0Z0NE hA6 ll I

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DAVID
BANNER
THREE 6
MAFIA
GUCCI
MANE
ROCK CITY
YUNG
JOC
MS CHERRY
2 PISTOLS
TAMPA
TONY
YUNG
BERG
& more
// OZONE WEST
YOUR FAVORITE RAPPERS FAVORITE MAGAZINE
THREE
6 MAFIA
ROCK
CITY
YUNG
BERG
DAVID
BANNER
YUNG JOC
2 PISTOLS
TAMPA
TONY
MS CHERRY
SEAN
KINGSTON
GUCCI
MANE
& MORE!
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PUBLlShERlElI0R-lN-ChlEl ll 1ulla Beverlv
hUSlC ElI0R ll Randv Roer
lEAIURES ElI0R ll Erlr N. Perrln
ASS0ClAIE ElI0R ll haurlre 6. 6arland
6RAPhlC ESl6NER ll avld KA
AVERIlSlN6 SALES ll Che 1ohnson
PR0h0Il0NS lRECI0R ll hallk Ahdul
SPEClAL ElIl0N ElI0R ll 1en hrKlnnon
hARKEIlN6 lRECI0R ll avld huhannad Sr.
LE6AL C0NSULIANI ll Kvle P. Klng, P.A.
SUBSCRlPIl0NS hANA6ER ll Adero awson
AhlNlSIRAIlVE ll Klsha Snlth
lNIERN ll Karl Bradlev
C0NIRlBUI0RS ll Alex Cannon, Bogan, Charla-
nagne the 6od, Churk I, Clerra hlddlehrooks,
estlne Ca|uste, Edward hall, lellta Knlght,
1arlnta howard, 1aro Varek, 1esslra Koslow,
1 Lash, 1ason Cordes, 1ohnnv Louls, Keadron
Snlth, Kelth Kennedv, K.6. hoslev, Klng Yella, Luls
Santana, Luxurv hlndz, harrus eWavne, hatt
Sonzala, haurlre 6. 6arland, herredes lStrlrtlv
Streets), Natalla 6onez, Rav Ianarra, Rlro a
Crook, Rohert 6ahrlel, Rohlt Loonha, Shannon
hrCollun, Slff, Stan 1ohnson, Swlft, Ihaddaeus
hrAdans, Wallv Sarks, Wendv av
SIREEI REPS ll Jrd Leg 6reg, Adan hurhv, Alex
harln, Al-hv-I, Benz, Blg Brd, B-Lord, Blg Ed,
Blg Iearh lBlg houth), Blgg V, Blark, Bogan, Bo
honev, Brandl 6arrla, Brlan Eadv, Buggah .
6ovanah l0n Polnt), Bull, C Rola, Cartel, Cedrlr
Walker, Chad 1oseh, Charles Brown, Chlll,
Churk I, Chrlstlan llores, anlelle Srott, 1 a,
ellght, errlrk the lranrhlse, 1 lnelere, 1
Lvte, olla Blll, orlan Welrh, wavne Barnun,
r. oon, vnastv, Ed the World lanous, 1
E-leezv, 1 ElN, Elsode, Erlr Crunkatlanta
haves, Erlk Iee, l+ Entertalnnent, 6 ash,
6-hark, 6eorge Loez, 6orllla Prono, hazlq
All, hezeleo, h-Vldal, hotglrl haxlnun, 1ae
Sllnn, 1annln 1av, 1anlro hawklns, 1arvon
Lee, 1av Noll, 1eron Alexander, 1LN Photogra-
hv, 1oe Anthonv, 1ohnnv ang, 1udah, 1udv
1ones, Kenneth Clark, Klarr Sheard, Kool Lald,
Kurtls 6rahan, Kvdd 1oe, Lex, Lun, Lutovua
Ihonson, harro hall, harlo 6rler, harlel har,
1 h.0.E., huslr 6 hore, Natalla 6onez, Nlkkl
Kanrev, 0srar 6arrla, P Love, Pat Pat, Phattll,
Pln 6, uest, 1 Rage, Rald Rlr, Rohert Loez,
Roh-Lo, Rohskl, Rohlt Loonha, Srorlo, Slr Ihurl,
Southaw, Sade Sot, Stax, Sweethark, Ieddv I,
I1s 1s, Iln Brown, Ionv Rudd, Ire uhh, Irll Wll,
Irlna Edwards, Irov Kvles, Vlrlous, Vlrtor Walker,
1 Vlad, Voodoo, Wlld Blllo, Wlll hustle, Wu Chang,
Young harlen, Yung VS
SUBSCRlPIl0NS ll Io suhsrrlhe, send rherk or
nonev order for SZ to.
0zone hagazlne, lnr.
Attn. Suhsrrltlons et
6++ Antone St. Sulte 6
Atlanta, 6A JJI8
Phone. ++-JS-J88!
lax. ++-JS-Z+9!
Wehslte. www.ozonenag.ron
C0VER CRElIS ll Ihree 6 haa hotos hv Iv Wat-
klns, avld Banner rover hotos hv Iv Watklns,
avld Banner hoto lthls age) hv hlke lrost,
Yung Berg hoto hv heeno, 6urrl hane hoto hv
1ulla Beverlv.
lSCLAlhER ll 0Z0NE hagazlne ls uhllshed IZ
tlnes er vear hv 0Z0NE hagazlne, lnr. 0Z0NE
does not take resonslhllltv for unsollrlted
naterlals, nlslnfornatlon, tvograhlral errors,
or nlsrlnts. Ihe vlews rontalned hereln do not
neressarllv refert those of the uhllsher or lts
advertlsers. Ads aearlng ln thls nagazlne are
not an endorsenent or valldatlon hv 0Z0NE
hagazlne for rodurts or servlres offered. All
hotos and lllustratlons are rovrlghted hv thelr
resertlve artlsts. All other rontent ls rovrlght
Z8 0Z0NE hagazlne, all rlghts reserved. No
ortlon of thls nagazlne nav he rerodured
ln anv wav wlthout the wrltten ronsent of the
uhllsher. Prlnted ln the USA.
monthly sections
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78-80 cd REviEws
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24 MathEMatics
28 chain REaction
32 sidEkick hackin
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81 caFFEinE substitutEs
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75 industRy 101
74 boaRd gaME
I+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Your shlt ls the realest nag out. l trled to read XXL the other dav herause
thev had Rlrk Ross on the rover, hut that shlt was horlng. l llke the artlrles
that Wendv av and Charlanagne Iha 6od wrlte, that shlt adds to the nag.
1Bs Z Cents ls ofrlal. Your nagazlne alwavs kees lt hoth eduratlonal and
entertalnlng.
hetro Rerords, nvsare.ronlnetroswag lSouth Carollna)
Whats oln, 0Z0NE! l |ust roed lssue #6S, the rug lssue, and thought
lt was real lnfornatlve for rats that are ldollzlng the drug gane. lts a real
eve-oener for voungsters who thlnk thevre golng to rlrh hv hugglng the
hlork hustllng. lve heen readlng vour nagazlne for a nlnute and resert
vour grlnd. 0Z0NE lled a nlrhe narket when the Sourre got hought out and
XXL herane garhage. hv onlv rohlen ls that vou dont show love to vour
readers and artlsts overseas. ln fron Ansterdan and ln one of the lllest
enrees on the lanet. l look forward to helng featured ln 0Z0NE one dav.
Bv the wav, Ansterdan was founded on drug rulture and ls the weed and
erstasv raltal of the world.
Ivger Vlnun, nvsare.ronltvgervlnun lAnsterdan)
lve gotta show sone love to the greats over there at 0Z0NE hagazlne. Kee
glvlng us a real uhllratlon that we ran relate to and were gonna kee huv-
lng u the lssues as soon as thev hlt the shelf.
- 1 Phllosohv
l look forward to earh and everv lssue of 0Z0NE. ln ln love wlth vour naga-
zlne. l was at Safewav and lrked u an lssue of XXL hagazlne and saw that
thev were featurlng raers that 0Z0NE sald was hot two vears ago. 0Z0NE
ls so ahead of the rurve lt alnt funnv. l love vour new ollar henu feature.
lts anazlng to read ahout a strler that l |ust tled the nlght hefore. l
love 0Z0NE nagazlne so nurh that whenever l get nv nall, lts the rst
thlng l look for. lt hrlghtens nv dav, real talk. 6ood |oh on the drug lssue.
l loved Wendv avs lntervlew wlth Calvln Kleln. Yall are klllln the ra nag
gane rlght now, so kee u the good workl 0Z0NE hag ls nothln hut qualltv
naterlal.
ufansverlzon.net lharvland)
0Z0NE ls a nust ln da Sl and Arkansas. Ihe nags are llke rrark. l thlnk
there nust he sonethlng ln hetween the ages that nakes thls nagazlne so
addlrtlvel
- Blgg V, vradlognall.ron lCleveland, hS)
0Z0NE ls the onlv nagazlne l read herause vall reresent the real. Yall had
Shawtv Lo and B.o.B. on the rovers and hoth of then are dolng thev thang
ln the A. hagazlnes llke XXL or VlBE or Sourre alnt showlng no real love to
the South llke 0Z0NE ls. Kee dolng vour thlng 1Bl You and evervhodv at
0Z0NE ls the shltl
- Ionv Nlx lAtlanta, 6A)
lurk 0Z0NEl Eserlallv that nuthafurka Randv Roer. Ihat nlggas a hater.
he he glvlng nuthafurkers one and two hlunts ln hls revlews, so he nust he
a hatln ass nlgga. Ihats whv l dont read 0Z0NE. And nohodv wants vour Z
Cents, 1B. We dont rare what the furk vou got to sav. Yall ut all klnds of
nuthafurkers l never heard of hefore ln vour nagazlne. Sonnv Rlrh and 1us
Bleezv and 9th Ward! l alnt never heard of anv of these nlggas. And what
the furk ls a henhltz! Ihats whv l dont read vall shlt. Yall need to ut
ne on the rover. ln ahout to take over thls ra shlt.
- Yung Irouhle lIana, lL)
l got the new lssue of the nagazlne ln the nall and lts nlre as usual. l llke
the new lavout for Patlentlv Waltlng. hurh rleaner looklngl
1esse 1anes, |esse|anesJI+aol.ron lSt. Louls, h0)
Ihat lrank helton due vall had ln the rug lssue sounded rrazv as hell. But
all olltlrlans are rrooked anvwav. Ihevre no dlfferent fron the dudes on
the hlork slanglng, thev |ust wear sults and tles lnstead of whlte tees and
AlIs. l had frlends who went to 1arkson State Unlversltv and thev used to
talk ahout sone dude naned lrank, hut l never thought lt was sone old
ass navor dude. he sounds llke he has that town on lork. hoe l dont ever
get ulled over rldlng through there. Whv dldnt anv of the raers fron
1arktown soke on hln! Yall should do nore artlrles llke thls.
- Keven 1ones lhenhls, IN)
ln wrltlng to sav that the 1 lssue vall |ust dld was alght, hut lt roulda
heen nurh hetter. how vall gonna have that weak ass IRAKI0R Srratrh
ln there and not the hest lnventlon for 1s ever nade, Serato! Plus, who
are all these sorrv ass 1s l alnt neva heard of ln thls nag! Shout out to
1 Srrean and Klng Arthur, lve heard of then, hut then other folks are
nohodvs, shawtv. Ihev alnt even got no nlxtaes out. Weak. Anvwav, kee
u the good shlt. 1ust ste u vour gane next vear for the 1 lssue.
- 1 Irahouse, Irahouse1sgnall.ron
Corrertlon. 0ur aologles to ++ huslr, as the nane of thelr lahel was
selled lnrorrertlv ln last nonths h16 lntervlew.
Send vour ronnents to feedharkozonenag.ron
or hlt us u at www.nvsare.ronlozonenagazlne
0Z0NE hA6 ll IS
Send vour ronnents to feedharkozonenag.ron
or hlt us u at www.nvsare.ronlozonenagazlne
I
he ronret of a ress |unket ls haslrallv that rerord lahels rall u a hunrh of lo-
ral and reglonal nagazlnes and glve en a free trl to neet an artlst ln exrhange
for roverage. Ihev send a llttle rhange to fv vou sonewhere and ut vou u ln
a nlre hotel, and essentlallv, thev own vou for the weekend. Youre thelr whore. Ihe
lahel uhllrlst wlll turn lnto a drlll sergeant and vou are exerted to art llke |ust one
of the nanv rattle helng herded towards the feedlng trough lwhlrh, ln thls rase, ls an
artlst who ls extrenelv tlred of helng asked the sane questlons everv IS nlnutes all
dav long). Press |unkets surk. 6ranted, lve never heen one to funrtlon well ln grous,
so erhas lts nv fault. ln nurh nore ronfortahle roanlng freelv on nv own.
l love to travel, and travellng on soneone elses dlne ls even hetter, so l reallv shouldnt
ronlaln. But the fart ls that everv ress |unket lve ever heen to has lnvolved sone klnd of
drana. Puhllrlsts seen to hate nv guts off to. l guess l rant hlane then herause ln not
too fond of then elther, hut ln alwavs ronfused trvlng to gure out where the anlnosltv
rones fron. l hust nv ass and work hard and take nv rraft serlouslv. 0ther nagazlne owners
love ne to nv fare hut l ran hear the shlt-talklng as soon as l turn nv hark. Who the furk
does thls whlte hltrh thlnk she ls! Yeah, l heard vou. Well, the qualltv of vour rodurt was as
good as nlne, vou should he ahle to sav lt to nv fare, no!
llrst there was the avld BannerlAkonl6randaddv Souf |unket ln hlsslssll durlng 0Z0NEs
earlv davs. Whlle tourlng a rlvll rlghts landnark ln 1arkson, a hlark fenale |ournallst ll use
the tern looselv) rornered ne and told ne that l hetter furklng av attentlon, slnre l was
alreadv steallng hlark rulture llt ls lnortant to note that her nagazlne was rlnted at
Klnkos and had artlsts nanes nlsselled on the rover). Ihen there was the Cuhan Llnk
|unket. l arrlved after a roule weeks on the road wlth a sultrase full of dlrtv laundrv. hv last
sto hefore fvlng to Puerto Rlro for the |unket had heen New York, where the guvs at SRC
haened to throw ne sone Ierror Squad hahv tees lhark when l was hroke enough to a-
rerlate free rono shlrts). l dldnt reallze untll later whv evervone was glarlng at ne when l
arrlved at the Cuhan Llnk |unket ln a IS shlrt lnot helng fullv versed ln the Cuhan Llnk vs. lat
1oe heef). Ihe runor that there was a lat 1oe sv on the renlses dldnt hel the sltuatlon.
And we rant forget the Choa |unket durlng hardl 6ras ln New 0rleans lre-Katrlna). l was
not lnvlted to thls |unket herause l had un...lssues...wlth the uhllrlst lwho shall renaln
naneless, slnre we are frlends now .). l nade arrangenents to attend anvwav. Who ran kee
ne out of a Southern ra lndustrv event! Anvwav, the whole ordeal resulted ln her attentlng
to leave ne stranded at J ln the nornlng at a New 0rleans hood rluh lthere were anhulanres
arked outslde all nlght |ust ln rase, |ust to glve vou an ldea of where thls rluh was at) and
then lthe uhllrlstsll) trvlng to revent ne fron lntervlewlng Choa, whlrh was the whole
olnt of the |unket. Ihe lronv was that whlle the rest of the |ournallsts and hotograhers
were gettlng tlsv ln VlP, l was on stage slnultaneouslv lnlng Choas show and taklng
lrtures. l reallv helleve that surress hreeds hatred and |ealousv ln other eole who are
larklng the sane anhltlon. lt alwavs haffed ne how nv work ethlr, andlor the relatlonshls
l have dlrertlv wlth artlsts and thelr nanagenent and thelr entourages whlrh has heen hullt
over vears of work, seens to nake sone of nv eers - and even the uhllrlsts, whose entlre
|oh ls suosedlv to hel ne do evervthlng osslhle to ronote thelr artlsts - hate ne. lt
nakes zero sense.
Anvwav, all that ls old lrrelevant shlt. But lts anazlng when l look hark at those old ress
|unkets and reallze that 9% of the nagazlnes that used to attend dont exlst anvnore. hell,
sone eole have nagazlnes strlrtlv for the urose of gettlng free trls rourtesv of these
rerord lahels. Ihe lahels thenselves are rohahlv the onlv ones who wlll ever see roles of
the nagazlne, the ronsuners dont. l alwavs trv to he hunhle and let nv work l0Z0NE) seak
for ltself. But lets he reallstlr. When vou look at the trenendous growth 0Z0NE has had slnre
those earlv davs, voud thlnk rertaln eole would rongratulate ne, hut lnstead, the anlnos-
ltv trlled. l dont get lt. When lt rones to rredlhllltv ln thls hl ho gane, 0Z0NE has argu-
ahlv surassed Ihe Sourre and ls rlght u there wlth the XXLs and VlBEs. Youve gotta resert
ne for that. lts funnv that when Lll Wavne has a ress |unket half a nlle fron nv ofre lthe
lnfanous |unket at whlrh he told loundatlon hagazlne furk nlxtae 1s), ln not lnvlted.
So when l hear ahout lt through other |ournallsts and nake arrangenents to rone nvself,
a ronlete lrv rhlll rones over the roon when l ste lnslde. 0ther nagazlne uhllshers are
asklng for nv autograh and the uhllrlst wlll harelv arknowledge ne. lts rrazv.
Sone of these lndustrv fools stlll dont resert 0Z0NE, hut thats okav. Ihev wlll learn. Youll
see. Walt tll l get nv nonev rlghtlll l used to llsten to Iuar hark ln the dav. 6et nv welght
u wlth nv hate and av en hark when ln hlgger. lve rohahlv quoted thls llne hefore hut
lts so owerful and lts alwavs sturk ln nv head. l was on a nlsslon, dude. A nlsslon to show
eole that thev have to resert ne and thev have to furklng take ne serlouslv. l dont glve
a furk lf ln lnvlted to a Lll Wavne ress |unket as long as Lll Wavne furks wlth ne, herause
these lndustrv folks are full of shlt anvwav. Artlsts wlll alwavs furk wlth ne herause l dldnt
get lnto thls shlt for nonev or fane or groule ursults. l got lnto thls for the love of the art
forn, the rreatlvltv and the energv and the hustle of the rulture, the |ov of watrhlng anv ar-
tlstlr ro|ert rone together, whether lts a song ln the rerordlng studlo or a nagazlne ln the
0Z0NE ofre. Anvhodv who doesnt resert ne vet ran klss nv ass. ln |ust gettlng started.
- 1ulla Beverlv, |hozonenag.ron
RESplaylist
jbS 2cents
l had a hunrh of hlrthdav artles
and a lot of folks rane out.
Young 1eezv fl Kanve West Put 0n
Yung LA fl Young ro 6 I.l. Alnt l lRenlx)
Wale fl Lll Wavne Nlke Boots lRenlx)
annvl fl Von Pea l ont Know
Boo Rosslnl head Llke Kush
Kldz ln Ihe hall lnner he
Iav lzn fl I-Paln 6 Rlrk Ross Bean he U
Yung Berg fl Casha Ihe Buslness
randv.roerozonenag.ron
London 0ne Z hanv
I-Paln Sllver 6 6old
Kerl hllson Energv
B Slnn Ialk lor A hlnute
Klsha 6 hlrhelle are now ron-
letelv lnfatuated wlth Plthull
Wehhle 6 l Rhvthn Cltv ln
allas...
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Strlklng a |all ose wlth Bun B,
Kardlnal 0fshall, 6 avld Ban-
ner Bar Rlo ln houston
...and Wlllv Northole fron
Phoenlx, who looks llke he rould
he 6rafhs West Coast twln!
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1
6rafh 6 l Plunn ln NYC
10 THINGS IM
HATIN ON PART 2
hv ronedlan Klana anrle
nvsare.ronlklanadanrle
I. Klh KARAShlANS ASS
As a slster, ln verv offended that thls rhlrks
ass ls so hlgl Brothas, vall know a slsta
thats llght ln the ass ls a dlsaolntnentl
Irust ne, l knowl When l wear nv hottest
|eans, l trv to stav farlng forward herause l
dont want hln to see nv fattv. KK, ls that
reallv vour ass! Reggle, tell us the truthl We
wont tell vou toldl
Z. ChlCKS WlIh PlNKY I0ES IhAI W0NI SIAY
lN IhE SANAL
lf l ran see that vour toe ls not ln vour shoe,
rant vou see too! l know that sonetlnes,
ladles, we take the aln to look rute and huv
thlngs that are too snall for us. But we have
to derlare the renegade lnkv toe unarret-
ahle. Irust ne, the shoes nav he hot as hell,
hut lf vour toes ls hanglng off and out, vou
lowered lts ratlng on the had-ass shoe ne-
ter. Please, for the sake of all of us, ugrade.
6et vour rorrert shoe slzel
J. ChlCKS WlIh 600 hEA, ESPEClALLY Y0U,
SUPERhEA
lan, l an the trlllest voull ever neet. But lll
he the rst to tell vou that l rant glve good
head. l have trledl l have hlg sexv lls, a wet
nouth, and nv ll gloss ls alwavs oln,
hut l have a ga ln nv teeth. l have all the
roer tools hut l an a srraerl So, ves, ln
hatlng on the rhlrks wlth the nean head
gane. lts a sad sltuatlon when vou neet a
dude and he ls |ust as exrlted ahout vou as
vou are ahout hln, and then when vou nallv
get down to huslness, vou srrae hlnl Youll
never he asked for head agaln. annl l gave
hln a hand-ald though.
+. IhE BR0A IhAI 0WNS KEIChUP, IERESA
hElNZ KERRY
ont vou wlsh vour nana was snart
enough to snash tonatoes, add sone salt,
and whatever else nakes the rerle for
ketrhu! lf hs. Ieresa derlded to shut down
the ketrhu huslness, hlark folks would he
ln trouhle. Blark folks wlll ut ketrhu on
evervthlng fron noodles to nllesl ont
get that look on vall fare, vall know vall
done trled ltl You hetter hoe that Senator
1ohn Kerrv kees lll nana hav or voull
have sone drv-ass rurlv frles, or nlles,
whlrhever ls vour thlng.
S. Al6hAN BEARS lN IhE SUhhER
Bruh, lt nust he a nllllon degrees on the
tl of vour rhln. l heg... no, l lead that vou
reronslder the Afghan heard that soneone
l*rough*RlrkRoss*rough*) has nade a fash-
lon statenent. l do understand the need for
farlal halr, eserlallv on a grown nan, hut
reallv, do vou have to look llke 0sana hln
Laden! havhe thats whv we rant nd hln.
I6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll I!
I8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
CHICAGO, IL:
hot Stvlz ls now slgned to Swagg Ieanl1lve Rerords, Yung 1ors lahel. 1
Shaun I had hls hldwest Conrert Serles at Reggles. Iwlsta ls gettlng readv to
release the Seedknot hohstaz alhun on hls 6et honev 6ang lnrlnt. Cool Klds
are tourlng glohallv. lrenont 1arkson aeared on B.E.I.s lreestvle lrldav.
1 KC Perfert hangs out Cluh vlne and the Negro League Cafe. he also nlxes
on C0RE 1s Slrlus hlxshow Radlo. 1 Shotlne ls releaslng hls I00 h0I for IV
serles. Cherk out the hlogsot N0lvstraxster.ron. Power 9Z relehrated thelr
!-vear annlversarv. BenI and Shawnna have a new slngle hulldlng on the
alrwaves. L.E.P. erforned wlth Shawtv Lo at the Sulte.
- 1anal hooks l1hookstnall.ron)
CINCINNATI, OH:
Khadl|ah, ueen of Ihe Cltv, has heen grlndlng reallv hard and teanlng u
wlth the hlxen Vlxen, 1 lnelere, to show these nlggas whos the Boss.
Ihe Rltz nlghtrluh ls golng strong thls sunner and has a huge roster of arts
on the uronlng llst. B-Lurk ls the voungest rat on the roster and hes hatln
on evervhodv, so dont take that shlt ersonal lts |ust B-Lurk. Kavo hontana
has released hls V Before the eal and lt ran he seen on all the loral rhan-
nels.
- 1udv 1ones l1udv11onesent.ron)
COLUMBUS, GA:
loxle ISs lanllv av ln the Park ls ronlng. 0ver the vears, lanllv av ln
the Park has lntrodured artlsts llke harv 1. Bllge. lt was the rst lare I.l.
erforned after hls Z+ rlson release, and on that sane dav, hosted Crlne
hohs Knurk lf You Burk vldeo shoot. ln addltlon to lanllv av, two hlg
nane artlsts are srheduled to nake a sto ln the fountaln rltv, and the serond
annual hl ho Sunnlt klrks off ln 1ulv.
- Sllrk Sevllle lSllrkSevlllegnall.ron)
BALTIMORE, MD:
Ihe 6et En hanls are taklng the rltv of Bnore hv storn wlth thelr Cold Sun-
ner ranalgn. Everv lrldav lhav Znd thru Setenher Sth) thev are releaslng a
freestvle over a rlasslr fenale hl ho lnstrunental. lron Push lt to Paer
Ihln to Suersonlr, these two fenales are the huzz of hl ho. Ihev have
rerentlv heen rovered ln nagazlnes llke Rolllng Stone, VlBE, and US Weeklv.
Ihe freestvles are avallahle everv week on thelr hvsare age and lader.ron.
Ihev are denltelv the next hlg thlng ln hl ho.
- arkroon Produrtlons lIhearkRoonlnrvahoo.ron)
ABILENE/SAN ANGELO, TX:
Slaughter house Entertalnnent hrought sone heat to the Cltv of Lene wlth
erfornanres hv Irae and Steak-n-Shrlns Lurkv Lurlano. allas lnnortal
Soldlerz shared the stage wlth llrst Class, hI Cllque, Roh Llovd, and 1 Rreal.
Poetlr Ihug droed hls IJth C own South Ihugz Vol. J wlth trarks fron
hAWK, Blg 6en, Lurkv Lurlano, 6rlnn, Coast, and Klottl. llrst Class released
thelr nlxtae 6et lt one Vol. J. h.A.S.h. h0E hosted hv Kvle Lee. lt features
Sark awg, a Rvno, and lade ogg. 1 Skld slns the Bat Cave, 1 0hzene
works College Nlghts at El Sltlo, and 1 1ale ls at hldnlte Rodeo J.
- Chrlstlan llores lrdogradloahllene.ron)
AUSTIN, TX:
Iexas Relav weekend had S,+ vlsltors to the rltv. Bavu Blakes and Irev
Songz were sone of the erforners who took stage at the Urhan huslr lestl-
val. Kanve West, Lue llasro, Rlanna, and N.E.R. rane through for the 6low ln
the ark Iour. Rald Rlrs new slngle Call he, fron hls uronlng Whut lt ew
alhun, features Chanllllonalre and Challe Bov. Bun B rane to town for an ln-
store slgnlng at huslr hanla and hls ll Irlll alhun release artv at Enos.
- 0.6. of Luxurv hlndz lwww.luxurvnlndz.ron)
BAY ST. LOUIS, MS:
Cho the Iruth and Ihe Blork Burnaz tore lt down at Nels Sorts Bar 6 Lounge.
Ihe Swan Root Kllk has announred thev are releaslng thelr alhun hlsslssl-
ls Serret Weaon. huggv Bear the Poet, along wlth Shakesear and frlends,
have nad oetrv skllls. Sone of Shakesears Katrlna footage was used ln
Slke Lees ln When the Levees Broke. 6et readv for 1 ellvtes Ist Annual
Produrer 6 Artlst Sunnlt.
- 1 ellvte lunodasoundvahoo.ron)
BIRMINGHAM, AL:
Bun B hlt the town durlng the hlles College Annual h-av to ronote hls
new alhun ll Irlll. Ihe Carter 6rou Car Show took lare at Ihe Alahana State
lalrgrounds, wlth Pastor Irov and nanv others swlnglng through. Yo 6ottl
grared the stage at Ihe Contlnental Ballroon. h.P. droed another nlxtae.
1 C. Ross of IJ.I WEUPllreewlll Rerords droed Showtvne Iake Z featurlng
Younghloodz, Plavaz Clrrle, Khao, 6urrl hane, and Corev Barhar. 0Z0NE haga-
zlne rane through for the B.A. Bovz vldeo shoot. Vlew hohh ls dolng shows
around the rltv and Blrnlnghan 1s new slngle Cazals ls gettlng slns.
- K. Blhhs lAll0rNothlngPronohotnall.ron)
I8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll I9
Rldln Wlt No Celllng fron Boss hogg 0utlaws and Slln Ihugga. Ihe 6
Kan ls reln South of houston wlth the new ro|ert Agalnst All 0ddz.
Ihe love for Pln C ls so strong that 6 Kan ls glvlng a errent of sales
to hls klds. h.l.S.. ls hrlnglng the orlglnal hl ho wlth Ihe lstrlrt.
Bvron Bank, Ua ek, Irae, and ABN all droed snashes rerentlv.
- 1av 6anhle lhv.Urlosegnall.ron)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN:
Brew, hs. unas, and ABC Ball Bonds ls stavlng husv gettlng folks out
of |all. Plrture Perfert has rluh lrs on lork. Ihev also have laver
rlres on ortfollo arkages and a new loratlon at J8th and Park. Lll
PeeWee and lnellfe Ent. are gettlng a huzz ln the streets. 6lg lan ls
uttlng on shows to suort the loral ra srene. Irash Llfe Ent. and
hoggBlllles dld the rrunkest erfornanre lve ever seen ln lndlanao-
lls. Navvllles slngle Sua Clean wlth Lll Boosle ls hlazln alrwaves.
ragged U huslrs new loratlon ls shorklng the world wlth lts
lnresslve nurals and graftl. Cherk out the 1 Srrew, U6K, and 6urrl
hane nurals.
- 1 Blark ld|hlarkhrtnall.ron)
JACKSON, MS:
Young 1eezv nade hls wav hark to the Caltal Cltv rourtesv of hls
newest addltlon to the CIE lahel, Boo Rosslnl. Staxs 6th Annual
Blrthdav Iakeover was rrazv. A gunnan oened re lnslde Uer
Level, rreatlng another rurkus wlth the navor. Rlrk Ross and Wehhle
hlt the rltv, and Wehhle had a llttle alterratlon wlth the sherlffs de-
artnent uon hls arrlval. Soul|a Bov, hurrlrane Chrls, and B.E.I. host
Ierrenre 1 also rane through the rltv, naklng the klds hav wlth an
end of the srhool vear |an.
- Ianhra Cherle lIanhraCherleaol.ron) 6 Stax lhlorkweartno.
hlarkherrv.net)
JACKSONVILLE, FL:
hldget har hrought VhI to the rltv whlle lnlng for hls new show
l Love honev lronlng 1ulv !th). We rant get enough of Boosle and
Wehhle, lus Yo 6ottl and Pleasure P stoed through for Blgga
Ranklns I6th Cool Runnlngs Annlversarv at Plush. Blgga few over
IS hard-worklng 1arksonvllllans llnrludlng hldget har, nvself,
1 Kool-Ald, hs. vnastv, and Ierrenre Ivson) to Kansas Cltv for
hon-E-6s vldeo featurlng Yo 6ottl and Rlrk Ross. Ihe hardheadz
shot a vldeo wlth Swordz, Young 1eezv stunted through the rltv for
6arelds hlrthdav, and C.E.0. not onlv threw another outrageous
loan Partv hut also droed a new nlxtae wlth 1 +S. A Lot Z
Lose has a new rluh snash Ballln on You featurlng Shawn 1av.
- Lll Rudv lLllRudvRuvahoo.ron)
KANSAS CITY, MO/KS:
0Z0NE hagazlne and hIV 1ans lnvaded the town and lned the
next elsode of Raquest. Kansas Cltvs Klng Ierh N9ne was one
of the featured artlsts ln the shoot and hls new alhun Klller ls
ln stores now. Be on the look out for Leglon the Legend, he |ust
slgned wlth SIL rodurtlon tean Ihe Irarkhovz and hls slngle
Paranedlr ls hlazlng hot IJ 1anz Underground heat. 1 Rlre ls
worklng on hls Stlll ln Ihese Streets ronllatlon that wlll feature
the street hanger Whl lt fron Chaln 6ang Parolees.
- Kennv lanondz lKennvlanondzgnall.ron)
LAS VEGAS, NV:
1av-Z, Kanve West, henhls Bleek, Lue llasro, Pharrell, 1 Clue,
llo-Rlda, Sugar hlll 6ang, Lll 1on, 1 rana, and Ludarrls have all
heen on the srene. Las Vegas sends our rondolenres to the fanllv
and frlends of 0rlsh 6rlnstead orlglnal nenher of R6B grou !Z
and twln slster of lrlsh who rerentlv assed awav. 0ur thoughts
and ravers are wlth vou.
- Portla 1arkson lPortla1srlnt.hlarkherrv.net)
LOS ANGELES, CA:
1av-Z and harv 1. nurdered L.A. wlth three stellar shows, followed
a week later hv Kanve Wests 6low ln the ark Iour. KPWRs annual
Powerhouse Conrert hoasts one of the doest llne-us that a Ra
fan rould lnaglne, featurlng erfornanres hv Lll Wavne, 6ane,
lre Cuhe, I-Paln, Chrls Brown, Colhv 0onls and nore. USC Suer
lrosh, 0.1. havo, enters the NBA draft anldst allegatlons he vlo-
lated NCAA rules and took the rheese whlle ln srhool. 0h well, get
that nonev lavhov. R.l.P. to Xzlhlts son Xavler who assed after
onlv II davs ln the world. 0ur ravers are wlth vou X.
- Ant Wrlght of Swag, lnr. lwww.hvsare.ronlantsandg)
COLUMBUS, OH:
hr. Srarfare, Z Plstols, Rav 1, Rorko, Shawtv Lo,
wele, Erlr Roherson, Bun B, and even Ihe llavor
of Love glrls have stoed hv to klrk lt. Elehant
han got hls trunk grahhed hv sone wlld fans lgo to
fvaerhlog.ron to see the vldeo). Ihe llvaer had
lts rst lndustrv event wlth exers fron ef 1an, B.E.I.,
lntersroe, and other lahels. 0n the nuslr srene,
look out for 0hlos own Searlus Add, hes hlowlng u
ln the hldwest. hls Unlugged ronrert was doe. llv
Unlon ls erfornlng wlth Ihe Cool Klds on sone of the
hldwest dates.
- Yohannan Ierrell llnagelnqgnall.ron)
DALLAS/FT. WORTH, TX:
Ieenage artlst Lll Iwlst slgned wlth Cash honev. Stuh
a Lean has evervhodv wearlng hls Addlktlon rlothlng,
whlle lat Pln ls naklng the rluhs and radlo do the
Rark addv. 9!.9 the Beat Car Show 6 Conrert had
downtown rrunk. hetro huzlk ls lettlng all loral artlsts
erforn at Paln Bearh on lrldav nlghts. Ihe Ira Star
Cartel ls keelng the Westslde of the hetrolex on
rhlll wlth ln Cool. Cluh 8Z ls vour new Sundav nlght
sot ln lunkvtown. Ire ls on the alrwaves wlth 6utta
Chlrk and Versatlle droed hls Verses the World alhun.
lree Iwlsted Blark, Z-Ro, and Boleg rltv.
- Edward Pookle hall lurhansouthgnall.ron)
DENVER, CO:
Ihe hlstorlral hollv Strl ln Park hlll was hurned down, and the
ronnunltv ls outraged. 0n the Eastslde of town, the rreator of
the Crls ln enver durlng the 8s, hlrhael Cvro hlke Ashurv,
was nurdered. Ihe Nuggets talk ahout tradlng Carnelo and Canhv.
0n a hetter note, lnnerstate lke droed hls hest work tltled 1av-Z
of the Blarkto. Ktone I.V. vldeo show now alrs weeklv along wlth
6roove Zone and Real hl ho SZ8. lreestvle lrldavs at 0Nls Barher-
sho ls oln, Ihe Loft ls |an arked weeklv as well as 9S.! the Partv
out at Paladlun. Sunner 1an ls featurlng ahout I hlg artlsts and llrst
Saturdavs at Blue lre ls gonna he hlg all sunner.
- 1 Ktone lhvsare.ronld|ktonedotron)
DETROIT, MI:
eezvs new ro|ert Roll hodel ls ln the streets. Irlrk-Irlrk ls heatlng
u the alrwaves wlth Lets Work. ldentlral ls gettlng vldeo lav wlth
thelr slngle ln oln What l o. Ihe Zone Radlo l89.J lh) relehrated
lts 6-vear annlversarv. lh 98 W1LB had thelr annual Whats Next on
the henu Conrert at St. Andrews hall. Stretrh honev was featured on
Allhlho.ron. Radlo ersonalltv Cheron and llavor of Love Z wln-
ner eellshls had an on-alr alterratlon wlth Khla. IZ ls set to dro
a new nlxtae. You ran exert to hear Enlnen, as well as Rovre a
S9, 6ulltv Slnson, Klng 6ordv, honlra Blalre, harv Won, lanous 6
llane, and Rork Botton. Ladv Blade ls worklng on her nlxtae ueen
of the Cltv. - A1 ltheJIJreortvahoo.ron) 6 Erlr tha Crunk lhvsare.
ronlCrunkAtlantahuslr)
DOTHAN, AL:
6R Pronotlons and Creatlve Vvhes Entertalnnent teaned u for the rst annual
Connunltv av on Srlng Street. ln attendanre to show suort were Iallahas-
see raer Ire Snatrh, hohlle raer Ihao, hood hard 1 harrus Kage, and over
Z nenhers of the ronnunltv of all ages. Ihere was nuslr, food, and fun for
all. huslral guests srheduled to nake aearanres ln the near future lnrlude
BloodRaw, olla, Klnfolk Kla Shlne, and Young Ralh.
- 1 Akll l1.Akllvahoo.ron)
GAINESVILLE, FL:
hlanl lnvades the Vllle wlth featured erfornanres fron Brlsro, Are hood, Blzzle,
Irlrk addv and the unk Rvders, as well as the rst art slgned to Yung 1ors la-
hel, hot Stvlz. Slnre lts a rollege town, sunner has slowed down the rluh srene
hut that hasnt stoed the B.R.E. Cartel fron tearlng lt down on the Is and Zs
everv Saturdav, along wlth hr. Rler and 1 ++ uttlng lt down everv Ihlrstv
Ihursdav. 1 Ierrah of haglr II.J and the 6atekeeers nakes hlstorv hv helng
the rst fron 6alnesvllle to aear on BEIs Ra Cltv.
- 1ett 1arkson lgS|ettgnall.ron)
HOUSTON, TX:
Bun B ls ll Irlll and showed lt at Bar Rlo for hls alhun release artv. 6L Produr-
tlons ls ushlng out hlts for Letova Lurketts new C, as well as the new snash
0Z0NE hA6 ll I9
Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
LOUISVILLE, KY:
erhv Weekend was off the neat rark wlth artles galore. lrldav, 1s +S and
lnelere were on the Is 6 Zs at Ihe Vllla. Saturdav, the 6rand 6ala was a
star-studded event wlth relehs llke 6ahrlelle Unlon, Boh 1ohnson, hlrhael
Strahan, I-ho 6oodle, Irarv Ednonds, and others. hs. Sharlene Shanklln
organlzed thls event. arrell 6rlfths artv oed as usual, 1 Kld Carl dld
hln, so dld Plalhol, Bh1, lanous, and IhruaRoof. Sundav, the lunk llex
Car Show was verv rolorful. KYhP Kan hosted the Znd Annual Awards. 0ur
hearts go out to Statlrs wlfe Avontl and Lll for the Irlhute to a Legend at
Cltv Blork.
- lvlne a lnstagata l0uttaaShoEnthotnall.ron)
KILLEEN/BELTON/TEMPLE/WACO, TX:
Snoke networked wlth 1 Prlnre 1r. and 6lover to hrlng ln heavv-hltters
Irae, 1avton and Boss of A.B.N, A uh, Ward, and hlke ho to Cluh hvnotlr.
hv Lvfe Rerords NRlvah, Yung honev, and Advkted Sol have a serlous huzz
ln Central Iexas. L.A. of BI6.J dlsrussed 0Z0NEs Purle Raln artlrle llve on
the radlo. Blg Lunnv had an Ale Botton Show at Cluh Rlo. Sark awg, h1,
and hlke hee of 6reen Cltv were on !IJ the Beat and 6utta of harks on the
Rlse dros hls slngle Wood on hv ash.
- Ire uhh ltreduhhhotnall.ron)
MACON, GA:
hlxtae season klrks off wlth lnsane of Z6 and 9!.9s +1 la.k.a. hr. +th 0f
1ulv) releaslng Keelng hv Sanltv. lorsvth ls ln the gane wlth a hot one
fron Blsho Cltv. hls Polos and lre Crean ls a rluh hanger. 1s Rlr llare,
Ieknlkz and Storn set lt off at Ihe Rork for Ieknlkz B-av Bash. 6orllla Zoe
and Bohagon rane through as well.
- All Ror lradlod|Z+Zvahoo.ron)
MANATEE COUNTY, FL:
Runha Lounge held a 6orllla Zoe ronrert wlth oenlng art 6eno 6 Skunk
erfornlng thelr slngle Burket. Ihe slngle was lnrluded on the latest I1s
1s Iastenakers 0nlv C. Sll-N-Sllde Street artlst Chlll a hllllon ollar han
rontlnues to nake hls resenre seen all over llorlda. Iheres denltelv heen
a drought ln the nlght llfe for Bradenton, Sarasota, and Palnetto slnre Cluh
heat rlosed. Ihe onlv regular survlvor ls the Blg Bro Conedv Show held everv
lrldav at the Bella Vlsta Bulldlng. 0en nlr ls fron I-II Ph, followed hv
ronlrs fron B.E.I. and Last Conlr Standlng. lts hosted hv 6lgallo Weeze and
96.S lh ls on the srene. lor nore lnfo rall 9+I-S9Z-J+J.
- hollvwoodred lera988vahoo.ron)
MEMPHIS, TN:
6angsta Boo and La Chat have rreated thelr own renlx of Ihree 6s ld
Rather. Although thev nav have |ust heen furklng off, thev denltelv had
fun wlth thls one. Raer Iefon on has heen gettlng lots of attentlon
ever slnre wlnnlng the henhlsra.ron Showrase and has heen narketlng
hlnself qulte well. Kla Shlne has heen sotted handlng out sone new slngles
around town. Not sure what to exert wlth hls latest slngle tltled hv New
Stvle, hut we do know hes heen on the rollahoratlon tl wlth sone other
henhls artlsts.
- eanna Brown leanna.BrownhenhlsRa.ron)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA:
Wlth headquarters llke A0L and 6oogle wlthln walklng dlstanre, thls wealthv
town ls not all work and no lav. Ihe Shorellne Anhltheater used to he
hone to KhELs Sunner 1an ronrerts untll a erson was nurdered after the
show ln ZS. Ihe venue sraled hark for a roule of vears, vet lts wllllng to
host the Rork Ihe Bells Z8 ronrert featurlng hos ef, Rednan and hethod
han, A Irlhe Called uest, Raekwon, and 6hostfare along wlth a slew of
other artlsts that started thls ra shlt lNas and Rakln). And for the grown
and sexv, the legendarv Stevle Wonder erforns for one nlght onlv when he
nakes a rare Bav Area aearanre.
- Kav Newell lkavozonenaggnall.ron)
NASHVILLE, TN:
Shan loster ls ofrlallv headed to the NBA and ISUs own onlnlque Rodg-
ers-Cronartle was selerted ln the Ist round of the NlL raft. hang Ilne shut
the rltv down agaln for thelr two-vear annlversarv artv. Pearl luslon Retro
ls now oen and the Ist Iennessee huslr Conferenre and hl ho Awards
lans to shlne even nore llght on the state. C-uh, C-Lo, and Crlsls are now
errtv 1s. Skatehoard Ps slngle lresh out the Cluh rodured hv late East-
wood ls a sunner anthen and the Annual CanrerlLeo Blrthdav Bash hosted
hv 1C, Serlous, and Ladv hlrage hodels sets the standard.
- 1anlro l1anlrosouthernentawards.ron)
NEW ORLEANS, LA:
9Js Slah I ls the new Klng of Nlghts ln the S+. hes the erfert surressor
to Wlld Wavne. Ihe hl ho hour wlth Alex hrCondult ls the hottest show on
Lovola Unlversltvs ranus. Ihev hegan svndlratlng to W0U Radlo ln Norfolk,
VA hv featurlng fenale raer J NaIee. 1 honev lresh has Ihe urk 0ff
oln everv week. Everv hornets hone lavoff gane was followed hv an
after artv and the ladles were ln the hulldlng. Ihe hottest new releases out
of the Creole rorklt are Ihe Shows Vlrtorv La, K-6ates and B.6.s nlxtae,
and CurrenSvs |olnt Welrone to the Wlnners Clrrle.
OCALA, FL:
C. Wakelev and the 6atekeeers rane to town ronotlng Iwo ogg Rerords
Certled lfornerlv Blg Koon 6 hollvwood). 0ther energlng 0rala arts are 1lt 6
S.6. of Kornerhov Ent. and K.S.B. Ihe Znd Annual Lll Bovs Pushlng Blg Wheels
Car Show got ralned out hut wlll he resrheduled. 1 Leezvs next nlxtae Iote
Iha Cltv J ls ronlng soon.
- 1 Leezv l1LeezvJSZvahoo.ron)- errlrk Iha lranrhlse lwww.hvsare.
ronlerrlrkIhalranrhlse)
NEW YORK, NY
halnos snash slngle hl hater has heen hrewlng ln NYC for a nlnute now
and ls ahout to huhhle arross the rountrv. 6oogle lt, YouIuhe lt, get lt ln vour
llfe ASAP. 0n the underground level, a few artlsts naklng serlous nolse are
Ihe League fron Long lsland lgettlng a heavv ro-slgn fron Sha honev and
Kav Slav), Nlkal lleldz la rauraslan hC fron Rorhester wlth the rrazv slngle
Rarlst), and a fenale enree wlth a lvrlral ohsesslon, Nlna B fron Ravenel
Rerords.
- 1. hatrh lwww.hvsare.ronl|asonhadshlan)
PITTSBURGH, PA:
Warner Brothers own Wlz Khallfa has evervhodv savlng Sav Yea and Paer
Bovs Entertalnnent ls ushlng Ira Walk featurlng 1 Unk. S. honev ls stlll
the nan and 1s Boogle, 6, Kode Wred, Blark Steel, and Srhlzo are worklng
hard. l-Blork Rerords got the slngle Wrlst 6ane and thelr new nlxtae All
Ahout the 6wa. We Run lt ls all over the net. Boaz and Vonn Ireeze ron-
tlnue to sulv the hlts. 6o hard or go hone ls Plttshurghs new notto.
- Lola Slns llolaslnsgnall.ron)
PORTLAND, OR & IDAHO:
honster tours are hlttlng Ihe Rose Cltv thls sunner. Ioo Short, Andre Nlrka-
tlna, hlke P, and Cool Nutz all on one stage lts a West Coast Classlr. ont
slee on the SJ grlndas llke Lll lats of hl Rollerz Rerords. hls Coast Z Coast
nlxtae serles ls valldated and hls lahel |ust ofrlallv slgned Ihe Sourres
Unslgned hve Slo Poke, a.k.a. SP, to a deal for hls serond full length ro|ert
Ihe Arerlatlon 0f. Ihats three NW artlsts ln Ihe Sourres Unslgned hve ln
less than half a vear sonethlngs ln the water, hahv.
- Luvva 1 lhvsare.ronlluvva|)
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:
Runors are ranant thls nonth ahout the return of lrelands onlv hl ho
radlo statlon Vlhe lh whlrh was shut down ve vears ago hv loral ollre.
Wlth a full srhedule leaked to us, lt aears that wlthln weeks the lrate
wlll he hark on alr, stronger than hefore. UKs #I 1odle Avsha was ln uhlln
thls nonth, erfornlng the hlt slngle hearthroken to a raarltv rrowd.
Ihe heavler hl ho fans were treated to sold-out hadllh and A-Irak shows,
whlle lt was a nonth that saw nunerous hl ho sots known for suortlng
loral talent struggle to stav afoat.
- Kev Storrs lkevstorrsgnall.ron)
SAN DIEGO, CA:
lndeendent underground artlsts fron lego to L.A. unlte on the fth lnstall-
nent of the Street Pressure nlxtae serles. Z9.Js Extrene Autofest lnvaded
the Chargers ualronn Stadlun, the event even took tlne to address legos
underground lllegal Street Rarlng rohlens vla Rarelegal.ron. Iourlsn ls
Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
TALLAHASSEE, FL:
Ihe streets are huzzln wlth lots of new rerords out of llorlda. Are hood got
the new |olnt Cash llow featurlng our verv own I-Paln and nv nan Rlrk
Ross. Ihls rerord ls golng hard, as ls 6rlnd hodes new |olnt She So llv and
Blzzles Naked hustle. I1s 1s huslr Conferenre was a surress wlth sone
of the hottest rodurers dolng thelr thlng ln the heat hattle. We had a serlal
surrlse guest aearanre hv Chllll of ILC to add to the exrltenent.
- 1 a l1a0nllnegnall.ron)
TAMPA, FL:
1s hlngle hlxx and Coz nanned the Is and Zs whlle Jrd Leg 6reg hosted
the Wonens NCAA llnal lour at Ihe St. Pete Ilnes lre lorun. Avrh returned
to I6 6 Park ln a loslng effort, hut launrhed hls own llne of hottled water
ralled Avrh Z-0. hC Serrh ralled lnto Ihe hl-hawk hour to dlsruss Khlas
addltlon to VhIs hlss Ra Surene. hl ho Soda Sho hosted Iangos alhun
llstenlng artv and I6 Bars vldeo shoot. 6ateKeeer afllate 1 Shlzn a-
eared on BEIs Ra Cltv.
- Sllrk Worthlngton lSllrkWorthl8IJgnall.ron)
TULSA, OK
lts goln down at Cluh Pure everv weekend wlth 1 6ood6round as thelr
newest resldent 1. Io-Bar Code, Ranal honetown heat, and Ihe 6oodfellas
resents Ihe Sunner Swag Bearh Partv wlth 1 Klng Arthur and V.l.C. en
lranrhlze Bovz vlslted IS.J K1AhZ and Kool Kelth rondurted the exrluslve
lntervlew. 1 re the honsta heats u the street wlth hls newest nlxtae en-
tltled Certled Street lnvaslon Vol. Z ro-hosted hv vours trulv, 1 Clvll Rlghtz.
- 1 Clvll Rlghtz lhvsare.ronl1ClvllRlghtz)
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA:
Kanve West, Lue llasro, N.E.R.., and Rhlanna were ln town for the 6low ln
the ark Iour. Kanve was the hest hv far. Plles rane to Cluh hvstlque and
had all the doe hovs ln full effert. Who hotter than he! ls one of the hot-
test |olnts ln VA rlght now. ouht 6otrha was featured on BEIs Ra Cltv and
reallv reresented for the hood. 0ld onlnlon Unlversltvs Canus Chaos,
lnltlated hv Nlrkl Anderson, hrought Cassldv, Wale, and hurrlrane Chrls to the
!S!. 1oe Pro rontlnues to relgn as the Klng of Cluhs ln VA.
- Young lane lrontartvoungfanegnall.ron)
WASHINGTON, DC:
Slnre slgnlng wlth lntersroe and hark Ronsons Alldo Rerords, Wale has heen
olng u all over the lare as hl hos newest talent. Ihe sneaker-head
enree has heen tradlng hars wlth hls favorlte raer Blark Ihought. he a-
eared wlth Chrlsette hlrhelle on Ihe Roots vldeo Rlslng U and on the a-
vld Letternan Show. lron the Rork the Bells ronrert to LR6 ads, Wale ls shlnlng
nurh deserved llght on Washlngton, C. he |ust droed hls Selnfeld-lnslred
hlxtae Ahout Nothlng and hls dehut alhun ls due out later thls vear.
- Pharoh Iallh lPtallhgnall.ron)
soarlng thls vear and the hl ho ronnunltv ls taklng advantage of the
hoon wlth shows hv Ervkah Badu, Lll Wavne, Snoo ogg, av Z6, and even a
Serret Breakfast show wlth Usher.
- Ant Wrlght of Swag, lnr. lhvsare.ronlantsandg)
MONTGOMERY, AL:
W1WZ had a serlal neet-and-greet for lts llsteners. Ihe Skv Bar and 6rlll
ls the new hot sot on lrl and Sat nlghts. 1 lrank Whlte and 6reg Street
released 6uns host hated Vol. S. Ihe haxxlnun Exosure Networklng and
huslr Conferenre was tlght. Even though the host was golng off on everv-
hodv, lt stlll allowed artlrlants to network wlth I.1. Chanan, 1 Aarles,
Reewlne Radlo, Cadlllar on lahove, wlth hot 6lrl haxlnun and Kanlkaze),
Khao, Rlskav, r. langaz, Lll Chav, Bana hl ho, etr. Kllla Katt and Klng
South are runored to he dlsslng I. Long slnre thevve gotten wlth Ilght Z ef.
All l know ls sonehodv sold sonehodvs |ewelrv to get sonehodv out of |all.
- 1 lrank Whlte lhvsare.ronl1lrankWhlte96) 6 hot 6lrl haxlnun lhot6lrl.
haxlnungnall.ron)
SAVANNAH, GA:
Ihe nonth klrked off wlth Whlte Chorolates Blrthdav at Cluh I!. Yola and
Clouds Entertalnnent showed haters thev werent gon glve u on throwlng
the hest artles of the season. Ihev added Z Plstols and V.l.C. to thelr sunner
llne-u and even hlgger stars are ronlng soon. Ihe Next Z Blow nlxtae wlll
he released soon featurlng onlv the hest ln the underground nuslr world
fron all rorners of the na. heres vour Raquest tl of the nonth. use vour
hohhv to get ald.
- Lurkv lhvsare.ronlShe_She)
SEA-TAC, WA:
hlghlv antlrlated heat not onlv desrrlhes the Northwests deslre for sunner,
hut also lraneworks long overdue release on Kelvarae Entertalnnent, Ihls ls
lt. Rerent Northwest vlsltors lnrluded 1. Ross-Parrelll the slngerlhCs dehut,
Soooul lull hlxed 1ans ls doe, so ls her llve show. Panona, CAs Kokane has
noved u to Ihe Z6. Seattles vne ef ls another NW entltv rhrlstened as
Ihe Sourres Unslgned hve thats three ln half a vear lSP, hlkev Vegas 6
llla 1).
- Luvva 1 lhvsare.ronlluvva|)
ST. LOUIS, MO:
Vlr anone, 1us Bleezv, and 0oos have heen hlessed ln 0Z0NEs Patlentlv
Waltlng. Countv Brown ls now SILs hlttnenn 1 re and vours trulv, 1esse
1anes, ls now a hlttBreaka 1. hr. harrus hlxtae had Llffv Stokes of SeedKnot
hohstaz on hls radlo show. hot nlxtaes lnrlude 1 Blsho V Luvs Sonethlng
to Sav Vol. +, E uhh a hustlas ouhle 1eoardv Vol. Z, 1 Snalls and 6enas
Ihe Breakthrough, 1 A1s holla at Ya errtv, 1 Irakstars Boogle Bang IJ,
Nlnnv Russells Beautlful Peole, and errtvBol hontanas errtvBol Radlo. a
Banggaz also hlt the streets wlth New SIL Vol. Z whlrh lnrludes a V.
- 1esse 1anes l1esse1anesJI+aol.ron)
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZI
ZZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZJ
Z+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
I
hese davs, lt seens llke evervone ls dolng a ronferenre andlor awards
show ln hl ho. What ls u wlth that! l guess eole see one or two
eole do lt, and thev thlnk thev have the roer ronnertlons, knowl-
edge, and olnlons to do lt thelr dann selves. Ihe rohlen ls, nost fall.
lts not a nonev naker, and nost eole seen to thlnk lts a qulrk rone u.
lts reallv not. Ask anvone who has done a ronferenre or awards show.
l helleve ln knowledge, so ln the ast three vears, l have attended everv
senlnar, ronferenre, and sunnlt that seened worthv and t nv srhedule.
Ihls ket ne on the road for at least I davs a nonth ln the ast few vears,
vet onlv a handful of these events were worthwhlle. l have attended so nanv
hullshlt events that l an now ofrlallv hurned out on senlnars, award shows,
and ronferenres.
host of the events larked the roer fundlng to advertlse and ronote the
event roerlv, so nunerous tlnes l ended u seaklng to roons wlth less
than S eole. Alnost all of the events were done ln nlghtrluhs, whlrh
ronfused the attendees when thev were told to shut u and llsten to the folks
on stage seaklng. As vou ran guess, nost dldnt shut u, so we ended u
seaklng to ourselves and the rst I feet of attendees wlth the dull hun of
volres ln the harkground to thoroughlv dlstrart and lnsult us.
And at alnost everv ronferenre, l ended u seaklng along slde of eole
who were nore lnterested ln self-ronotlng thelr ronanv or rrew, or who
gave wrong lnfornatlon to the attendees. hv favorlte was a loral lawver who
told the rrowd that artlsts dldnt need to rovrlght thelr nuslr. ldlotl
Seens nore than a few of the ronventlons trlrk folks lnto ronlng hv offerlng
showrase sots lfor SS to SZ, a sot), telllng the artlsts that thev wlll
get to erforn ln front of lndustrv folks lveah, folks llke ne who wouldnt
stav for a showrase even wlth a gun to nv head) who rould slgn then and
nake all of thelr dreans rone true.
Ihese surkers who av for showrase sots are ohvlouslv the eole who are
talklng through the anels ln the hark of the roon herause the na|orltv of
anellsts artuallv tell artlsts exartlv how to get slgned to a rerord deal llf
vou were llstenlng, voud know too). hell, l soke over + tlnes ln the ast I+
nonths, and at everv event l talked ahout how to get a deal and how lnef-
fertlve lt ls to hand out denos. At the end of everv anel, l was honharded
wlth denos. l also skled everv showrase lwhlle lts lnortant for artlsts
to rartlre thelr rraft and erforn, dolng so ln front of the lndustrv wlth the
lntentlon of gettlng slgned to a na|or lahel ls a wastedolng so ln front of
ronsuners who wlll huv a C ls a hetter nove, nore strateglr, and the sales
are nore llkelv to attrart a lahel to slgn vou).
Ihe lnortanre of a loral senlnar ln snaller towns and rltles ls lts ahllltv
to hrlng together llke-nlnded eole. ln areas llke 6alnesvllle, henhls,
Augusta, San Antonlo, or 1arkson, a senlnar hrlngs together loral radlo
eole, 1s, retallers, artlsts, etr, lnto one lare so thev ran network and ln-
terart wlth earh other. lts a great wav for new eole to get to know who ls
who, and an even hetter wav to lan to work together on ro|erts and hulld
relatlonshls. Ihls ls a who-vou-know huslness. ln a erfert world, these
events nav even hrlng ln surressful natlonal or reglonal folks fron the nuslr
lndustrv who are wllllng to share thelr serrets of surress lwlth the folks who
arent rudelv talklng to earh other durlng the anel).
l hullt nv rareer at ronferenres and senlnars that natterthats how l
learned nurh of what l know ahout thls huslness. l net folks, ket ln tourh,
and learned fron thelr exerlenres. lnstead, we now have hundreds of llttle
senlnars that no one attends, wlth anellsts who dont reallv natter and at-
tendees who dldnt rone to learn.
So, lf vou are lannlng a ronferenre or senlnar ln vour area, lease nake
sure vou nd the erfert venue lnlghtrluhs are for showrases, not anel
dlsrusslons), and sonsors who are wllllng to lnvest ln vour vlslon. hake sure
vour anellsts are a nlre nlx of surressful eole who genulnelv want to
share useful lnfornatlon las oosed to alrlng out others or unlng u thelr
own huslnesses). Your anellsts should ronslst of loral surressful eole,
reglonallv estahllshed lndustrv eole, and natlonallv slgnlrant eoleall
wlth roven trark rerords. Ihe anellsts should he eole wllllng to glve
hark, not eole ronlng lnto vour narketlare to rae the loral artlsts.
Plan the anels arrordlng to vour narket. lf vou have an ahundanre of lndle
lahels ln vour area lllke anvwhere ln llorlda, Alahana, 6eorgla, etr) nake
rertaln vou have anellsts who ran share knowledge on uttlng out an lndle
rerord and navhe a LE6lIlhAIE dlstrlhutor on the anel. lf vour narket has
no great rodurers hut a ton of raers, nake sure vou have sone reglonal
and natlonal rodurers on the anel to hel hoth the artlsts and the u and
ronlng rodurers learn. llll the voldl Whatever vour ronnunltv ls nlsslng ls
what vou should he offerlng. You wlll nost llkelv need to fv kev eole ln
and ut then u ln a derent hotel. Ihat ls standard unless vou have the ron-
nertlons and ower to ask eole to rone at thelr own exense.
Panel dlsrusslons should last at least an hour to get a real dlsrusslon golng,
and alnost as long for the audlenre to ask questlons. hake sure vou ost an
event srhedule on a wehslte so eole know where to go and whats golng
on. lts a good ldea to rlnt that srhedule out and hand lt to vour attendees
as thev rone to vour event. hake sure the anellsts rerelve lt ahead of tlne
so thev ran attend nore than |ust thelr anel.

have a noderator who ran rontrol the rrowd and kee the dlsrusslon novlng
ln a llvelv fashlon. Ihls ls |ust as lnortant as havlng lnterestlng anellsts.
hake sure vou sread the word ahout vour event. 1ust uslng free hvSare
hlasts are not enough. Radlo ads, fvers and osters, and advertlslng to the
urhan nuslr ronnunltv at least two nonths ahead ls kev for a snall event.
Slx nonths ahead lf vou are trvlng to attrart attendanre fron a larger area
llke vour entlre reglon. Ihe SEAs hegln advertlslng the next vears event the
week after the SEAs end. You dont have to he that thorough, hut navhe
thats whv the attendanre there alwavs hreaks a roule thousand. lf vour
event wasnt worthv of eole attendlng thls vear, there wont he a next vear.
l know l wont he hark.
And lastlv, lf theres alreadv a surressful event ln vour area or reglon, nd
another avenue. Whv trv to rov or ronete wlth sonethlng that alreadv
works and works well! I1s 1s srlngs to nlnd. Everv uarter, hls event at-
trarts J,+ eole, nostlv kev artlsts and lndustrv eole. lf vou are ln that
reglon, whv would vou want to ronete wlth that! Youd end u looklng had,
unahle to attrart the volune and the kev eole that hls events attrart. ont
follow, lead. llnd whats nlsslng ln vour reglon and sulv that. And then he
sure to do lt well. ll
CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS | By Wendy day (WWW.Wendyday.com)
Z+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZS
I ll Rorkwllder 6 1 +S Ihe harlln lhlanl, lL) Z ll harlrla hagana 6 1 Plavhov Pashaa Ultra Lounge for Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX) J ll 6reg Street, 1 Blak,
6 hlstah lAB WVEE lAtlanta, 6A) + ll Un, Suthern Bov, 6 6orllla Iek Prlve for Irlnas alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) S ll 1 Cash 6 1on Young Koha for Ireals vldeo shoot
l0rlando, lL) 6 ll 6orllla Zoe 6 Vee hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) ! ll Kllla Kvleon 6 Bun B Bar Rlo for Bun Bs Z Irlll alhun release artv
lhouston, IX) 8 ll Irae 6 Snlttv Paul Walls hlrthdav ronrert lhouston, IX) 9 ll Lll C 6 Khao on the set of how We o lt ln Ihe A lAtlanta, 6A) I ll 1 lrle 6 Cee-Lo hooters
Bearh Ball festlval lhlanl, lL) II ll onlno 6 Sark awg Ihe Beat !IJ lhouston, IX) IZ ll Nnette lntervlewlng Yung Berg 6 Rav 1 lhouston, IX) IJ ll Yung 1or, aa, 6rlnd, 6
guest on the set of hot Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) I+ ll 1 r oon 6 Stehanle B Ihe hoon for I1s 1s lIallahassee, lL) IS ll Brandl 6arrla 6 Irouhlesun
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lPhoto. Knowledge), Irae 6 Ionv Neal Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv ln houston, IX lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv)
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZS
Z6 ll 0Z0NE hA6 Z6 ll
We now take a snall hreak fron helng osltlve and
ullftlng our ronnunltv to rrltlrlze thls rulture that
we love ralled hl ho. Whv! ln the lnnortal words of
IlP off the I.l. vs. I.l.P. alhun, Art Ihree, Irark I6, Verse
Ihree lsong Iell En l Sald Ihat), har II, Cause the
gane feels llke the real nlggas on strlkel Ihere ls a
lot of hullshlt golng on ln the lndustrv that ls ruhhlng
Cthagod the wrong wav. lor a glant, these are |ust
snall thlngs that are hotherlng ne, alnost llke that
snall ea the rlnress felt through those Z nattresses
and Z feather heds lste vour falrv tale gane u).

I. NAS ChAN6lN6 hlS ALBUh IlILE
Nas ls nv serond favorlte enree of all tlne. Nunher
one ls 6hostfare Klllah, two ls Rakln Allah, four ls
Andre J and ve ls IlP, lf voure wonderlng. lt lsses
ne off that he rhanged the tltle of hls alhun herause
he hurkled under the ressure of Cororate Anerlra.
Nas ls nore ronrerned ahout hls hotton llne, the al-
nlghtv dollar and not the lnart that tltle would have
had on the world. Ihere was a sense of urgenrv to go
out and grah that alhun herause Nas was rehelllng
agalnst the svsten and golng agalnst the graln. Peole
who were not even fans of Nas were golng to grah that
alhun |ust off the tltle alone, herause thev wanted to
know what thls guv rould osslhlv he talklng ahout.
Now, that sense of urgenrv has dlsslated. lehard fans
llke ne wlll suort hln, hut ln stlll dlsgusted. Peole
get a Revelatlon of Iruth and thevre srared to stand
on that truth herause of the erserutlon that rones
wlth lt. Peole who reallv helleve ln the nessage
thevre dellverlng have a slrlt that knows no natter
what erserutlon thev enrounter on arrount of those
words wlll onlv nake then stronger. l guess Nas lsnt
wllllng to ght for hls truth. Ihat ls whv the srrlture
reads, hanv are ralled hut onlv a few are rhosen.
Nas had a Revelatlon to rall hls alhun Nlgger hut he
ohvlouslv doesnt have the strength to stand u for lt
under the erserutlon of hls rerord lahel and whoever
else ressured hln to rhange the tltle of hls C. Whats
funnv ls that he would not have heen the rst to do lt.
0B had Nlgga Please, ZPar had Strlrtlv + hv Nlggaz,
Rlrhard Prvor had Blrentennlal Nlgga and Ihat Nlggas
Crazv. hell, N.W.A stands for Nlggas Wlth Attltudel
Ihe ronversatlon rohahlv went llke thls fron the
hlgher-us at Unlversal, hev, rall that nlgga LA Reld
and tell hln to tell that nlgga Nas to rhange hls alhun
tltle or were rlng hoth then nlggas.

Z. LlL PUNK ASS WAYNE
how nanv asses are we golng glve thls rlown Lll
Wavne! lts to the olnt that were all are golng to have
to start taklng the hlane for hls hullshlt. Ihe nedla,
the ronsuners, radlo statlons and vldeo rhannels. We
are the enahlers of thls guvs lgnoranre. he sald hes
golng to klll newhorn hahles. he sald he stoed snlff-
lng roralne herause lt glves hln arne! Ihat ls the hest
reason he rould nd to sto uslng roralne! Now he
savs he rreated the whole genre of nlxtaes, he savs
furk nlxtae 1s, and vou guvs let hln sllde wlth a
half-ass aologv to 1 rana! Please. l totallv roslgn
nv hrother 1 Churk I and hls novenent to download
Lll Wavnes C to death. l hear vall, Naw, thats furked
u. You are taklng nonev out of Wavnes orketsl Ne-
gro lease. Ihe onlv rherk Lll Wavne needs rlght now
ls a realltv rherk. No need to get lnto a whole hunrh
of rhetorlr over Lll Lane, rherk the arrhlves of 0Z0NE
and read nv lurk Lll Wavne edltorlal. l heard the Carter
J. lts good, nothlng anazlng, |ust llke the wrlter of
the alhun. l kee telllng vall Lll Wavne ls overrated,
over-hved, he has over-extended hls welrone, and
hell rohahlv dle of an overdose.

J. 1 RAhA
rana ls nv nan hut dann he was soft on Wavne. l
dlstlnrtlv renenher hIV asklng Lll Wavne ahout 1
ranas sltuatlon after the lederal rald and Wavne
sald, Snarten u. lts a had thlng, hut vou gotta lav
the gane falr. lf vou dont lav falr, all klnd of thlngs
ran haen. You gotta watrh eole llke 1 Clue,
watrh eole llke 1 Khaled, thev do lt rlght. You
gotta do lt rlght. Wavne sald, lts gonna he a nes-
sage, the authorltles, alnt lavlng. Ihev gonna nake
an exanle. Ihev gonna stralghten the gane out.
A lot of ronanles take a fall wlth those nlxtaes.
Nlggas he raklng u off then nlxtaes. Ihe artlsts
ran dro hls alhun and evervhodv knows that hl ho
alhun sales are ln derllne, nohodv alnt gonna huv
the alhun and evervhodv gets the nlx taes off of the
lnternet or whatever wav thev get lt. Ihe artlsts alnt
raklng, hut the nlgga vou nade the nlxtae wlth ls
raklng u. Ihank 6od l alnt got that rohlen, hut l
know a lot of eole who dol he threw rana under
the hus and rana should have returned the favor
when he ralled ln wlth that l aologlze hut l neant
everv word l sald. lurk vall, lll rhew vour fare off
aologv. What reallv hothered ne ahout thls lntervlew
ls when rana let Wavne dlss everv 1 that uses Serato
or llnal Srratrh. Wavne talked ahout how 1s he ln
the rluh wlth the ronuter on to of the turntahles.
uhl rana, how dld vou let thls rornhall dlss dann
near everv 1 ln the gane! Nane a 1 who ls not uslng
Serato or llnal Srratrh! lred lllntstone ass 1s stlll us-
lng turntahles rohahlv rant afford to ugrade. Wavne
ralled rana and haslrallv sald, l aologlze hut furk
vall anvwav. So haslrallv, rana let Wavne sav lurk
nlxtae 1s twlre. Not onlv dld rana let hln sav lt,
hut he asked hln to do a edlratlon Ihree. Last tlne
l rherked, rana was one of the klngs of the nlxtae
gane. So when Wavne savs furk nlxtae 1s, l would
thlnk thls neans vou too, rana. Ihls sltuatlon ls the
equlvalent of a nan slalng the shlt out of a fenale,
aologlzlng, slalng the shlt out of her agaln, and
then the fenale asks that nan for sex.

+. V0C0ER EPlEhlC
What ls wrong wlth vou dudes! Slnre when ls lt okav to
|ust take a hlte out of another nans swagger! I-Paln
rane wlth the volre roder thlng for thls generatlon
lsalute to Roger Iroutnan) and now everv raer and
thelr weed rarrler wants to use the volre roderl Snoo
ogg, Kanve West, Lll Wavne, S Cent, evervhodv. Even
loral raers ln Anv hood USA are uslng thls shlt. l
want to seak for I-Paln herause he ls too nurh of a
gentlenan to sav, 6et off nv dlrkl Can l llve! Can l at
least get a thlrd alhun out hefore vall start rhewlng
on nv shlt! l saw thls haen wlth as Efx. Ihelr stvle
was doe hut hefore thev rould get a serond alhun
out, other enrees hlt off thelr stvle and laved lt out
so had that hv the tlne the orlglnators of the stvle
rane hark around, nohodv wanted to hear that shltl
lnltatlon ls not alwavs the hest forn of fatterv.

S. ShAWIY L0 VS. Il
We all know Il ln a ra hattle agalnst Shawtv Lo ls
ahout as ronetltlve as a lawn nower agalnst grass
hut what hothered ne ls that Shawtv Lo was ralllng
out Il for not helng fron Bankhead when ln realltv he
should he an equal oortunltv hater lllke nvself) and
rall out everv erson relng the A who wasnt even
horn ln 6eorglal Wlkledla sone of these eole. Usher
lChattanooga, IN), Ludarrls lChanalgn, lL), Young
1eezv lColunhla, SC), Clara lAustln, IX), and 1ernalne
url lAshvllle, NC), and these are |ust the ones l ran
nane off the to of nv head. havhe we should do a
feature ln 0Z0NE ralled lt alnt where vou fron, lts
where vou at, hut where exartlv are vou fron agaln!

Now that ln done ventlng, lve got real shlt to go
wrlte ahout. l |ust want vou surkers to renenher that
the Cultural Crltlr Charlanagne Iha 6od ls alwavs atrh-
lng. Salute to Blanra Barnes over at BEI for rolnlng ne
the Cultural Crltlr, thank vou. l rant sto ralllng nvself
that nowl
P.S. South Carollna a.k.a South Crark Ihe Alhun ln
stores August I9thl



CHIN CHECK
By charlamagne Tha god
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z!
I ll horsenan, guest, 6 Unlque of the 6rlt Bovs Pashaa Ultra Lounge for Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX) Z ll Shlnea, hallk Ahdul, 6 Shannon Studlo lnr for 0Z0NE
nodel searrh lIana, lL) J ll hatthew Knowles, 1 Xavler, 6 guest 9!.9 lhouston, IX) + ll Ihe Park lhouston, IX) S ll Lvte, Blg Blnk, 6 Ehonv Ihe Beat rar show lallas, IX)
6 ll 1 holldav, Rorko, Kasa, 6 YV Cluh Level for Ihe Beats hlrthdav hash lColunhla, SC) ! ll Lll Boosle reln Slxteen Seventv rlothlng Kush Lounge lCharleston, SC) 8 ll
Bun B 6 ES6 on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) 9 ll LeIova Lurkett 6 Kav Newell Zaks Studlo lAtlanta, 6A) I ll Unrle Luke 6 enetrlus Allen Sohe Llve for
Ioo Shorts hlrthdav artv lhlanl, lL) II ll 1 hl-C, Elora hason, 6 06 Ron C 6lo lhouston, IX) IZ ll 6rand Prlx 6 1 hlss Behavlor Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) IJ ll
Blg Cee 1av, C Wakelev, hlghtv hlke, 6rand Prlx, Blg An, 6 1 holla Ihe hoon for I1s 1s lIallahassee, lL) I+ ll Crlsro Kldd 6 1 1ark lrost Sharstown lhouston, IX) IS ll 6-
hark KYhP Awards lLoulsvllle, KY) I6 ll 1 Ieknlkz 6 6orllla Zoe 1 Ieknlkz hlrthdav hash lharon, 6A) I! ll 1-Boss 6 1 hl-C Paas BB lhouston, IX) I8 ll C Partvstarters
Blg Chrls 6 harquls wlth nodel searrh rontestants Studlo lnr for 0Z0NE nodel searrh lIana, lL) I9 ll Kelth Kennedv 6 1 Snallz Ihe Edge for 0Z0NE artv lIallahassee, lL)
Photo Credlts. -Rav l9), Edward hall lS), 1ulla Beverlv lI), Knowledge lI,J,+,8,II,I+,I!), hallk Ahdul lIS), hs Rlverrltv lI6), Ierrenre Ivson lZ,6,!,IZ,IJ,I8,I9)
lahove L-R). Chanllllonalre 6 Lll B of Ihe Park ln houston, IX lPhoto. Knowledge), 6urrl hane 6 Yung Berg Lurkles ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. -Rav), Lll hana 6 Pleasure P Cluh Level
for Ihe Beats hlrthdav hash ln Colunhla, SC lPhoto. Ierrenre Ivson)
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z!
Z8 ll 0Z0NE hA6

I
wanted to he dlfferent fron the rest. A lot of eole have a lot of
rhalns, hut l feel that |the Cravola hox rhaln] reresented ne. lts
verv voung, verv dlfferent. Nohodv ever had the ldea, so l got lt
done. l got lt done hv 1ohnnv.
Ihe rhaln ls worth S9S,, and lts nade u of all real dlanonds. Ihe lere
ls rrazvl
l used to love rravons when l was growlng u. So, l sald ln gonna get a
ruston deslgned rravon hox rhaln when l get older, wlth all the dlfferent
rolor rravon dlanonds ln lt, and l got lt. |lans] go rrazv. Ihev alwavs want to
take lrtures wlth lt and hold lt to see how nurh lt welghts. Ihev go rrazv for
lt. lts |ust rldlrulous.
ln gettlng nv rerord lahel rhaln nade rlght now. hv own rerord lahel ln
ronlng out wlth ls ralled Ilne ls honev Entertalnnent, so ln gettlng a Ilne
ls honev rhaln. So, he on the lookout for that and a lot nore leres and a lot
nore watrhes. ll
As told to Randv Roer
Photo hv 1ohnnv Nunez

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SEAN KINGSTON
CHILDS PLAY
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z9
CHILDS PLAY
I ll Klsha, 1enn, 6 Kerlsha Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase lAtlanta, 6A) Z ll 1 KIone 6 hakeen Ihe rean Cluh olre lSt Louls, h0) J ll honev hungrv Cllrk Cluh Red for
the BA Bovs l Llke All Ihat vldeo shoot lBlrnlnghan, AL) + ll 6uest, Eneror Searrv, 6 Yung 1or on the set of Lookln Bov lAtlanta, 6A) S ll 1R, IV 1ohnnv 6 fanllv, 6 readlorks
9J.J lhouston, IX) 6 ll Seventeen 6 Corev on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) ! ll Ireal Koha for thelr vldeo shoot l0rlando, lL) 8 ll hana Wes, Lll
Wavne, 1 Prlnre, Bun B, Chanllllonalre, 6 Z-Ro Bar Rlo for Bun Bs Z Irlll alhun release artv lhouston, IX) 9 ll hark halne 6 Lll Srrav Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase
lAtlanta, 6A) I ll Blgg V 6 Pookle Cluh hlllenlun l6reenvllle, hS) II ll Steh Lova 6 1 Ehonlx 9!.9 lhouston, IX) IZ ll Vldeo nodels on the set of Rlrk Rosss here l An vldeo
shoot lhlanl, lL) IJ ll Erlr Perrln 6 la Prlnress Vllla lontana for 6-harks artv wlth Bun B lLoulsvllle, KY) I+ ll hl-C, 1 Aarles, 6 06 Ron C the 60 1s Conferenre lhouston,
IX) IS ll 1P 6 1eff lxon on the set of how We o lt ln Ihe A lAtlanta, 6A) I6 ll Rav 1 6 1 headhussa Studlo lnr lIana, lL) I! ll I1 Chanan, ES6, 6 Corv ho Bar Rlo for Bun
Bs Z Irlll alhun release artv lhouston, IX) I8 ll a Rvno, llva, Wlrkett Crlrkett, 6 guest Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX) I9 ll Blgg V 6 Blgga Rankln Cluh lernler
lCleveland, hS)
Photo Credlts. 1 Aarles lI+), 1 KIone lZ), Edward hall lI), Erlr Perrln lJ), 1 Lash lIZ), 1ulla Beverlv lI,8,9,IS,I!,I8), Knowledge lS,6,II), Luls Santana lI6), hallk Ahdul
l6,!,IJ), Ralh Snlth lI9), Ihaddaeus hrAdans l+)
lahove L-R). Irlna 6 Raekwon Prlve for Irlnas alhun release artv ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. Bogan), Ierrenre 1 6 Rashan All house ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv), Ioo Short re-
ln U6K ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv)
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z9
J ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll JI
I ll hezeleo, hana C, Corev, Seventeen, I0E, Blg Buhh, 6 1 B-o on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) Z ll 6ettln CRUNKlll Cluh Red for the BA Bovs l Llke All
Ihat vldeo shoot lBlrnlnghan, AL) J ll hz Klttl 6 ueen Bar Rlo for Bun Bs Z Irlll alhun release artv lhouston, IX) + ll Rav Lavender, Rork Cltv, 6 Nlrk Love on the set of Rork
Cltvs vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) S ll Chlle 6 Steh Lova 9!.9 lhouston, IX) 6 ll 1 Prostvle, Ionv C, 6 1 6reg 6 Iahu l0rlando, lL) ! ll Uno of Ihe Park 6 lanous lhouston,
IX) 8 ll Corv ho 6 Chanllllonalre Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX) 9 ll Ionv Neal, I, 6 Kld Carl Cltv Blork for Statlr ha|or trlhute lLoulsvllle, KY) I ll Irlna 6 Slln
Ihug Prlve for Irlnas alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) II ll Reggle Reg, 06 Ron C, 1unlus, 6 1 hl-C Paas BB lhouston, IX) IZ ll Ierrl Ihonas 6 1 ue ISU lhouston, IX) IJ
ll at Bov Short 6 Brvan hlrhael Cox Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase lAtlanta, 6A) I+ ll 1unlus, 1 Coolald, 6 guest Paas BB lhouston, IX) IS ll had Llnx 6 hatt anlels
0ra Lounge lhlanl, lL) I6 ll All Vegas 6 vldeo nodels on the set of hls vldeo shoot lhlanl, lL) I! ll ES6 6 hls wlfe on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) I8 ll Wlllle
6 hlke of av Z6 wlth Ashlel Paas BB lhouston, IX) I9 ll ahane 6 Young B lhouston, IX) Z ll Lll Bankhead, har Bonev 6 BloodRaw Cluh Crurlal for BloodRaws hlrthdav
artv lAtlanta, 6A)
Photo Credlts. Bogan lI), 1 6reg 6 l6), Erlr Perrln lZ), 1 Lash lI6), 1ulla Beverlv lJ,+,8,IJ), Knowledge lI,S,!,II,IZ,I+,I!,I8,I9), hallk Ahdul l9), Ierrenre Ivson lIS,Z)
lahove L-R). hlss vnastv 6 hldget har on the set of hon-E 6s vldeo shoot ln 1arksonvllle, lL lPhoto. Ierrenre Ivson), 01 a 1ulre han 6 6urrl hane Patrhwerk ln Atlanta, 6A, Lll
Churkee 6 Lll Wavne Patrhwerk ln Atlanta, 6A lPhotos. 1ulla Beverlv)
0Z0NE hA6 ll JI
JZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Iextln ls no longer safe now that 0Z0NEs
dangerous nlnds have harked the svsten.
OZONE EXCLUSIVE
GREG STREET: 1erlane, we need to talk.
jERMAINE DUPRI: No, voure dead to ne.
GREG STREET: Cnon, nan. l renenher U slnre 9J when U used to wear ur
rlothes harkwards and furk wlth Krlss Kross. Youve heen nesslng wlth
llttle klds hefore Chrls Stokes. l dldnt nean the Slow Slow eath thlng.
Whats thls heef ahout!
jERMAINE DUPRI: l had sone leftover tllala fron nv restaurant ln the VIJ
hreak roon and vou ate ltl
GREG STREET: What the furk ls tllala! ln not nesslng wlth 1anet.
jERMAINE DUPRI: No, vou dunh rountrv nuthafurka. Illala ls sh, whlrh ls
nv favorlte dlsh.
GREG STREET: 1ernalne, U know l wont eat the food fron vour restaurant.
lt wasnt ne. But whvd U have to go on the lnternet and sav 1s are
dead over sone tllala!
jERMAINE DUPRI: lt wasnt |ust that. When U walked hv ne ln the VIJ hall-
wav the other dav, U steed on nv 1s. l horrowed then fron Bow Wow
and now l gotta huv hln a new alr.
GREG STREET: hv had, 1. Whv dldnt U |ust rall ne ahout lt!
jERMAINE DUPRI: lve heen husv. ln trvlng to get 1anet 1arkson and Soul|a
Bov together for the Yahh Bltrh Yahh So So ef renlx. Ihen ln gonna
get her on the V.l.C. 6et Slllv So So ef renlx. And after that, the Snell
Yo lrk So So ef renlx.
GREG STREET: You gotta sto naklng all thls whark nuslr, nan.
jERMAINE DUPRI: What! Snell Yo lrk ls vour rerord. ln dolng U a favor.
U need to ut 9th Ward on vour alhun too.
GREG STREET: Who!
jERMAINE DUPRI: U know, nv new artlst. he has thls rerord wlth 1anet. Walt
tll U hear lt. lts rrazv.
GREG STREET: Nah, nan. ln rool. l gotta go. lts 6. and nv shows ahout
to start. lll see U at the statlon tonlght. lll leave the nlr down low for U, l
know U rant rearh lt sonetlnes.
jERMAINE DUPRI & GREG STREET
- lron the nlnds of Erlr Perrln and Randv Roer lPhotos hv Ivson horne 6 1ulla
Beverlv)
JZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll JJ
I ll Ierrenre 1, 1P, 6 lred 1enklns lrequenrv lAtlanta, 6A) Z ll Ladv olla 6 Choer Cltv Bovz SU Srlngfest lBaton Rouge, LA) J ll hldget har 6 Shawtv on the set of hot
Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) + ll IV 1ohnnv 6 Crlne Paul Walls hlrthdav ronrert lhouston, IX) S ll hark halne, Lll Churkee, 6 Blg han Patrhwerk lAtlanta,
6A) 6 ll BSU 6 rrew Ihe Edge for 0Z0NE artv lIallahassee, lL) ! ll Yung 1or 6 Shawtv on the set of hot Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) 8 ll ueen, Young Burk,
6 Young B on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) 9 ll llo Rlda 6 Lvte Ihe Beat rar show lallas, IX) I ll 1av Love, 1 Nastv, 1 -Wrek, 6 1 +S Ihe Roxv
for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) II ll Blg Chrls, Slnone, harquls, and Neak Studlo lnr for 0Z0NE nodel searrh lIana, lL) IZ ll Blgga Rankln 6 lat Bov on the set of
hon-E 6s vldeo shoot l1arksonvllle, lL) IJ ll 1 KIone 6 All Star 1 Ierhnologv Retreat lSt Louls, h0) I+ ll Stretrh, Lvte, 6 E-Class Rhvthn Cltv lallas, IX) IS ll vnond 6
Stehanle Perrv Ihe hoon for I1s 1s lIallahassee, lL) I6 ll Kasa 6 YV Powerfest lAugusta, 6A) I! ll Ioro 6 1 Khaled on the set of loollsh renlx vldeo shoot lhlanl, lL) I8
ll Blgga Rankln, Rlrk Ross, 6 Kadlfe Svlvester Patrhwerk for Rlrk Rosss Irllla llstenlng sesslon lAtlanta, 6A) I9 ll Shareefa 6 LeLe hIV 1ans AIL Week lnlng lAtlanta, 6A)
Photo Credlts. 1 KIone lIJ), 1 Who lZ), -Rav lS), Edward hall l9,I+), 1ulla Beverlv lI,I8), Knowledge l+,8), hallk Ahdul lI,I!), hs Rlverrltv lI9), Ierrenre Ivson
lJ,6,!,II,IZ,IS,I6)
lahove L-R). Chaka Zulu 6 Clara Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase ln Atlanta, 6A, 1 Prlnre, 1as Prlnre, 6 Lll Wavne Bar Rlo for Bun Bs Z Irlll alhun release artv ln houston, IX
lPhotos. 1ulla Beverlv), hurrlrane Chrls 6 Irae ln houston, IX lPhoto. Kurtls 6rahan)
0Z0NE hA6 ll JJ
J+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
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I ll Seventeen, I0E, Blg Buhh, 6 1 B-o Bun Bs hlrthdav hash lhouston, IX) Z ll Ionv Neal 6 1 Es Ihe harlln lhlanl, lL) J ll I1 Chanan, BloodRaw, Chaos of 6rlnd
hode, hr Bones, reesv Bahv, Ezone, Seedrarer, 6 Shon Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) + ll hallk Ahdul, I1 Chanan, 1 r oon, 6 Ionv Neal Ihe hoon for I1s 1s
lIallahassee, lL) S ll Lavlsh hodels 6 Irae lhouston, IX) 6 ll Young lelz 6 Ihree 6 haa ISU lhouston, IX) ! ll Alfanega 6 1 +S Ihe harlln lhlanl, lL) 8 ll Rlrh Bov 6 1
en Ihe hoon for I1s 1s lIallahassee, lL) 9 ll Ieddv I 6 Chaos lunknaster llexs rar show lLoulsvllle, KY) I ll Bartenders Ihe Edge for 0Z0NE artv lIallahassee, lL)
II ll Chlll da hllllon ollar han 6 1 Z6un Ihe hoon for I1s 1s lIallahassee, lL) IZ ll Irov 6ather 6 Lll Boosle Kush Lounge for Slxteen Seventvs Lll Boosle show lCharleston,
SC) IJ ll Whlte Bol Plzal 6 frlends estlnv for awgnans Crunkfest l0rlando, lL) I+ ll Ethlola, YV, 6 Kerl hllson Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase lAtlanta, 6A) IS ll 1arvls 6
Rork Cltv on the set of Rork Cltvs vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) I6 ll Crlsro Kldd 6 Slln Ihug Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX) I! ll Kelsha 6llnton 6 Patrlrk Benolt Ihe
hoon for I1s 1s lIallahassee, lL) I8 ll Irae, Nanrv Bvron, 6 Starv Srhouhroek Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX)
Photo Credlts. 1ulla Beverlv lI+,IS,I6,I8), Knowledge lI,6), Kurtls 6rahan lS), hallk Ahdul lZ,!,9,IJ), Ierrenre Ivson lJ,+,8,I,II,IZ,I!)
lahove L-R). hldget har 6 Lll uval on the set of hot Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot ln Atlanta, 6A, Brlsro 6 lreewav 0ra Lounge ln
hlanl, lL lPhotos. Ierrenre Ivson), Corev 6 Slln Ihug on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta ln Port Arthur, IX lPhoto. Knowledge)
0Z0NE hA6 ll JS
J6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0ne nlght, l was golng to the rluh. l used to drlnk 6rev 6oose and Red Bull
all the tlne, hut l was |ust tlred of that drlnk. l gotta have sone tve of extra
shlt ln nv llquor, rause lf l dont, the llquor nakes ne tlred. lll he good for
a whlle, then after a roule of hours, the llquor starts hrlnglng ne down. l
was tlred of drlnklng the Red Bulls, hearlng all klnds of rrazv shlt, llke lt has
sonethlng ln lt thatll glve vou heart attarks. So, l |ust derlded to rone u
wlth nv own ronrortlon, sonethlng that l rould take to the rluh wlth ne.
Sonethlng thatll get nv nlnd rlght, as far as the alrohol art and sonethlng
else thatll kee nv energv u for the nlght. l |ust rane u wlth sonethlng
that l knew tasted good and sonethlng that l rould drlnk all nlght.
Ihe rst tlne l took lt to a rluh was Snooks C release artv. And havlng
lt that one nlght, the shlt got surh a rrazv resonse fron eole that saw
the hottle, eole that l let get sone of lt, shlt |ust raught on llke wlldre
after that. lt |ust glves eole another reason to rone to nv artles. l never
rharge eole lf thev want to get sone. lf lts sonehodv l furk wlt llke that,
all thev gotta do ls rone u and ask ne. lf ln dolng a artv, ln gonna have
hav 1ulre on derk. So, lts |ust another reason for eole to rone furk wlt
ne at the rluh.
lts alreadv tradenarked and atented. l dld that after l saw the otentlal. So,
anvhodv out there that feels llke thev wanna hlte nv shlt, lts too late. l done
heat vall to lt. So, vall |ust stav tuned. hav 1ulre ls ronlng to a rltv near
vou, so watrh out for lt.
As far as South Carollna nuslr, a 1 ls onlv as good as the nuslr thev lav.
Ihev got thelr shlt golng and thevre worklng wlth artlsts ln thelr narket. lt
alnt ahout helng the to 1 |ln South Carollna], lts nore ahout the eole
around vou and the qualltv of thelr work and thelr grlnd and thelr hustle, and
|ust helng ahle to rontrlhute to what thevre dolng. Ihats reallv the onlv wav
South Carollna ls golng to he ahle to nake lt ln the nuslr lndustrv. lf the na-
|or lavers ln the narket, fron the rogran dlrertors to the 1s to the artlsts
to the ronoters, ste thelr gane u, we ran all gure out how evervhodv
ran eat off the nuslr.
lts ahout ne dolng evervthlng l ran do to nake sure nuthafurkas take that
serlouslv. And nake sure nuthafurkas know were down here and nake South
Cark a forre to he furked wlth. At the sane tlne, naklng sure evervhodvs
eatlng and naklng nonev off thls shlt. l see that shlt haenlng real soon.
lorever, evervhodvs heen savlng, Whv do thev alwavs forget ahout South
Carollna! But lf vou look at lt, the tlnlng ls erfert. l rhallenge anvhodv to
show ne another reglon thats got the otentlal weve got, that hasnt done
lt alreadv. 0ther reglons have done lt. New York dld lt, Atlanta dld lt, the West
Coast dld lt, houston dld lt, New 0rleans dld lt, and hlanls dolng lt now. At
thls olnt, nuthafurkas fron South Carollna rant he rrvlng, whlnlng and
naklng exruses ahout whv thev dont furk wlth us, rause now lts our turn to
|un u and nake sure nuthafurkas do furk wlth us.
lve heen savlng South Carollna ls the nal frontler, thls ls the last unexlored
reglon. Ihev ran rone down here and hreak hread wlth us. A lot of artlsts
onlv rone down here when thevre dolng shows. Boosles heen to South
Carollna rohahlv Z-J tlnes ln the last vear, and everv tlne he rones, hes
gettlng SISk-Zk a o.
Now lts tlne for us to get nonev ln our own narket. Now Lll Rus golng
around dolng shows. 1 and Snook are gettlng ald shows. Llke l sald, the
tlnlng ls erfert. l guess lt was 6ods lan or our destlnv that lt took so long
for a reason. Ihats |ust the wav the shlt was suosed to haen. We |ust
gotta he reared to take advantage of the oortunltv. ll
- As told to Randv Roer ll Photo hv Clevls harrlson
Hometown: Born in charleston, Sc (raised in Florence, Sc)
Website: myspace.com/ScdJBlord
Radio Station: WXhT/columbia, Sc, WeaS/Savannah, ga
Mixtape Series: Trojan man
Clubs: all over South cack
TV Appearances: BeTs rap city 38 Times, 106 & Park, Trl
live, carson daly (w/ Petey Pablo)
Awards: #1 dJ In The South 2008 Sea, TJs Tastemaker
award 2006, make It happen award, 2007 SmeS, Best host
on a mixtape 2007, Best club dJ 2007 Sea, South dJ of The
year Tech.nitions 2004
3 Songs In Current Rotation: lil ru nasty Song, Snook da
rokk Star ft. lil Boosie models, mr. Taylor mirror dance
The South cack Kingpin tells the origins of his
infamous happy Juice concoction and explains
why he believes his home state is next on deck.
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I ll 6unlav 6 1 Khaled on the set of Rlrk Rosss here l An vldeo shoot lhlanl, lL) Z ll 1 Xavler 6 Iean Pluto Sharstown lhouston, IX) J ll 0Z0NE fans Cluh Red for
the BA Bovs l Llke All Ihat vldeo shoot lBlrnlnghan, AL) + ll 1 hlss Behavlor 6 Wuz 6ood Ihe hoon for I1s 1s lIallahassee, lL) S ll Iral 6 Lll uval on the set of hot
Stvlz vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) 6 ll Yung 1or 6 hot Stvlz on the set of Lookln Bov lAtlanta, 6A) ! ll Wendv av 6 hannle lresh 60 1s huslr Conferenre lhouston, IX) 8 ll
hr Colllark 6 Venon Cluh Level for Ihe Beats hlrthdav hash lColunhla, SC) 9 ll Lll Boosle 6 Bankroll 1onez Kush Lounge for Slxteen Seventvs Lll Boosle show lCharleston,
SC) I ll Nova 6 the Bahvlon Bunnles the Bahvlon Bovz rar show llt hvers, lL) II ll Shadv, 1ellv, 1 lresh, Unk, hlss E, 6 Bl Crossroads lhuntsvllle, AL) IZ ll 1ustlre League 6
Rlrk Ross Patrhwerk for Rlrk Rosss Irllla llstenlng sesslon lAtlanta, 6A) IJ ll Buttahnan 6 Iuna Basa hIV 1ans AIL Week lnlng lAtlanta, 6A) I+ ll Wlllle 6 1-Boss Paas
BB lhouston, IX) IS ll 6uest, Irae, 6 hlke lrost Paul Walls hlrthdav ronrert lhouston, IX) I6 ll Seventeen, 1 B-o, Blg Buhh, Corev, I0E, 6 hezeleo on the set of Bun Bs Ihats
6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) I! ll All Vegas 6 rrew on the set of hls vldeo shoot lhlanl, lL) I8 ll Kv|uan, Brandon, hurhv Lee 6 1 Kut olre lSt Louls, h0)
Photo Credlts. 1 lresh lII), Erlr Perrln lJ), 1 Lash lI,I!), 1ulla Beverlv lS,IZ), Klng Yella lI8), Knowledge lZ,I+,IS,I6), Lanont eSal l!), hallk Ahdul lI), hs Rlverrltv lIJ), Ier-
renre Ivson l+,8,9), Ihaddaeus hrAdans l6)
lahove L-R). Boo Rosslnl 6 Young 1eezv lreelons ln 1arkson, hS lPhoto. Ralh Snlth), Bootz, Irlna, 6 Burkeev Prlve for Irlnas alhun release artv ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. Bogan),
Bow Wow 6 Brvan hlrhael Cox Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv)
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I ll 6urrl hane 6 hLK Lurkles lAtlanta, 6A) Z ll en lranrhlze Bovz 6 Kadlfe Svlvester Cltv Blork for Statlr ha|or trlhute lLoulsvllle, KY) J ll Rlrk Ross, Perkas, 6 1 Khaled
on the set of Rlrk Rosss here l An vldeo shoot lhlanl, lL) + ll hana Wes 6 Red Bov on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) S ll 1lnl 1un, 1azze Pha, 6 1 Who
Platlnun ZI lAtlanta, 6A) 6 ll 1 B-Lord 6 hls hav 1ulre Kush Lounge for Slxteen Seventvs Lll Boosle show lCharleston, SC) ! ll Slln Ihug on the set of Bun Bs Ihats
6angsta lPort Arthur, IX) 8 ll Bun B, 1as Prlnre, hana Wes, 1 Prlnre, 6 Z-Ro Bar Rlo for Bun Bs Z Irlll alhun release artv lhouston, IX) 9 ll unk Rvders Northwestern hlgh
for henorlal av releh haskethall gane lhlanl, lL) I ll hean 6reen 6 1azzle Pashaa Ultra Lounge for Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX) II ll 1 ue, Lvte, guest, Reggle
Reg, 06 Ron C, Crlstal Buhhlln, 1 hl-C, Bav Bav, 6 guest 60 1s huslr Conferenre lhouston, IX) IZ ll Xavler, llvah, 6 0nar on the set of Bun Bs Ihats 6angsta lPort Arthur, IX)
IJ ll Irae 6 1 hella Yella lAustln, IX) I+ ll Lll hen, 1 1onastv, hallk Ahdul, 6 Young Cash Ihe harlln lhlanl, lL) IS ll 1lnl 1un 6 Unk SU Srlngfest lBaton Rouge, LA) I6 ll
Udonls haslen 6 Rlrk Ross on the set of Rlrk Rosss here l An vldeo shoot lhlanl, lL) I! ll Ierrl Ihonas 6 Yung Berg 9!.9 lhouston, IX) I8 ll BloodRaw 6 Pee Wee Cluh Crurlal
for BloodRaws hlrthdav artv lAtlanta, 6A) I9 ll Klottl, Crlsro Kldd, 6 Chanllllonalre Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX)
Photo Credlts. 1 Who lS,IS), 1 Lash lJ,I6), 1ulla Beverlv l8,I9), Knowledge l+,!,I,IZ,I!), Kurtls 6rahan lIJ), Lanont eSal lII), hallk Ahdul lZ,I+), hs Rlverrltv lI,9), Ier-
renre Ivson l6,I8)
lahove L-R). unk Rvders 6 Plthull on the set of unk Rvders vldeo shoot ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. Leon Llovd), Lll Wavne 6 Cllnton Portls Prlve for Irlnas alhun release artv ln hlanl,
lL lPhoto. Bogan), olla 6 Bu Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv)
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No dlsresert to the West Coast, hut Chlrago started thls gangsta shlt. But
voud never know lt fron looklng at nost of the rltvs rurrent surressful
hl ho arts. huslr fron the llkes of Lue llasro and Ihe Cool Klds have
donlnated Chl-Iown and nav glve outslders the wrong lnresslon of the
rltv hone to the nost lnfanous gangsters slnre Al Caone.
Count, hoonle, and Blg Rugg, also known as the Low End Professlonals
lL.E.P.) rone fron that slde of the trarks. Stralght off the streets of the
South Slde, these three dont attest to he anvthlng thev arent. But even
though thev do ganghanglng nuslr, thevve roved that vou ran do so
wlthout ronotlng vlolenre.
You need to hear ahout our olltlral rlsoners who strurtured these or-
ganlzatlons, and had these nelghhorhoods under rontrol where lt wasnt
all wlld out here llke lt ls now, savs Count. Ihev took the strurture
out the streets when thev lorked u our rhlefs and our other leaders. lt
wasnt all thls randon kllllng hefore then. We got a serlous storv to tell.
Ihls ls a Chlrago thlng, lus, we got sone reallv good nuslr.
L.E.P. are not rookles to the gane. Ihev onre had a deal wlth lntersroe,
hut soon arted wavs. Ihev hounred hark and lnked wlth Sonv, hut srared
the na|or awav when grou nenher and Counts hrother Larro was kllled.
Now, thev are golng the lndeendent route.
Weve heen out here grlndlng, urges hoonle, nentlonlng that thev have
songs wlth 1ln 1ones, Young ro, laholous and Rlrk Ross ln rotatlon on +
statlons. Weve had a few lahels rall us, hut thevre offerlng J6 deals. We
dont want a J6 deal. Weve heen good hv ourselves, so whv would we get
lnto a sltuatlon where sonehodv ran rontrol our nuslr!
L.E.P.s lndeendenre ls a qualltv enhedded ln then fron thelr ast. Also
known as the Bogus Bovs, the grou horrows thelr allas fron an offshoot of
Larrv hoovers 6angster lsrlles.
ln Chlrago hark ln the 8s and 9s Larrv hoover had a hlt noh ralled the
Bogus Bovs. When he had a rohlen wlth nfurkas, he would send the Bogus
Bovs to do hls nurderlng. hv rousln was an ofrlal nenher of that, and l
grew u around hln, hoonle reveals, llkenlng the nane rholre to how nanv
New York raers go hv ltallan gangster nanes llke 6ottl and 6anhlno. Ihe
Bogus Bovs got so hlg that thev haslrallv revolted and told Larrv hoover
furk vou, ln a sense. 0f rourse Larrv hoover dldnt llke that, so he nade lt so
anvhodv who sald thev was a Bogus Bov would he kllled. host of then got
annlhllated, hut there are stlll sone that are around now.
lf L.E.P. has thelr wav, thevll he around even longer.
- Words hv Erlr Perrln
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host artlsts earn thelr greatest degree of surress hv sharlng ronelllng
storles of thelr own exerlenres. Vorallst Boxle lans the arhleve fane ln
the sane nanner. At |ust I8 vears old, thls rhvthnlr ohserver has earned
a reutatlon for lerrlng eoles hearts wlth the rhllllng tales of heart-
arhe and tragedv he has wltnessed growlng u ln South 1analra, ueens.
But unllke other rontenorarv talents, thls rrooner has an old-srhool
vlhe. ln a street soul slnger, he savs. ln nore llke that erson vou
heard on the rorner doo-wolng ln the Ss.
Boxle, known to sone as 1ason endv, develoed hls rharlsnatlr vorals
as a rholr nenher at Blanrhe henorlal Batlst Churrh ln 1analra, New
York. But ln ZZ, the suerstar-ln-tralnlng took a ste forward ln hls
rareer hv slnglng Whv o lools lall ln Love ln front of the fanous
Aollo Iheater ln harlen. Ihat led to a sot on Showtlne At Ihe Aollo, a
svndlrated televlslon ronetltlon he would go on to wln.
Ihat was the hlggest thlng for ne herause l watrhed Aollo growlng u,
the teenage sensatlon reralls. When l won, lt rhanged evervthlng. l knew
thls was where l needed to he. l ronquered the toughest rrowd ln New York, and
|l was] slnglng doo-wo.
lor the next few vears, Boxle rerorded honenade audlotaes through a karaoke
narhlne and hustled then throughout hls nelghhorhood. Ihen, ln ZS, he
hegan ollshlng u hls gane wlth lrv 6ottl, 1a Rule and the rest of the ran at
hurder lnr.
Although he rourted offers fron ef 1an and hotown, he ultlnatelv slgned wlth
Polo 6rounds huslr ln Arll Z!. Polo 6rounds ls a hard worklng lahel and thev
showed love fron the gate, he exlalns. lts one thlng to do huslness wlth
sonehodv, hut lts another thlng to have a frlendshl hehlnd vour huslness.
Ihats what Polo 6rounds hrlngs to thelr artlsts. Ihev allow the artlsts to he
frlends other than |ust artlsts to the lahel. lts a fanllv.
Slnre then, Boxle rollahorated wlth fellow fanllv nenher hurrlrane Chrls for hls
slngle Plavas Rork. But for now, the rharlsnatlr vorallst ls ronrentrated on
generatlng exrltenent wlth hls radlo-frlendlv hallad Let he Show You.
hurh llke hls rhlldhood lnfuenres Stevle Wonder and lrankle Lvnon, Boxle ls
lannlng to arhleve great surress when he renleres hls studlo dehut ln late
Z8. Everv few vears, vou get one of those tlneless ro|erts that seaks for
ltself, he savs. Ihls ls one of those ro|erts.
- Words hv Bear lrazler ll Photo hv 1ulla Beverlv
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hen lle. lron the Sex 6 the Cltv rhlrks, Ashantl, Kells, 0rah, r. Phll...
the llst of folks who have nade a kllllng statlng the ohvlous ls endless
as the half-truths that guvs let sll fron thelr lls on the regular.

But London lnaglnes a dlfferent worldone where eole rut the
hullshlt. Personallv, he doesnt have a rohlen telllng a wonan
where he stands. lf she ran deal wlth lt, rool. lf not, he kees lt
novlng.

l rant he rhanged, hut l let vou know how l an off the |un,
the ZJ vear-old slnger savs.

hls UnlversallKPh dehut, han of hv Word, harks u hls rlalns.
Londons lalnsoken tendenrles show u on hls uheat lead
slngle, 0ne Ioo hanv. Ihe trark randldlv seaks on avlng the
ronsequenres for lndulglng ln too nurh alrohol ln the rluh and
naklng had hook-u derlslons.
But hls honestv doesnt sto there. Want You Bark, where he
adnlts to srrewlng u ln a relatlonshl, and Sonetlnes, an
enotlonal trark ahout trvlng to ronvlnre hls wonan that the
hovs wlll he hovs rllrhe ls nore than a nvth, further lllustrate
hls forthrlght nentalltv.

Ralsed ln 0akland, CA, London learned at a voung age to rhan-
nel hls rreatlve energv lnto nuslr. ln 0akland lt heled kee
hln out of trouhle. ln Atlanta lt heled hln survlve. When he
noved to the A ln ZZ after enrolllng ln a sunner rogran at
horehouse College, he dldnt reallze that hed end u sleelng ln
frlends ofres and on desks ln hls honehovs dorn roons.
l was stavlng fron lllar to ost, reallv, l was honeless, he savs
randldlv, addlng that he eventuallv landed a |oh at harvs.
llndlng that he rouldnt get nanrlal ald to attend the exenslve
rollege was a sethark, hut lt onlv strengthened hls wlll to hreak lnto
the huslness. he forned a grou, Best of lrlends, wlth a roule of hore-
house students and started erfornlng around ranus, drawlng a fork
of loval fenale fans.
l knew a nlght nanager at a studlo and thev would let ne rone rerord, he
adds. l would have to go at four ln the nornlng, so l would stav u all nlght.
Ihe englneer would let ne rone ln and wrlte to hls trarks, hut l had to leave at
seven when evervhodv got there.
hls erslstenre ald off. 0ne of the englneers was so ln love wlth the trark he ro-
dured for London that he started lavlng lt around the studlo, whlrh led to London
hooklng u wlth hls rurrent A6R, Sean harrls at Unlversal Rerords, ln Z+. he lnked
hls deal ln Z!, and hls alhun, due out ln Setenher, features rodurtlon fron Rodnev
1erklns and the 1uganots, anong others. Ihe ro|ert ls hoth street and hedroon-readv.
But whats nore, lts full of realltv tales that London savs refert hls own stralghtforward
tendenrles.
han of hv Word reallv lets eole get lnto ne, he savs. lts keelng lt real wlth eole and
lettlng then know that l an who l an.
- Words hv 1arlnta howard ll Photo hv 1ulla Beverlv
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I ll I-hud, Ionv Neal, 6 Lll Cltv Blork for Statlr ha|or trlhute lLoulsvllle, KY) Z ll Ihe EY Partv 9J.J lhouston, IX) J ll Iallh Kwell 1anus Landlng lSt Petershurg, lL) +
ll Reln 0Z0NE Cluh hlllenlun l6reenvllle, hS) S ll hr. 1errv owntown huslr lSt. Louls, h0) 6 ll herredes 6 aa on the set of hot Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot lAtlanta,
6A) ! ll Ioro wlth hls artlrle Northwestern hlgh for henorlal av releh haskethall gane lhlanl, lL) 8 ll hollvwood Studlo lnr for 0Z0NE nodel searrh lIana, lL) 9 ll
Crlsro Kldd 6 Brlan Angel fron av Z6 Pashaa Ultra Lounge for Crlsro Kldds hlrthdav artv lhouston, IX) I ll Blg Chrls 6 hallk Ahdul Studlo lnr for 0Z0NE nodel searrh lIana,
lL) II ll Leon Llovd Sohe Llve lhlanl, lL) IZ ll Boontown 6 LA Chlr hodels 60 1s huslr Conferenre lhouston, IX) IJ ll Brvan hlrhael Cox Lurkles for Bhl Urhan showrase
lAtlanta, 6A) I+ ll VlC lunknaster llexs rar show lLoulsvllle, KY) IS ll 1 B-Lord 6 Randv Roer Kush Lounge for Slxteen Seventvs Lll Boosle show lCharleston, SC) I6 ll 1
Blark 6 guest on the set of hot Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) I! ll 1 ISI, 1esslra Wllllans, 6 1 Snallz Ihe Edge for 0Z0NE artv lIallahassee, lL) I8 ll awgnan
6 Brlsro estlnv for awgnans Crunkfest l0rlando, lL) I9 ll IR llow 6 Carlos Cartel Kush Lounge for Slxteen Seventvs Lll Boosle show lCharleston, SC) Z ll Lloness Koha
l0rlando, lL) ZI ll henhls Bleek Sohe Llve lhlanl, lL) ZZ ll 6rlnd on the set of hot Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A) ZJ ll 1 hr Klng 6 harlel har Vllla lontana for
6-harks artv wlth Bun B lLoulsvllle, KY) Z+ ll Ire uhh, Slln Ihug, 6 hs Rlta Iexas Relavs lAustln, IX) ZS ll Sroohv of the 6rlt Bovs 6 Young B lhouston, IX) Z6 ll late Eastwood
6 Stlx Lovenolse for arnell Levlnes release artv lNashvllle, IN) Z! ll 1 Sllkk Vllla lontana for 6-harks artv wlth Bun B lLoulsvllle, KY) Z8 ll Lll Boosle 6 rrew Kush
Lounge for Slxteen Seventvs Lll Boosle show lCharleston, SC) Z9 ll Veda Lora 6 Irlna Ihe Beat lallas, IX) J ll 1 Ire 1 Ieknlkz hlrthdav hash lharon, 6A) JI ll Rlrkv Rlrh
lhouston, IX) JZ ll Shawtv Lo 6 Kvdd 1oe Powerfest lAugusta, 6A) JJ ll Klottl 6 9th Ward 9J.J lhouston, IX) J+ ll Klkl the Ist Ladv Ihe Beat lSt. Louls, h0) JS ll Yung 1or 6
hldget har on the set of hot Stvlz Lookln Bov vldeo shoot lAtlanta, 6A)
Photo Credlt. Bogan lII,ZI), Lvte lZ9), Edward hall l+), 1anlro hawklns lZ6), 1ulla Beverlv lIJ,ZZ), Knowledge lZ,9,ZS,JI,JJ), Lanont eSal lIZ), Luls Santana lJ), hallk Ahdul
lI,I+,I8,Z,ZJ,Z!), hs Rlverrltv l!,J), Iannle Whlte lS,J+), Ierrenre Ivson l6,8,I,IS,I6,I!,I9,Z8,JZ,JS), Ire uhh lZ+)
lahove L-R). Rav 1 6 Yung Berg Powerfest ln Augusta, 6A lPhoto. Ierrenre Ivson), hezeleo Ihe Beat rar show ln allas, IX lPhoto. Edward hall), on Cannon on the set of how We
o lt ln Ihe A ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv)
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Ihev sav vou ran tell a lot ahout a erson hv thelr nane. 0n hls Sll N
Slldel1lve dehut, slnger and songwrlter, wote, denltelv llves u to hls.
Ihere a storvllne hehlnd evervthlng that l wrlte, he savs of hls narratlve
alhun, wote Unqwote, due out thls sunner. l set lt u for the llsteners
fron the heglnnlng to the end. l talk ahout real llfe affalrs.
Earnlng the nlrknane Lll wote as kld after folks ln hls nelghhorhood
reallzed hed rall fraudulent rhararters out on anvthlng thev sald ln a
heartheat, the ZS vear-old rldes hlnself on seaklng nothlng hut the
truth. hls danre trark featurlng Irlna, ont Wanna llght, starts the
alhun off |ust the wav he wanted, raturlng a unlversal, hut down hone
sound.
Ihls ls a rlasslr alhun, he savs rondentlv. Ihe lvrlrs artuallv have
suhstanre. lts reallv an enotlonal |rerord].
Born ln haltl and ralsed ln hlanl, wote renenhers hls grandnother ll-
lng the house wlth the soulful sounds of San Cooke and the Ientatlons.
Calllng uon those lnfuenres to hel shae hls own nuslral ldentltv,
wote got hls start wrltlng for other artlsts. he worked extenslvelv on
Irlnas latest alhun. lnressed wlth hls ahllltles, Sll N Sllde derlded to
slgn hln ln Z!. lron there he lnked a dlstrlhutlon deal wlth 1lve Rerords
after fvlng out to New York and lnresslng the lahels CE0 Barrv Welss.
lllustratlng hls agllltv wlth the en, wotes llnal CutlSll-N-Slldel1lve dehut
hounres and weaves hetween leads of aologv on the woeful ln Sorrv
to tales ahout wantlng to hreak u wlth a glrl on Rose on a Lonelv Sundav.
And whlle he savs hls alhun aeals to evervone, wote ls reallv all ahout
seaklng to the ladles.
We he nesslng u so nurh, nan, he rhurkles. l want to lease the ladles
and l want to use lt as a nanual for the fellas too. We gotta get lt together. l
want thls alhun to hel kee relatlonshls hav.
Wlth 1ln 1onsln, hr. Colllark and Lll 1on lwho he savs ls rool as hell to
work wlth) hehlnd the hoards, wote ls rondent hls ro|ert wlll rearh all
klnds of llsteners.
l want thls alhun to lntrodure ne to the world, he savs. Ihls ls the glft
that 6od gave ne. l want lt to show that l was neant for thls lndustrv.
And vou ran quote hln on that.
- Words hv 1arlnta howard ll Photo hv Bogan
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lts a relehratlon whenever a voung hl ho artlst rlses to nalnstrean
ronlnenre herause stereotvlrallv, thev hurn thelr fortune on gas-guzzllng
Esralades and overslzed 1esus leres that straln thelr nerks.
But lf Z-vear-old Leland Austln, otherwlse known as Yung LA, earns a heftv
avrherk, he lans to urrhase a rltv. l wanna save all the houses herause
rlght now, ln Atlanta, thevre tearlng down all the ro|erts, he savs. lf l had
onald Irun hurks, ld huv the hood and renovate lt.
Ihe aslrlng landlord hoes to nake nllllons through sllnglng rhvnes. ln
Z, Yung LA was lntrodured to the art forn when hls aunt wrote hln a
verse a verse he would rerlte to rlassnates through hls tenure ln nlddle
srhool. Eventuallv, the huddlng raer wrote hls own hars and dlslaved hls
talent at rluh events and varlous nelghhorhoods ln Atlanta, 6eorgla.
Whlle the loral henonenon worked wlth a handful of snall lndeendent
lahels, the artnershls were hrlef. l would get sold dreans, he exlalns.
Peole werent alwavs keelng lt real wlth ne. Ihev dldnt thlnk l had what
lt takes to take lt to the next level. l went through a lot |ust to get stahle.
Ihat lnrluded selllng narrotlrs for ve vears |ust to have sone sort of
lnrone. ln Z!, however, the lvrlrlst worked alongslde 1 Llkwld for hls self-
nanred nlxtae Crush a Blork. Ihough the Atlanta enrees rlnted u |ust
! roles, lt sread llke wlldre throughout the ronnunltv and Young ro
even droed hv hls aartnent later that hav. We went to 6rand hustles |of-
re], LA reralls. |Co-owner] 1ason 6eter llstened and evervthlng was a go.
Nowadavs, the huddlng raer ls off the streets and sends nost of hls tlne
rerordlng nuslr. Ihough a dehut alhun ls ln the works, Yung LA ls ln the nldst
of foodlng the streets wlth Stuld lrultv Swag, a rharlsnatlr nlxtae featur-
lng nesnerlzlng ruts lnrludlng lall Bark wlth Yung Ralh and hls slngle
Alnt l, where Blg Kuntrv lends a hand.
lts nore than |ust a nlxtae, however. lor Yung LA, Stuld lrultv Swag ls also
a llfestvle. l llke wearlng a whole lot of loud srlng rolors llke llne green,
orange and vellow. Ihose rolors are frultv llke an orange, earh or ale,
the 6rand hustle standout exlalns. lts not onlv the rlothes vou have on, hut
vour swag ran he so lnnarulate to the olnt where vou sav, Ihls nan has a
stuld frultv swag.
Perhas hls rhvnes, and keen fashlon sense, wlll earn hln those onald
Irun hurks.
- Words hv Bear lrazler ll Photo hv Ierrenre Ivson
+8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll +9
A
kons ronvlrt-ternt-sanga surress and I-Palns raa-ternt-auto-tune
serlallst rowess have nade Konvlrt huzlk a hondaed rerord lahel. And
whlle Kon and Paln havlng heen snarklng asses on the danre foor, huv-
lng dranks and falllng ln love wlth hartenders, all whlle rerordlng enough
hooks to ut Nate ogg out of huslness, Konvlrts R. Cltv lalso known as Rork Cltv)
has heen atlentlv waltlng. As thevve walted thelr turn, these two hrothers fron the
Vlrgln lslands lIlnothv ont Ialk hurh and Iheron a Sokesnan) have enned
songs for evervone fron Usher to harlo to Enrlque lgleslas and nade a nane for
thenselves through energetlr llve erfornanres throughout the Southeast. luslng
together ra, R6B, o and reggae, R.C. dellvers a sound noderatelv fanlllar, vet
refreshlnglv new. Now, as thev rountdown the davs untll thelr dehut alhun Wake Ihe
Nelghhors hlts stores, Akons hest ket serrets are ahout shake thlngs u.
S ll 0Z0NE hA6
WORDS: RANDY ROPER // PHOTO: AMADI PHILLIPS
ll-r) Ilnothv 6 Iheron
Conlng fron St. Ihonas, what hrought vall to Atlanta!
Ilnothv. Peole are reallv struggllng |ln St. Ihonas]. A lot of eole see the
hearhes and the aln trees and thev thlnk that lf vou go to the Vlrgln lslands,
voull go to St. Ihonas and he llvlng the llfe. But lts llke anv other art of
the world. lts hoods down there. lts eole down there that are reallv, reallv
llvlng hard. We were one of those eole. lt |ust so haens that ne and nv
hrother were hlessed and glfted wlth thls nuslr shlt. We dld lt around the
lsland tll we got so hlg on the lsland and throughout the Vlrgln lslands we
rouldnt get anv hlgger hark hone. So we left hone, and after we graduated
hlgh srhool, nv arents gave us the otlons of llke, Yo, lf vall want to go to
rollege, well do our hest to hel. But lf vall are gonna do nuslr, vouve gotta
he nen. Youre gonna stlll have our suort, hut vou |ust gotta know thats on
vall. So we dld the nuslr thlng. We left and we went to hlanl, rause we had
fanllv there and one of our hest frlends was there. We staved there for llke
slx nonths and got a llttle rerognltlon around the rltv. lt |ust wasnt novlng
at the are that we exerted. Ihls was rlght around the tlne when Lll 1on and
the Ylng Yang twlns were oln, vou know, that whole Southern novenent.
Atlanta was hlowlng u, so ne and nv hrother thought thats where we need
to he. Sonehodv was fvlng us u here to do a show ln Atlanta and ne and
nv hrother were llke, han, how hout when we go there we |ust stav there!
At the tlne we dldnt know where we were gonna stav. Ihe eole that were
hrlnglng us to do the show ut us u ln a hotel. We were llke, Well gure that
shlt out when we get there. We rane to Atlanta, dld the show, and long storv
short, we gured lt out. We sturk around here for two vears, llvlng here and
there, and shlt was hard.
how dld Akon rone lnto the lrture!
Ilnothv. Bennv , Akons 1, ls one of our hest frlends. We all rane u to-
gether. he artuallv used to he our 1, so when we rane to Atlanta, lt was all
three of us trvlng to do thls shlt together. We dld nad talent shows ln Atlanta
at the tlne. 0ur nane started to get fanlllar and eole started furklng wlth
us. We started gettlng a llttle rerognltlon, hut shlt was stlll hard. We alnt get
a deal or nothlng. We started furklng wlth these rodurers. Shlt dldnt reallv
go the wav lt was suosed to and we klnda fell out. Ihev had sent us hark
to St. Ihonas, llke, Yo, we need to stark sone aer u. So were gonna send
vall down there for a nonth and hrlng vall hark u when shlt ls rlght, so we
ran nove forward. |Ihev] sent us hark to St. Ihonas and left us there. But lt
wasnt that had, at least we were at hone. Weve got fanllv there, thls was ln
Z+. he and nv hrother got on our grlnd and got regular |ohs and were llke,
lurk evervhodv, were gonna do thls shlt ourselves. Were slrk and tlred of
deendlng on nuthafurkas selllng us dreans and shlt and nothlng ls haen-
lng. So we saved our nonev and noved hark to Atlanta ln S. Been on the
grlnd llke rrazv, trvlng to get lt and started dolng shows agaln. At thls tlne,
Bennv was 1lng for Akon. Llttle dld we know Akon was gonna he as hlg as
he ls now, hut Akon showed us love even hefore he had a deal. We were llke,
Bennv, the nlgga needs a 1. 6o do that shlt and lf shlt os, vou ran rone
hark and get us. Ihen we started dolng shows after we noved hark here,
got a hlg, hlg huzz throughout the streets. But stlll, nohodv was reallv furkln
wlth us as artlsts. So we wrote a song on Akons rerord Konvlrted ralled Ihe
Raln. After that, a lot of eole started rearhlng out to us as songwrlters and
we started gettlng a lot of work. Ihats what reallv got us ln the gane. At thls
tlne we dldnt even do our deal vet. We rontlnued to do shows and a lot of
artlsts that we wrote for sread the word llke, Yo, Rork Cltv, then nlggas ls
the next nlggas. lts a hlesslng herause eole llke Usher were savlng that
ahout ne and nv hrother. So the word got around and Bennv told |Akon]
llke, Yo, vou need to furk then. Llke, then nlggas, thev readv. We dld the
deal wlth Kon and slnre then we heen grlndlng, hanglng out nlxtaes, dolng
shows, and we here where we at rlght now.
Yeah, when Usher and Akon start ro-slgnlng for vou, thats a good slgn voure
on vour wav.
Iheron. han, thls ls a hlesslng, ronlng fron St. Ihonas, Vlrgln lslands. Weve
worked wlth Usher, harv 6rav, Enrlque lgleslas, the Pussvrat olls, harlo,
Sean Klngston, and Leona Lewls. Ihe alhun that were worklng on rlght now
ls ralled Wake the Nelghhors. We had three lndeendent alhuns that we ut
out hark ln the Vlrgln lslands that dld rettv well for an lndeendent grou,
eserlallv helng that hl ho wasnt as hlg ln the Vlrgln lslands as lt ls now. l
thlnk thls ls our hest alhun herause weve nallv learned how to fuse all the
nuslr together. We heen ralng and slnglng, hut lt sounded llke ronfuslon at
rst. l thlnk we were talented hut dldnt know how to fuse all that nuslr to
nake lt sound llke one thlng. Ihls alhun, nan, wlth our nanager Rav, Erlra
6ravson our A6R, Nlkkl Ben|anln, our rodurt nanager, our uhllrlst 1asnlne,
evvne Stehens, evervhodv ln our ran, the 1uggernauts, the rodurers,
hvnotlrs, 1evuan. l thlnk our whole tean rollertlvelv ushed our talent to
where lt needed to he.
What ran vou tell ne ahout vour alhun!
Iheron. lts ralled Wake Ihe Nelghhors. Ihe ronret of the alhun, well, we
dont llke to redlrt the future, hut we klnda had a trllogv ln nlnd. llrst ls
Wake Ihe Nelghhors. Ihen we wanted to go wlth Ihere 6oes Ihe Nelghhor-
hood, and nallv Ihe Evlrtlon Notlre. Wake Ihe Nelghhors ls llke, were
novlng lnto the nelghhorhood and dolng sonethlng dlfferent, and the world
needs to wake u. Yall need to see whats golng on around vou and rhange
lt. Ihe alhun ls a rollertlve of hl ho, reggae, R6B, o, alternatlve, everv-
thlng, lts |ust hlg nelodv. We ra Anerlran, we ra ln our arrent, the wav we
naturallv talk. We do sone reggae shlt, we do huge o rerords. Ihen we do
sone urhan tve of R6B. So, l ran honestlv sav lt does have sonethlng for
evervhodv. ln not gonna sav evervhodvs gonna llke lt. Were all entltled to
our own olnlons, and thats sonethlng that we stress. We |ust want eole
to furk wlth us.
how nurh lnfuenre dld Akon have on vour alhun!
Iheron. Io he honest, Akon slgned us herause he was so husv and so nurh
golng on, he needed sonehodv that he dldnt have to rater to. Weve never
heen ln the studlo wlth Akon, not onre. he slgned us haslrallv knowlng that
we rould do our own thlng, and hes exrlted ahout lt. he was llke, han, l love
vall nlggas. Worklng wlth Akon ls a hlesslng herause hes the rst erson
weve ever heen around that let us do us. he dont |un. hes llke, Yo, l
helleve ln what vall do and l wouldnt slgn vall lf l dldnt. hes exrlted llke
we are.
howd vou derlde to go wlth Losln lt as vour rst slngle. lts nore R6B!
Iheron. han, vouve gotta hlane our A6R Erlra 6ravson. We wrote the song
for Irev Songz, and she sald, No, vou rant glve hln that song, that songs
a furkln snash. We dldnt wanna nake a song llke that, hut she was llke,
Irust ne. 1ust do lt.
Ilnothv. Were sone ronronlslng dudes, so we derlded to trv lt.
Iheron. lf lts good, what would lt hurt! And lf lts whark, okav, we dldnt
want to do lt anvwav. Everv tlne we laved that rerord for |sonehodv], lt
stood out. When vou hear lt fron a lot of eole, we |ust sald, 0kav, l guess
thls ls the rerord.
Konvlrt huzlk has a lot of artlsts. Akon, I-Paln, Rav Lavender, Colhv 0onls.
Were vou ever wonderlng when vou were golng to get vour turn!
Iheron. l alnt gonna lle to vou, not reallv. Ihe songwrltlng thlng was novlng
so well. We alwavs had another outlet to exress ourselves through nuslr. l
was |ust roud to sav, 6od, lf l rould wake u everv nornlng and let nuslr
he nv llvlng, lll he hav. And at that tlne, Rork Cltv the artlsts werent hlg,
hut Rork Cltv the wrlters were gettlng work evervwhere. We were never nad.
l was artuallv hav for Kon, rause we knew Kon when he was |ust as hroke
as we were. Io see that hrother surreed was a hlesslng to us. When Akon ut
out Konvlrted, l dont thlnk he even knew lt was gonna he that hlg. Nohodv
knew. he was llke 0h, shlt. Cause we got slgned hefore |Akons] alhun rane
out and |the lahel] had a lot of lans, and then the nlgga herane the hlggest
thlng on the lanet and we were llke, Wow. We alwavs knew we would get
our turn, and after the ast few vears, weve |ust learned to he atlent. Ihe
naln forus was to take rare of our fanllv, nv daughter, nv hrothers nlere,
nv non and dad, and we were ahle to do that. We alnt never had too nanv
ronlalnts. l rant even lle.
ld vou ever ronslder |ust keelng vour rareers as songwrlters and not ursu-
lng the artlst thlng anv further!
Iheron. No, the artlst thlng was alwavs #I. But at least we were ahle to feed
our fanllles. l nean, we were dlrt hroke, dann near honeless. Ihev dldnt
have nothlng to eat. Wed have to eat a sllre of rheese. So when we were
ahle to feed our fanllles, we werent ahle to ronlaln too nurh. ont get
ne wrong, we wanna wln as artlsts so had, nan. l rav ahout lt everv nlght,
and nv hrother does too. We talk ahout lt all the tlne. We slt ln the rar and
talk ahout lt. We wanna wln. Weve heen hlessed, so l rant slt here and trv to
ronlaln, hut weve heen waltlng atlentlv for our turn. We see lt ronlng and
we hoe lt works out.
You were featured ln 0Z0NEs Patlentlv Waltlng vears ago. Was that vour rst
lntervlew!
Iheron. Ihat was one of our rst lntervlews. Ihat was our rst hlg nagazlne.
Ihat was a hlesslng, herause ln our nlnds we arerlate evervthlng. ln our
nlnd, 0Z0NE ls as hlg as lt |gets]. We were llke, What are thev dolng lnter-
vlewlng us! We alnt nohodv. 0ur nanager and eole around us are alwavs
trv to renlnd us, Yo, vall are talented. We he llke, lor real! Were |ust
exrlted that eole artuallv llke our shlt. ll
0Z0NE hA6 ll SI
SZ ll 0Z0NE hA6 SZ ll 0Z0NE hA6 SZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll SJ 0Z0NE hA6 ll SJ 0Z0NE hA6 ll SJ
You |ust rane off a Euroean Iour. What was the
overseas resonse and how ls lt dlfferent than
what vou get here ln the States!
1ulrv 1. We hlt llke twelve rltles ln three weeks. lt
was great. lt was off the rhaln. Peole were golng
rrazv.
What ls the overall nessage of vour new alhun
Last Z Walk!
1 Paul. lts |ust the sane thlng. lts |ust sone
gangsta shlt llke we alwavs do lt. A lot of eole
were nervous when thev heard the Lolll rerord
herause, vou know, lts dlfferent, hut we |ust want
the fans to know that the overall alhun ls |ust
llke anv other Ihree 6 haa alhun. lts thug shlt
nan, lts rrazv, lts one of our hest alhuns ever, so
voure golng to love lt.
Youve alreadv released two huge slngles off Last
Z Walk, Lolll and ld Rather. What else ran we
exert to rone next!
1ulrv 1. Iheres a hunrh of songs on there that
rould he slngles. When the alhun rones out were
golng to let the fans derlde what thev want to
he the next slngle. Wlth all thls lnternet stuff
weve ut out three or four songs over the last
few vears, were |ust glvlng the fans sonethlng
whlle thev walt. lts an aetlzer, vou know what
l nean!
Was that the llne of thlnklng when vou released
oe Bov lresh as a slngle wlth no alhun!
1 Paul. oe Bov lresh was golng to he a slngle
on the alhun, hut we ended u re-rerordlng the
na|orltv of the alhun. Ihere are a lot of songs on
the alhun that wlll he honus trarks for dlfferent
retall outlets. When oe Bov lresh was released
as a slngle lt sold over a nllllon rlngtones and
a nllllon downloads, hut we |ust dldnt feel that
the alhun was all the wav readv, so we went hark
herause we wanted to nake sure we at least had
four to ve slngles on there hefore we released
the alhun. So we went hark and re-rerorded
Lolll, whlrh ls rohahlv one of the hlggest
Ihree 6 haa songs ln hlstorv. We re-rerorded
ld Rather and a hunrh of other songs, so lts a
good thlng we ushed the alhun hark, rause we
wouldnt of had anv of those songs lf we ut lt
out hark then.
1ulrv 1. Ihe alhun ls a lot stronger now. lt wasnt
as strong hark then. Weve got hetter rodurtlon
and evervthlng.
1 Paul. We got nore features too, llke Akon and
6ood Charlotte. We have stronger features on
there now.
Wlll vou he dolng a Unlted States tour wlth the
release of the new alhun!
1 Paul. Yeah, were golng to tour the states. When
we were overseas we ronoted the new alhun
herause lts golng to rone out the sane dav over
there, thev ran order lt onllne. So now were go-
lng to hlt the road ln the states. We |ust left Vegas
so were denltelv golng to hlt sone nore sots.
Ihe last alhun, host Known Unknown, was huge
wlth slngles llke Stav llv, Poln hv Collar,
Slde Z Slde, Pussv 6ot You hooked, and all the
renlxes. how ls Last Z Walk golng to to that!
1 Paul. We dont know vet. We reallv dont nake
an alhun to trv and to the last the last alhun.
host Known Unknown ls an old alhun, vou know,
all those rherks are rashed, all those drugs are
used, the heers are drunk, all that shlt ls over
wlth. Were |ust trvlng to nake sonethlng we
know the fans are golng to llke. We know our fans
nlnds, so lf we llke lt, thev should llke lt too. We
|ust trv to nake sonethlng thevre golng to llke
everv go round. We dont forus on none of the
ast, we |ust go and look toward the future, and
whats golng on ln the sound of the world. Ihats
what we forus on, and well see what haens.
how dld vou llnk u wlth wlth Unk on the new
alhun!
1 Paul. han, that was great. We artuallv |ust dld a
song for 1 Unks alhun as well.
You have nade a few novles and ohvlouslv had a
hand ln hustle and llow. Anv nore novle ro|erts
ln the works!
1 Paul. We artuallv had three novles, Cholres l,
Cholres ll, and ueen of he, whlrh was a ronedv.
We |ust wrote three nore novles. one ralled Ihe
Streets of henhls, Cholres lll, and weve got a
hl ho ln that ls stlll untltled. Were alwavs
worklng on the novle thlng and wrltlng novles.
Iell ne ahout vour new rlothlng llne.
1 Paul. Weve got an onllne store. Ihe rloth-
lng lsnt avallahle ln stores, so lf soneone gets
one out of a store, thevre huvlng a hootleg. Ihe
onllne store ls www.dangerusskandulus.ron or
www.nvsare.ronldxsrlothlng. lts heen dolng
real good. lts hl ho rork gear. lts nalnlv t-
shlrts, hut weve got sone handanas ronlng out
and sone sexv t-shlrts for the ladles. So lts |ust a
t-shlrt llne as of now.
So seaklng of rork nuslr, a lot of hl ho artlsts
are rearhlng out arross the dlfferent genres of
nuslr. What else are vou dolng to hlend the two!
1 Paul. Weve got a song on our alhun wlth 6ood
Charlotte. We dld IRL wlth then. We were klrklng
lt harkstage at the renlere of sone vldeo, l rant
renenher, and we ended u helng ln rst rlass
together on our flght hark to L.A. rlght after IRL.
We started talklng to then and that turned lnto
gettlng together and |ust drlnklng and rhllllng
and lettlng us hear sone trarks thev nade, and
S+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Most Known
UnKnown is an old
albUM, yoU Know, all
those checKs are
cashed, all those
drUgs are Used, the
beers are drUnK, all
that shit is over with.
were jUst trying to
MaKe soMething we
Know the fans are
going to liKe.
0Z0NE hA6 ll SS
we were llke, han, thls shlt ls doe. We ended u
ralng over lt, and lts reallv a strong song.
Youve gotten rerognltlon fron nalnstrean
Anerlra hv wlnnlng an 0srar and aearlng on
CBSs Nunhers. how has that exosure afferted
vour rareers and nuslral forus!
1ulrv 1. l nean, l thlnk lts good, vou know! Ihe
nuslr ls stlll the sane. But as far as our nane and
rerognltlon and nonentun wlth our new alhun
ronlng out, l thlnk lts good. Evervhodvs exert-
lng and waltlng on thls new alhun, so l thlnk lts
heen a great hel.
6lven that vou havent reallv altered vour sound
over the vears, how do vou stav relevant through-
out all the fads hl ho has seen ln the last I8
vears!
1 Paul. We |ust forus on what we know our fans
are golng to want to hear. We dont trv to go wlth
sonethlng thats hot at the tlne or sonethlng
that evervhodv else ls dolng. We kee u wlth the
sound whenever we ran to reallv nake lt relevant,
hut agaln, vou gotta go wlth what got vou there.
We dont trv to trlrk our fans, wlth one alhun
soundlng one wav and one alhun golng stralght
to the left. Ihats how vou start loslng fans, thevll
he nervous to huv vour alhun. We never had to do
as nurh ronotlon herause our fans alwavs knew
what thev were golng to get. 0ur fans alwavs
rone rst.
Ihe ra gane has rhanged a lot slnre vou rst
rane ln, wlth the lntrodurtlon of rlngtones, lIunes,
Naster. how have vou ad|usted vour aroarh to
the huslness slde of the gane!
1ulrv 1. We |ust nake sure our arrountlng ls ln
lare so everv tlne we sell a rlngtone, we get
sonethlng off that.
1 Paul. Ihe lnternet ls so sneakv. Ihere are so
nanv wavs for eole to steal vour nuslr, vouve
gotta he rareful. You rant sto lt fron haenlng,
lts |ust a art of the world todav, and lts onlv go-
lng to get worse. All vou raers out there readlng
thls, l hoe voure savlng vour nonev.
Youve had a lot of nenhers rone and go over the
vears fron the hvnotlzed hlndz ran. how have
vou two ket vour forus and ket the nuslr golng!
1ulrv 1. You |ust have to stav forused on the nuslr
and the dreans, and the arronllshnents were
trvlng to arhleve. Were |ust ushlng the hvno-
tlzed hlndz Entertalnnent lahel on to of Ihree
6 haa and rarrvlng the lahel. We alwavs trv to
stav forused on that, and thats nalnlv how weve
nanaged to stav together and kee worklng. We
work hard evervdav, and veah, weve nade nonev,
hut we trv to kee uttlng nuslr out that eole
want to hear. Were all ahout the fans at the end
of the dav. Wlthout the fans we wouldnt have
surress, so we glve the fans what thev deserve
and ush the Ihree 6 haa hrand and hvnotlzed
hlndz hrand over the to.
Are vou lannlng to add nore nenhers to the
grou ln the future as vou have ln the ast!
1ulrv 1. 0h, no. Were not looklng to add anv nore
nenhers. Weve got two nenhers ofrlallv, and
well leave lt at that.
1 Paul. Ihats all we need.
What do vou do outslde of nuslr to stav grounded
as hunan helngs! What are vour nornal evervdav
artlvltles!
1ulrv 1. 6o to a harl
1 Paul. 6o to a harl
What other huslness ventures are vou rurrentlv
worklng on!
1 Paul. We reallv |ust forus on our other artlsts.
We alwavs kee sone lndeendent artlsts on
hoard. Weve got an artlst naned lravser Bov,
hls alhun Ihe Kev |ust droed last nonth. Weve
got another artlst naned Yung , hls alhun ls
rohahlv drolng ln August. Lll Wvte alwavs does
real, real good on the lndeendent rlrrult. And
Pro|ert Pat has got a new alhun ronlng out and
weve got an artlst naned Chrone. Weve alwavs
got sonethlng lndeendent rolllng on the slde.
Besldes helng on the road, were worklng on thelr
alhuns.
What are vou guvs dolng ersonallv to develo
vour artlsts!
1 Paul. We nalnlv |ust talk to then. huslr ls
one thlng, hut havlng vour nlnd rlght ls the
naln thlng. So we nalnlv |ust talk to our guvs.
hvnotlzed hlnds ls a srhool. lts a tralnlng ran,
not |ust a rerord lahel. We talk to our artlsts ahout
gettlng thelr nanres stralght, tearhlng then
how to he a nan and take rare of thelr fanllv and
get the hllls ald on tlne, keelng the household
together and stavlng out of trouhle, and how
to overrone an rohlen wlthout ulllng out a
weaon. Ihere are wavs to get around thlngs
wlthout gettlng lnto trouhle. Iheres alwavs go-
lng to he eole ln vour fare trvlng to hrlng vou
down. So we alwavs trv to talk to our artlsts and
get thelr nlnds rlght to overrone anvthlng that
thev nlght rone arross.
Seaklng of stavlng out of trouhle, vou guvs have
never reallv heen ln the tahlolds llke sone other
raers. Whv ls that!
1ulrv 1. We |ust nalntaln our forus. You never
know what nav haen, so lts hest to |ust klnda
stlrk to vourself and do what vou do wlthout
runnlng the streets, herause thats how vou get
raught u. You |ust gotta stav forused. Ihats the
naln thlng. Iheres tlne for artvlng and a tlne
for nlsrhlef, hut vou gotta searate the two. You
rant nlx en hoth together herause thev dont
nlx. You never know what rould haen, hut vou
should alnost alwavs know whlrh wav to go. You
know lf vou want to go to the har, vou gotta lrk
vour har.
You guvs lnfuenre a lot of eole and ln sure
there are rountless artlsts who want to work wlth
vou. Whats the roress for an u and ronlng art-
lst who ls wantlng to work wlth vou!
1ulrv 1. 1ust hlt us u. Were wllllng to work
wlth anvone, vou know! We llke worklng wlth
underground artlsts herause when vou work wlth
underground artlsts vou hel en rone u. lts a
good feellng, gettlng hehlnd soneone whos out
there grlndlng |ust llke we were hark ln the dav
and knowlng we heled en out to nake then
a natlonallv known and a worldwlde artlst. We
dont nlnd worklng wlth anvhodv. lts all good
vou know! lts not all ahout the nonev lts ahout
the hl ho gane and helng ln the huslness and
ensurlng the gane rearhes the next level. Were
trvlng to kee the hl ho gane golng. l thlnk lts
good for huslness herause lt extends vour nane
and nakes vou a tean laver. Were tean lavers,
we roll wlth the tean.

how would vou ronare the rurrent state of hl
ho to when vou rst rane out!
1ulrv 1. You know, lts dlfferent. Youve got all
thls hootlegglng goln on. Bark then there wasnt
that nurh hootlegglng. You rould rone out wlth
a rerord, not even have no radlo lav, and sell a
nllllon roles. Now vouve gotta have radlo lav,
ronotlon, lts a lll tougher now, hut vou know,
tlnes rhange. Ihe lnternet has taken over the
whole nuslr lndustrv. We |ust gotta kee ronlng
u wlth new ldeas and new wavs to get our olnt
arross, and trvlng to get our alhuns out there and
the rlothlng llne. Iheres other thlngs vouve got-
ta do ln hl ho now to nake lt. You gotta kee
sone underground nuslr rollln, as well as uttlng
out na|or nuslr. lts a rhallenge rlght now, hut
were golng to work around lt. lts all good.
Wlll there he a serond season of Adventures ln
hollvhood!
1 Paul. Nah, we alnt dolng that no nore, hut
well rohahlv do another IV show. lt was rool,
hut lt was tlne-ronsunlng. Weve gotta get hark
on thls nuslr.
1ulrv 1. Weve gotta glve the fans what thev de-
serve and what thevve heen waltlng on.
o vou have anv ldeas for how voud llke to do
vour next IV show!
1 Paul. We rant tell vou that vet herause lts a
serret.
1ulrv 1. Yeah, lts ln the works rlght now.
1 Paul. l would do a datlng showl You rould go
for vears wlth those.
1ulrv 1. 6o on dlfferent dates wlth all klnds of
wonen fron all over the world. A worldwlde look
on datlngl ll
we talK to oUr artists
aboUt getting their
finances straight,
teaching theM how
to be a Man and taKe
care of their faMily
and get the bills paid
on tiMe, Keeping the
hoUsehold together
and staying oUt of
troUble.
0Z0NE hA6 ll SS
S6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
ont rall Yung Berg a one hlt wonder. Now
that he has Sexv Ladv, Sexv Can l and hls
latest slngle Ihe Buslness under hls helt, thls
ZZ-vear-old raerlrodurerlsongwrlter fron
the Wlndv Cltv would nurh rather he referred to
as a voung hoss. hls dehut alhun Look What
You hade he dros thls August, hut Berg ls
alreadv rondent hes the hest.
Youre ronsldered a new artlst, hut a lot of eole dont know that vou
were slgned to hXs Bloodllne Rerords. Can vou talked ahout that
sltuatlon!
l got nv rst deal at IS. l was slgned to hXs rerord lahel Bloodllne
through ef 1an. lt was a good sltuatlon for ne. lt allowed ne to see a
lot of dlfferent thlngs that were haenlng ln the gane and he around
a lot of dlfferent eole, llke whlle Ror-A-lella was rrarkln and X had
the Ruff Rvder novenent rrarkln. l was ahle to he around that |and]
soak u a lot of good energv. But nv arents shled ne to hoot ran
when l was I! to hontana. So, l lost nv deal. And l had |ust got hark
on nv grlnd, l had alreadv had relatlonshls wlth eole llke Eve. So, l
went out to L.A. wlth Eve, shes llke nv hlg slster, she was dolng her IV
show. l got wlth nv rrew, then l leaked nv song to the radlo and now
here we are.
ld vou get frustrated when vou lost vour deal herause vour arents
sent vou to hoot ran!
Aw, hell veah. Ihat shlt was furked u. l was voung, l felt lt was nv
tlne. But l guess aarentlv lt wasnt.
Ihe slngle that vou leaked to radlo was Sexv Ladv, rlght! how was lt
watrhlng that rerord hreak!
lt was great. l sold a nllllon rlngtones. l got a lot of nonev, dld a lot of
shows and rontlnued on nv |ournev to where ln at rlght now.
host of the artlsts that are known for ronlng out of Chlrago are nore
llke the Connons and Kanve Wests. ld thev lnfuenre vou at all! Your
nuslr doesnt sound llke that real heavv Chl-Iown tve nuslr.
Ihev denltelv were lnfuenres for ne. But thats what the nlsronre-
tlon ls ahout Chlrago, lts not one tve of nuslr that ran rone out of
Chlrago. Evervhodvs not a ronsrlous raer and dee thlnker llke Lue
S6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
WORDS: RANDY ROPER // PHOTO: MEENO
0Z0NE hA6 ll S! 0Z0NE hA6 ll S!
or real osltlve and verv readlng or a hlark leader llke Connon or llke
Kanve. Ihere are dlfferent eole ln dlfferent states. ln |ust the voung
of lt, the nore vouth, urhan of whats golng on ln.
Peole dont know nurh ahout vou. What tve of artlst do vou ronslder
vourself to he!
ln a |ark of all trades, dawg. l rodure, l wrlte, l own nv own rerord
ronanv. ln |ust voung. ln a voung hoss, nan. Ihats what l an. Ev-
ervthlng l do ls voung hossed u. l ut nv own rerords out, rodure nv
own rerords, l wrlte R6B for other eole, l wrlte ras for other eole.
ln real self-rontalned.
lf eole sav Yung Berg ls a one hlt wonder, how do vou take that rrltl-
rlsn!
Ihev rant sav that rause lve heen on so nanv other songs hesldes
Sexv Ladv now. he and Rav 1 got a song |Sexv Can l] that went #I.
hv other rerord o Ihat Ihere ls out hurnlng u ln the rluhs. hv ofrlal
slngle off the alhun Ihe Buslness, lts ahout to have llke ftv ads next
week. So, theres no wav for vou to sav ln a one hlt wonder, lts too
nanv furkln songs.
howd vou hook u wlth Rav 1!
Rav 1 ls one of nv nlggas. l asked hln to he on nv alhun hark ln the
dav. And then, when Sexv Ladv was oln, l rerorded Sexv Can l
last vear. Ihev wanted lt to he nv slngle hut l was llke, lf lt herones nv
slngle, ln gonna he the sexlest nuthafurka allve. And l was llke, Nah,
l rant do that. Cause l dldnt wanna he ln a hox. l alreadv knew eole
were looklng at ne and trvlng to vlew ne ln a dlfferent wav. l felt llke
l had to do sonethlng dlfferent. So, we nade lt hls slngle. But lts not
reallv hls slngle, lts nv slngle, lts a duel slngle, vou know what ln
savln. lts on hls alhun, lts on nv alhun. And shlt, l |ust wanted to get
nv Chlrs Brown, I-Paln look on. ln slttlng here watrhlng BEI now. Sexv
Can l |ust went off and o Ihat Ihere |ust rane on.
Whats the sltuatlon wlth vour alhun!
Ihe alhun rones out August IZ. As far as feature wlse, on the alhun,
we got Llovd, Irev Songz, Anerle, Eve, Collle Buddz, Iwlsta and nv YB
artlst, her nane ls Casha. Shes the nost lnortant feature on the alhun
for ne. Shes on the rst slngle ralled Ihe Buslness, a rerord l wrote
and rodured wlth nv nan Roh holldav. lts rodured hv ne and Young
Bosses, wlth the exretlon of o Ihat Ihere whlrh was rodured hv
Exel. hv nan Boogs rodured one song ralled Can l 6et Your Nunher.
And then Colllark rodured the |olnt wlth ne and Llovd ralled han-
ager.
Youve heen ln the news and on the lnternet ln a lot of heef latelv. llrst
of all, wlth Bow Wow. Where dld that start!
honestlv, lve alwavs heen a ronetltlve dude. When l was slgned to X,
at that tlne Bow Wow was oln off wlth 1ernalne |url]. l alwavs felt
llke rlvalrv, lt was never llke no hate or nothlng llke that. But l wanted to
get lt oln then. Later on ln llfe, we started furklng sone of the sane
hoes. And then our hltrhes talk, thev started savlng Bow sald thls and
that, so l started gettlng a had taste ln nv nouth ahout Bow. And then,
l sald what l sald. But the nost lnortant thlng ls that ne and the hov,
we llnked u. We talked ahout lt llke sone grown nen and lts all good.
l dont got no hate for Bow Wow or nothlng. hes rool. But ln |ust dolng
ne. Ihe nost lnortant thlng ln nv llfe ls nvself and nv rrew. And lf
vou alnt ln alllanre wlth ne and we alnt rool, then furk vou.
SandraRose.ron had a lrture of vou and Bow Wow, savlng that vou all
had a ght at a howllng allev. So, all of that was untrue!
han, that shlt was so fugazv. l was telllng that nlgga hav hlrthdav or
whatever the furk was golng on. We dann near rane together to neet
u there to go to |Atlanta] J |howllng allev] and then go to hls hlrth-
dav artv at Velvet Roon after that. So, Sandra Rose, she |ust loves Bow
Wow, |vou ran tell] hv the wav her wehslte looks. She llkes dlrk surklng
on that nlgga. l nean, lts all love though.
Another sltuatlon vou got lnto was wlth vour llo-Rlda ronnents. You
got sone harklash fron that too. Were the ronnents vou nade ahout
llo-Rlda taken out of rontext!
Yeah, llke rone on, nan. ln fron the Chl, we lav the dozens. We talk
shlt, shallow slt all dav. l dldnt nean no dlsresert when l sald |Your
alhun got ushed hark llke llo-Rldas halrllne]. Ihe ranera was rolllng,
l alnt know lt was gonna hlt the net llke that and he what lt was. l dldnt
even know the furklng shlt was rolllng. l was |ust ln the Elr ofre talk-
lng to nv nanager and talklng to these guvs fron XXL ahout nv alhun.
Ihen Brlsro rane hark wlth thls whole |threats] and shlt, deslte the fart
that last weekend l shot nv vldeo for Ihe Buslness |ln hlanl]. l was ln
the sane hotel as llo-Rlda for four davs. hv thlng ls, l was |ust |oklng
and lf voure reallv gonna take lt that far and he that uset ahout lt,
what ran l do! l ran rearh out savlng lts love wlth ne on nv end, lets
get to the nonev. But lf he alnt wanna do that, l ran onlv resert hln
as a nan for that. As far Brlsro, whatever. We good, nv dude. We dld a
song together. l resert vou helng a voung goon and |unlng out there
for vour nan. But lf lt was reallv that real heef, dawg, vou wouldve got
nv nunher fron Wavne. l talk to Wavne on a regular hasls. he shoulda
rearhed out to ne on sone grown nan shlt. When vou go stralght to the
lnternet, thats sone hoe shlt. Whv would vou go stralght to the lnternet
when vou got a dlrert rontart on ne, lf vou reallv got a rohlen wlth
ne! havhe he wanted to he fanous. havhe hes eelng nv surress and
he felt llke lt was a good look to do that.
ls there anvthlng else golng on wlth vou that we dldnt talk ahout!
1ust the fart that ln ZZ vears old and ln wrltlng and rodurlng at the
raarltv that l an rlght now. ont ever rall ne a one-hlt-wonder when
l wrote |and] rodured Sexv Ladv. ln the wrlter, rodurer and the art-
lst. Peole got to go to rodurers and other artlsts to nake a hlt. l hroke
through thls gane on nv own. l alnt ut out a dud vet.
Anv other trarks out there that vou wrote or rodure that eole dont
know vou dld!
ln lnvolved wlth a lot thlngs rlght now wlth nv hov Irlrkv Stewart. ln
worklng on shlt so rrazv, fron nv artlst Casha, all the wav to a whole
other left eld. ln worklng on heldl, fron Ihe hllls IV show, ln wrltlng
R6B for her. All the wav fron the urhan hood to the whltest of the whlte
hIV, ln arross the sertrun. And l dont know no ZZ-vear-old nlgga
thats dolng thls. |hv shlt lsnt] llke that Soul|a Bov shlt, llke how then
heats he soundlng. Ihat alnt no real heat, dawg. hv llttle nehew rould
nake that shlt wlth four soons and slalng hls hands together and a
nlgga klrklng a drun.
What are vou savlng! You dont resert the heats that Soul|a Bovs nak-
lng!
Nah, l do resert lt. lt nakes the rluh go rrazv. But l |ust dont thlnk that
lts groundhreaklng or anvthlng llke that. ln all ahout uttlng out llfe-
rhanglng nuslr. When vou hear Ihe Buslness and know lts rodured
and wrltten hv ne, lts gonna slnk ln.
You sound real rondent, nan. Are vou feellng llke voure the hest ln
vour age hrarket rlght now!
l nean, ln nv age hrarket, ZJ and under, veah, l reallv feel llke that. As
an all-around arkage though, as a voung hoss. ln runnlng thls. ln
slgned to nv own rerord ronanv. lve ut out Io Ien rerords. lve |ust
got nv latlnun laques and shlt. lve sold nllllons of rlngtones alreadv.
l have ve rerords ln rotatlo, on the radlo and nv alhun hasnt even
rone out vet. how nanv vldeos have l heen on and nv alhun hasnt
rone out vet! When l go on nv rono tour, ln gonna he lavlng slx
songs off nv alhun that have heen ln rotatlon, that have heen rharted
on Blllhoard. l |ust dont know anvhodv else thats dolng lt. l watrh, l
read the rredlts ln the alhuns. Llke when vou look at rodurer, everv-
hodv that hroke lnto thls ganeand when l sav these referenres, ln not
savlng l dont llke these eolefron a hurrlrane Chrls to Soul|a |Bov]
to all these other eole are harked hv sonehodv. l rlde on nv own
dlrk, hro. Alnt no Colllarks or none of these other nlggas |unlng out
ln Sroohv oos and sllers for ne, hahv. l rone out hv nvself. l alnt
got no nan wlth nllllons of rerords hehlnd ne, telllng the world that
ln the next hest shlt slnre sllred hread. So l gotta he nv own thang and
lve done that ronslstentlv. And onre vou reallv take a look at lt for what
lts worth, voull reallv understand evervthlng. Ihats what nakes ne a
voung hoss and thats what nakes then artlsts.
lf eole read ronnents llke thls ln a nagazlne, thev nlght take offens.
Are vou readv to take the harklash fron statenents llke that!
Llke l sald, lf voure gonna kee lt I, voure dolng an lntervlew. lf
voure gonna quote ne rlght, then quote ne rlght. lf not, then take
hurrlrane and Soul|as nane out of lt. And |ust sav that thev are artlsts.
Nane ne one artlst that hroke through ln !-8 wlthout a roslgn! l
|ust dont know anvhodv thats dolng lt. l watrh IV. ln ln tune wlth the
gane. Evervhodv that rane out, rane out wlth sonehodv. lts llke, Yo,
thls nv llttle nlgga. l dont have anvhodv savlng, Ihls ls that new nlg-
ga. l have to nake nv own lane, and l love that lane for nvself. 0nre l
get there, ln glad lt wasnt a suer-rogresslon, l rane out, Sexv Ladv
dld a nllllon rlngtones, stuld downloads, l sold a I, slngles on
nv EP and evervthlng. hv alhun hadnt even rone out hut at the sane
token, l dld that shlt hv nvself, dawg. l took the song to the radlo hefore
l even got a rerord deal. Ihats a voung hoss, nv nlgga. ll
S8 ll 0Z0NE hA6 S8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll S9

IfstuntinisahabitforDavidBanner,soisspeakinghismind.The
MississippirapperhasanopiniononeverythingfromthecurrentstateofHip
HoptothemediacoverageofKatrina.Andhisextremelybluntandmatter-of-
factstatementsaboutGeorgeBushhaveprobablyearnedhimaspotonthe
governmentswatchlist.

Butquitesimply,DavidBannerjustdoesntgiveafuck.Theonlything
hecaresaboutishismusic,andtellingTheGreatestStoryEverTold.Hellbe
gladtotellyouthathisisthealbumthatsgoingtoaddressalltheissues
plaguingoursociety,andsayallthethingsyouretoafraidtosay.Asfaras
Nasisconcerned,HipHopIsDead.ButBannerisconvincedthatTheGreatest
StoryEverToldwillbringabouttheresurrectionofHipHop.

Andifyoudontagree
Well,whogivesafuck?
What can we expect from your new album, The Greatest Story Ever Told?
I honestly think this album is going to shock everybody. Not just people in the hood, not
just the new David Banner fans. I was in the mastering lab, and I got a quote from an old
radio head. He was like Dude, you may have the best rap album since The Fugees Score.
For this album, I had decided I wasnt even going to put politics in it. I was just going to put
hits, hits, hits. As I had been moving around the United States, every hood that I went to
after Katrina, and the Sean Bell stuf that I addressed, people were asking me, Banner, what
are you going to say on this album? I know youve got something to say. The way things
are going right now with George Bush and gas prices, people in the hood, for the frst time,
really want to hear politics; they wanna hear something that means something. So I had
to go back and really re-do the album. I think it was really a blessing because now its just
enough of what people want from David Banner, and what they need.
0Z0NE hA6 ll S9
6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
How did the record Get Like Me with Chris
Brown come about?
I was in my basement in Atlanta making the
beat, and honestly, I think this was the frst time
in my life that I made [a beat] and knew it was a
hit. If you listen to that beat, its not like anything
youre hearing on the radio. Its fresh, it feels
good, but its got a slice of hood in it. Originally
the track was me, Yung Joc, and Jim Jones. I
already had Jim Jones on another track on the
album, and one of the criticisms I had been get-
ting from my fans was that I always have songs
with other people and they want to hear more
David Banner. I really believe that with the way
records are selling, if youre going to get it you
need to get it now because its only going to get
worse before it gets better.
Ive got a lot of strong relationships, and Chris
Brown is really like my little brother. So I called
Chris up and was like, Dude, its time for that
favor. He was like, The only way I can do it is if
you dont put me on an R&B song. I wanna be
on a straight hood song. I want you to put me
in there like Im rapping. And thats what hes
doing [on Get Like Me]. He has 12 bars just like
any other rapper. This song is going to be bigger
than Play. Its just such a blessing. I have a new
look and new songs. Its almost like Im a rapper
with a brand new career.
Why did you decide to come with a new look?
I got sick. I was 21 points from diabetes. I had
high blood pressure, it was 191 over 141. I was
literally about to die. I had sleep apnea. The
doctor plainly told me that if I didnt do anything
about it, I was going to die. Its so funny when
people talk shit and they really dont know
whats going on. I know I look good, damn it,
but people never really know whats going on
in your life. I dont like that America has reduced
us to believing everything we see on TV. You
make assumptions on peoples real lives based
on what they say on a record or do on TV. Then,
on top of that, why does our generation always
have to look at the negative? Why cant people
just say, Damn, that boy is getting his life
together; getting healthy.
Have you been focusing more on production
than being an artist lately?
First of all, July 15th, everybody go pick up The
Greatest Story Ever Told. If you love David Ban-
ner stop talking about it and go buy the album.
As far as me as a producer, Ive always had hot
beats. But its funny, Pharrell told me, Banner,
man, you are possibly one of the best produc-
ers I have ever heard in my life, but you dont
put out the kind of music you produce yourself.
And what Ive noticed is that a lot of rappers are
uncomfortable with anything outside of what
they feel the streets want. Back in the day, the
streets didnt tell Curtis Mayfeld or Prince what
to do. They were leaders; they were visionaries.
My music has always been two years ahead of
people, but it takes people who are visionaries to
really latch onto it. If you look at [T.I.s] Rubber-
band Man, which I produced, at the time were
scared to do that kind of music. It was hood, but
the beat was so bright. But T.I. was a visionary, so
thats the kind of person whos going to gravitate
to David Banner. If you look at this new LaLa I
produced for Lil Wayne [on The Carter 3], thats
the craziest beat you have ever heard. No one
would ever expect that, but Wayne is a visionary.
So with me and my production, one of the rea-
sons its taken me so long to blossom is because
I have to work with artists that arent scared. The
producers that are really big, like Timbaland and
Pharrell, had artists who really believed in them,
like Aaliyah and The Clipse. Those artists really
believed in their vision and listened to them. So
its going to take a minute to fnd the artists that
are like, Banner, Im going to ride with you every
time, because I believe in your vision.
How are you able to produce so many styles for
so many diferent artists?
When I grew up I listened to a diverse set of mu-
sic. My uncle was a DJ from the north, and he got
a job at a Blues Station and couldnt use all his
records, so he gave them to me. I was listening to
music that people around me werent listening
to. I was listening to Outkast and the old Cash
Money, but I was also listening to the BeatNuts,
Souls of Mystery, and The Boo-Yaa Tribe. I was
listening to The Police and Culture Club. I was a
big cartoon-head, and I love scores and movie
soundtracks. I think thats the reason why my
music sounds so diverse.
Youve always been able to teeter on the line
between commercial Hip Hop and conscious Hip
Hop. How have you managed to do so and not
alienate any of your fans, or have you?
Well, actually, I have alienated a lot of my fans,
but Ive also gained a lot of new ones. Anytime
you make a change, some people are not going
to understand it. A wise man once said, If youre
not making a lot of mistakes, youre not making
enough decisions. If you make a lot of decisions
and youre a leader, then of course youre going
to make some mistakes. I havent always made
the best decisions musically, but Ive always
stood by people and have remained tangible no
matter how big or my small my record is. If you
look at how were doing our interview now, were
outside, walking around, sitting down, and hav-
ing a conversation. Thats how Ive always tried
to be with my fans. Just travel with me. Why is
our music the only form of music where we dont
allow our artists to grow? We gotta learn how to
let our artists grow. Because the only way were
going to stay the same is if we die. But what I do
think that people like is that I just continue to be
me. David Banner is going to be David Banner. If
you disrespect him hes going to whoop your ass,
and if you show him a compliment, hes going to
give you a hug.
When Hurricane Katrina came through every-
body focused on New Orleans, while other states
were devastated as well. How are things in Mis-
sissippi almost three years after Katrina hit?
Mississippi is still hurting. My brothers and sisters
in New Orleans were afected [by Katrina] mostly
because the local government didnt rebuild
the levees like they were supposed to. Millions
of dollars were allocated to help rebuild the
levees, and the local government only spent
half of it. If you look at New Orleans, they caught
the residuals of Katrina, whether it be the food,
the rain, etc. The actual eye of Hurricane Katrina
hit Colston, Mississippi and Southern Alabama.
Its just strange that people would talk about
Katrina and not talk about the places where the
storm actually hit. The reason is that Alabama
and Mississippi are not tourist attractions. If you
dont have cameras, you dont get any attention.
People only care about what America is shoving
down their throat. And thats the reason America
is in the position its in now. If America was a city,
the South is the ghetto, and Mississippi would be
considered the most ghetto. Were the poorest
state in the United States. So, logically, it would
make sense that we shouldve gotten the fnan-
cial aid and attention we needed after Katrina.
But you and I both know thats not the case.
Musically, whats the state of Mississippi right
now?
People are still grinding. People are still doing
what they need to do to come up. One young
rapper that I like is named Savvy. Lyrically, that
boys spitting on the level of a Nas, but hes still
from Mississippi, so he has the Mississippi slang.
Im really watching what this cat is going to
do. But Mississippi is still grinding, the sound is
developing, and its really coming. I really think
Mississippi is going to shock a lot of people
when the time comes.
What is the overall state of Hip Hop right now in
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6I
your opinion?
I think Hip Hop is just in a cleansing period. I
think all of the people who got into Hip Hop to
use it to specifcally get out the hood, or put their
people on one, or those who more or less look
at it like a legal dope game, cant do it like they
used to. The people who are really meant to be
here are going to be the ones left standing when
this drought is over. As blunt as I can put it, Hip
Hop is on its cycle right now. Its gotta bleed, its
gotta cleanse itself, and hopefully I can be one of
the few that remains successful until we make it
through this period.
What you would say is the #1 misconception the
fans have of the industry?
Just that everything you see on the song or in
the video is real. I think thats whats killing rap
music. People are more concerned with what
rappers are doing than if they have talent. I per-
sonally dont give a fuck who you killed. I person-
ally dont give a fuck how much dope you sold.
If you made that much money selling dope then
why are you rapping? If its really popping like
that then you wouldnt need to rap. And people
cant be in the streets like theyre saying they are,
because I look on their roster and theyve got 30
or 40 shows. They aint in the streets like that. I
just seen you! Our music is supposed to be an ex-
pression of what its like in the streets. But were
giving the misconception to kids that youve
gotta be a dope dealer and youve gotta have
killed somebody. I dont mind stories because we
need stories to keep the world informed about
the plight thats going on in our hood. But when
are we going to start solving some of these prob-
lems? Now were getting to the point that we
dont even believe these are problems any more.
Anything that hurts people, weve turned it into
something positive. Now everybody thinks its
cool to be a killer. You know, Ive shot at people
in the past. Ive done shit that I wasnt supposed
to. But thats not anything Im proud of. Ill talk
about it just so people know that I went through
what theyre gonig through, and they can make
the transition into something positive. Were the
only generation, and I mean everybody, white,
black, whatever you may be, who are happy
with being niggers. Were happy with being
uneducated; were happy with being from the
hood. I love my hood because thats where Im
from, but thats not where I want my kids to
stay. I represent it so that people from there can
feel good about themselves, but I dont want
them to think thats the place youre supposed
to be. Were in the hood because at one point
in time they wouldnt let us go anywhere else.
Now we keep ourselves there. Thats some
bullshit.
Going back to your reference to T.I. Whats your
outlook on his legal situation, how it went
down, and in turn how rappers are portrayed in
the media?
Of course the media is always going to portray
rappers in a bad light. But one of the things I
dont like about a lot of rappers nowadays is
that were in other folks business to much. Me
and T.I. have a really good relationship, and
regardless of what happened, or how it hap-
pened, I dont want my homeboy to be in jail.
Until he comes to me and speaks specifcally
about the situation, I stay out of it. He has my
full support, and one thing he told me was that
its not what people think it is. America wants us
to be portrayed as niggas. For example, when
the Sean Bell incident happened, thats how
he was portrayed. That way when the general
public sees it, they wont be shocked. Theyll see
it as us getting what we deserve.
Since you made the efort to talk about politics
on your new album, what impact do you think
Barack Obama would make on the presidency if
hes elected?
Hopefully, I think itll be positive, and itll show
people that no matter what
background they come from,
they have the power to infu-
ence others. I think its going
to be a real positive situation.
The only thing I dont like
about it is that were coming
of of George Bush. George
Bush has fucked up so bad
that Obama is going to
spend his whole frst term
cleaning up all the bullshit
that George Bush left
behind. Even if they stop
the war today, its going
to take two years to get
the troops out. Even if the
gas prices stop increas-
ing, the people that sell
oil have now grown
accustomed to getting that big money for their
product, so why are they going to settle for
something less? As far as politics and Obama,
Im very happy for him. Im very happy that an
African American even has the opportunity to
become president, but why is it that every time
we get an opportunity its under fucked-up cir-
cumstances? A black man fnally gets the oppor-
tunity to come into ofce, and hes coming after
the worst president in history! No matter how
good you are, if youre cleaning up its going to
take you a minute to turn shit around. Even if
youre the best president that has ever walked
the earth, coming in after George Bush, 50% of
your eforts is going to be cleaning up his fuck
ups. Gas and the war alone will take up an entire
presidency. I just hope he has the opportunity,
and the right team around him.
So the countrys fucked up, George Bush is
fucked up, and the Hip Hop game is fucked up.
Whats going to take to change all that?
The Greatest Story Ever Told. July 15th, purchase
that CD. It will change the face of Hip Hop. It will
change the way you look at Hip Hop. My album
is truly greater then any other rapper who reads
this article. Period. And Im not even saying that
on some conceited shit. Im proud of this album.
For the frst time in my life Im proud of myself.
I listen to this album and Im proud. This isnt a
job to me, this is something I love. And there
isnt any bullshit on this record. Every lyric, every
line, every beat, had some love in it. Greatest
Story Ever Told, July 15th.
Ok, so last question
I love titties.
Okay, one MORE question. What else are you
working on right now?
Im working on trying not to go crazy. Im just
trying to keep my sanity. I know as artists we
shouldnt concentrate on the small things,
but you know, what I do is important to me.
I want to work. We got Get Like Me and its
poppin, but at the same time, I want people to
understand this album. When ol boy told me
this album reminded him of The Score, by The
Fugees, that touched my heart because I know
how that album touched people. But if people
dont have the opportunity or dont know to go
to David Banner for that type of album, then
its just like a tree fell in the forest and wasnt
nobody in that muthafucka. Thats how I feel
about this album. We got a big ol oak tree in the
forest thats about to tear the whole damn forest
down. I always tell everybody this is the album
they want but not necessarily who they want it
from. This is the album theyve been wanting to
bring Hip Hop back. //
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6I
6Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
Ihe rst tlne l lntervlewed vou, vou were |ust gettlng started wlth the 1ustlre
League. And now She 6ot lt ls a hlt. how ls surress treatlng vou!
lt feels good |ust to have a rerord the eole arret. l love all the surress ln
havlng. l feel verv fortunate. l dont want nohodv to thlnk l take nv sltuatlon
for granted. l love nv sltuatlon.
What was vour reartlon when She 6ot lt started to hreak!
lt was rool, hut a lot of eole had nlxed feellngs herause |I-Paln] was on
so nanv rerords at the tlne. |Peole were llke], ude looks llke Plles, or,
he rane out |ust llke Plles wlth a I-Paln rerord. Ihe ronarlson started
to get rrazv for ne. Ihats the nunher one thlng l hated the nost out of
the sltuatlon. Peole stlll dldnt glve ne nv rredlt vet hut l thlnk thev nlght
serond guess that now that l got thls serond slngle wlth Rav 1 ralled You
Know he. hoefullv eole wlll he llke, 0kav, dude got another rerord,
although l do have another R6B slnger on there. We |ust wanted that feature
on there to glve lt that look. But l dont feel llke rats are glvlng ne nv rredlt
that l should he gettlng. hv surress ls rool hut at the sane tlne, l stlll hear
the ronnents llke, Wlthout I-Paln lt wouldnt he thls wav, wlthout Rav 1 lt
wouldnt he that wav. l |ust want nv eole to understand that ln here and
lts a lot of other artlsts that rollahorated on rerords wlth other eole and
thev glve then thelr rredlt. l |ust want nv rredlt, thats all.
lf vou kee ronlng wlth these R6B slngles, thevre golng to glve vou rredlt
for helng LL Cool 1. What do vou want eole to see vour lnage as!
lf thev wanna look at ne llke LL, thats rool. hes ten vears strong ln the
gane. hv sltuatlon ls well-rounded. l ran talk ahout anvthlng when lt rones
to a song. Cause lve heen through sone of evervthlng. l got nv own rela-
tlonshl lssues that l dont rare too nurh ahout seaklng oenlv ahout. And
l got nv sltuatlon where ln ln the streets heavv, and l ran talk ahout that. l
wrlte |nv lvrlrs] well-rounded and l dont want vou to look at Z Plstols and
thlnk he onlv talks ahout fenales, or he onlv talks ahout goons or street shlt.
l want rats to understand that ln an artlst. l ran seak on anv tolr and lts
golng to he a good song.
Seaklng of the streets, ran vou seak on vour street llfe and helng ln and
hls hlt slngle She 6ot lt ls rllnhlng u the rharts and hes holng hls dehut alhun eath Before
lshonor wlll do the sane. hes heen ln-and-out of |all slnre he was a teenager, hut now, Z Plstols
ls looklng to leave hls trouhled ast hehlnd and start a new rhater ln hls llfe.
6Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
WORDS: RANDY ROPER // PHOTO: JULIA BEVERLY
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6J
out of rlson, hefore nuslr!
Ihe rats that l grew u around are dlfferent fron the rats that are out there
now. Io get ln the sltuatlon that thev are rlght now, nan, theres a lot of
snltrhlng and negatlve energv ln the streets rlght now. Cats value now the
dude that got shot. Ihev value the rat that go ln there and snltrh. Ihev llke
these nlggas wlth street storles, oh, l dld thls and l dld that. Ihev sone nake-
helleve ass nlggas, thev llke that. Ihev dont want a nlgga that walk lt, thev
|ust want a nlgga that talk good. Ihe llke whatever sounds good. Ihev dont
reallv slt hark and reallze what ls rlght ln front of vou. Ihe nlggas that l grew
u wlth, alnt none of then nlggas here llke that. And lts furked u. Ihevre
not here herause of nlggas that was snltrhlng. l grew u ln a dlfferent rode.
Ihats whv nv alhun ls tltle eath Before lshonor. ld rather dle hefore ln
dlsloval ln anv klnd of wav. l tltled lt that herause l wanted sonethlng that
was well-rounded, and l rould seak fron anv angle on that. lts sonethlng
that hest reresents ne and what l stand for.
At the end of the dav, nv house arrest sltuatlon, all of thats over wlth. But
l stlll get roled. lf vou travel wlth ne, vou alwavs get randon searrhed ln
the alrort, trust ne. When vou rone through the llne wlth ne, thevre gonna
searrh vou everv tlne. l dont thlnk theres heen a flght vet that l alnt got
randonlv searrhed, or nv nlggas alnt got randonlv searrhed. l gotta get
travel ernlts and all thls extra shlt to go anvwhere ln the rountrv rlght now,
herause of nv rharges. l went to rourt ahout a week and a half ago to trv and
get off thls shlt. 1ust so thev rould he llke, Ihe nlggas dolng sonethlng osl-
tlve wlth hls llfe. And the nuthafurkln State Proserutor was llke, We dont
glve a furk what hes dolng wlth hls llfe now. Were watrhlng hln herause of
shlt that he dld rlor to hls surress. So, thev alnt trvlng to hear that shlt. She
felt llke ne gettlng out of |all and |helng] ut on rohatlon and house arrest
was a good enough hreak. Even though l dld nv tlne on thelr rohatlon. Ihev
wanna see a nlgga thats surressful, a nlgga thats trvlng to do sonethlng
wlth hls llfe, suffer or he nlserahle. Ihev want ne to not even he ahle to en|ov
nv llfe rause vall got ne rherklng ln three, four tlnes a nonth. Asklng ne
how nurh l nade thls nonth, how long ln gonna he ln thls rltv, and everv
tlne l go to the alrort ln gettlng rherked and searrhed. Cnon, nan. Enough
ls enough, nv nlgga.
lts rrazv that vou have to go through all of that, when voure trvlng do
sonethlng osltlve.
l dld a llttle glve hark to nv nelghhorhood, and ut sll-n-slldes u, llttle
|un around shlts that klds rould go ln. l had a rook hrlng Z ounds of
rhlrken, |ust for the hood. l thlnk ln halfwav surressful rlght now. l dont
even thlnk ln ln the osltlon that l should he ln, wlth ne havlng the hlesslngs
that lve had. But ln at where ln at, and ln gonna he rontent wlth that untll
l get to where ln trvlng to get to. But l dont have a rohlen wlth glvlng hark
at all.
how do vou exlaln to the fans that vou are a nore osltlve erson now, wlth
all the negatlvltv surroundlng vou!
Ihe fans that reallv reallv av attentlon to nv sltuatlon and reallv reallze
where l rane fron, thev dont get raught u ln the |Plles] ronarlsons and
reallv know that nv storv ls true. lts not sone shlt thats fahrlrated llke
na|orltv of these raers. All ln asklng ls that vall rontlnue suortlng ne.
Cause ln gonna stav that sane dude. l alnt gonna rhange. No natter how
nurh nonev l get, or what l do, or lf l get anv novle roles, or whatever l get
lnto, lna he that sane dude that lve heen fron the hood, fron the hlork. l
nean, l ran send nv nonev now and alnt gotta worrv ahout ollre klrklng ln
nv door or rauslng drana. And at the sane tlne, ln the sane dude. l havent
rhanged. ln gon alwavs he the sane dude.
Whv dld vou nane vourself Z Plstols!
hv nane Z Plstols rane fron one of nv rouslns thats ln the leds rlght now.
lt was |ust glven to ne rause of nv ersonalltv. ln a 6enlnl, so one nlnute
lll he over here, rool, klrklng lt wlth vou and the next nlnute lve he flln
out ahout sonethlng. lve got two ersonalltles. ln the hood, of rourse thevre
gonna twlst thlngs, so lnstead of savlng, Ihat nlgga ls two eole, thev sav,
hes Z Plstols. lt was |ust sonethlng that was sald that was klrked around
and lt klnda sturk llke that. l alnt wanna rhange that herause on nv rourt
dorunents, that was the nane l was ralled when l was ln the streets. Ihats
what eole knew ne as. l alnt wanna |un ln the gane and use another
ersons nane and get fanous off of thelr street resenre. Whv not |ust use nv
own nane! lt was klnda hard for eole to understand lt and adat to lt hut lt
stood outl lt nlght he negatlve at rst hut when thev get to know ne, thevre
llke, 0kav, dude ls rool.
have vou had anv rohlens gettlng nalnstrean or rrossover attentlon herause
of vour nane!
0nre vou get hranded as sonethlng, vou stlrk wlth lt. Ihat was nv nane, l got
hranded llke that. When lt rane to ra, l dldnt reallv thlnk ahout olltlrs. And
dldnt thlnk thev nlght not wanna lav nv vldeo. 0r thev nlght not want to
sell nv C ln stores for retall. Ihev autonatlrallv thlnk vlolenre, and l thlnk
that ln helng stereotved. Ihevve got |other artlsts llke] Sex Plstols, 6uns N
Roses, all klnds of shlt. 1ust rause lt savs Z Plstols and he ras, thev assune
hes gotta he talklng ahout sone vlolent shlt. lt rant |ust he a nane. Leave lt
as a nane and let the nuslr seak for ltself. l hate that shlt, to he honest wlth
vou. lt hurt nv sltuatlon a lot. l thlnk wouldve had a lot nore golng on, wlth
the surress that l havlng wlth nv rerord, lf nv nane wasnt that. But l llve hv
that. l llve hv the gun, dle hv the gun. l |ust take the good wlth the had wlth lt.
lurk lt. ln |ust dolng ne.
What ran vou tell ne ahout vour alhun!
lts a well-rounded alhun. l got I-Paln on there, of rourse. l got Rav 1 on
there, of rourse. l got another rerord wlth Irev Songz thats rrazv. l got a
rerord on there ralled llex, where l use the sanle fron had Cohras llex
fron a whlle hark. hv fanllv orlglnates fron the Bahanas so l had to throw
sone lsland favor ln that shlt. l got Blood Raw and Sllrk Pulla on there fron
CIE. l got nv rllque on there, Blood honev Entertalnnent. Ihe rest of the
alhun ls rettv nurh ne. l dld a rerord where l had lergle on the rerord rst,
hut then we had rlearanre lssues so we ended u uttlng Ivra B on the rerord,
lts ralled Candv Coated lanonds. lts a good alhun. Blllhoard and a roule
other eole that revlewed lt sald that even though ln a new artlst, lve got
three or nore slngles on the alhun. Ihev sald thev dont renenher the last
tlne theres heen a new artlst who had as nanv rerords l have on nv alhun,
as far as slngles. l |ust thlnk the eole are gonna get thelr nonevs worth lf
thev go out and urrhase nv ro|ert. Real talk.
New artlsts alwavs rone and go. What are vou golng to do to nalntaln and
stav ln the gane!
ln rollahoratlng wlth sone u-and-ronlng rats and ln on thelr rst slngles.
l thlnk lna stav relevant that wav. And lna look forward to worklng on anv
ro|ert l ran work on, |unlng on a roule features and anvhodv that got a
renlx, lll |un on that. ln gonna do whatever l gotta do to stand out. ln
gonna ut sone nore nlxtaes out. lna stav hot ln the streets. ln stlll gonna
he drolng slngles off thls alhun rone thls tlne next vear. So, l ran eat off thls
alhun for a llttle nlnute, and llke l sald, lna do nlxtaes and features to stav
relevant.
Whats vour relatlonshl wlth the 1.U.S.I.l.C.E. League!
l have a rodurtlon agreenent wlth then. Ihev worked on the alhun. Ihev
dldnt have to do as nanv rerords as thev dld on the alhun. We were srhed-
uled to do two rerords, hut we worked so well together that dann near everv
rerord that we dld together rouldve heen a slngle. Ihev got nlne trarks on
the alhun and l got a roule other rodurers too. Ihe 1.U.S.I.l.C.E. League,
thev want lt had. Ihevre reallv on thelr grlnd. l he gettlng nad rause thev he
selllng sone of these hot heats adn ln llke, Whvd vou glve that nlgga that
heat! You shoulda gave lt to nel l he gettlng nad ahout that sonetlnes hut
we good. ln gettlng readv to do an lndeendent deal for nv artlsts. Ihev
were talklng ahout dolng sonethlng wlth 6-UnltlBhE. But l dont know lf were
golng that route or not. We got a roule dlfferent eole we are talklng to. ln
gettlng readv to ut nv artlsts out. 0f rourse, ln gonna have 1ustlre League
on the rodurtlon. So, shlt novlng over here. Were standlng on our own. Were
searated. ln a art of the whole llorlda novenent, of rourse. But rats got
thelr own sertlons ln llorlda thats dolng thev thlng.
Bark to She 6ot lt. Nane sone fenales relehrltles that got lt and whv!
Sanna Lathan. She got lt. Whv she got lt! han, l dont know. l nean, shlt,
nlgga, look at her. l rant reallv exlaln, |ust look at her. l gotta glve lt to her,
off to. l he furkln wlth Rav 1 ahout thls one. l thlnk Kln |Kardashlan] got lt,
too. l dont know what she ls. l dont know lf shes ltallan. Elther wav, shes
stlll rettv nurh a snowfake. Kln Kardashlan, of rourse, she got lt. A lot of
nlggas savlng that shlt rlght now. Who else! Ihe rhlrk Vlda 6uerra, although
6ane had hls whatever wlth her. Now look, l lrked all angles on that one.
Ihev rant he trlln, savlng P onlv raters to one serlr fenale. l gave vou a
hlark rhlrk. l gave vou a whlte rhlrk and a Sanlsh rhlrk. So, to earh lts own.
Whatever one vou wanna furk wlth, whatever rare vou wanna go at, l gave vou
the nest ones that l feel that rone fron that tve of harkground.
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6J
6+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
WORDS & PHOTO:
JULIA BEVERLY
6+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
hlSS RAP SUPREhE SIAN0UI hS. ChERRY lS
REAY I0 Sh0W IhE W0RL IhAI ShES h0RE
IhAN 1USI A REALlIY Sh0W SIAR 0R I-PAlNS
BABY hAhA
A lot of eole nlght rerognlze vou fron the VhI realltv show hlss Ra
Surene, hut vou artuallv had a ra rareer hefore the show and were lnter-
vlewed ln 0Z0NE a few tlnes hefore. lor eole who dont know, let then
know what vou were dolng hefore the show.
A lot of eole thlnk that lt started wlth the show, hut lve heen ralng
slnre l was IJ vears old. ln Z+ now.
You were slgned to Streetwlse Rerords and had a roule of songs that were
hlttln lorallv ln Atlanta. What haened to Streetwlse!
Slnre thevre stlll golng through sone |legal] lssues, lts klnda hard to talk
ahout lt. A lot of eole saw lt on the news or the lnternet. l was ln Alhanv
when |the storv hlt the news]. |Ihe news] sald thevd heen lorked u. When
l drove hark u to Atlanta, the glrl fron the ofre told ne to rone to her
house. When l rane to her house, |Blg I, the CE0 of Streetwlse] |uned out
fron hehlnd the door and was llke, Ihev rant ratrh nel You know how lt
ls. Youre ln the streets trvlng to turn vour street nonev rlean, so thats
whv thev |had] the rerord lahel. hv rontrart |wlth Streetwlse] has
exlred, so l guess vou rould sav ln a free agent.
ld vou thlnk lt was a good rareer nove golng on a realltv show!
Sonetlnes lt ran rone off as a glnnlrk.
lt was hard to know how the show was gonna he. All l knew
was that VhI was havlng a realltv show ahout fenale raers. l
havent reallv seen anv fenale artlsts that l feel are real ron-
etltlon. lts a lot of |fenale] raers that were hot onre, hut
where are thev now! So l felt llke l rouldnt lose. l dldnt know
how lt was gonna |turn out] so l felt llke lt was a wln-wln.
has the show resulted ln a lot of rerognltlon and oortunltles
for vou fron rerord lahels and other nedla outlets!
enltelv. l thlnk lt was a great oortunltv herause now, ev-
ervwhere l go, l never have to exlaln, hl, ln hs Cherrv. l had
a song ralled lts Whatever. You nlghtve seen ne ln XXL or
0Z0NE. A lot of lahels rearhed out and rlothlng llnes gave ne
free rlothes and stuff. l get a lot of hone ralls that l wanted
to get when l was wlth Streetwlse.
You and Khla dldnt get along too well on the show. ld vou
know her hefore vou got on the show! Was that real anlnos-
ltv or dld vall nake lt extra dranatlr for televlslon!
Yeah, l sure dld |know her hefore]. Shes real extra. l reallv
thlnk she dld that for IV, rause after the argunent |when the
raneras went off] shed klnda laugh. She was lrklng at all
the glrls hut nohodv stood u to her. Ihevd |ust let her sav
whatever she wanted, hut l was llke, Walt a nlnute, hltrh.
Who the furk do vou thlnk vou ls!
You hoth llve here ln Atlanta. ld thlngs end on a nore osl-
tlve note or ls lt gonna get uglv lf vou hoth show u at the
sane lare at the sane tlne!
l saw her ln the rluh at nv hlrthdav artv at Central Statlon ln
Atlanta. Ihe whole rest of nv artv was llke, han, lets whoo
thls hoes ass. l was llke, l dont start shlt, l nlsh lt. Lets
see what she does. She arted llke she dldnt even see ne. ln
standlng rlght ln front of her llke, hello! l |ust wanted her to
sav one thlng. l wouldnt even have to do nothlng. Ihats what
she doesnt reallze vou rant rone to sonehodv elses rltv and
exert to llve there. Even lf l never go outslde the house, nv
whole fanllv llves here. lve got auntles, rouslns, and frlends
fron elenentarv, nlddle, and hlgh srhool. But, lts reallv not
that serlous. l thlnk shes verv lnnature. You saw her on the
show rrvlng. Shes so dranatlr, oh nv 6od. Shes |ust extra
all the tlne. 0n the show she was rrvlng ahout her non and
stuff. l thlnk she reallv needs hel. She doesnt have that nana
gure, sonehodv to hold a nlrror ln front of her and sav, Khla,
dont wear that. Khla, dont sav that. Khla, dont get on the
radlo ln Atlanta where vou llve and nake a ronlete asshole
out of vourself. l thlnk she needs a role nodel.
Who do vou thlnk would he a good role nodel for Khla!
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6S
l dont know who rould he her role nodel. Ihevd rohahlv qult.
Shes ahout to dro an alhun. Anv redlrtlons on how nurh shell sell!
l hoe that whatever her goal ls, she neets lt. Ihat wav she ran start a new
rofesslon lnstead of thls rofesslonal hatlng that shes dolng. lve never
seen anvthlng llke lt. Ihls hltrh ls a rofesslonal hater. Shes reallv lll. Ihats
whv ln not even nad at her. l feel sorrv for her.
When vou were on the VhI show, lt was revealed that vou have a hahv wlth
I-Paln. What were vou thlnklng nesslng around wlth a narrled nan!
l dldnt know ln the heglnnlng. how rould l know!
When was the heglnnlng!
Years ago. Ahout three and a half vears ago. llrst of all, we were hoth re-
allv voung. l wasnt even thlnklng ahout havlng klds. But l asked hln onre
herause he had a tan on hls nger whlrh neans that there was |ewelrv |or
a weddlng rlng] there. l asked hln |lf he was narrled] and he denled lt. l
helleved lt herause rlearlv he was so voung. lt ls what lt ls. At hls house, lt
was no slgn of |a wlfe]. lt was all hls stuff ln the rloset llaughs). l nean, lf
that was ne |as hls wlfe], l woulda left sonethlng there. Anvthlng, anvwhere.
l nean, how was l suosed to know! l dldnt know that he was narrled and
then after l dld nd out, l was nad. l rursed hln out and stoed talklng
to hln. But the feellngs were alreadv there. Peole alwavs ask ne, ld vou
reallv llke hln, or was lt |ust herause of hls nonev! Ihev dont reallze that
hark then, he dldnt have |nonev] llke hes got now.
Ihls was hark when hls rst rerord rane out!
lt hadnt even rone out vet. We rould go to the store and lt wasnt that hlg of
a deal. lt denltelv wasnt herause of nonev. he rane to Atlanta and rode ln
nv lnala and staved on Bankhead wlth ne. lt wasnt hout no nonev.
You |ust llked hls strled dreads!
llaughs) Ihev werent strled then. Ihev were hlark. l dldnt llke that strled
shlt when he dld lt, hut, vou know, hes a rhararter.
So even when vou found out that he was narrled, vou ket nesslng wlth hln.
Yeah, l found out, and ln so nanv words, |he sald] that he was so voung
and nade a nlstake. We were reallv good frlends. lt wasnt reallv ahout hln
rheatlng on hls wlfe. Ihe hahv thlng |ust haened. We reallv were frlends.
Ihat hov ls so talented. Peole alwavs tell ne that evervthlngs out ln the
oen now wlth her, and thev reallv do llve together now. Peole ask ne,
how do vou feel! When vou hear hls songs do vou get uset! No, herause at
the end of the dav lf hes latlnun, that neans were latlnun. l rould never
get nad at that. hes alwavs heen so talented. Even when he dldnt have as
nurh |surress] as he has now, |ust helng ln the studlo wlth hln ls lnslrlng.
So lt was nore of a nuslral ronnertlon hetween vou at rst!
l thlnk lt reallv was.
So ls vour next slngle gonna have a I-Paln hook!
Peole alwavs ask ne that. he wanted ne to he on |hls lahel] Nav Bov hut l
thought lt would he klnda a ronflrt of lnterest. how would that work out! But
he dld nake ne a heat that l never used. he alwavs asked ne what l dld wlth
lt. l dld do the llttle hrldge for Churrh, the serond song on hls last alhun.
Was there sone drana hetween vou and hls wlfe!
Ihere never reallv was no drana. Peole alwavs wanna glve ne advlre, llke,
lf l were vou, ld tell her thls and that, hut lts not even that serlous. he and
her never had words. ln sure she doesnt know the whole storv of what ha-
ened hetween us. lts |ust reallv nessed u when sonehodv on the outslde
trles to glve thelr olnlon of a sltuatlon thev dont know anvthlng ahout.
Evervhodvs llke, how dld vou have a hahv hv hln when vou knew he was
narrled! l dont know anvone who goes around looklng for narrled nen |to
have hahles wlth]. When l rst net hln, he wasnt narrled to nv knowledge.
l develoed feellngs for sonehodv who |l thought] wasnt narrled, so l dont
thlnk l ran he at fault for that. Ihe hest art of the sltuatlon ls nv son Klng,
and l love hln. Shout out to nv son Klngston.
how old ls vour son now!
hes thlrteen nonths old. And the thlng ls, nv Streetwlse fanllv used to lrk
on |I-Paln] herause of how he looked and dressed, and thev lrked on ne
for llklng hln. But l reallv felt love when we were together. hls frlends and
fanllv even told ne that he reallv loved ne, and thats whv l had nv son,
herause l felt llke lt was true love. Years had gone hv, nonev had rone and
gone hv, and he never rhanged. l loved hln for that and l felt llke he was
sonehodv l rould know and love for the rest of nv llfe. Ihats whv l rhose to
have Klngston ln slte of the rlrrunstanres.
ls lt dlfrult trvlng to have a ra rareer and he a nother at the sane tlne!
hv son rhanged nv whole llfe. l was readlng the old lntervlew l dld |ln
0Z0NE] and l sald, l dont even llke klds. l was serlous. Even now, l stlll
dont llke klds. l |ust love nlne. l swear he rhanged nv whole llfe. Before, ld
want to he at the rluh all the tlne, |ust waltlng to erforn. Now l have to nd
sonehodv to kee hln. l dont llke hln to go lares wlth other eole. l want
hln to he wlth ne all the tlne. l thlnk l nlght hlnder nvself nore than he
hlnders ne. l rould take hln to nv nanas house, hut l |ust dont want to.
o vou thlnk hell he a slnger one dav wlth a voroder!
llaughs) Sonehodv sent ne a text nessage wlth a llnk to a hahv rrvlng wlth
the |I-Paln voroder] on lt. Rldlrulous. But veah, when were ln the studlo he
loves to heat on the lano and trv to slng lnto the nlrrohone.
When vou dld the realltv show, was I-Paln worrled ahout the storv gettlng
out there to the uhllr!
Well, he arted llke he wasnt ever worrled ahout lt. Wherever vou were at, he
was llke, 1ullas gonna take a lrture of us |and ut lt ln 0Z0NE]. What are
vou gonna do! l was llke, ln not the one who should he worrled. Ihat was
hefore the hahv.
So vall were sneaklng around hldlng fron ne!
l wasnt hldlng fron vou. he swore vou had so nanv lrtures of us. When
he dld the lntervlew wlth vou |for hls rover storv last vear], he was llke,
She knows. And l was llke, You hetter not tell her. l |ust dldnt want to
he known as I-Palns hahv nana. What klnda shlt ls that! l was hs Cherrv
hefore l knew hln, and thats who l wanna he known as. l dont ever want
eole to start forgettlng nv nane and start ralllng ne I-Palns hahv
nana. Ihat was one good thlng ahout the |VhI show]. Peole know nv
nane and dont |ust know ne as I-Palns hahv nana. l know that was
gonna rone out anvwav, though. When voure on a show llke that, thev reallv
look u evervthlng. You slgn a aer glvlng then ernlsslon, and thev look
u vour |rrlnlnal] rerords, nedlral rerords, evervthlng.
So the VhI folks ut lt out there!
No, hut durlng the lnltlal lntervlew, thev had a lrture of |I-Paln] rlled to
the lntervlew sheet wlth the questlons thev were gonna ask ne when l got
to L.A. l was looklng at the aer, llke, What the furk! Ihev sald thev dldnt
wanna use |that lnfornatlon] ln the show, hut thev asked ne lf lt would he
okav. l was llke, Well, lts not a serret, hut l dont want lt to he a hlg deal. l
want eole to see ne on thls show. lt alnt ahout hln. Yall see hln on IV all
the tlne. Can l have thls llttle show! Can thls he nlne! lf l had nade lt a hlg
deal on the show |hv] talklng ahout hln everv ve nlnutes, thev wouldve ut
lt ln. But l dldnt. lf one of the glrls asked ne ahout lt, l told en, hut l never
nade lt a hlg deal.
Whv do vou thlnk the fenale ra srene ln general ls so dead rlght now!
Ihats a good questlon. ltd he easv for ne to sav, Ihev need ne, or
whatever. l thlnk l was suosed to wln |the realltv show]. When we dld the
rhallenge at the shootlng range, thev saw nv |rrlnlnal] rerord and saw that l
had heen arrested. But thev dldnt know that the whole tlne, l was stlll golng
through lt. l rould osslhlv go hark to Atlanta and go to |all. Ihe whole tlne
we dld the show, thev were asklng us stuff ahout |fenale raers who have
had legal trouhles] llke Renv ha, loxv Brown, Lll Kln, and the future of hl
ho. But l never sald anvthlng ahout |nv endlng rourt rases] untll lt rane
u. Ihere was sone stuff that haened wav hefore l had Klngston, hut l was
stlll golng to rourt for lt. You know how thevll drag shlt out, |ust waltlng
for vou to nlss a rourt date so thev ran lork vo ass u! l had three felonv
rharges of aggravated assault wlth a lstol. Earh rharge rarrled Z vears. So
even though thls was sonethlng that haened hefore l had nv son, these
thlngs were stlll hanglng over nv head.
What are vour future lans! o vou have anv rerord deals on the tahle!
Yeah. ln trvlng to see who l wanna go wlth. l want lt to he a good sltuatlon.
l thlnk a lot of eole take |had] rerord deals herause of thelr hunger or
need. ln trvlng to take nv tlne wlth lt and lrk out the rlght sltuatlon. lve
got a new song ralled Ihank You. lts talklng ahout how l alwavs wanted to
he a star when l was vounger, and now eole wave when thev see ne ln nv
rar. Ihats a real rrossover song. ln slnglng on lt.
No voroder!
No voroder, |ust ne. A lot of eole are llke, Who ls that slnglng! Ihev
dont reallv helleve lts ne. Ihe nane of nv alhun ls ralled Urhan Beautv. ln
worklng on that. Yo Yo fron the show ls trvna hel ne get where l need to
he. Shout out to LR6, thanks for the Luxurle rlothes.
Anvthlng else vou want to lug!
Ihank vou to all nv fans. l have nllllons of fans all over the world. l love
vall. Ihev he on nv hvsare age reallv trlln. l talk to evervhodv. Ihats
reallv ne on nv hvsare age lnvsare.ronltherealnsrherrv). ll
WORDS & PHOTO:
JULIA BEVERLY
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6S
66 ll 0Z0NE hA6
l know vouve heen golng through sone rhanges
and vou got a lot of new thlngs ronlng u. Youre
ln the studlo, rlght! ls thls vour new sot!
hv sot ls helng hullt rlght now. ln artuallv
worklng at Blork Entertalnnent rlght now.
So l guess vou and Blork are good now. Ihere
were sone runors ahout whats golng on at the
Blork Entertalnnent ran.
Sonetlnes there are nlsunderstandlngs. Sone-
tlnes eole get thlngs nlsronstrued. Sonetlnes
thlngs get nlslnterreted and eole nake what
thev wlll out of lt. Sonetlnes eole show aln
on thelr fare dav to dav, eole lrk u on rertaln
thlngs. But other than that, lts no dlfferent than
anvhodv elses fanllv sltuatlon or lahel sltuatlon.
Shlt haens. lts |ust one of those thlngs. 0ther
than that, ln good. ln ald. Evervhodv l furk
wlth ls ald. Ihats what lt ls.
how dld vou rone arross vour new grou hot
Stvlz!
l was ln the studlo and l had |ust nlshed u
thls rerord wlth ne, Shawtv Lo, and 1odv Breeze
ralled Ah Yeah. l took lt to the Blue llane ln
Bankhead and droed lt off wlth nv atna 1
hershev. hershev laved the rerord. Rlght when
eole started savlng lts a drought on the work
and gas was nna go u, nohodv ln the |strl]
rluh was tlln hut ne and nv rrew. hershev was
llke, ann dawg, vou the onlv nlgga ln thls hltrh
tlln. Ihls shlt looks rrazv. We started laughlng.
he sald, lt looks llke a rluh full of rohhers rause
thev all looklng at va. l sald, Yeah, lts rool. he
sald, l got thls song ln nna lav for nlggas |ust
standlng around lookln. he laved |Lookln Ass
Nlgga] and l was llke, ann, thls shlt ls funnv.
he sald he dldnt know who thev were slgned to.
hv ersonal asslstant Ianeka howard got on the
lnternet the next dav and she found the dudes.
Ihev few down on a Sundav, we re-rerorded
the rerord, and hv Wednesdav we had a deal on
the tahle |wlth 1lve]. We re-rerorded the rerord
herause l denltelv had to hrlng the qualltv u.
lt was a nuddv, low-qualltv, hone verslon of the
rerord. lt was the orlglnal. lt rontalned the es-
senre of rawness, lt dldnt natter lf lt was the hest
rlarltv. Even when l nlxed the rerord, l dldnt trv
to ut the hest nlx on lt sonlrallv. l |ust wanted lt
to he rlear enough for radlo so lt would stlll a hlt
and sound rlear.
o vou thlnk hunor ls nlsslng fron hl ho these
davs!
l thlnk hunor ls nlsslng rlght now ln our world
anvwav, rause alnt shlt funnv out here rlght now.
6as ls u to SS a gallon dann near. Alnt nothln
funnv ahout that. You gotta thlnk, eole ln the
hood are struggllng everv dav to ut SZ.89 ln thev
rar. Now thevre talkln hout vou gotta send
S+.J9. Cnon, nan. Alnt nothln funnv out here
rlght now. Naturallv when the rost of gas goes
u, so does evervthlng else rause of transorta-
tlon. Ihats a hlg art of vou helng ahle to rerelve
ronnerre, food, whatever. We need |hunor]
sonetlnes. Ihats whv the rerord ls dolng so well.
66 ll 0Z0NE hA6
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY // PHOTO: THADDAEUS McADAMS
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6!
host of the tlne when vou hear that rerord voure
gonna he ln vour rar. Youre gonna he drlvlng and
welghlng out whats ln vour hank arrount and
ln vour orket and where vouve got to go and
evervthlng vouve got to av. |Ihe rerord] ls |ust
one of then thangs to llghten u vour dav and ut
a snlle on vour fare, to know that eole ran stlll
have fun wlth what thev do.
o vou thlnk sonetlnes eole get vou nlsron-
strued as |ust helng a |oker, |ust a funnv, rool tve
of dude and not reallv a street dude!
l thlnk what haens ls, lna rat that rane fron
the hood, hut l alwavs wanted hetter. ln nv nlnd,
evervthlng l gotta do, l dont have to he hood to
do lt. l thlnk a lot of tlnes eole nlsronstrue
hood wlth |ust stralght u lgnoranre llke lf l
dont sav sone lgnorant shlt, ln not hood. You
rant |ust sav that. lt ls what lt ls. Sone eole
do sav, hes a rool rat, he alnt gon do nothlng.
he rohahlv alnt never dld thls, sold no doe,
traed, none of that. hev nan, |ust rause l
dont talk ahout lt ln none of nv nuslr dont
nean l alnt never dld lt. 1ust rause l dont tell
vou what the work rost ne when l was ronln u
dont nean l never dld lt. l dld a lot of shlt. hatter
of fart, l |ust released a rerord. Blork ut out a
rerord l dld ralled Whats Reallv 6ood on the
No BltrhAssNess nlxtae. Llsten to lt. lts truth to
a lot of shlt, and a lot of the shlt ls runors too.
lts one of those rerords where ln talklng ln
thlrd erson. ln ralng ahout nvself and what
eole sav ahout ne. Ihen after vou hear the
rerord voure gonna he llke, ann, shawtv sald
sone real shlt. Ihen vou gon turn around and
see a rrazv ass vldeo llke Lookln Bov. lts llke,
ann, he reallv exlalned lt. hes an entertalner.
Sonetlnes vou have to exlore dlfferent thlngs to
entertaln eole. Shlt we used to do to entertaln
vou doesnt neressarllv entertaln vou as nurh
anvnore.
Whv do vou thlnk artlsts feel so nurh ressure to
enhaslze how nurh drugs thevve sold and how
nanv eole thevve kllled ln thelr nuslr!
Berause lts nore eole that llsten to that nuslr
that ran relate to shlt that the average rat ln
the street does. lf vou feel llke vour ronsuner
hase ls onlv the hood, then vouve gotta sav the
shlt thats rlght next door to en, thats rlght
downstalrs ln thev own house, the shlt thev see
walkln rlght outta thev door. You gotta alnt that
lrture for en so when thev o lt ln, lt feels llke
thevre ronfortahle, ln thelr envlronnent. Ihev
ran understand lt wlth thelr eves rlosed. Ihev
ran understand lt lf vou sav lt harkwards. A lot
of tlnes eole use that as thelr referenre, what
thevve done and what thevve heen through. lt
klnda valldates who thelr rhararter ls as a raer
or hood nlgga.
Whats vour take on the so-ralled Atlanta heef
hetween Shawtv Lo and I.l.!
lts all good. l know lts a hetter wav to Bankhead
on the na and show that Atlantas got sone
real hustlers and squads here, hut thevre uttlng
Bankhead on the na. Ihats what thevre doln.
I.l.P. alreadv ut Bankhead on the na, dont
get ne wrong on that, hut Shawtv Lo heen ln
the streets for a long tlne, for real. l thlnk sone
eole hlew what he sald out of roortlon and
then lt turned lnto a nlgga reallzlng that eole
are artuallv furklng wlth hln hv savlng that. lt
|ust turned lnto nlggas talkln shlt to earh other.
But at the end of the dav, l thlnk hoth of then
rats are sone hustlers. Ihevre snart enough to
not do nothlng dunh and |eoardlze thelr rareers
or freedon. l thlnk lts noreso then utlllzlng
what thev got, uslng thelr talents, and the art of
narketlng what thev do. Ihats how l feel, to he
honest wlth vou.
how does Bankhead ronare to College Park!
how would vou hreak that down for sonehodv
whos not fron Atlanta!
lts hood anvwhere ln Atlanta. Anvwhere vou
go ln Atlanta lt gon he hood. Ihe thang ahout
lt ls, sone arts ln Atlanta are |ust nore slun
shlt. You gotta thlnk, ln Atlanta, Bankhead ls
suer-ghetto. College Park ls ghetto as hell,
hut lt nlght not have as nanv ro|erts. College
Parks got ro|erts, hut Bankheads got a lot of
ro|erts. You got Bankhead Courts. You ran turn
around off of Bankhead and vou got Etherldge.
You go on u and vou get to 0verlook Atlanta.
You rant forget Bowen hones. lts a lot of lares
vou ran go rlght there on Bankhead and he llke,
Ihls shlt ls suer-hood. lt alnt llke theres no
hoods ln other rltles, hut l thlnk sonetlnes the
level of osltlvltv rould he greater ln sone arts
of Atlanta.
When vou sav vou slgned hot Stvlz, do vou have a
rodurtlon ronanv or a lahel! Whats the nane
of vour ronanv!
hv ronanv ls ralled Swagg Iean Entertaln-
nent. l feel llke were a full-hlown entertalnnent
ronanv. lts one of those rerord lahels where
l stand hehlnd the eole l helleve ln and the
eole l stand hehlnd helleve ln ne. llaughs) No
hono.
So who do vou havlng ronlng out hesldes hot
Stvlz!
l got Iraevon. hes an R6B dude. he ran reallv
hlow. Youve got nv dude 6rlnd outta Klsslnnee.
hes a Puerto Rlran rat that grew u ln the hood,
hut when vou hear hln voure not gonna even
helleve hes Puerto Rlran. l got nore rats ronln
llke Plav Bol. lts the Swagg Iean All Stars. Rlght
now ln |ust en|ovlng helng ahle to nake sone
derlslons, as far as helng ln that CE0 seat.
Are all of those ronlng through 1lve or are vou
looklng for dlfferent thlngs for evervhodv!
ln looklng for dlfferent outlets. l have had a verv
good relatlonshl wlth 1lve ln the ast, hellng
estahllsh a relatlonshl hv dolng rerords wlth a
lot of thelr dlfferent artlsts, llke the rerord lurk
You Pav he wlth nv honle Sonnv V, and of rourse
the rerord wlth I-Paln, Buv You a rank. We hullt
surh a good relatlonshl that thev took ne ev-
ervwhere wlth I-Paln. l traveled the rountrv wlth
thls guv, at dlfferent award shows and evervthlng.
Ihev dldnt have to do that. honle roulda raed
the art hlnself. But thev reallv helleved ln the
artlsts and suorted then enough to do that,
to send that extra nonev to nake sure he was
well-arronnodated. l took heed to the whole
roress that l wltnessed, so lnevltahlv l went to
then. l have a few assorlates |at 1lve] that are
hlghlv favored, so lt was a hetter sltuatlon to walk
lnto lt llke that.
And whats the status of vour next solo ro|ert! 0r
are vou klnda foruslng nore on the lahel and vour
other huslness ventures!
ln forused, naklng sure all nv nuslr ls rlght. ln
verv forused on hoth. But for the nost art, rant
nohodv do 1or hut 1or, so ln gonna he forused
fron a dlfferent angle on nv ro|ert. Wlth nv
lahel, l ran slt hark and sav, Ihls ls what needs
to he done, heres a rherkllst of the stes l have
to take to nake lt work. lor the nost art, ln
worklng.
o vou know when vour next solo ro|ert wlll he
ronlng out!
Novenher. lts ralled hr. Rohlnsons Nelghhor-
hood.
You were on the lorhes llst last vear for raers
who nade the nost nonev, rorrert! Aslde fron
the thlngs weve alreadv dlsrussed, what are vou
dolng to nake sure vou nalntaln vour sot on the
llst thls vear!
ln lannlng. All these thlngs were talklng ahout
rlght now, lts not |ust talk. Youve got sone eo-
le that |ust talk shlt and sav what thevre gonna
do and what thev wanna do, hut vou never see
lt nanlfested. Wlth nv rase lts a llttle dlfferent.
lnstead of ne golng around talklng a lot, l reallv
|ust let lt haen. Ihat wav vou ran never sav, he
|ust talked a lot hut l never saw nurh rogress.
l heard a lot of nouns, ronouns, and ad|ertlves
rone outta hls nouth hut l never saw surress
nanlfest fron what he soke. ld rather |ust let
nv artlons seak a lot louder than nv words.
Ihat sounds llke a good wav to nlsh off thls
lntervlew. Anvthlng else voud llke to add!.
lor anvhodv thats llstenlng, 6od hless vou. Llfe
ls too short. lf sonethlng alnt worklng, dont
glve u. 1ust kee doln what vou do rause hest
helleve, l felt llke glvlng u a nllllon tlnes hut l
dldnt. l ut nv falth ln 6od. l helleved ln nvself
and l |ust hlt the hlork runnlng. l lared u the
Nlke Alrs and |ust went runnlng. l sald, lna get
to the nlsh llne one wav or the other. l stlll alnt
nade lt to the nlsh llne rause l dont know what
nv nlsh llne ln llfe reallv ls, hut ln stlll runnln
the hell outta thls rare. We get tlred rause were
hunan, hut as long as vou rontlnue to reare for
tonorrow and kee uttln vour all lnto lt, voull
he alrlght. Ihats what l wanna leave wlth the
fans. When vou thlnk ahout 1or, know that lna
real nlgga. ln not wlth no ganes. lna grown
nan. l got klds. lts not a gane. ll
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6!
68 ll 0Z0NE hA6
T
here are lentv of storles lnslde the lederal holdlng larllltv ln haken-
to Countv, llorlda. Iheres the one ahout the Colunhlan shernan who
got husted wlth doe on hls hoat that he dldnt even know was there.
Iheres the one ahout the guv servlng llfe for kllllng hls rousln ln a donestlr
dlsute. Ihen theres the one ahout the ronlslng raer who, llke so nanv
other lnnates, was slnlv at the wrong lare at the wrong tlne. Ihat storv
helongs to Iana Ionv.
Born Antonlo Alls ln 0rlando, llorlda, Iana Ionv was the rototvlral lnde-
endent Southern raer. he was a klng ln hls loral donaln wlth a loval fan-
hase that even nultl-latlnun artlsts on a na|or lahel rouldnt hoast ahout
havlng. You rould run lnto hln at the nelghhorhood gas statlon nlnutes after
or even whlle hls song was lavlng on the radlo. he rould generate nore
rheers ln hls rltv than sone of the headllnlng artlsts he oened for.
Ionv got hls start as a 1 wlth the faned Rork lt Rod 1s ln the nld-8s.
Leavlng the turntahles hehlnd, he serured a role as hvenan for hC Nas-
of hv Cadlllar fane. Wlth hass nuslr stlll rerognlzed as owerful forre, he
eventuallv got hlt wlth the ralng hug and ursued a rareer on the nlr. hls
rst natlonal look rane when he hooked u wlth nuslr lndustrv lunlnarv
Ionv herredes, known for hls work wlth Lalare Rerords. Ihelr relatlonshl
hlrthed the song ls lrk on the Alnt Nothlng But A Bass Ihlng ronllatlon.
After a few rontroverslal rontrart dlsutes, Ionv went out on hls own and ut
out the slngle Pull Ihat Choo Choo, one of the nanv hass songs of the tlne
uslng a Barrv Whlte sanle that went on to herone an underground hlt.
Ihrough the nld-Zs Iana Ionv had a strlng of rluh hlts lnrludlng the
wldelv oular Kee 1ukln, that ran stlll he heard ln randon llorlda rluhs
to thls dav. Ihat songs oularltv led to a raneo on 1.0... on Irlrk
addvs Ihug hatrlnonv alhun, a song that also aeared ln the novle Ihe
+ Year 0ld Vlrgln. lt also led to an lll-fated deal wlth Southheat Rerords.
lsenrhanted wlth the lndustrv after nunerous ronflrts wlth the lahel, Ionv
oted to ste hark fron the llnellght and start hls own huslness. Not as a
rerord exerutlve, hut as an artual lnventor.
After a few fallures, Ionv nallv sturk gold when he lnvented a Slltta, a
dlsrrete devlre rontalnlng a razor hlade that sllt hlunt rlgars ln half, naklng
lt easler for snokers who dldnt want to deal wlth the hassle of wettlng and
ruttlng the hlunts wlth kevrhalns or nger nalls. Whlle the devlre was as
rlnltlve as lt was lnnovatlve, Ionv roved hlnself to he lngenlus hv naklng
sure the devlre ltself dldnt have to tourh the narl|uana, thus exrludlng lt
fron helng ronsldered lllegal drug arahernalla.
Ihe lnventlon was an lnstant surress, drawlng lnterest all arross the rountrv
and even as far awav as Canada. Bv the tlne Ionv develoed a sleeker roto-
tve deslgned to art as a llghter holder as well, he had noved on to hulldlng
an even hlgger huslness enlre.
ln August Z6, Ionv dehuted hls a Slltter rlothlng llne, or S Aarel for
short, that lnrluded not onlv t-shlrts and hat, hut sneakers as well. Ihe llne
was to lntrodure what he ralled the snokers look. he also re-entered
the ra lndustrv hv foundlng hls own lahel a Slltta Rerords, wlth lans to
ut out alhuns fron hls newlv forned grou a Slltta Squad. Wlth so nanv
ro|erts on hls late, Ionv was rerognlzed hv hls eers when he was nonl-
nated for the Z6 0Z0NE Award for hustler of the Year. hls new deallngs also
hrought around sone new eole, arrordlng to sone unnaned sourres.
ln Z!, Ionv re-forused on hls solo rareer wlth lans to dro an alhun that
would eventuallv nake hln a household nane. Barked hv rodurtlon fron
1ln 1onsln and guest aearanres fron I-Paln, Ionv was well on hls wav
to heronlng a star after nearlv Z vears ln the gane. But Z seronds would
hrlng hls rogress to a halt.
0n 0rtoher IZ, Z6 ln Pasro Countv, llorlda Ionv was arrested for arretlng
68 ll 0Z0NE hA6
W0RS BY hAURlCE 6. 6ARLAN
0Z0NE hA6 ll 69
a dellverv of twentv-four kllos of roralne. Ar-
rordlng to a ress release fron the Unlted States
eartnent of 1ustlre, law enforrenent agents
also selzed SZ, fron Ionvs rar along wlth
three other gentlenen. 0ne of the nen was fron
Arlzona, where the roralne orlglnated. 0n Noven-
her 8, Z!, Ionv was ronvlrted and sentenred to
llfe lnrlsonnent for ronslrarv to ossess wlth
lntent to dlstrlhute and ossesslon wlth lntent to
dlstrlhute.
Slnllar to the rase of Blg 0on rerordlng artlst
Bahv who ls rurrentlv slttlng ln an 0hlo rlson
wlthout hond for allegedlv trafrklng roralne,
thls lnrldent seens ronletelv out of rhararter
for a raer known for artv rerords. Never reallv
ronsldered a threat to sorletv, Ionv has gone fron
naklng hlt rerords to helng hlt wlth a rerord.
Seaklng out for the rst tlne slnre hls lnrarrera-
tlon, Ionv got on the hone wlth 0Z0NE hagazlne
to talk ahout what haened, what hes seen and
heard durlng hls lnrarreratlon and how he lans
to get hark hone.
We nlght as well get rlght lnto lt slnse we dont
have a lot of tlne to talk. What haened that
nlght vou were arrested!
l an aeallng the sentenre and roredures ln
the rase herause thev were wrong. But l rant too
nurh talk ahout lt.
So vou rant talk ahout the arrest at all!
l rant talk ahout that nlght. Baslrallv l was at the
wrong lare at the wrong tlne. Soneone set ne
u to get the heat off then.
A lot of the eole weve talked to sav thev
rouldnt lnaglne vou helng lnto the drug trade.
Anvhodv that knows ne knows l never was that
tve of guv. l dealt wlth weed herause l snoked,
hut nothlng llke thls. l was reallv at the wrong
lare at the wrong tlne.
ld vou know thls erson that set vou u!
Yes, l knew thls erson. Not a rlose frlend hut l
knew he was deallng, though.
A lot of rerordlng artlsts have heen gettlng
|anned u latelv. o vou thlnk raers are helng
targeted!
Ihe whole svsten ls dlvlde and ronquer. Ihev
are uslng eole to snltrh on earh other and we
|ust fall ln. lf vouve got a weed hahlt and vou
huv lt fron sonehodv and lt turns out thev were
alreadv ln trouhle hut thev dont want to take the
trouhle thenselves, thev gure vouve got nonev
so vou ran get out of the trouhle. Ihe govern-
nent sees what vouve got golng on too and thlnk
the nonev rane fron drugs. So thev sav, Iell us
sonethlng and well glve vou a deal. But l dont
have anvone to tell on. ln not dolng that. Ihev
want ne to snltrh, and l wont, herause l dont
know anvthlng. Ihats whv thev gave ne llfe. Ihev
thlnk ln holdlng hark evldenre or lnfornatlon.
When thev ulled vour le, dld thev see that vou
had a rlor rerord! o vou thnk that nav have
laved a art!
l have two felonles on nv rerord for snall
anounts of narl|uana. Snoke anounts of
narl|uana. Ihev were |ust over the anount for
nlsdeneanor, so thev herane felonles.
Are vou aware of the rase of avld Lee 6av 1r.,
a.k.a. lee, Plles nanager, who was arrested on
slnllar rharges ln Iana late last vear!
Yes. Ihat was nv atna.
ls vour rase related to hls at all! Io the outslde
eve, eole nav he savlng, What the hell ls golng
on ln Iana!
No. No. Iotallv unrelated.
What do vou thlnk lt ls ahout vou that nade the
governnent slngle vou out ln thls rase!
l guess herause of nv shoe ronanv. Ihev saw nv
|ewelrv and a lot of stuff and gured l was ln the
drug huslness, hut l never was.
Io the hest of vour knowledge, evervhodv ln vour
rlrrle was rlean and not lnto the drug trade, rlght!
Ihev were rlean, that l know of. But vou never
know what thevre dolng when thev arent around
vou.
Ihls erson that vou sav set vou u, were thev ln
vour lnnedlate rlrrle!
Ihev wasnt a huslness artner, he was |ust a er-
son l knew. lf l needed sonethlng, ld go to hln.
drug rharges!
l never heard of llfe sentenres herause eole
dldnt go to trlal. lts reallv had ln llorlda, fron lt.
hvers to Nales to 1arksonvllle, the nlddle dlstrlrt
of llorlda. l dont know the naln reason hut what
thev are dolng ls llke legal lvnrhlng. 6uvs are
slgnlng leas herause voure danned lf vou do,
danned lf vou dont. 6uvs are slgnlng leas for
S to + vears. lf vou go to trlal lts I to llfe, so
nost of then take the lea and end u wlth IS
vears. lts all done to nake then rooerate. Ihev
threaten then wlth tlne. Ihev tell vou, Youre
at Z vears, hut lf vou rooerate well knork vou
down to !. lf voure at I well knork vou down
to Z. 6uvs alnt dolng no tlne ln |all, thev |ust
work thelr tlne off. Ihev got one thlng ralled a
SkI, thats hefore vou slgn vour lea, hefore thev
sentenre vou, thats a downward dearture, thats
when vou snltrh on eole, testlfv on eole.
Ihen vou have a rule JS that ls another dearture
that gets vour tlne rut and what thevre dolng
there ls artv rooeratlon. lf voure lorked u
and thev dont trust vou to let vou out to knork
soneone off, lf vou have a glrl outslde or a frlend,
thev hook then u wlth vour agent or lawver
and get then to |set u] a deal wlth soneone. So
when thev get then knorked off, thev glve the
rredlt to vou.
ln vour rase, do vou thlnk thev are naklng vou
lnto an exanle!
When the |udge sentenred ne, he sald he alnt
want to glve |the llfe sentenre] to ne. he sald
he felt llke the law wasnt rlght. he saw that l
onlv had two rlors for snall weed ossesslon,
hut there was nothlng he rould do herause the
state roserutors are the ones that led the llfe
sentenre agalnst ne. he sald there was nothlng he
rould do, hls hands were tled.
Belng that vou are hehlnd the wall, does lt nake
vou look at all the sto snltrhlng stuff dlffer-
entlv!
A whole lot dlfferentlv. Evervhodv that knows ne
asks ne what haened. Ihats how ln ndlng all
thls lnfornatlon. Ihese dudes he ln here talklng
ahout snltrhlng llke lts rlns or gold. Bark then
voud get kllled for snltrhlng, hut now lts llke
Evlsu |eans. lts a fad.
l ran tell vou sone of these rases and vou
wouldnt helleve lt. l heard one where thls guv
net wlth these dudes, savlng lt was sone doe ln
the warehouse. he was an underrover ro. When
thev went to roh the warehouse, the ros were
there, and thev gave then Z vears and hetter, no
doe. Ihevre lorked u for thlnklng thevre gonna
do sonethlng. 0ne guv went to trlal and started
talklng, so he got hls tlne knorked off fron Z
vears to + vears.
ls there anvthlng that vou want to tell eole to
kee then fron gettlng sturk ln a sltuatlon llke
vours!
ld tell eole that lf vou know anvone |whos
deallng wlth] drugs, leave then alone. Ihe svsten
ls nessed u. Ihe |all svsten ls so rrowded.
Ihev send nore nonev on |alls than eduratlon.
Peole ln the nuslr lndustrv have to verhallze
thls. Ihevre kllllng our rare rlght now. Iheres a
I!-vear-old servlng J vears for |gettlng raught
wlth] I grans of roralne. Ihev dld hln llke that
herause he had rlors.
how are helng treated ln there and how do vou
exert vour aeal to go!
ln treated okav. Peole |ust trv to enrourage ne.
l thlnk lll he hone next vear. ln golng to wln
thls aeal agalnst the roserutors and ollre. ll
ln vour tlne ln rlson so far, what have vou seen
thats surrlsed vou!
l see now that lts a lot of eole ln here and
the svsten ls so nessed u, eole are dolng
anvthlng to get hone. l have to ut thls out there
so eole wlll know. But vou have eole who got
I vear sentenres and thevre |unlng on rases.
Ihevre rase |uners.
Exlaln that.
Yall nlght he talklng ahout vour rase. he knows
all of vour lnfo now, so hell rall hls agent or
lawver and tell then that he has lnfo on vou. So,
when vou nallv go to trlal to trv and heat vour
rase, hes at vour trlal, testlfvlng. You dont know
nothlng ahout hln, hut he knows ahout vou so
he ran tell the |udge. lts llke klrklng a dog when
hes down. lts rldlrulous, l look at sone of these
rats and shake nv head. Rerentlv there were two
dudes |here] who were hest frlends. 0ne of then
went to trlal and the other one showed u and
testled on hln. lts rldlrulous that lts allowed to
haen. lts ltlful. lts guvs ln here fron Colunhla
that got raught ln Colunhlan waters and thevre
hrlnglng then over here when the U.S. alnt even
suosed to he ln Colunhnlan waters. So thevre
|ust sturk here. Ihe hoats were lled wlth roke,
hut thev are shernen. Ihev should he ln |all ln
thelr rountrv.
loerator notles us that we onlv have one nlnute
left. Ionv hangs u and ralls rlght hark|
Prlor to thls haenlng to vou, dld vou know of
anvone who raught an outrageous sentenre over
0Z0NE hA6 ll 69
Ionv ln 1une Z6 wlth hls S Aarel shoes
! ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll !I
!Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
6urrl hane had a rough start to hls ra rareer, whlrh lnrluded a well-uh-
llrlzed heef wlth Young 1eezv over the ownershl of hls lntrodurtorv slngle
So lrev and a sonewhat related shootlng lnrldent that landed 6urrl he-
hlnd hars for nurder llt was later deternlned that 6urrls artlons had heen
ln self-defense and he was set free). Later, he arted wavs wlth hls lahel
Blg Cat Rerords lwho released a C that he savs was unauthorlzed) and
landed at Asvlun Rerords. 6urrl was a llttle uset wlth us here at 0Z0NE
for a whlle, too, hut now that all the dust has settled l6urrl and 1eezv
were rerentlv sotted at the sane Atlanta nlghtrluh around the sane tlne
wlth no lnrldents) and hes rontlnued hulldlng on hls street oularltv
wlth hlts llke lreakv 6lrl, we derlded lt was tlne for 0Z0NE and 6urrl to
squash the heef too.
Youve got a new artlst thats lrklng u a huzz. Iell ne ahout hln.
hls nane ls 0.1. so we alwavs rall hln a 1ulre han. We grew u together
slnre we were llttle klds. Were llke hrothers. Ihats nv hest frlend. he
alwavs raed, he wasnt even as good as he ls now hut he ut lt together.
hes gettlng hls own show nonev now and he ut out three nlxtaes
wlth hls own nonev, so now hes nerged wlth nv lahel and were gonna
trv a ro|ert wlth hln. lts a ganhle. lts gonna rone out lndeendentlv
on nv lahel, So lrev Entertalnnent. Ihls ls the rst ro|ert lve ut out
hesldes nv na|or alhun that l ut out nvself. l dld a artnershl wlth
AsvlunlAtlantlr on nv rst ro|ert and lt was a surress, so ln nna rone
out wlth nv follow-u. l alnt tltled lt vet. Were gonna rone out wlth the
1ulrenans dehut and then the So lrev Bovz.
Whv dld vou leave Blg Cat Rerords and go to Asvlun!
Ihe dav l got out of |all, l left Blg Cat. Whlle l was lorked u, l had slx
nonths to thlnk and l reallzed that l navhe nade the wrong nove. Ihlngs
werent rlght. Ihe hooks werent rlght. All nv Blg Cat rerords were |ust
llke nlxtaes. Ihev alnt rho no nonev over to ne. Ihev were llke, Your
lnvestnent ls gonna rone hark to vou. l was waltlng on a ot of gold,
l was nave. Ihats what l hlane lt on. l alnt know a lot ahout the nuslr
lndustrv, and l dldnt even have a lot of talent at the tlne. l |ust was a
huslnessnan, l saw an oortunltv. Peole were savlng l was a one-hlt-
wonder, hut l knew l rould ut an alhun together. Ihev were a snart
rerord lahel, and l resert then on that to thls dav. But as far as ne, l
was alwavs the nusrle. l rlde nvself on helng that, and as l grew and
got wlth the CE0 of nv lahel now, she taught ne a lot nore thlngs. Ihev
were tearhlng ne nothlng at |Blg Cat] herause thev were trvlng to take
advantage of ne. Evervthlng l dld wlth then, l sllt down the nlddle. We
had a |olnt venture. l never roted |fron that deal], thats |ust the 6ods
honest truth. Even for nv vldeo for 6o head, l ald ahout SJ, out
of nv orket. And thelr attornev got nonev too, he told ne hlnself. he
few down here and l lrked hln u ln nv rar. he was ln on the trlrk too,
hut l learned fron lt and ushed on. l would never do that to nv artlsts.
lna glve then a errentage and thev alnt gotta fund nothlng out of thelr
orket.
Were vou haler wlth the wav Asvlun handled vour alhun!
Asvlun dld nost of the footwork wlth ne, and nv deal was ustreaned to
Atlantlr. We were all artners, as well as Czar Entertalnnent, rant forget
1lnnv and Ieddv. A lot of eole had lnut on nv alhun, and thats what
nade the swag dlfferent than nv nlxtaes. l donlnated nv nlxtaes wlth
all nv thlnklng, all nv lnut, and all nv rreatlons. ld he ln Patrhwerk
everv dav wlth no hudget.
Whats u wlth vou and Bufe the Bodv! Ihere was a vldeo rll of vall
together foatlng around on YouIuhe. ls that vour glrl!
Ihats denltelv not nv glrl. l alnt got nothlng had to sav ahout her hut l
!Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
WORDS & PHOTO: JULIA BEVERLY
0Z0NE hA6 ll !J
ls the lrultv rlothlng llne stlll ln effert!
Were golng to rone out wlth another rlothlng llne, rohahlv nv real nane
Radrlr avls, |ust rhange lt a llttle hlt. As far as rlothlng, weve |ust heen
rorklng 6urrl hane rhalns, hr. Perfert, anv nane l rone wlth. You know l
got a nlxtae drolng thls week! l got one ralled Wllt Chalnherlaln, So
lrev Bov wlth Suastar 1. Kwlk, So lrev Bov Z wlth 1. Kwlk, and lrev Ierh J
wlth uttv Laundrv.
Suastar 1. Kwlk ls vour 1, rlght! ls he the one vou |ust red!
No, hell no, Kwlk ls rool wlth ne. l red a 1 naned Soon. Kwlk ls hlg tlne
now, vou know what l nean! Not savlng he wasnt hlg tlne hefore, hes
heen hlg tlne, he hranrhed off. he nake nore nonev dolng hls thlng than
what he nakes wlth ne, stralght u, so vou rant knork hln. l lost two
1s llke that. Ihev get so hot. l salute hln. We stlll do the nlxtae thlng.
hes a great art of So lrev. No natter what he savs, ln rrazv ahout hln.
he heled nv rareer, thats nv hov. And vou used to throw hln on there
for everv award, thats what nade ne llke vou. You nlght not show ne
no love, hut vou nonlnate hln and that looks good for ne. But vou dldnt
have ne on there erfornlng |at the 0Z0NE Awards]. Ioo nurh rolored
|ewelrv, not enough whlte. llaughs) You gotta feel ne on that. Wheres vour
VVSs at! You got on J rhalns and none of en hllnglng.
o vou thlnk vour ra skllls have lnrreased a lot!
ln dolng great now. ln hetter. l alnt the hest raer hut ln a traer,
ln a huslnessnan. Blrdnan alnt the hest raer hut hes a huslnessnan
and |haster] P too. ln klnda nolded llke then, so l was alwavs thlnklng
|olnt venture, then l learned how to ra. Before l raed, l had |ewelrv and
ran nv tra hefore l even raught on. Ihat was art of ne hut now l done
noved out. Sonehodv wrote |ln a C revlew], 6urrl hane needs to leave
the tra alone on hls next alhun. l ran read stuff, lve verv llterate. l read
evervthlng. Ihev glve 1av-Z arrlaln, I.l. arrlaln, thev glve a lot of eole
arrlaln and thev downslze ne. ont nohodv sav nothlng ahout E-+ wlth
a hlg gut.
What do vou read whlle vou sent that tlne down!
l read that 6urrl hane was host Llkelv to ratrh a led Case or sone shlt.
Shout out to Vlrkv avls, nv nana. She sent ne that ln the rountv |all and
l read lt. l saw nv rst lrture of Bufe the Bodv ln |all |ln 0Z0NE]. l furked
her, real talk, off of that lrture. You turned ne on to her. You gave hoth
of us an award and she had a fat assl l sald, lna furk her when l get out.
Swear to 6od. l furked her then and l furked her later. You thlnk ln lav-
lng. Ihats not the onlv relehrltv glrl l furked now ln not golng to nane
anvone, hut a lot of rerord lahels that l got heef wlth, l he furklng thev
glrls. l done furked a roule raers glrls. l he doggln en, gettln head,
skeetln ln thev fare and shlt. l rould ut a tae out on thls shlt. Raers
and slngers too, and rodurers and CE0s. l he furklng a lot of relehrltv
fenales that have wav nore nonev than lve got.
Llke who!
l alnt gonna sav 0rah or nothlng, hut anvthlng u under that ln knorkln
that shlt down. Kllllng that shlt.
Anvthlng u under 0rah! Whos that, Bevonre!
Look at 1ullal Shes so sllrk. You thlnk glrls dont nd ne attrartlve rause
ln hood and l sav what l want! You dont thlnk glrls llke nv swag! Whv
wouldnt thev llke ne!
Klnora Lee!
l llke all wonen. l alnt never seen no wonan that l thought was uglv. l
told vou when l seen vou wlth that dude, You look good. You thought l
was lavlng. l het vou l got a sark, l het vou l got a nanslon, l het l got 6
or ! rars. Ask anv V erson.
l thought thls lntervlew was ahout to get lnterestlng, hut l guess voure not
gonna nane anv nanes.
You know l rant do that. But l alaud vou for vour effort.
ls there anvthlng else vou wanna sav!
We ran talk all dav untll nv rurfew at Z. After that l gotta go.
Youre stlll on rohatlon! how are vou ahle to travel and do shows!
You |ust gotta do what vou suosed to do.
Anv nal words!
Shout out to 0Z0NE. Shout out to all the lndeendent raers trvlng to
nake lt na|or. Shout out to evervhodv na|or trvlng to nake lt lndeen-
dentlv. ll
heard on the lnternet she was dolng sonethlng ahout ne. l never seen lt, lve
heen on the road. lolks ask ne lf l talk to her. l used to date her revlouslv,
hut not anvnore. Ihat was llke two or three vears ago. lf vou saw the lrtures
|of us together], nv tattoos are dlfferent than thev are now. hv rongrats to
her wlth whatever shes trvlng to do |wlth the YouIuhe vldeos]. lt fatters
ne. ln fron the nelghhorhood, East Atlanta Zone 6, so for anvhodv trvlng
to rlaln l dld sonethlng |sexual] wlth then, lt nakes ne feel good. l llke to
he talked ahout. l llke notorletv. lve heen notorlous for hoth had and good
|thlngs]. ln lnfanous. l rant run fron that.
l guess the heef hetween vou and 1eezv has ralned down!
lt never reallv rane to an end, l guess. l dont never see hln. Pronoters that
hook ne never hook ne wlth hln |on the sane show], of rourse. l stav on
the road ve davs outta seven. Even when l wasnt naklng no nonev l was
ronotlng nv stuff, so that enahled ne to nake a lot nore nonev. ln on the
road everv dav. l guess we dont rolnrlde rause of that. ln naklng a lot of
nonev that l wasnt naklng |when l was ln |all], so ln not trvna ness that
u. lf l hun heads wlth hln or anvhodv else, lt ls what lt ls. l llve hv the
rreed to earh have hls dav. l alnt never ran fron nohodv. l go to the rluh one
dee. Ihev see ne when l go out, throwlng then sarks of nonev. Evervhodv
know ne for throwlng nonev, thats whv ln deslsed. ln hated and loved.
lts a whole hunrh of eole that love ne, and a whole hunrh of eole that
dont. lf vou go ast |Atlanta freewav] Z8S, ln llke hlrhael 1arkson. lf l
tourh |a fans] hand thev nlght fall out. Ihats stralght u, l done had that
haen. Ihev fall out and serurltvs ulllng then out and thev wake u and
sav, Put ne down.
ls there anvthlng vou wanna sav to 0Z0NE!
l never went on rerord to sav anvthlng had ahout vall and l never wlll. l
arerlate when l rst started out vall |let ne lug] nv rlothlng llne l was
trvlng to ut out. l dont wanna seen llke ln roln deures hut l arerlate
vou. Even though vall sald stuff ahout ne, a lot of eole dldnt ut ne ln
nothln. VlBE gave ne Blggest Chaln of the Year, vall gave ne Beer 6ut of the
Year hoon, lll he sonehodv. Ihats what l was alnlng for. l raed ahout
the lrtv Awards and thev hooed ne. lt alnt llke vall was the onlv ones that
feel llke 6urrl alnt uttlng together hls hest, hut l rant hel that l have a
nasal fow.
You do have a llttle heer gut. o vou thlnk lts tlne to hlt the gvn!
l eat out all the tlne. You know, hoores Steakhouse, lts SS a late. 1ust for
ne and vou, 1ulla. We ran go, l got lt. Ihats how l klrk lt. l dont drlnk heer,
l got a rlder that rones wlth ve hottles of Crlstal, ve hottles of 6rev 6oose,
and ve hottles of Patron. ln klrklng lt, artvlng ve davs a week, so veah,
that nlght forre ne to have a heer gut rause l hall. l go hard ln the rluh.
Even on nv off davs, llke tonlght, l nlght go hard. When Rorko saw ne and
1ernalne url and lrank Nlttl at hls release artv, we were ln there throwlng
rarks on Rorko rause we suort hln. Were gonna suort hln hv throwlng
SJ, rause l rork wlth hln llke that. Ask hln ahout ne. Now, hr. haglr
Cltv |Young 1eezv], l alnt see nohodv ln there. l was throwlng J rarks out of
then Louls hags. Ask all the glrls ln there, ask all the raers, llke thev asked
en ahout that lat 1oe and Paoose shlt, ask en, ld 6urrl throw J hags!
Ask en dld l nake lernando rut the nuslr hark on all nv new songs, and l
dont never show u. Ask en dld l rone ln there wlth S goons ln all hlark
and red, and dldnt nohodv nake a nove. Ask en dld Blg Cat nlggas rone ln
there savlng, o we have sone rohlens! Are vou ln there trlln ahout that
Blg Cat shlt! Ask en dld we take nlggas ln the hathroon and talk to en and
ut thev ussv out hefore we klrk en ln thev ass. Ihats how we rork. But
alnt nohodv ever rone talk to us, so we arerlate sonehodv ronlng to rov-
er So lrev, rause we dee. We rork the whole East Atlanta. Nohodv got goons
hut us ln East Atlanta. Ihese folks alnt fron here. 6urrl hane heen here slnre
he was 9, l got a rllrk, a gang. Ihev down wlth ne dlehard. l got |eole]
all over the state and thevre down wlth ne. Ihats whv l get offended when
sonehodv talks ahout ne. Iodav, l red nv 1 and nv serurltv guard |ust for
savlng the wrong thlng to ne. ln the hoss.
What dld thev sav!
Ihev dldnt sav nurh of nothlng, thev |ust sald sonethlng at the wrong tlne.
You rant talk to the hoss llke that. See, vou ran talk fron far awav and wrlte
and l dont know who the wrlter ls. But vou rant rone u to ne and sav
sonethlng ln nv fare. Not savlng ln hlg and had hut ln not nna go u to
hulk hogan fare to fare and sav, lurk vou, hulk hogan. l know that. lts |ust
llke -Bo. ont lav wlth the kld.
0n a serlous note, vou were farlng sone serlous tlne.
l alnt dolng no talklng ahout that. 6ag order. Cnon, hest lawvers ln town,
sane one I.l. had. l alnt turn hln on to then hut l heen had thelr lawver
hlred out of nv orkets. We had three lawvers, shout out to then. Ihats what
ket ne golng.
0Z0NE hA6 ll !J
!+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Ihe funnv thlng ahout Lolllo ls
that l was artuallv worklng over at
Clrrle house, on the anltv Kane stuff
for Bad Bov. And whlle l was over
there, l worked on a hunrh of trarks, and one of
then helng a haslr verslon heat to Lolllo. l
laved lt for the A6Rs over there.
Ihev werent reallv feellng lt for |anltv Kane].
Pleasure P was worklng over at nv studlo wlth
Statlr |ha|or] so l took sone nuslr over to lav
for then, sone of the newer stuff l had heen do-
lng that |Bad Bov] assed on, and Statlr loved that
Lolllo heat. he thought lt was rrazv, he started
vlhlng to lt rlght awav. Pleasure was dlgglng lt hut
onre Statlr got done wlth the hook, he sald thls
gotta he for Lll Wavne. he, Pleasure and Statlr
took lt over to Wavne. Wavne and hls ln-house
rodurer nane lesel added sone tourhes to lt
and nake lt stand out a llttle nore to nake the
rerord serlal.
When l had the heat done, l thought lt was golng
to he a real slnle street rerord. And onre l heard
the nelodv Statlr was lavlng on lt, l knew lt was
gonna he sonethlng serlal.
l dont reallv have a stvle. ln dolng o rerords,
ra rerords and R6B rerords. So, l klnda tourh
all hases, lnrludlng rork. l llke to do a llttle hlt
of evervthlng. l got rerords ronlng out that vou
wont even know are done hv ne. ln the ast, l dld
1anle loxxs Unredlrtahle wlth Blgg . he and
Blgg had a rodurtlon tean hark then ralled
Unusual Suserts. We dld Lets 6o for Irlrk addv.
Prettv Rlrkvs rst alhun, we rettv nurh dld
nlnetv errent of that alhun. We dld 6lrl Ionlght
for Iwlsta featurlng Irev Songz, Irlna featurlng
Kellv Rowland here We 6o, and Show Stoers
for anltv Kane, |ust to nane a few of then.
l worked wlth Bevonre for ahout two weeks and
we rut slx rerords. Phenonenal songs, thevre
anazlng rerords. 0ne of then got leaked on the
lnternet sonehow ralled Beautlful Nlghtnare.
ln rettv sure l got a slngle on her alhun, lf not
a roule. Shes anazlng to work wlth, reallv suer,
suer talented.
Rehel Rork Entertalnnent ls nv lahel lnrlnt
through Atlantlr Rerords. l dld the deal through
Cralg Kallnan. We have B.o.B., whos an anazlng,
suer talent out of eratur, 6eorgla. Io ne, hes
llke the next Andre J. hes got a song ralled
haterz |Evervwhere] thats out there. Ihe vldeo
ls dolng reallv well on YouIuhe. And were srhed-
uled to release hls rerord ln the thlrd quarter thls
vear. But ln a fan of B.o.B.s, hes rohahlv nv fa-
vorlte artlst. hes verv dlversled. hes a rodurer,
songwrlter, raer, and slnger. Ihe kld ran do lt all
and hes onlv elghteen. he started lavlng gultar
last vear and hes alreadv dolng sesslons wlth hls
gultar and ruttlng rerords wlth lt. hes slrk.
l have a grou ralled Save Ihe hero that ne and
Rlro Love are uttlng together. Were dolng that
6narls Barklev tve of vlhe, not that nuslr hut the
ronret. hes a songwrlter, ln a rodurer, and
were |ust dolng sone rrazv nuslr. lts llke |new]
age, elertronlr rork and fused wlth hl ho. ln
worklng wlth Kellv Rowland, hlrhelle Wllllans,
1ordan Iavlor on lntersroe, 6lrllrlous, and the
Pussvrat olls. Were gettlng readv to get ln the
studlo wlth Irlrk addv on hls new stuff, so ln
exrlted ahout that.
lve heen dolng nuslr for a long tlne, slnre
the late 8s. ln reallv arerlatlve of the work
thats heen done and the artlsts that have rut nv
rerords. Bv the wav, Lll Wavnes |Lolllo] ls the
#I song ln the rountrv rlght now. lf lt wasnt for
songwrlters llke Statlr and artlsts llke Lll Wavne
and Bevonre, we wouldnt have no shot, so ld
love to thank then, rst and forenost. And thanks
to Solange for uttlng ne together
wlth her slster and nv nanagenent at
hake You lanous hanagenent.
//Production credits
LIL WAyNE LOLLIpOp, TRICk DADDy F/
LIL JON & TWISTA LETS GO, pRETTy RICky
GRIND WITH ME & yOuR BODy
AS TOLD TO RANDy ROpER
0Z0NE hA6 ll !S
You nav rerognlze 1ason Wllevs fare fron hIVs
ZZ season of haklng Ihe Band, where he arted
as a Bands road nanager. lf not, surelv vou
rerognlze sone of hls work. lor ve vears Wllev
was lnstrunental ln Bad Bov Rerords narket-
lng deartnent, servlng as evervthlng fron an
lntern to rodurt nanager to the rreator of Bad
Bov South. After a surressful run at Bad Bov, Wllev
rane on hoard at 1lve Rerords ln Z! as lrertor
of harketlng where he ls resonslhle for narket-
lng ranalgns for U6K, olla, huev and R. Kellv.
here the voung narketlng vet shares hls wlsdon
and exerlenre for all that want to llsten.
Iell us ahout vour harkground.
l went to srhool of huslness at the Unlversltv of
Pennsvlvanla and studled nanagenent and nar-
ketlng. l started as an lntern at Bad Bov rlght after
l graduated, and fron there l |olned hanagenent
lnr., whlrh was Phll Rohlnsons |P. lddvs nan-
ager] ronanv, and l nanaged Bad Bovs a Band.
Puff has a reutatlon for helng a narketlng ge-
nlus. What dld vou learn fron helng at Bad Bov!
Puff wlll take a ennv and nake vou thlnk lts a
nllllon dollars. he ran nake the snallest thlngs
look llke the nost luxurlous, hottest thlng ln hls-
torv. 1ust to he ahle to get lnto hls head was one
of the greatest learnlng exerlenres lve had ln
nv voung rareer. hoefullv lll have sone nore of
those hut l learned how to understand a ro|ert
and how to understand a ronsuner and use that
as a henet and nake sure that an artlst exlsts.
You want eole to look at an artlst and feel
sonethlng or understand sonethlng. lts all ahout
ronnertlng wlth the rustoner or the fan.
What ro|erts dld vou work on at Bad Bov!
Ihe Bad Bovs ll soundtrark, haklng Ihe Band, New
Edltlon, Blark Roh, the Blggle uets ro|ert,and
the Blggle annlversarv ro|ert. Ihere was a olnt
at Bad Bov where l was the onlv narketlng erson
there. l started the Bad Bov South asert, fron
the logo to slgnlng the rst artlst. l was a art of
the 8Ball 6 h16 alhuns, Bovz N a hood, Yung 1or,
6orllla Zoe, BS, Cassle, and Puffs alhun. l had to
wear S hats. l had to narket to llttle klds, to the
streets, the o narket, to the stralght-u J-
lus R6B audlenre. lt taught ne how to fl hats,
how to look at a segnented oulatlon, how hest
to l rearh thls audlenre. 0ne of the worst thlngs
for a narketlng erson would he lf soneone
asked vou, When ls so-and-sos alhun ronlng
out! and lts heen out for a nonth. lf thats the
sltuatlon, vou dldnt do vour |oh. Peole should he
aware of vour artlsts.
Ihat sald, ran vou elahorate on how lnortant
vour |oh ls ln thls lndustrv!
lts lnortant that evervhodv understands the
artlst and the dlrertlon of the nuslr. You want to
nake sure lt ts a rertaln tve of lrture. You want
to nake sure the hotograher and the stvllst
understands what klnd of artlst thev are deallng
wlth. l work hard to nake sure l slt down wlth
eole and go over the nuslr, what klnd of dlrer-
tlon were golng ln. l want to nake sure the nal
rodurt that goes out ls exartlv what we want to
he seen and lts henerlal to the ronsuner and
rustoner. You dont want a dlsronnert, llke llsten-
lng to a U6K alhun and then seelng then and
savlng, han, thev soft. l alwavs nake sure there
ls no dlsronnert. You dont want U6K on the rover
of hl ho Soul. Ihat dont reallv nesh, so vou
ut then on rertaln rovers and get then lnvolved
wlth rertaln rlothlng llnes, thlngs that reresent
then well.
o vou ask the artlsts what thev thlnk!
ln verv hands-on wlth artlsts, l llke to talk to
then and understand then and he ln thelr world
for a whlle. Ihat wav l ran gure out who thev
are. l want to nake sure whatever ln dolng ts
the. l alwavs nake sure ln rool wlth then, l llke
to have a hands on relatlonshl. Ihat wav l ran he
voral ln the ofre hulldlng to other deartnents
to nake sure thev understand who thls artlst ls.
how do vou narket naterlal vou dont llke!
ln a narketer rst. Even lf l dont llke sonethlng,
theres a segnent of the oulatlon that does. ln
not golng to he rorklng hllev Cvrus ln nv ofre
hut hllev Cvrus has a huge followlng, so vou nar-
ket the hest vou ran. But lurkllv, lve heen a fan
of nost of the nuslr lve had to work wlth. And
thevve heen good eole, so lve heen hlessed
wlth that, herause sonetlnes vou dont have that.
lf ln worklng an R6B, hl ho, or o art, vou
treat those dlfferentlv. You treat sonethlng dlffer-
ent fron the South than vou would fron New York
than vou would fron Chlrago. Youve got dlfferent
fan hases. You get that and grow lt. As a narket-
lng erson vou have to have the ahllltv to take
sonethlng snall and nake lt hlgger.
Seaklng of whlrh, ran vou seak on the rhal-
lenges are vou farlng now!
You have to do researrh or voure ln for rude
awakenlng. Youve got dlfferent tves of R6B. ln
that one rategorv alone vou have dlfferent artlsts.
You wouldnt sav Lee Carr ls standlng next to R.
Kellv, hut thev are hoth R6B artlsts. lve got to
work hoth ro|erts, hut thev are totallv dlfferent
audlenres and sounds and sounds. So l have to
work then dlfferentlv. lve gotta gure out who
ln targetlng, who would he fans of the nuslr. Io
ne, the rohlen ls that unfortunatelv, lahels dont
work ro|erts as a arkage anvnore. Ihev work lt
wlth slngles. Peole arent huvlng alhuns herause
thev are helng narketed to as lf lts |ust a one-off.
Ihev dont even know the alhun ls out. lts nore
than |ust a slngle when vou are worklng a ro|ert,
so l trv to ush the alhun rather than the slngle.
lts ahout the whole arkage. As a narketlng
erson l alwavs want to nake sure that when
sonehodv savs, l love that songl thev love that
artlst too. l want to nake rareers, not one-offs.
how do vou nake sure the fans feel llke a rlorltv!
Youve got to he rreatlve and stretrh vour dollar,
so vou ran exerlenre nore for less. Work the svs-
ten. You should he ahle to wln, theres so nanv
outlets. lf vou dont take advantage of then,
voure gonna lose. Peole have to see vour artlst
evervwhere. l dld a ranalgn where l had stand-
ees and ronos lavlng at a novle theatre. Ihev
see a llfe-slzed standee, and thev see the rono
on the srreen, so now vou have eole talklng
ahout lt. ln uslng hloggers to talk ahout lt. ln
worklng R. Kellvs song halrhralder so ln work-
lng wlth the heautv salons to get the song lared.
l alwavs use nv resourres to nv advantage. Ihats
whv thev sav all uhllrltv ls good uhllrltv. lf thev
arent talklng ahout lt, thev dont rare. ll
INDUSTRY 101
JaSon WIley
dIrecTor oF marKeTIng/JIve recordS
!6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll !!
!8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Iha Carter lll ls wlthout questlon the nost an-
tlrlated alhun of Z8 and a rrltlral nonent ln
Wavnes quest to he the hest raer allve. Songs
llke hr. Carter featurlng 1av-Z, the Kanve-
rodured Let the Beat Bulld and the rreatlvltv
of r. Carter easllv nake thls alhun serlal.
Although lt ls a good ro|ert, Weezvs nanv ran-
don and shatter-hralned hars, along wlth the
alhuns lane of ronfort, lnstead of the lvrlral
aggresslveness and refertlon that was dlslaved
on rountless nlxtaes and leaked trarks, deter
thls alhun fron helng great. CJ does not llve u
to the nasslve hve surroundlng lt lthat nav
have heen lnosslhle), hut lt renalns one of thls
vears hest releases. Randv Roer
Ihe lll Na Na ls hark
wlth Brooklvns on
lva, an alhun that
revlslts her rhararter-
lstlr raunrhv rhvnes.
loxv Brown slts ahout
the drana ln her llfe,
whlle not forgettlng to
renlnd us that shes stlll
a voung nllllonalre wlth
reans of lurklng a -
Bov. loxv roves that
shes stlll hungrv and
lsnt golng to soften u.
After her rerent hld ln
solltarv at Rlkers, one
ran onlv lnaglne the
loxv that wlll he un-
leashed on Blark Roses.
Rohlt Loonha
lf voure exertlng
the dehut alhun fron
allas, Iexas newroner
to he slnllar to hls hlt
slngle hv ougle,
voud he dead wrong.
Surrlslnglv, ollaS,
IX sounds nothlng llke
the slngle that ut
hln on the na. Whlle
ollaS, IX ls far fron
groundhreaklng nate-
rlal, Wlll roves that
hes not a song-and-
danre rlngtone raer
and hls alhun does
have sone nuslr worth
llstenlng to.
Plles ls a erfert exanle of a raer thats not
glfted lvrlrallv hut stlll nanages to get hv wlth
good rodurtlon, ratrhv hooks and real talk.
0ftentlnes llstenlng to hln struggle to rhvne
over heats, whlle wlshlng hed |ust swltrh u
hls fow ls alnful, hut sonehow lts hard not to
feel hls nuslr. A lot of enltlon of Real ls goon
talk and the other ortlon ls alned at the ladles
lsee leel Llke lurkln and Please Exruse hv
hands). Youd have to look hark at the alhun
rover to nake sure lts not a LL C, hut Plles
sohonore alhun lsnt half had. Randv Roer
Wlth realness helng hls naln selllng olnt,
Blood Raw resents a verv transarent look at
hls llfe and trlhulatlons throughout. Adnlttlng
evervthlng fron havlng an unrle who looks llke
1azze Pha to nlsslng the father he never net,
Blood Raw wears everv enotlon osslhle on hls
sleeves. Unfortunatelv, the streanllned rodur-
tlon takes awav fron Blood Raws nessages
ahout overronlng the odds, wantlng to he a
good father and refuslng to return to the rlson
svsten. Wlth nanv of the heats soundlng ldentl-
ral to the fornulalr tenos found on the U.S..A.
alhun, lt rones rlose to lnsultlng the llsteners
lntelllgenre. lortunatelv, Raw nanages to trulv
resent a real denltlon of real wlthout ronfus-
lng lt wlth helng lgnorant and vulgar. Lord wlll-
lng, hls next alhun wlll have nore rodurtlon
llke whats found on 6et Awav and l hlss You
to natrh hls earnest rhvnes. Also, there ls a Blg
Ruhe slghtlng on the lntro trark ln Ihe Iruth.
haurlre 6. 6arland
LIL WAyNE/THA CARTER III
CASH MONEy/UNIVERSAL
FOXy bROWN
bROOkLyNS DON DIVA
bLACk HAND/kOCH
LIL WILL/DOLLA$,
TX/ASyLUM

PLIES/DEFINITION OF REAL/
ATLANTIC/SLIP-N-SLIDE
bLOOD RAW/My LIFE: THE TRUE
TESTIMONy/CTE/DEF jAM
!8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
bAby D/A-TOWN SECRET
WEAPON/bIG OOMP
Bahv has never ro-
rlalned to he lvrlrallv
lnrllned, hut hes alwavs
heen good at what he dld. hls thlrd alhun A-Iown
Serret Weaon ls a rontlnuatlon of the hlgh-teno
songs hes known for wlth a nore seasoned 1 hontav overseelng all
of the rodurtlon. Songs llke U 6otta Love lt have snalng over a
nenarlng svnth, hass and gultar ronho naklng for an entertalnlng llsten
whlle Blg Bov Whls hrlng nothlng new rontent wlse, hut the knork ls
verv arorlate for the heavv Chevvs at the stollght. Bahv doesnt
hother stelng outslde of hlnself, whlrh ran he good slnre he knows hls
lane. But, voud stlll llke to at least hear hln attent to trv other thlngs.
haurlre 6. 6arland
TMI bOyZ/GRINDIN FOR A PUR-
POSE/TMI ENTERTAINMENT
Ihe dehut alhun fron Iexas
trlo the Ihl Bovz franklv
lsnt nurh to hoast ahout.
We llv ls a standout rut, deslte a weak hook whlrh
hrlngs down the songs overall qualltv. Strugglln and
0ne av At a Ilne are qualltv trarks where the grou seaks on real llfe
sltuatlons. ln terns of the rllrhe sex songs, Beat lt U ls worth a llsten
hut the lewd Buttrheeks goes ln the wrong dlrertlon, as do nanv of the
alhuns I! trarks. Ihe Ihl Bovz nav have a urose for thelr grlnd, hut
hrlnglng new and refreshlng nuslr to the gane doesnt sound llke lts a
art of the lan. Randv Roer
SPEEDNOT MObSTAZ/
MObSTAbILITy II: NATION
bIZNESS/kOCH

6llffv Stokes and havz are
hark on the rlrrult wlth hohstahllltv Z. Natlon Blzness,
an alhun on whlrh thev share storles of llfe ln the 6o.
Whlle nelther offers fawless dellverv, hoth do have shlnlng nonents and
trarks llke honev and hurder and Bush one hade lt hard nake the
effort entertalnlng. Produrer Ioxlr stavs on olnt throughout and Iwlsta
fans wlll he glad to hear I rl verses ln hls rlasslr stvle. Rohlt Loonha
MAX MINELLI/THE REMEDy/
kOCH
A hlg hreasted nurse holds
what hoefullv ls aln nedlrlne
on the rover of hax hlnellls
Renedv, a weak effort wlth nuslr alnost as nauseat-
lng as the alhun rovers green harkground. hlnellls
lvrlrs lark suhstanre, the rodurtlon ls unlnslred, and the hooks are
underwhelnlng. After a qulrk llsten to thls alhun lt should he no surrlse
that Renedv onlv sold 6IJ roles lts rst week out. Renedv wlll leave vou
wlshlng the nurse wlth the aln nedlrlne was real. Rohlt Loonha
SONNy RICH/THE V.I.R.U.S./
kEEP LOCk ENT.
Ihe alhuns tltle trark Ihe
V.l.R.U.S. ls ahout the onlv
song where Charlotte, NC ra-
er Sonnv Rlrh slts rhvnes lller than the fu. 0ther
rerords are nore llke a runnv nose. Rlrh ran ra a llttle
hut the alhun larks rreatlvltv. Soneone wlth an elertrlr gultar was ln hls
ears savlng, You need to nake rerords ahout nonev, a roule for the
rluhs, a few for the tra and one uslng auto-tunes. 0h, and dont forget
the trark for the ladlesl Ihe alhun ls not all had, hut hetter ronrets and
heats nlght have nade for a hetter release. Randv Roer
0Z0NE hA6 ll !9
8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Irae has heen husv holdlng lt down for those on
lorkdown wlth a rlson tour and all that whlle
ut together Iha larv of Iha Iruth, a I!-trark
effort whlrh wlll have evervone exrlted ahout
thls Asshole hv Nature all over agaln. Iraes thlrk
volre and unlque dellverv are snug wlth well-
selerted heats and let evervone know that hls
swagger furk u nlggas llke |hls] |ewelrv got
an attltude. larv roves that llke hln or not,
Irae doesnt glve a furk and ran easllv hold hls
own. Rohlt Loonha
lron the |un Wale uts lt on the tahle that thls
nlxtae ls ahout nothlng, whlrh he states over
a sanle of the thene song to Selnfeld, a show
ahout nothlng. Wale rldes the I9 trarks wlth the
swagger of a veteran and a new go-go sound
that orlglnates ln hls honetown of the hV.
0n standout trark Ihe Kraner, Wale uses the
KKKraner tlrade to talk ahout rarlsn and tle lnto
the Selneld thene. Ihls nlxtae ls a sunner
nust-have. Evervthlng fron the ronret of the
nlxtae to the heats and rhvnes nake lt a solld
effort. 1ared Anderson
lt doesnt take long to notlre the slnllarltles hetween Plavhov Ires 6oodhve
to Anerlra and B.o.B.s rerent nlxtae. Unneressarv sklts lagued B.o.B.s
nlxtae and lague Ires as well. But fret not, Ire hrlngs a handful of qualltv
trarks surh as Phone Sex, Crles, and hlghs and Lows, all of whlrh show-
rase a Ire who nds hls fow wlthout nurh trouhle and uses lt to hrlng trarks
that arent a rodurt of the sane old rookle rutter. Rohlt Loonha
Ihe savlng evervthlng that glltters alnt gold ran he alled to a lot of the
hlgh-role, glossv ra nuslr donlnatlng the alrwaves. Wlth alhuns llke 9th
Wonder 6 Burkshots latest rollah the hrase evervthlng underground alnt
great ran he alled. Ihe alhuns tltle ls too arorlate ln the sense that
9th turns ln sone of hls nost redlrtahle rodurtlon to date, surklng llfe out
of the songs and naklng vou not want to hear the wlsdon Burkshot usuallv
slts, eserlallv on the entrereneurlal Whassu Wlth U! - haurlre 6arland
Wlth nlxtaes ronlng a
dlne a dozen lts hard
to dlfferentlate one
raer fron the other.
But even ln Atlantas
oversaturated nuslr
narket, newroner KP
has nanaged to ut
out a C that wlll nake
vou renenher hln.
Whlle he doesnt ner-
essarllv sav anvthlng
that hasnt heen sald
hefore, he does a good
|oh of naklng lt sound
dlfferent. Ihe na|orltv
of the songs here have
hln hustlng on other
eoles heats, hut
orlglnal trarks llke
Lean lt Io Ihe Slde
featurlng Konkretes
Blarkowned C-Bone
glve vou a eek lnto
what KP ls raahle of.
haurlre 6. 6arland
TRAE
THA DIARy OF THA TRUTH
WALE/THE MIXTAPE AbOUT
NOTHING
Dj SWATTS & PLAybOy TRE/
GOODbyE AMERICA
Dj SHAkIM & kP/NEW
MONEy
8 ll
Dj INFAMOUS & yOUNG
jEEZy/THE PRIME MINISTER
Young 1eezv takes a llttle
hreak fron helng the Snow-
nan to send a llttle tlne
as Ihe Prlne hlnlster, wlth
hel fron hls advlsor 1 lnfanous. Ihls rhange ln
ldentltv doesnt do nurh, though, as 1eezv hrlngs the sane sound and
fow exerted fron hln, ronlete wlth the tradenark ad llhs. Whlle lts
sonewhat dlsaolntlng to nd 1eezv holdlng lt down llke he has hefore,
he fexes hls lvrlral nusrle on all hls freestvles, rllng through the
nonotonv. Ihls Prlne hlnlster wlll he reelerted hut we ran all use a llttle
ollrv rhange. Rohlt Loonha
Dj GREEN LANTERN & NAS/
THE NIGGER TAPE
Nas ralls on 6reen Lantern to
hrlng the Nlgger Iae, a nlx-
tae nore akln to an alhun.
Exrluslve trarks, lnrludlng 1 Khalll-rodured Esro
Lets 6o, wlll nore than hold down fans anxlous to
hear 6od Sons uronlng alhun and glves anv alhun release so far thls
vear nore than a run for lts nonev. Wlth no need to ut out a nlxtae,
Nas roves he stlll holds lt down for hls fans. Rohlt Loonha
CURREN$y/WELCOME TO
THE WINNERS CIRCLE
lt seened as though
CurrenSvs huzz droed a
hlt after he released a hlt
slngle wlth Lll Wavne and Renv ha lWhere a Cash
At). Slnre that underground hlt, whats heen good
wlth CurrenSv! leedlng the streets well, he rones wlth the new nlxtae
Welrone Io Ihe Wlnners Clrrle. Slttlng over unforgettahle rlasslr hl
ho rerords, CurrenSv shows hls resert for hl ho to the fullest on
thls nlxtae. Kevs trarks that showrase hls ahllltles lnrlude Ihe 0nlv
Ihlng Ihat hatters, Buhhle 6un 6angstas, and Rerognlze 6ane.
ulnton hateld
Dj TEkNIkZ & yUNG bERG
PASSPORT SWAG

Yung Berg teans u wlth
1 Ieknlkz for Passort
Swag. Aslde fron havlng Ca I and Boo on a handful
of trarks, Berg does llttle to lntrodure Chlrago to hls audlenre, whlrh he
aarentlv thlnks ls the world after nodest surress wlth Sexv Ladv.
Whlle there are trarks worth a few llstens, thanks to derent rodurtlon,
Berg doesnt offer anvthlng unforgettahle. Io herone Chl towns next, Berg
needs to nd a llttle nore lvrlrlsn ln hlnself. Rohlt Loonha
DON CANNON/Dj DRAMA/
ASHER ROTH/THE GREEN-
HOUSE EFFECT MIXTAPE
As the huzz around SRCs
newest arqulsltlon Asher
Roth rearhes ronarlsons of Enlnen roortlons, the
new great whlte hve hooks u wlth on Cannon
and 1 rana for hls fornal nlxtae lnltlatlon. Roth rls through heats
llke Ror Bovs, hr. he Ioo, and ev Know, and lts evldent the kld ran
slt. Sone orlglnal trarks show ronlse hut a few ruts are too left eld
and nav he hard for the urhan hl ho audlenre to gras. Stlll, Asher
Roths whlte-hov-fron-the-hurhs lnage and wlttv-rollege-kld rhvnes
glves hln lnneasurahle otentlal. Randv Roer
9TH WONDER & bUCkSHOT/THE FORMULA
DUCk DOWN
0Z0NE hA6 ll 8I
1. DJ Chuck T Down South Slangin Volume 49.99 www.djchuckt.com
2. DJ Fletch & DJ Slugga Syrup Sippin N*gga www.myspace.com/djfetchdallas fetchg@tmail.com www.djslugga.net
3.DJ Spinatik Got What You Need 2 www.myspace.com/djspinatik
4. DJ Scream & MLK Hood Rich Radio X www.myspace.com/4045405000 www.myspace.com/mlkng
5. DJ 31 Degreez & DJ Phenom I Luv Hip Hop Part 2 www.myspace.com/gophenom
6. The Dopeboy Movement Bonafed Hustler Hosted by Rick Ross www.myspace.com/dopeboymuzik305
7. DJ Black Bill Gates 24: Young Kobe www.myspace.com/theblackbillgates
9. Nik Bean Streetz of LA 5 Hosted by Roccett www.myspace.com/nikbean
10. DJ Jay-O Snoop Dogg: The Chronicles II www.myspace.com/offcialdjjayo
11. DJ Drama Boi & Yung Texxus Got Drama Volume 6 www.myspace.com/dramaboiakadjdramaboi
12. Will Hustle & DJ Knowledge Whatahustle 4 www.myspace.com/willhustle
13. S.U.A. & DJ Scrill S.U.A. Mixtape Radio: Most Requested Hosted by Kia Shine www.myspace.com/therealdjscrill
14. E-Top Why The South Is Hot Part Three www.myspace.com/etopent etopent@gmail.com
16. DJ E-V & Klownin Customs Spinfest The Mixtape 2008 Hosted by Chip Tha Ripper & Kid Cudi www.myspace.com/djev
15. DJ Killa K Dopeboy Muzik Volume 8 www.myspace.com/dopeboymuzik305 djkillak@tmail.com
17. DJ Blak Its My Turn www.myspace.com 404-446-8504
18. DJ Spree DJ Spree Radio Vol. 3 www.myspace.com /djspree 516-404-6078
19. Tosin & TheScrewShop.com Cant See Me www.thescrewshop.com
8. DJ Bobby Black Crack Addiction: T.I. & Yo Gotti www.myspace.com/theoffcialdjbobbyblack
Dj TEkNIkZ, bIG bLOCk & DIDDy
NO bITCHASSNESS: GEORGIA MUSCLE
EXECUTIVE EDITION
WWW.hYSPACE.C0hl1IEKNlKZ
Slnre hltrhassness ls stlll lagulng the
streets, lddv and Blg Blork hook u wlth hr.
6eorgla Power hlnself, to rld the streets of thls
dangerous dlsease. Ihls nlxtae features new
nuslr fron 6orllla Zoe, Yung 1or, Bovz N a
hood and the rest of the Blork Ent. roster. Wlth
thls nlxtae on the streets, there wlll he no
nore hltrhassness ln 8.
1s, send vour nlx Cs lwlth a rover) for
ronslderatlon to.
0zone hagazlne
6++ Antone St. Sulte 6
Atlanta, 6A JJI8
Slnre hltrhassness ls stlll lagulng the
streets, lddv and Blg Blork hook u wlth hr.
6eorgla Power hlnself, to rld the streets of thls
dangerous dlsease. Ihls nlxtae features new
nuslr fron 6orllla Zoe, Yung 1or, Bovz N a
hood and the rest of the Blork Ent. roster. Wlth
thls nlxtae on the streets, there wlll he no
nore hltrhassness ln 8.
1s, send vour nlx Cs lwlth a rover) for
ronslderatlon to.
0zone hagazlne
6++ Antone St. Sulte 6
Atlanta, 6A JJI8
0Z0NE hA6 ll 8I
20. DJ Scope Street Certifed 26 www.myspace.com/infareddjscope
8Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
Kanve West 6 Young 1eezv
Venue. Phlllls Arena
Event. hot I!.9s Blrthdav Bash
Cltv. Atlanta, 6A
ate. 1une I+th,Z8
Photo. Ierrenre Ivson
end zone