money, I’m gon’ charge you 150 thousand for a verse, homes.

PITBULL: Besa mi culo, puto …Kiss my ass, Bitch. Hahahahaha I just playing wit u!

PLIES: What kind of record do you want to do with me?

PITBULL: I say we do a Spanish version of “Becky” called “Maria.” I can hear it now “Dame un Mar-ia”

PLIES: Okay, that’s cool, we can do it for 100k

PITBULL: Listen papi, I’m going to be in Tampa tomorrow, why don’t you just meet me at the hotel room and we can negotiate the price…

PLIES: I’m not comfortable with the way you keep calling me papi.

PITBULL: Adios papi, I see you tomorrow :-p

Hood Deeds
Words by Eric Perrin

Over the years, Ludacris and T.I. have surely spent thousands to “make it rain” in Atlanta. But this fall, they used their money to fight the rain instead. As the city they call home was plagued with 8 days of persistent downpour resulting in massive flooding, multiple deaths and over $250 million in damages, the actor/activist rappers contributed more than what was expected of them.

Together, Luda and the currently incarcerated T.I. donated $10,000 each, and in total raised over $105,000 to provide aid to victims of flood-ravished ATL.

“As you know, both T.I. and I love Atlanta and are very concerned about the massive flooding in the state of Georgia,” said Ludacris. “We had conversations with several of our friends and asked for their support. They did not hesitate when we called and we received over $80,000 in less than eight hours. The Atlanta music and Hip Hop community, as well as the Hip Hop community at large, came to our support of the Atlanta flood victims.”

Donations came in by the dozen from celebrities like Young Jeezy, Ciara, Jamal Crawford, Diddy, Chris Tucker, Gabrielle Union, Edward Long Jr., Shawty Lo, The Dream, Carmelo Anthony and La La Vazquez, David Banner, Russell Simmons, Anthony Dent, Jini Thornton, Tricky Stewart and his management, The Otis Redding Foundation, Team 20 Foundation, and Keyshia Cole’s Manager Manny provided substantial contributions.

“We are working with the United Way, the Red Cross and school social workers to identify families impacted by the flood,” said Ludacris’ mother Roberta Shields, who is also the President of The Ludacris Foundation. “We plan to provide vouchers (LudaVouchers) for food, clothing and building supplies.”

For years, the State of Georgia has been in dire need of rain, but no one expected such dramatic answer to the drought.

In addition to private donations, FEMA has come to the aid of thousands of Georgians in need. //

Are You a G?
7 Questions to find out if R&B star Sean Kingston is the 7th letter of the alphabet.

We put the baby-faced Jamaican singer to the test to determine if Sean Kingston is truly a G’. Make sure to check out Sean’s sophomore album, Tomorrow, in stores now.

A. In the song “Take You There,” you sang, “We can go to the slums, where killers come from.” What’s the most murderous thing you’ve seen back home in Jamaica?
I saw somebody get chopped in half wit’ a machete. [The fight] was over a parking spot. It was crazy; some guy took this dude’s parking spot, and he started arguing with him, so the next thing I know, the dude went in his trunk and got a machete. I was like, “Wooowww!” Blood was just shootin’ everywhere.
Not much commentary on this one. We don’t need any indictments. 

B. Is it true that everybody in Jamaica owns a machete? Do you have one?
(laughs) Everyone keeps one. You gotta have one on deck cause you never what could go down. But it’s not just for that, you gotta keep one for cutting coconuts and stuff out of the trees.
Imagine Sean climbing up trees, hacking at coconuts? Not gangsta.

C. What would you do if a fan threw ice at you while you were on stage?
Um, if a fan threw something on stage, I’d probably walk off and leave. When you come to do a show and fans start wild’n out, that messes it up for everybody else. That’s disrespectful, because people came to see the show.
Sean owns a machete, there’s no reason he should honor an onslaught of ice on stage.

D. Biggest loan you’ve ever given to a friend?
Probably $15,000. It was my dawg, and he was down and out so I had to look out for him.
We need a few friends like Sean.

E. Have you made any lavish purchases that you regret?
I wouldn’t say I regret it, but if I had to pick something I’d probably say my Phantom Rolls Royce. I’m never in it and I never drive it. I’m always on tour or in the studio.
Wonder how many machetes he can fit in the trunk of a Phantom?

F. What’s your worst addiction?
Watches. I love watches. I love sneakers too, but I especially love big face watches. My Breitling is something that I can’t live without.
Sean Kingston is the only R&B singer to have appeared in OZONE’s Chain Reaction, and his self-admitted addiction to watches is a little too glitz to be gangsta.

G. What female rapper has the potential to make you suicidal?
I think the baddest female rapper in the game right now is Nicki Minaj. But Shawnna is dope too; I don’t think she ever got the look that she shoulda got. And I heard she got thick too, so I gotta check it out.
Good selections, Sean. If you happen to pull either of them, your G’ status will definitely be upgraded.

Score 4/7
Despite his last name being derived from the corrupt capitol of his hometown, the glamorous jewelry and coconut tree climbing almost cost Sean a passing grade. But the 19-year old singer could care less. “My music is who I am,” Sean says. “I’m not trying to say that I’m a drug dealer or a killer. I’m not none of that. I’m a kid, who is from Jamaica, who moved to Miami, who just likes to have, party, and chill with girl. And my music is a representation of that.”
 
Words by Eric Perrin
Photo by D-Ray

“ABN” stands for Assholes by Nature. In Texas, it’s a movement. Not only is a movement, but it’s a street crew. It’s a family based out of Houston, Texas, but it’s combination of all different hoods, races, and gangs, all together as one. In some form, everybody has some type of Asshole in them, and if you rub them the wrong way it’s in their Nature to react and handle the situation as they see fit. It’s just in our nature. If you rub us the wrong way, we handle business. But on some real nigga shit, we’re some of the coolest, most laid-back cats you’ll ever come across.

[My jeweler] George is King Johnny’s brother. George and Johnny know what I represent. They’ve seen me come up since I was a youngin’, a lil street nigga out here. They watched us come from getting our first piece of jewelry up until now. We just come up with ideas together. The last idea I came up with was the Boondocks piece. We set a trend with that.

Nobody’s had a full three-dimensional piece before. My piece is like a Rubik’s Cube. You can play with it all day and move it different ways. One side is black diamonds, one is white diamonds, and the white has gold around it. One side has blue diamonds, one side has yellow diamonds.

You can actually play my piece like a normal Rubik’s Cube. The only difference is, even if you match them all on one side, there’s always gonna be one on the opposite side that’ll never match. We did that on purpose so that if you’re standing directly in front of it, you can see all the different colors. It was just more creative like that.

It has 110 carats of diamonds and half a kilo of gold. It weighs over 500 grams, so it’s real heavy. It weighs more than twice what my Boondocks piece weighs. Real niggas never like to put [the cost] all the way out there, but I’ll say that on the appraisal papers, it’s been appraised for more than $80,000.

I still have my Boondocks piece and all my other jewelry. Every piece I have, I keep. Those are memories, you know? From my first Trae G Maab piece until now. I’ll never, ever get rid of my shit. //

As told to Julia Beverly
Photo by SLFEMP

1. Ball and G
www.myspace.com/BallandG365
Whoever these guys are, they claim to hail from Augusta and Atlanta, GA, respectively. Meaning they either grew up in sheltered households or they chose to say fuck effort and name themselves after one of the rap groups that put Southern Hip Hop on the map. It’s one thing to be influenced by a group, but to completely imitate them is another. As for the music, it doesn’t sound great, but it’s not bad either. It’s standard, average Southern rap that gets performed at your local industry showcase and nowhere else. It might be worth a little bit of attention of they went by another name. Oh yeah, their latest mixtape is titled Menace II Society. Try something original!

2. Hell Bound Entertainment
www.myspace.com/hellboundent239
It’s one thing to say that your music is “hot as hell,” but this Fort Myers, FL company slogan is “music so hot it has to come from hell.” Just in case there are any Hip Hop-loving devil worshipers out there, HBE, LLC (yes, they are an actual LLC) lets it be known that the name “comes from the simple fact that we were all born hellbound but our entire purpose in life is to right all the wrongs and reach heaven.”

3. The Preachaholicz
www.executivemusic.com/preachaholicz.htm
These guys are gospel rappers, so, we don’t want to say too much bad about them. But yeah, they tried hard with this one. Borrow from Tha Alkaholiks and sprinkle some holy water on it and this is what you get. Throwing the “z” at the end doesn’t make much senze either.

by Maurice G. Garland

TRICK OR TWEET?

Twitter is the worst thing to ever happen to you sensitive, emotional, fake-ass industry suckas. Twitter has killed the publicist, or at least made their jobs a whole lot harder. For the longest time, opinions and truth have been strategically weeded out of the music industry. But Twitter has forced all the artists who live in fantasy worlds come face to face with the reality of their make-believe lives.

You don’t have to read the comments when your song is posted on an Ozonemag.com. You don’t have to see what people are saying about your video on World Star Hip Hop or Dimewars, but it’s pretty hard to ignore someone sending you a message on Twitter. Not only is it hard to ignore, but if you don’t have thick skin and you’re not the type of person who could give a flying fuck what people say about you, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to respond and make yourself look like a complete and total asshole in the process.

Think about it. Random comments on blog sites mean nothing because it almost seems like those people don’t exist. With Twitter, comments seem so personal. You can put a face with the name, and if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself embroiled in Twitter beef with some random fat kid from Kentucky who has no life. His one shining moment is the time he got his favorite celebrity to respond back to him on Twitter.

Some of you celebrities probably hate it, but I’m going to tell you something: I enjoy it. It’s about time we let these so-called celebrities know the truth. It’s about time these so-called celebrities started listening to the public at large and not just their ass-kissing peers in the industry.

Music is whack and stagnant because all the yes-men in these artists’ entourages are telling them everything they do is hot, and everything they wear is dope. But in reality, their music sucks and their jeans look like denim tights.

If artists had real people around them and in their ears, trust and believe that shit would be a whole lot different. I could never understand why certain radio and TV personalities acted like everything that was out was hot. I never understood why these personalities never had the balls to say to an artist, “Yo, I’m not really feeling this album,” or, “This record is really not that hot to me.” I just couldn’t understand why they acted like they were into everything, and that’s when it hit me. Just like I stated earlier, truth and honest opinions have been strategically weeded out of the industry. Twitter has solved that problem.
 
Many people go along to get along, and they don’t want to tell the truth because they don’t want to damage a relationship. The truth of the matter is, you can probably strengthen a relationship by telling that person the truth! Sure, they might get offended at first, but only until they realize the truth is like a shot. That needle hurts at first, and if you tense up, it hurts even worse. But if you just relax, the medicine is good for you.

I could never see myself getting upset about someone else’s opinion of me. If they do say something that strikes a nerve, it’s probably something I needed to hear anyway, but nobody else had the heart to tell me. A lot of times it’s God talking through people; planting seeds in our minds to change our ways. We’re too gassed up on ourselves and the people around us have our heads blown up so big that we won’t let our guard down long enough to listen.
 
As a person with a voice in this game, I strive to give my listeners my honest opinions and the truth as I see it, even if it’s not a popular opinion. I don’t care if people in the industry get offended because I am not of the industry, I am of the people. The people have opinions and thanks to Twitter, their voices can be heart. I hope you silly-ass industry fucks are listening.
 
Tweetfully Yours,

Charlamagne Tha God

Follow Me On Twitter
www.twitter.com/cthagod

Changes in the Way We Do Business

“The only thing constant is change.” – Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher (535 BC-475 BC)

“Wow! Our shit is fucked up!” – Wendy Day, circa 2009

1. The Absence of Retail From Our Economic Landscape: Whether you want to download music or not, that’s the direction it’s heading. CDs are going the way of vinyl, cassettes, and 8-tracks. Because downloads are seen by title on a screen instead of pre-packaged in a tangible format, the music business has switched from an album culture to a singles culture. Fans and consumers can pick and choose songs instead of being forced to buy 10 to 18 songs packaged together in a cohesive unit. If you want to sell more than singles to your fans, your shit is going to have to be an album of hot singles.

Upside: Consumers only shell out 99 cents for the songs that they want. Artists can see exactly which types of songs their fans want and can offer more music in that direction.

Downside: Some of my favorite songs are the ones in between the singles on albums that grew on me as I listened to them over and over. Now fans make compilations of songs they already like by their favorite artists—it’s like making their own albums by the artist. But it certainly isn’t how the artists intended us to be listening to their music. It’s no longer an art form to sequence albums perfectly because very few people will listen to their music in sequence.

2. Prices Are Plummeting… According to the RIAA, CD sales have declined every year for the past 8 years, falling 26% last year. Retail stores are going out of business very quickly. The remaining stores that do carry CDs are mostly big chain stores, so their focus is Top 40 (the mainstream CDs with the highest sales demand). Very few of the places where you buy music are meant to sell music. So you can pick up your CDs along with tampons and greeting cards, refrigerators or washer/dryers, or your weekly groceries at Wal-Mart (if the music has no cursing), Target, or Best Buy. CDs sell for $9.99 to $12.99. In an effort to compete, FYE is trying a new program in 75 of their 600+ stores: they are selling all CDs for $9.99.

Upside: At least there is a place to go for those who still want to get their music on CD. When CDs first came into fashion, cassettes were phased out within five years. I can’t even buy a cassette today if I want one. Also, consumers want to pay less for music and instead of spending $17.99 on a CD that costs less than 30 cents to manufacture (not including marketing and promotion), they can now spend ten bucks. And lastly, the lower price point is forcing the major labels out of the music industry and leveling the playing field so smaller indie labels can compete. Whoever has the best music and can make it for $10 a CD, wins.

Downside: A $10 CD means a wholesale price of $5 – down from a high of almost $12 ten years ago. CDs now retail for a lower price than what the wholesale price was 10 years ago.

3. …And The Labels Will NOT Be Taking The Loss From That Plummet: Almost every label is offering only “360 Deals” to sign artists, or for current artists who aren’t selling millions of CDs. A 360 Deal means the record label gets to share in the other income streams for artists besides just music sales. They get a percentage of publishing, a percentage of the touring and show money, a percent of the merchandising, sponsorships, and endorsements.
 
Upside: As leaner, meaner, more profitable companies, record labels can do what they do best. Additionally, artists who have no access to investors and no business acumen to put out music on their own can still have a career. (although, arguably, at a high cost). Lastly, if you absolutely refuse to sign a 360 Deal, you can build your leverage so strong by selling your own music that you can negotiate another type of deal, or you can just do it yourself – finding investors and a team of experienced people to help you is far easier than finding a record deal with a major label.

Downside: Artists no longer just make 12% of the retail price of their CDs after they pay back all of the recording costs, promotional and marketing expenses, etc. Now they get to lose 50% of their publishing, and 10%-30% of their tour money, endorsement deals, and film/tv/book deal money. Where else can you go to pay back everything spent on you to build your career and then keep on paying out of every dollar you make?

4. Magazines Are Dying While Blogs Are Sprouting Up Daily: Bloggers are the new mixtape DJs. Just as mixtape DJs used to break new music back in the day, today it’s the bloggers. According to RapRadar.com, the Huffington Post of the rap blogosphere, there are 100 Blogs or Websites worthy of being listed in their “Blog Roll” list. This means anyone with a passing interest in rap and some writing skills (or not) can weigh in and have their opinions read by others.

Upside: We get our news and information instantaneously. Voicing opinions have come into the hands of the people and have been taken away from the traditional gatekeepers.

Downside: We sacrifice journalism, quality in-depth reporting, and sometimes accuracy for the sake of having instant information. Also, any idiot with a following can seem credible (Perez Hilton, stand up!) regardless of their training, their access, their ability to write or research, or their own agenda. Additionally, those who are reporting on the famous often want to be more famous than the famous people they are reporting on. And lastly, an industry that was lacking in journalistic integrity to begin with has entrusted information into the hands of sycophants, plagiarists, idiots, and whores (male and female). Oh, and a few very qualified people with integrity and fact checkers who do this because they love it. This is who and what we depend upon to get our “news” as it occurs.

5. Too Much Information: In an effort to get up close and personal with our stars, we have gotten, well, up close and personal with our stars. There was a time where there was some mystery and glamour to the façade of the entertainment industry. Now we have inner circle access to everyone with a reality TV show, videos to post on World Star Hip Hop, a Twitter account, and YouTube uploads. When did it become all about the check, fame whores?

Upside: One can see the reality of what it’s like to be famous so we can either avoid it at all cost or go racing towards fame. People we thought we wanted to get to know – we can either get to know who they really are or avoid them. People with products to hawk and no shyness can go full-out to sell their books, movies, music, clothing, etc. Also, people who got into this fame-induced fantasy industry can fully realize their dream of having all eyes on them.

Downside: Our image of the star is blown to smithereens. After all, familiarity breeds contempt (you may not know that, since the 48 Laws Of Power hasn’t been turned into a reality show yet). Also, we get to see how truly ghetto our stars can be…instead of just suspecting it.

Things in life change. Either we keep up with the changes and adapt, or we become irrelevant. The upside is that new people coming into the business never knew any other time so there is no reminiscing over “better times” like my generation does. None of the changes in the music business have occurred overnight. We’ve all seen them coming and been given ample time to adapt and learn the new systems and approaches that work.

One thing that has never gone out of style is hard work. Work hard and educate yourself—no, work SMART, and educate yourself. Then, you’ll find you’re ahead of the game no matter what the changes are. //

CINCINNATI, OH:
The School of Creative and Performing Arts held their yearly talent show and MTV was there to film it. Kids from 10th grade to 12th grade displayed their talents from dancing, to singing, to instrumentation. Congrats to all and hats off to this year’s winners. Fritz Mob released the long awaited CD of FM Duke, packed with the lyrical genius of Scarface, Juvenile, Bushwick Bill, and the late Pimp C. The Editor of Street Fame Magazine announced its return in the year 2010. – Judy Jones (Judy@JJonesent.com)

COLUMBUS, GA:
Radio ratings came in and Foxie 105 is the #1 station in the city. Sister station K 92.7 (old and new school R&B) came in #2. However, the Rickey Smiley Morning show did pull in some numbers for The Beat. Around here high school football is a big thing. Carver High school destroyed Spencer High for the tenth year. This game is so big in Columbus that years ago, when a guy named Juvenile had a mega hit called “Back That Azz Up” and his group, which featured a young lad named Lil Wayne, came here to do a show, that happened to be scheduled on the same night as the game, no one went to the show.
- Slick Seville (SlickSeville@gmail.com)

DALLAS/FT. WORTH, TX:
Rest in peace to K104’s DJ Nate Quick. DJ Cap at the Bomb in Big T’s is your official mixtape spot. Trai’d’s single “iDoobie” featuring OJ da Juiceman is already a hit in the streets. J-JUCE has the new club spot on the north side called Rolls Royce. Mr. Nike keeps local artists performing in the Ice Bar while Mookie is doing the same every Monday at Crystal’s. Monte Wayne is holding down Funkytown with Dummy Music. The mixtape circuit includes Tum Tum’s Tum Thousand9, Lil Twist’s Yearbook, and SHO.’s Bail-Out mixed by DJ Dre. Dorrough Music is in stores. Free Dirty Harriet.
- Edward “Pookie” Hall (urbansouth@gmail.com)

GAINESVILLE, FL:
The Ville is in full swing with the University of Florida back in session, adding an extra 50,000 students to the city every year. It’s guaranteed to make the club scene jump crazy. The new PD at MAGIC 101.3 is shaking things up, along with a new mix show director, as well as a whole new program line up. Trey Songz came through to promote his album Ready, which is officially an R&B classic. Trick Daddy and OJ Da Juiceman showed love to surrounding areas with performances at various venues. Trick Daddy also hosted Ridin High Volume 9 (pictured above), another classic put out by DJ Klarc Shepard.
- Jett Jackson (g5jett@gmail.com)

HOUSTON, TX:
So many birthday parties kept the scene alive with something to do every weekend. The Office kept Twitter Tuesdays jumping as well as hosted the album release party for Young Problemz, whose album dropped on the same day as Letoya Luckett. America’s Most Wanted Tour visited the city with super after parties at Bar Rio, The Office, and Isis. Young James, the youngest promoter in Houston, also ended the month out with an extravaganza featuring Hot TV at Crobar. Yung Redd of Swishahouse held a mixtape relase party for Eviction Notice 3.0 at Legends with Cubana Lust.
- Ghost tha Hustla (ghostthahustla@tmail.com)

MANATEE COUNTY, FL:
After having too many altercations, shootings, arrests, and shutdowns, the old Club Nitro closed and reopened as Club Elite Restaurant and Lounge. Elite is now the official home of the popular Big Bro Comedy Show. R&B sensation Foreva Asa performed his new hit single “Fallin” there as well. Trick Daddy performed at Club Hall for Labor Day Weekend. The Young Money Tour stopped through the area for the big weekend as well. The Touch of Class Club off of 41 is keeping Saturday nights busy.
- Hollywood Red (era9880@yahoo.com)

MEMPHIS, TN:
Three 6 Mafia released their new video “Lil Freak” featuring Webbie. They shot the video in Memphis using locations from the Hustle and Flow movie, famous Beale St., and the Pyramid. Apparently Criminal Mane has been living in the studio since he recently dropped three new singles. “Trap Shit” featuring Lil Lody and DJ Squeeky, “Mad at Me,” and “Hot Potz” are all part of his mass release. He definitely knows how to make a comeback. Up-and-coming Memphis rapper 2Deep put out a raw video for his song entitled “Everybody But U,” so be sure to peep his new style. Miss B Hollywood is making her statement with a new mixtape Tipsy Off Tequila Vol. 1. I’m sure we can all relate.
- Deanna Brown (Deanna.Brown@MemphisRap.com)

MONTGOMERY, AL:
King South supposedly didn’t sign with Collipark and instead took a better offer from Warner Bros. 97.9 Jamz filed bankruptcy and listeners are worried they might lose one of the livest stations in Montgomery. Raheem the Dream put on one hell of a show at Flashback Friday over at Boomerangs. M.E.T.V. is the new show hosted by Maxximum from Boomerangs night club. This show has Alabama on their grind, showcasing local artists and their videos on the C.W. Artists to look out for are Lil Boone, Jabo, Ju, Chise Money, Conflict, L-Gin, King D, and E3.
- Hot Girl Maxximum (Maxximummp3@gmail.com)

NASHVILLE, TN:
Cashville’s own Diablo, a.k.a. Supa, smashed the stage on BET for Wild’n Out Wednesday.  Congrats to the NIMA nominees and winners as they held it down with informative panels and a good awards ceremony. Kandi spiced up John Merrit Weekend with Fly Major and First Friday.  Playboy flooded the streets with his newest street album, while Dolewite and Scooby continued to raise the bar with the Socialite every Thursday at Karma. Concrete Magazine and Lovenoise celebrated their 5th and 6th Year Anniversaries and shut the city down with solid events and great performances from any and everybody.
- Janiro (Janiro@southernentawards.com)

PITTSBURGH, PA:
Major label artists like Rick Ross, Young Dro, and Yung LA, to name a few, have been coming through the city recently. In the local scene, Pyrex Press dropped his highly anticipated mixtape Cash Cow with DJ Schemes, while Nesia Beats landed the Executive Producer credit for Yung Joc’s Grind Flu. Nesia’s single “Right Now” is also making its rounds on Top 40 Radio. Team Fred continues to do it big.
- Lola Sims (lolasims@gmail.com)

WASHINGTON, D.C.:
J-Scrilla, the beat maker extraordinaire, released a soulful new CD called Culture of Honor. J-Scrilla enlisted some of the city’s best lyricists (K-Beta, X.O., Lyriciss) to assist him with this project. Topp Dogg Hill rapper Rated R dropped the I’m Coming mixtape (left). Young I released the controversial Best Theft Secret EP to address industry rule 4080. DMV rapper/producer/manager and now filmmaker, Brother Maniac, has created a new movie: called 2 Makes Things Right which stars female MC Lady Dy. The Beat Ya Feet Kings brought the DC street culture to the world by performing on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew competition. Wale continued his media blitz in preparation for his debut album Attention Deficit. Wale recently performed at the Virgin Mobile Festival, and was also featured on BET’s new series Rising Icons.
- Sid “DCSuperSid” Thomas (dcsupersid@aol.com)

RICHMOND, TRI-CITIES, VA:
Jean Baptiste and OJike, formerly of Richmond’s alternative band Infectious Organisms, produced “Heart of The Lion” and two more cuts on Kid Cudi’s debut album. DJ Mikemetic Kemetic rocks Mecca radio from 1am to 3am EST on Richmond Independent Radio 97.3 (wrir.org). Tri Cities’ Ashlie Luckett and the band Notorious rock the stage as the house band on 106 & Park every other Thursday 6pm to 8pm. Dolla Gang Entertainment’s J Nero shot the video for “We Runnin That.” The single is gaining momentum in the DMV (DC, MD, VA) area. O.C. Boyz’ “Weasel Pop” single went into rotation on nine radio stations in the southern region. P-Nyce, a.k.a. VA General, CEO of So Heated Records, is promoting the new single “Bitch I Look Good.”
- Atiyyah Wali (atiyyahwali@hotmail.com)

ST. LOUIS, MO:
Craig Blac deserves an award for all he does in the community. He recently did the annual Community Cutz, which allowed students to get a fresh hair cut and school supplies before school started. German DJ, DJ Noize, is showing STL love as of late with three mixtapes dedicated to STL: Search & Destroy hosted by Murphy Lee, Stars & Straps hosted by Chingy, and STL JumpDrive hosted by Basement Beats. You can get all three mixtapes at www.MidwestMixtapes.com for free. Yung Ro had his video shoot for “Walk like a Model” which features one of the girls from The Love of Ray J show. Ray da Kidd has finally hit the streets with his new single “Kemo Sobie.” The party starter himself, DJ Sir Thurl, is back doing his thing over at Club Plush on the east side.
- Jesse James (JesseJames314@aol.com)

TAMPA, FL:
Crystal Waters, Paul Porter, and SoundExchange.com stopped by Pirate Radio Invasion on USF’s BullsRadio to discuss H.R. 848 – Performance Rights Act, and its relevance to radio. Speaking of radio, WLLD switched from 98.7 to 94.1 on the dial. Javon Black teamed up with T. Geezey on his new single “Hustle All Day” and once again a Hip Hop legend has co-signed Tampa/ New York rapper Dynasty. DJ Premier included Dynasty’s record “Femcee” in his mix in consecutive weeks on his satellite radio show.
- Slick Worthington (Myspace.com/SlickWorthington)

TULSA, OK
Meekness Music Group has taken over the streets with their newest mixtape The Live Mixshow. DJ Primo is grabbing the streets with his mixtape chopped and screwed series. The buzz has picked up around town about Fedel’s new music video called “I Live,” along with DJ Morph’s latest album entitled International.
- DJ Civil Rightz (djcivilrightz12@yahoo.com)

10 THINGS I’M HATIN’ ON
by Audra

1. Mohawks
Unless you live on a reservation with no running water, got a liquor store on every cliff, and have two names, like Bear Tracks or Soaring Eagle, this should not be your style of choice.

 
2. Artists Turned Reality Stars
I’m tired of seeing all these ex music-icons get reality shows. If we don’t wanna hear you in our disc changers, we don’t want to see you on TV either.
 
3. Chicks with Shaved Heads
Cassie has every female thinking she can shave the side of her head.  You have to be a one hit wonder and have a Hip Hop Mogul on your arm to pull off this look.
 
4. White Socks with Black Shoes
Socks come in color options for a reason.
 
5. Holy Text Messages
If I ignore your call/text, don’t try to send me a forwarded text talking ‘bout “If you believe in God you will send this back to me and 9 other people,” just so you can see I’m near my phone.
 
6. People Hatin’ on Female Rappers
When there is one female rapper out, people think adding another one in the game would be too much. But there’s 657,000,000 male rappers and no one rings the alarm.
 
7. Predictable DJs
I should not be in the club and know what song the DJ is gonna play next before they do.
 
8. Multiple Personalities
How are you happy in your status on Facebook but tweeting 60mph mad?
 
9. Leggings
Leggings used to be used for ‘Get-up-and-go,” but now they’re used for “Get-Up-And-HOE!” I’ve seen them worn from clubs to weddings. I forgot what was worn before them. Wasn’t it called something like jeans?
 
10. Balloon Boy
Little Falcon’s family knew what they were doing when they called CNN talking about he drifted off in a balloon. This publicity stunt just set him up for a multi-platinum rap album and a reality show.

OZONE, thanks for the good job y’all are doing. The injustice that your magazine gets at Easterling Correctional Facility is dead wrong. I had been waiting for a while on my first issue and finally went to the mailroom to check on my magazine. To my surprise not only was my first issue there, but the second issue was too. When I inquired about why I wasn’t receiving the magazine, the mailroom supervisor told me that OZONE was not appropriate for this correctional facility. She said that this magazine was gang-related and that I could talk to the captain. During the meeting I was allowed to look at the parts of the magazine that were deemed “gang-related.” What I saw was individuals holding up the peace sign, one love sign, West side, or coast sign. When I tried to tell them what these signs were, I was dismissed and they said I was lying. I was told that I could appeal the decision to the warden. When I had a chance to talk to him, he said that he was old-fashioned and that everything was a gang sign to him. It just goes to show that with all the technology we have, people are still ignorant, thinking that a respectable magazine would jeopardize their company by having gang ties. Truly, ignorance is bliss. In a camp where a lot of inmates receive XXL and Vibe it would have been nice to have some new flavor in here.
- Truth Cipher, via mail (Cleo, AL)

Wow JB! So no OZONE/TJ’s DJ’s Awards this year, huh? I’ll admit, I’m one of the ones that’s been speculating WHERE. Then, as July hit, I started wondering WHEN. Of course I tried to find the inside scoop and I heard New Orleans or Las Vegas. Personally I thought y’all were gearing up for Atlanta. Well, my purpose for writing is to say that as usual I deeply respect your decision. I definitely wouldn’t want y’all to put together an event if your heart isn’t in it. Never want to come to a sub-par event. I’ve been supporting you since I met you and appreciate the opportunities you’ve provided for me and the people I’ve met through your publication and events. Keep up the great work and I can’t wait for the next stage!
- DJ Scorpio, via email (Atlanta, GA)

Yo, Charlamagne Tha God hit the nail on the head with his D.O.A.A. article. Shit was dope, funny, real, and true!
- Kenny Kenny, via email

Hey JB, my email is in regards to your interview with whack ass Mistah FAB where he said that he only needs black women for record sales. Who is he again? Right, nobody. Anyway, there seems to be a problem in this Hip Hop industry with black women, brown skinned women or dark skinned women. I’m having a problem with this and it’s something your magazine should touch on. By the way, I’m an artist myself. I was once in the group Nuttn Nyce. I’m sick of these fake ass rappers using black women for record sales. If you don’t like black women and your mom is black, that says a lot about yourself. I would like for you to touch on this subject. I’m pissed that magilla gorilla would even let that come out of his shit-breath mouth. I wish you would interview some real sistas such as myself so we could talk about these dick-sucking rappers who have nothing to talk about but sucking their homeboys’ dick in the studio, since they hate the people who support them so much. I think us black women should not support them anymore or buy any of their CDs, since we’re hated so much. Mistah Fag is garbage to me. I had to get this off my chest because I’m sick of the madness. Maybe we black women could sue these artists that defame our character. OZONE, next time interview a rapper that’s talking about something, not an Oakland loser.
- Lize B, via email

I want to take this chance to praise your magazine cause I’m a real Hip Hop head. Your magazine focuses on the underground artists, and Hip Hop means something to them because they’re hungry and wanna break through to the mainstream. I appreciate you showing love to some of Hip Hop’s favorites like Bun B, Webbie, Lil Boosie, Scarface, Lil Wayne, Plies, Rick Ross, Trina, Trey Songz, Juvenile, and others. But when you did your feature on Static Major, you outdid other magazines. May Static rest in peace (and the group Playa was all Static). “Cheers 2 You” is a favorite of mine and I praise Static for blessing the world with his talent. Static really made some big records and whenever I listen to “Cheers 2 You” I’ll always remember him. Rest in Peace and my God continue to bless Static’s widow Avonti and his kids. He’s truly my hero. Thanks a lot, OZONE. Keep up the good work!
- Billy Bill, via mail (Beeville, TX)

I think you should bring back Groupie Confessions. I really miss that. I think you should do articles on the labels we haven’t heard from in a while. It seems like people sign major deals and disappear, like DSR. They signed a $7 million dollar deal with Universal and dropped two albums that flopped. Can you put some urban authors in your magazine like Teri Woods, Nikki Turner, Kiki Swinson, or Wahida Clark? It’ll be a good look for the magazine.
- Lil Chris, via email (Houston, TX)

OZONE Mag brings quality with each and every issue. I know the economy has hit everyone hard, but keep at it JB and staff. OZONE is the best Hip Hop read out there. I find OZONE an even better read than XXL and I feel like XXL is now copying OZONE.
- So Kreativ Designs, via email

I’m a 30-year-old native of Miami, Florida and have been a loyal reader of OZONE since you first cranked it up. I’ve watched it grow considerably and I’ve seen the content get more and more in-depth. As an original Florida magazine, I’m proud of it.
- Joe Fresh, via email (Miami, FL)

Zach Wolfe weaves together some older Jody Breeze footage from over the last few years for this video. Doesn’t look like Jody will be making a disappearing act in 2010…good.

The Broken Equipment guys strike again.

Cam’Ron gives you a taste of what he’s doing for his upcoming Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama. Drops 1/4/09

Plies gives away some money for a good cause this time.

Spotted at RR

Drops on New Years Day

Drummer ALIen goes in on Weezy and Em’s song.

Directed by Motion Family

Congratulations to longtime OZONE contributors Charlamagne Tha God & Lil Duval, who will star in a new MTV show called Hatin’, produced by Nick Cannon, premiering Jan. 1st at 2 pm EST. Unless you’re a fuxing loser you don’t surf the internet, by now you’ve seen Charlamagne & Duval’s web series Hood State of the Union; no word yet on the concept for Hatin’ but knowing Nick Cannon, Charlamagne and Duval, the show will be hilarious.

Show times are posted below. And once again, congrats to Lil Duval & Charlamagne Tha God.

Hood State of the Union episode 9 is after the jump.

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Lil Wayne performing

Soulja Boy & Lil Jon

Trey Songz

Usher

Young Money crew (Gudda Gudda, Mack Maine, T Streetz, Lil Twist, & Short Dawg

Keri Hilson

Dorrough, Lil Scrappy, Fabo, & Diamond

OJ da Juiceman

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Dj Teknikz & Jody Breeze – Welcome to the Future Mixtape coming early 2010

In four short days, Don Cannon and The Cool Kids knocked out four classic tracks for the Merry Christmas FreEP. This track, “Tires,” features Boldy James and is produced by one half of The Cool Kids, Chuck Inglish.

Props Decatur Dan

Props Derrick G

T-Pain, his wife Amber (center), and an Elf

MORE PICTURES HERE

Some Cartoon Network/Adult Swim execs came through to display clips from Pain’s upcoming cartoon special Freaknik, which airs on March 21st. In it, Lil Wayne provides the voice for Jesus Christ (I’m not kidding) and performs a music video for “Ghetto Commandments.” Several other rappers are featured on the cartoon, and Nappy Boy recording artist Young Cash plays one of the lead roles.

Pain & his wife wore Santa Claus outfits, the Nuvo flowed freely, Pain attacked some folks with a lightsaber and did a killer Rick Ross impression (which I will be posting shortly on YouTube), & a good time was had by all.

Check out the rest of the photos here.

T-Pain and his mom, Ne-Yo and his mom, Lil Wayne’s mom

Mr Marcus, Ne-Yo, & T-Pain

T-Pain & his wife Amber

T-Pain & his mom Aliyah