WELCOMETO DALLAS
PATRON + NU VO =
SUPER BOWL 2011
JIMMY NUTRON
edition** l ia c e p s * *
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G FEATURIN ITTEE’S HITZ COMM
TRAI’D
Big Chief Dorrough Inertia JR Patton Kirko Bangz Lil Tony Prince Rick & Treal Lee Sore Losers T.Cash Tum Tum Yung Nation
WELCOMETO DALLAS
SUPER BOWL 2011
edition** **special
FEATURING
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DORROUGH MUSIC
TRAI’D // Big Chief // inertia jr patton // kirko bangz yung nation // sore losers t.cash // tum tum // lil tony
///DJ Q A Definition DJ, DJ Q can be heard during the weekend mixshow on 97.9 in Dallas/Fort Worth. Known as an instrumental player in breaking Dallas music, he’s a common face in the club and mixtape circuit. This Super Bowl weekend make sure to check for his projects with artists like JR Patton, Tum Tum, Big Chief and more. What’s your DJ schedule at the moment? You can catch me on 97.9 every weekend on the mixshow. I’m on Friday and Saturday from 12-2am. Saturdays I might do the urban mix from 9-11pm too. I’m at Club Crystal’s, The Ranch, and any hot spot really. I can pop up and do a live mix, or I can pop up just to show the club love. How did you get your job with the radio station? I was DJing at the club All Star weekend and the mixshow director came in the club and checked me out. He was hosting and we were so in synch that he told me to come to the station. Who are some of the top artists y’all are spinning in Dallas? It’s a lot of underground artists, but some of the main artists are Dorrough, Tum Tum, Young Black, Fat Pimp, Lil Wil, Doughski G, JR Patton, it’s too many to name. Every hood has a group of talented artists. What made you want to get into DJing? When I was young I used to sneak into a lot of clubs with fake IDs and all that. I noticed the DJ has the power to rock a crowd and how everybody goes crazy when you drop they favorite song after they been stressing all week. They come to the club to relieve they stress after a long week. I’m like a club therapist. And I’m really just into hip hop. Watching the movie Juice kinda put me on too. Are you involved with any DJ crews? I’m also like a music director for the Definition DJs, me and DJ Lil E. I gotta find the next hits to give to the DJs so I go through thousands of emails. I do a lot of research. The Definition DJs is a crew based in Dallas right? Yeah. The Definition DJs kinda put the skeleton 6 // OZONE MAG
Words by Ms Rivercity of Dallas together. Each DJ in the squad broke a major record. I broke “My Dougie” from Dallas to the world. People probably know me from that. But being part of the Definition squad, we came together and broke records. Definition DJs is a top crew in Dallas with DJs that’s actually working and making a difference. We also got some DJs in New Orleans, Oklahoma, other parts of Texas, everywhere. What’s Super Bowl weekend in Dallas gonna be like? Y’all did it big for All Star last year. Super Bowl is gonna be great. Now as far as the teams, I don’t know, but the parties are gonna be great. Now, the party might end kinda early for some people because Dallas shuts down at 2am, unless you know where an after hours is. But the closer the weekend is, the more parties I’m seeing. Is there anything else you want to let people know about? I got the Serving the Block mixtape coming – that’s my mixtape series. I have mixtape projects like Purp Cobain with Tum Tum, The Interview with Lil Wil, upcoming mixtapes with Big Doughski G, JR Patton, Ca$h, Big Chief and Kottonmouth. My Twitter is @OfficialDJQ. //
///KIKI J Words by Ms Rivercity Photo by Christopher McBrown Kiki J is a very active member of the DFW hip hop community as well as K104 fm. We caught up with HER to find out about her new promotion with the radio station and busy Super Bowl weekend events schedule. So you have a new position at the radio station? Tell us about that. Currently I’m holding the new Director position for K104, as well as our sister station 105.7. In addition to that, I’m also the Asst. Promotions Director. How long have you been working there? I’ve been with the station for 8 years now. I started as an intern, then a position came open for me to be a producer. I started producing shows for all three of our stations. I was a phone operator as well. Opportunities kept coming my way and I kept taking them. You have a pretty popular show called Street Swagg right? I know a lot of new artists started out on your show. Yeah, Street Swagg Sunday. We’ve been doing that show going on two years now. It’s a platform for independent artists. We’ve had an explosion over the last five years in the independent music game and there was a need for a platform. We formed Street Swagg, a show that airs Sundays from 7pm to midnight. We feature some of the best and brightest artists from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. How do you choose the artists featured on the show? Up until recently it was an open door policy. As long as they had the basics like BDS registered, and a buzz within the city, then I would have them be a part of the show. But now things are becoming more structured. Now they upload their music and EPK to our webpage on K104fm. We review their project from there and if it’s showing a significant buzz we try to showcase them. You have a real outgoing personal and upbeat voice. Do you host events as well? Oh yes. I also have a company called Diva Down productions. When it comes to events, we cater more towards album release parties,
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red carpets, etc. A lot of national artists that come through will do meet and greets, listening parties, things like that. My company teams with them to organize those events. Who are some of the celebrities you’ve worked with or had on the radio? We did Dorrough’s BET nomination party. I’ve worked with B.o.B. when he was on promo for his album, Trey Songz, Tank, so many people. Locally, Treal Lee and Prince Rick. I recently organized and produced our K104 Kwanza Fest. I was also on the production team for our summer jam as well when we had Ludacris and Ciara. Everyone that comes through the city I touch ‘em in some sort of way. Who are some other local artists that people might hear while they’re in the city? We’re really excited about the R&B movement. We have JR Patton with the beautiful song “Sound of Love.” We have Epic with a song called “In the Wind.” It kinda reminds you of Jaheim. D-Jo, or Derrick J, has a song called “Full Time.” All these songs are featured on my show. Super Bowl Sunday I’ll have Street Swagg with Dorrough co-hosting. What else do you have going on for Super Bowl? You probably have a lot in the works. We have the Young Money Takeover Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Club Escapade 2009. Friday night it’ll be Drake, Saturday night Lil Wayne, Sunday it’ll be Drake and Lil Wayne. At the same time we’ll be hosting another party at Beamers Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, and Chris Brown. Sunday we’ll also be hosting the P. Diddy party at Palladium Ballroom. //
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You’re probably familiar with producer Big E from Lil Wil’s hits like “My Dougie” and “Bust It Wide Open,” but his tag “It’s a Big E Beat” can be heard on numerous other Texas records as well. We talked with Big E about the legends he’s created music for, including honorable tracks for the late Pimp C. For those who don’t know your resume, what are some songs you’ve produced? Of course, “My Dougie” for Lil Wil and “Bust It Open.” Lil O’s “Betcha Can’t Do It.”“Can’t Leave Drank Alone,”“Don’t Worry Bout Mine,” and “Driving Me Wild” for Z-Ro. “Speak Easy” for Bun B, Twista and Cedric the Entertainer. “Since the 90s” for Pimp C, Gator Main and E-40. “Made 4 Me” for Pimp C and Too Short. Mike Jones’“Swagger Right.” And a lot of other stuff that ain’t out yet. Yeah you had a couple tracks on Pimp’s newest album. Aw man, it’s a wonderful thing. Pimp C is a legend and I’m honored to be a part of that project. The main thing on my mind when we was workin’ on that album was it was an honor to Pimp C’s memory. I wanted to make Pimp C proud, and make his fans proud of what we put in. Where are you from and where do you live now? I’ve been in Houston for the last two years working on these projects. But I’ve been in Dallas since high school. I claim Oak Cliff, Dallas to the fullest. I went to Temple High. I’m originally from Pomona, CA. Would you say your production has a Texas sound? I would say I have a universal sound, but of course I love Texas music. I love all types of music. When we was coming up, we was just hip hop heads, it wasn’t so much about where you was from. But definitely music from Texas had a strong influence on me. I love that smooth ridin’ sound. But I try to have a universal sound.
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What were you doing before you got your first big hit? What was the grind like? I give it up to my management team - International Red and J. Ellis over at Double Dose Ent. I gotta give it to J. Prince and the whole Rap-A-Lot family. They believed in the sound and got behind it. They allowed me to take it to the next level. As far as “My Dougie” goes, I had done an album for an artist out of Dallas named Kottonmouth. We were shooting a video to his lead single called “Elbows Out the Window” with Chalie Boy, and I was introduced to Lil Wil. They started coming through the studio and one day they came to me with an idea for “My Dougie” so we put it together. A little while after that we did “Bust It Wide Open.” What are you working on right now? We’re working with Bun B for Trill Recognize Trill, a compilation with a lot of artists Bun deals with. Some things I don’t want to mention ‘cause it’s still in the works. I also have two artists I’m puttin’ out – Bagg Boy Beezy and Mr. Mac T. It’s gonna be a sound cats are gonna get behind. I’m also working with up-and-coming artists like this female in Dallas named L.A.D.I.. She’s refreshing for southern hip hop. She’s not my artist though, J. Ellis actually discovered her. Is there a website people can check you out? Twitter.com/itsabigebeat.
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Rivercity Words by Ms. Beverly Photo by Julia
h g u o r r Do Music 12 // OZONE MAG
Just months after the release of his sophomore album Get Big, Dorrough Music is already back to work. AND this isn’t the same Dorrough you’ve known in the past. With Code Red, his second Gangsta Grillz due out Super Bowl weekend, Dorrough is holding nothing back from his fans, the industry, and “mad rappers.” Last year around this time you came out with your first Gangsta Grillz mixtape, and now you have a new one coming out right? Yeah. This’ll be my first release since my last album which dropped September 7th. The first Gangsta Grillz with DJ Drama was a success so we had to do another one. This Gangsta Grillz is called Code Red. What’s the significance behind the mixtape title Code Red? When I was in high school, one of the first mixtapes I did was called Code Red. But the songs and all the concepts on this mixtape are way different from a lot of my last projects, way different from my album. It’s like I’m making a statement. The idea behind Code Red is like, it’s an emergency. I’m really getting on a lot of rappers and their mindframes. I’m really coming at ‘em. I’m trying to change the industry with this mixtape. It’s not in a bad way. I’m just lettin’ ‘em know that I’m here to take a spot in the game. Explain more about what’s different now compared to your last mixtapes. It’s not the same Dorrough where I was coming out with singles and just happy to be doing the music thing. I’m a new leader of the industry, a new artist that’s ready to take his ranks in the industry. Code Red is like I’m warning people. It’s an alert. You can’t say I didn’t warn you. This mixtape is really intense. When I start dropping a lot of the visuals, which I’m shooting right now, then people will see the concept behind the whole mixtape. What are some of the song titles to give us an idea of the topics you’re opening up about? One is called “Hungry (Mad Rappers).” Since I got on, it’s a lot of mad rappers – most of the hate comes from other rappers, up-and-coming artists. The song is basically gettin’ on ‘em and tellin’ ‘em I worked for everythang I got. Even after everythang I done did, and even though I’m on, I’m still outworking people that’s trying to get in. And on top of that, I’m still hungrier than ever. Now that I’ve got a
taste of the game, I’m even more hungrier now than I was before. Another title is called “Code Red.” It’s really intense, letting people know I’m serious and I’m coming with lyrics, energy, everythang. I got another record called “The Game” describing the whole industry and my experience. The Get Big album has been out for a few months. Talk about the response on that and your thoughts on the project. The album and feedback is great. It gave me a good transition to do the new mixtape. I stepped it up so much from the first album so people are starting to pay attention. With a lot of the viral visuals and everything I’m doing, they’re seeing an artist develop and grow. They’re really tuning in now. The feedback has been amazing. There’s a lot of big tracks and deep tracks on there, some of ‘em we’re still shooting videos to. After hearing the second album, they see where I’m going with music and concepts and everythang. We never got a chance to talk about the “Get Big” remix when it came out. You shot the video during BET Hip Hop Awards weekend and almost everyone showed up. Who all was in it? It was crazy! I reached out to everybody myself on the song – P. Diddy, DJ Drama, Yo Gotti, Bun B, Shawty Lo, Maino, Diamond. I also had Wiz Khalifa on the song but he didn’t make the video shoot because he was on tour. How did that feel to have all those big names come out to support you? Man, it let me know I could do it. Honestly, the label and a lot of other people didn’t think I could pull it off myself. But when I did, it gave me more confidence and let me know my respect level in the game. These people’s schedules are crazy so for me to be able to make that happen that weekend was crazy. Just to know through my personal relationships I was able to call everybody and get everybody there, it let me know I’m respected. It wasn’t money or none of that involved, it was through relationships and everybody came out to support.... To read the rest of this interview, log on to www.ozonemag.com. You can also check out Dorrough music on Twitter - @DorroughMusic
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Big Chief Rivercity Words by Ms
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Raised in West Dallas, Texas (Rupert Circle housing projects), Big Chief arose as a key speaker for the Dallas street movement during the early 90’s. Rap hustling his Eat Greedy volumes on the corner, Big Chief pioneered the way for many of the up-and-coming artists today. This Super Bowl weekend he’s welcoming visitors with a new city anthem called “Triple D.” Tell us your story. You’ve been holding it down in Dallas for a long time. I’ve been rapping since I was 13. That was in the early 90’s. I was a Scarface, UGK, and Tupac fan, and I’ve been goin’ hard ever since. I did it the old-school way, gettin’ out there, poppin’ trunks, selling CDs to whoever, wherever. I did it the old-fashioned way, no radio play, just selling my CDs on the corner, stores, the mall. I did the real grind. Back then what was the Dallas rap scene like compared to now? Was it as poppin’ back in the day? Naw. Back then you had Pimpsta and the group Hoodlum. I was affiliated with them. Then when I graduated I hooked up with Stoney Crook, they was hot doin’ they thang. It was a big music scene – it was like a certain artist or a certain group had they time. I pretty much been here since the beginning, back when Kottonmouth and all them boys was doin’ they thang. After we did the Stoney Crook thang, then we had the thang with D.S.R., then we had a lot of other artists come through and do they thang. I’m still standin’. What are some of the big things you’re known for in your rap career? There’s a number of things really. A big hit around here was with me and Jim Jones called “My Swag.” Then I did “Check” with me, Bobby Valentino, and Slim Thug. My biggest moment would be when the whole Dallas/Fort Worth solidified me as the Don of the City, as they Tupac, as they Jeezy, TI. Having the people embrace me like that was big. What other cities do you have a lot of fans in? H-Town, Oklahoma City, Omaha, the whole southwest region, they really up on me right now. And honestly they up on me from people burning my CDs and going online because I haven’t really been out to those markets. But they’re familiar with all my mixtapes.
Do you think a lot of the young up-andcoming rappers look up to you? Do you ever mentor anyone like that? The way I give ‘em guidance is just when they see me out there bangin’. They be like, “Man I was in elementary school listening to you. I been listening to you for the longest.” And now they in high school or college. I think my persistence and longevity really motivates ‘em to keep doin’ what they doin’. What are you working on right now? I also got a mixtape with me and Lil Keke called Standing Ovation. I’m working on my mixtape Street Edition Vol 2 called EGD. It’s got my boy D.O.C. on there, and my boy Mr. Maintain. He just got out, he’s one of the artists on my label. I got this hot new single called the “Triple D.” Right now we got a lot of hype going on about the city, and I got a song to complement it. It’s really welcoming everyone to Dallas, to my world, to my city. Talk about your label and the team behind you. Are you still doing the independent thing? Right now I’m independent. I got a couple key players behind me – my manager Mychal Jeter. I got an R&B artist named T-Bone. My biggest thing is my production team. I got a flurry of producers that keep me with fire producers. We been independent for the longest, and we would love to have the national exposure through a major. It’s good music and the people need to hear it, so if it’s a good situation, I’d love to have a major behind me. But right now we indie and we move how we move. Where will you be Super Bowl weekend? Any shows? At this time I’m just gon’ enjoy the festivities and spotlight along wit’ everybody else. If something comes up I might make an appearance somewhere. Is there anything else you want to mention? Shout out to Urban South and Pookie for always keeping me in the magazine. I’m on Facebook, Big Chiefa and Twitter @BigChiefa. Eat Greedy or don’t eat at all – it’s not just a slogan, it’s a way of life. //
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///YUNG NATION Words by Jee’Van Brown
Lately there haven’t been many teenage groups IN THE RAP GAME, but 17 year old B. Reed and Faime, who form the duo Yung Nation, may change that. For the last four years Yung Nation has made a name for themselves throughout Texas. They have taken the Boogie movement and cultivated it with their own dances, songs, and witty vocabulary. With Dorrough coaching them and Lil Twist on their team, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be singing along to their tunes. What do you guys have going on right now? B. Reed: We’re currently working on our new mixtape iYess. It’s going to be all original tracks on there, we’re also doing shows. What else do you guys have going on for Super Bowl weekend? Faime: We’re shooting our new video for our lead single, “Spiffy” which features Dorrough. We’re opening up for Nicki Minaj, she has a show with Dorrough at Flow. We’re also performing at the Shoe Expo at Market Square, and we’re still booking shows right now. B. Reed: I also got a call today that we will be at Deion Sanders event at the Palladium with Snoop Dogg. How old are both of you? B. Reed: We’re 17. We’re still in school. How do you balance school, performing at shows, and recording in the studio? B. Reed: It’s great. We just have fun doing it all, and we just try to live out a teenagers dream. Have you had any problems in school because you’re so well-known in Dallas? Faime: Yes, we always have negative energy, but at the end of the day it’s all promotion and it boosts whatever we have going on. In this industry a lot of people hate you and a lot of people love you. That’s something I’ve learned my four years of going hard in this industry. Both of you knew Lil Twist growing up. What kind of relationship do you have with him now and how has he affected you musically? B. Reed: Twist is like family. Even without music 16 // OZONE MAG
we go play basketball and go to places like Dave & Busters. We’re also going to connect on our music soon. It’s awesome to work with him because Wayne shows him so much, so he shows us so much too. It’s just crazy because he helped us a lot with our movement. He shows us how to better ourselves. Dorrough is also a blessing from God and he’s like a big brother. Faime: Yes, Dorrough. Without him we wouldn’t be as successful as we are right now. He’s our guidance in the game and big brother. We met him through our producer Q Smith. Who influenced you coming up? B. Reed: I would have to say Lil Wayne and I’m not just saying that because he’s Lil Twist’s big brother. He just helped us find a way to music. And I would also have to say my parents. Faime: I would have to say my family, my dancers, and my Nation Gang, they keep me going all the time. Without them my music wouldn’t be the same, they keep the movement going. They come up with new dances, they help me better myself with lyrics, and they call me to make sure everything is good. Are you a part of the Dallas Boogie movement? B. Reed: The dancing is a big part too. We actually make music, so dancing is just how it started but it’s not going to finish it. Making music is really the most important thing in Nation. We’re not just a dance team. We make real music that people can relate to. It’s a lifestyle. Everybody is Nation. We even have our own vocabulary and are about to come out with our own dictionary with all of the words we use. A few labels are looking to sign you guys. What labels have you been talking with? B. Reed: Atlantic, that’s the main one that we’ve been talking to. Jive has showed interest, and E1, which is Dorrough’s label. We’re trying to do the independent grind a little longer in order to make them respect our grind. //
“Throwed Off”, aka “F*ck Everybody”, is the second major hit for Dallas duo Treal Lee and Prince Rick. After bubbling with the dance song “Mr. Hit That” last year, Treal and Prince joined Collipark Music where they cultivated their sound, and got a very important cosign. With this new song, the group is looking to expand past Dallas, throughout the south, and across the nation. What have y’all been up to lately? The “Throwed Off” song is taking off everywhere. Treal Lee: The main this is getting our name out there more nationally. Right now we got the whole south Dallas, where we’re from, on lock. And we’ve been trying to collab with a lot of Atlanta artists that’s really doing something. We’re just trying to get the name out and let everybody know what we’re doing, letting people know we’re bringing energy and put on a good show. We’re not Dallas rappers that just do one song. We’re here to stay. Some people might not be aware, but you actually signed with Collipark Music out of Atlanta right? Treal Lee: Yeah, we’re with Collipark Music. We just did a new distribution deal with Malaco. We was with Interscope for a little bit when we had “Mr. Hit That.” We’re just staying on the grind and keepin’ it movin’. So what have you been able to accomplish since the “Mr. Hit That” song? Has Collipark Music helped a lot with your development? Treal Lee: More radio stations, stamping our name more so it’s not just underground. Now we’re more up there. We’ve met a lot of new people. More people are taking our music serious. The name Collipark Music just stamped us in. You mentioned working with
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Treal Lee &
Prince Rick
Words by Ms. Rivercity Atlanta artists. Who have you collaborated with? Treal Lee: We did a track with Stuey Rock. We did a lot of tracks with Mr. Hanky. Mr. Hanky did “Throwed Off.” Mr. Collipark did a lot of our tracks too. We collabed with a group named Solace – I don’t know if y’all know them yet, they in Atlanta. They on “Throwed Off” too. The dude singing the hook is also the dude on the 3rd verse. Prince Rick: Man, and I wanna shout out to all the Atlanta DJs – DJ Pretty Boy Tank, DJ Instinkz, DJ Scream, ET & J Nicks, all the DJs showing love. They showing us love like we from Atlanta. We appreciate y’all supporting us and our movement. Is “Throwed Off” getting bigger faster than “Mr. Hit That Hoe” did last year? Treal Lee: Aw man, this is the biggest. This kills “Mr. Hit That.” It’s more national. “Mr. Hit That” was one of those songs where we were more worried about holding down Dallas. But as it got big and expanded to other markets, we started doing shows in those areas. But with “Throwed Off”, we trying to go everywhere now, so everybody can relate to what we’re talking about. Prince Rick: It’s spreading everywhere – it’s hot in the whole South. We’re trying to get it like that on the east and west coast. They love us in Dallas. You can’t mention Dallas without saying Treal Lee and Prince Rick. We had to get hot in Dallas before we took it anywhere else. Shout out to DJ Drop and Definition DJs for supporting us with the “Throwed Off” movement.
What makes “Throwed Off” such a big hit with the people? Prince Rick: It deals with emotions and everyday life. At one point in your life you’re gonna feel like “fuck everybody.” You might wake up and not be in the mood to talk to nobody. Your job might be going wrong, or just anything in life. Are you working on an album or mixtape? Treal Lee: Oh yeah, we got the mixtape done called How We Feel Vol 1. It’s not out yet. Then we gon’ drop Who Is Treal Lee & Prince Rick?. The album is in the works. Right now we’re just developing ourselves, and getting people more familiar with Treal Lee and Prince Rick. Like how y’all know Travis Porter or Roscoe Dash or Wiz Khalifa, that’s how we want y’all to know Treal Lee and Prince Rick. Prince Rick: The album’s gon’ be crazy! It’s gon’ be real hot, real different, a lot of energy. Will you be in Dallas during Super Bowl? Do you have any events? Prince Rick: Yeah we have shows starting Wednesday. We shooting videos off the mixtape. We’re putting out more viral videos. The mixtape will be coming out real soon. What else do you want to let the people know about? Treal Lee: Hit us up on Twitter @TrealAndPrince and Facebook Treal and Prince, and Youtube us. Prince Rick: We’re always gon’ have the clubs, we’re always gon’ have the streets. Y’all gon’ know about us.
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Words by Julia Beverly Photo by Ron J Photography
Kirko Bangz
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21-year-old prarie view university student kirko bangz hit it big on the houston airwaves with his catchy auto-tuned record “What yo name iz” and landed a deal with warner bros. while at first listen you might mistake his single for a lil wayne & drake mixtape cut, kirko is taking the time to develop his craft and make a name for himself. Let’s start with the obvious. Did you name yourself after Kurt Cobain? Actually, I wasn’t aware of who Kurt Cobain was at first. I was like 15 and I heard [the name] on a movie. That’s when Myspace was popular and all the Myspace names were taken, so I spelled it [Kirko Bangz] to get a Myspace page. I thought it was catchy so I just ran with it. Once I started rappin’, I looked it up to research who it was. I came to find out that I actually liked the dude [Kurt Cobain] and once I got into some of his music and looked at his life, I felt like we have some similarities as an artist. He loved music, I love music. He wanted to be successful and loved but at the same time, he didn’t want the fame; he was a very private person. Courtney Love was more outspoken than he was. It’s cool to have a girl who can get the cameras out of his face, so I thought that was dope. You’re signed with Warner Bros., right? How did you catch their attention? Me and my team, the independent label LMG, we were out here in Houston grindin’ and we got a buzz poppin’ out here, and they came down and heard about us. Houston had a real big year around 2005, with the success of guys like Slim Thug, Paul Wall, and Mike Jones all around the same time. Do you think there’s another wave of Houston artists coming comparable to that? I don’t know, because that was a strong wave that came through in 2005. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to duplicate that. That’s like somebody trying to be the next Michael Jordan or the next Michael Jackson. But I think we do have a lot of talent and a lot of potential, so if everybody gets together it can happen. I wish everybody a lot of luck. Musically, are you stepping away from the traditional Houston chopped-and-screwed sound and taking it in a different direction? I’m not a screwed-and-chopped, “comin’ down
on swangaz,” “grilled down” type of person, so if I did that type of music it would be fake. I just try to stay real to myself. Of course the song I have on the radio, “What Yo Name Iz,” is real mainstream. I do music for me. I’m not tryin’ to stay away from Houston or tryin’ to be Houston. I’m just goin’ with the flow. You used a lot of AutoTune on “What Yo Name Iz.” Obviously, the record is doing well, but how did you feel about Jay-Z declaring AutoTune dead, and the general overuse of it in the rap game? I never really looked that deep into it. We did it, we were just playin’ around, and it happened to hit. I don’t think AutoTune is God and I don’t stand behind it 100%, so people talking down on AutoTune really doesn’t bother me. If you’re painting a house with a hand paintbrush and I walk up with a sprayin’ brush and get it done faster and better, don’t knock it, you know? Music is music. Do you have a release date yet for your album or are you more in the development mode? I’m in development mode. I’m an infant in this game. We’re about to come out with another mixtape right before the Super Bowl with DJ Drama called Procrastination Kills 3. We’re not working on an album right now, just tryin’ to get the buzz out nationwide first. We’re just working off the mixtape and hopefully there’s something on there that everybody will love, like last time with “What Yo Name Iz,” and we’ll roll with that. We aren’t really searching for singles right now, just taking it step by step. I see you’re doing a lot of viral videos as well, to build up your internet hype. Yes ma’am. In fact, we’re about to shoot another viral video this week or next week to build anticipation for the mixtape. Where can people look out for you in Dallas during Super Bowl weekend? I’m not sure if we have any shows or anything, but we’re gonna be at all the events. We’re doing something with Nike and we’re working on something with Wiz Khalifa. How can people get in touch with you or check out some of your music? You can hit me on my Twitter - @KirkoBangz and you can find my music on datpiff.com. //
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PUBLISHER: Julia Beverly SPECIAL EDITIONS EDITOR: Jen McKinnon a.k.a. Ms. Rivercity CONTRIBUTORS & CREW: Edward “Pookie” Hall Jee’Van Brown Malik Abdul Monique West Randy Roper Stephanie Ogbogu
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CLUB LISTING DALLAS MAP EVENT LISTING INERTIA JR PATTON LIL TONY SORE LOSERS T.CASH TUM TUM
20-21 trai’d
PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR: Malik Abdul STREET TEAMS: Urban South SUBSCRIPTIONS: To subscribe, send check or money order for $11 to: OZONE Magazine 644 Antone St. Suite 6 Atlanta, GA 30318 Phone: 404-350-3887 Fax: 404-601-9523 Web: www.ozonemag.com COVER CREDITS: Trai’D & Dorrough Music photos by Julia Beverly. DISCLAIMER: OZONE Magazine does not take responsibility for unsolicited materials, misinformation, typographical errors, or misprints. The views contained herein do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or its advertisers. Ads appearing in this magazine are not an endorsement or validation by OZONE Magazine for products or services offered. All photos and illustrations are copyrighted by their respective artists. All other content is copyright 2011 OZONE Magazine, all rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of the publisher. Printed in the USA.
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Big Chief Big E Beats DJ Q Kiki J KIRKO BANGZ PRINCE RICK & TREAL LEE Yung Nation
12-13 DORROUGH MUSIC
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WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 2nd - Super Bowl Party @ Grey Goose Lounge (1500 Dragon St.) - Melanie Fiona Live @ Beamer’s (2443 Walnut Hill)
Thursday February 3rd - Ozone Magazine Black Carpet Affair @ Infiniti Lounge (2929 N. Buckner Blvd) - Birdman Hosts @ Matrix (5818 LBJ Freeway) - Nicki Minaj Live @ Avalon - Diddy’s Super Bowl Bash w/ Jermaine Dupri & DJ Prostyle @ Main St Event Cntr (2208 Main St.) - Deion Sanders & NFL Friends Host @ ZOUK (703 McKinney Ave.)
Friday February 4th - Nicki Minaj @ Palladium (1135 S. Lamar) - Rick Ross Live @ Matrix (5818 LBJ Freeway) - From Jersey Shore To The Game & Keri Hilson Live @ Main Event (2208 Main St) - Drake & Play N Skillz @ Escapade (10707 Finnell St.) - Ludacris Hosts @ Beamer’s (2443 Walnut Hill) - Diddy & Rico Love Host Last Train To Dallas @ Thrive Nightclub (Crown Plaza, Elm & Griffith) - Terrell Owens Hosts @ Skye Bar (1217 Main St.) - Erykah Badu @ Grey Goose Lounge (1500 Dragon St.)
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- Lance Gross @ Starlight Ballroom (603 Munger Ave.) - Waka Flocka & Trina Party & Concert @ Club Flow (10945 Composite Dr.) - Super Bowl Playboy party with performances by Snoop Dogg, Warren G, & Flo Rida @ A Loft Hotel
Saturday February 5th - Money Militia & Clout Records Present: Texas Model & Music Conference @ Matrix 12pm - 7pm (5818 LBJ Freeway) - Clout Records Presents: Media & Model Appreciation @ All Star Studio Lounge 7pm - 10pm (703 McKinney Ave.) - SMU Gridiron Celebrity Basketball Game @ Moodie Colliseum (6024 Airline Dr) - Jeezy Live @ Matrix (5818 LBJ Freeway) - Diddy & Clinton Sparks @ Tower Building - Fair Park (3809 Grand Ave.) - Chris Brown Live @ Beamer’s (2443 Walnut Hill) - Lil Wayne & Play N Skillz @ Escapade (10707 Finnell St.) - Slim Thug, Dorrough, Juvenile Live Club Flow (10945 Composite Dr.)
Sunday February 6th - Diddy Hosts Super Bowl Grand Finale @ Palladium (1135 S. Lamar) - Lil Wayne & Drake Host @ Beamer’s (2443 Walnut Hill) - Keri Hilson & Chris Brown @ Matrix (5818 LBJ Freeway) - Ocho Cinco & Friends Super Bowl Weekend Finale @ House of Blues (2200 N. Lamar) - Super Bowl Bash Hosted by Terrence & Rocsi of 106th & Park @ Club Flow (10945 Composite Dr.) - Official OZONE Super Bowl Bash @ Rack Daddy’s (844 Secretary Dr. Arlington, TX 76105)
Disclaimer: If any of these artists don’t show up, blame the promoter not us.
DALLAS Event Listing
Don’t let the name Sore Losers fool you. Blue (the producer) and Brown (the lyricist) are aiming to win. Together these two have created their own lane. What are you currently working on? Blue: We’re working on our new project, Get a Life. Brown: We’ve got TDE with us, Top Dawg Entertainment. We have a lot of shows coming up for Super Bowl weekend, but other than that Get a Life is the focus. How did you hook up with Top Dawg Ent.? Blue: I moved out to Cali in 2007 and I just met Jay Rock randomly and they told me to play some beats for him. From there it pretty much took off. Brown: After they heard our finished material they took us in like we were from Compton. What mixtapes have you guys put out recently? Brown: We put out our mixtape Free Loaders last December and it got bigger than what we expected it to. It came out last year and we really haven’t put anything out since then and it’s still picking up speed. We’ve been getting recognized for it in the papers. It’s remarkable how people are accepting it. How did you meet? Brown: We’re both from Dallas, and we met through Dorrough. Dorrough came by my house and said he had a producer he wanted me to meet, so I road over wit’ him to Blue’s crib. From then on we swapped material. I came out with a mixtape called Just Cause back in 2006, and some of his beats made my mixtape. He would send me beats back and forth and I would send him tracks too.
He told me he fucked with my music, I told him I fuck with his beats, and we formed our alliance from there. What’s your sound like compared to the Dallas Boogie movement? Blue: We’re definitely anti-boogie, nothing we’ve ever made is boogie-related. Not that we hate it, because it’s good for Dallas, but it’s completely not us and we’re completely alternative. Brown: If anything, we’re shedded a new light to show the people of Dallas a new form of Hip Hop. We’re calling it “experimental” music. We can show people that you don’t have to make boogie music or know how to dance to be respected. Blue: On top of that, boogie music kind of represents the hood movement and we kind of both represent the suburbs. It’s more music that people in the suburbs can relate to. What challenges have you come across? Blue: Just a lot people that see our potential and want to use it for personal gain. We’ve had managers and promoters try to use us. But our music is stronger than that. What’s your ultimate goal? Brown: Our goal is to get Dallas respected nationally for something other than the boogie, because that’s all people know Dallas for. I make music because that shit just in me. Blue: My direction has always been to get the respect of Dallas to the point where they want us to represent us on bigger scale. It’s picking up and almost getting to the point where we can put Dallas on our back and represent them regionally or nationally. Brown: Just to add to that, if anything it feels like an alternative aspect to creating music period. The content that I choose to talk about and the sound that Blue chooses to go with is something that a lot of hip hop artists are afraid to go with. It’s a lot of cookie-cut music being made lately, so we’re just trying to be different. //
s r e s o L e Sor an Brown Words by Jeev
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DAllas CLUB LISTING
8 Lounge 1906 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75206
Club Drama 1911 N. Griffin, Dallas, TX 75202
All Star Studio Lounge 703 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX 75219
Club Pure 2026 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75201 (214) 390-6230
AM/PM Lounge 300 N. Akard, Dallas, TX 75201 The Bank 1313 Main St., Dallas, TX 75202 Beamers 2443 Wallnut Hill Lane, Dallas, TX 75229 214-902-6490 Bijou 2301 N. Collins St., Arlington, TX 76011 (817) 274-2916 Club Chrome 2408 E. Belknap Street, Fort Worth, TX 76111 (817) 222-2244
Cirque Nightclub 1930 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75201 (214) 234-8404 Club Flow 10945 Composite Dr., Dallas, TX, 75220 (214) 366-3569 Club Gucci at The Elegance 2604 Main St., Deep Ellum District, Dallas, TX 75226 Club Matrix 5818 W. LBJ Freeway, Dallas, TX 75240 Club Mystique
455 E. University Blvd., Odessa, TX 79762 (432) 363-8531 Club Rolls Royce 9220 Skillman St., Dallas, TX 75243 DG’s (Dallas Gentlemen’s Club) 2117 W. Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75220 D Mixx 3008 E. Pioneer Pkwy., Arlington, TX 76010 Encore 5361 Sears St, Dallas, TX 75206 Escapade 2009 1 10707 Finnell St., Dallas, TX 75220 Fat Daddy’s 500 5th St., Forth Worth, TX 76102 Iron Cactus 1520 Main St., Dallas, TX 75201
972-501-9935 The Mansion 2505 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX Members Only II After Hours 1908 MLK Jr. Blvd., Dallas, TX 75215 (214) 565-5538 Mr. Biggs at Kindal’s 10333 W. Technology Blvd., Dallas, TX 75220 (214) 353-8701 Palladium Ballroom 1135 South Lamar St., Dallas, TX, 75215 (972) 343-2444 Peep N Toms 2925 East Abram St., Arlington, TX (817) 640-7505 Plush 1400 Main St., Dallas, TX 75202 (214) 741-7587
Level 5 10733 Spangler Rd., Dallas, TX 75220
DAllas AREA MAP
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Map courtesy of visitdallas.com Many more Dallas area maps are available online at http://www.visitdallas.com/visitors/maps.php
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Originally from McAlester, OK, 20-year-old JR Patton now resides in Dallas, TX. He’s known around the city as the hot new R&B cat on the scene. His song “Sound of Love” is his first major break on the airwaves, but he’s no stranger to the music biz. Here he explains how he got his start singing as an infant, linking with Fam Life Entertainment, and his future plans to release an official ep. Tell us how you got into music before things started taking off for you. I’ve been doin’ music since I was a newborn almost. Almost my whole life I’ve been with the label Fam Life. They had a label in Oklahoma. Is that where you’re from? I was born in Portland, OR and I moved to Oklahoma. There was a label that was hot out there called Fam Life; that was back in 1997. I was real young but I was into music a whole lot and I got the chance to work with ‘em in 2000. I’ve been keeping the Fam Life Ent LLC movement going ever since. We’ve just been grinding in the streets. So you moved to Dallas after that? We popped it off in Houston first before we moved to Dallas. We had the restaurant Harlan’s BBQ in Houston. Tell us about this big record you have in Dallas. A lot of people are talking about it. Yeah, “Sound of Love.” Jai produced the record for me. We got in the studio, he played the beat, and we went from there. It’s been out for almost a year. It got pretty hot around October. What else was going on before that? Was “Sound of Love” your big break? I was doing a lot of shows. My label has respect in the streets so they have a lot of plugs and mess with a lot of people. I was doing a lot of shows and people were admiring my talent. People knew me ‘cause I could sing, so when I hit ‘em with the “Sound of Love” it took off. Have you had a chance to collaborate with anyone? I collaborated with a lot of Dallas artists, and a couple West Coast artists like Keak da
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Sneak. What else do you have going on right now? I have a mixtape that’ll be out by Super Bowl weekend. It’ll be mixed by Definition DJ Q. It’s strictly an R&B mixtape? Yeah, new age R&B, that’s how I get down. I got my own style, I do my own thang. What are some songs you think people will like from the project? I think people will like the whole thing. Not to toot my own horn, but when you get the mixtape you gon’ see. The mixtape is called I Ain’t Lazy and I live by that. What’s the normal non-lazy day like for you? If I don’t have a show, I wake up and I’m in the studio all day. I record myself most of the time. I don’t have time to be waiting on an engineer so I just do it myself. How did you learn to record yourself and use all the equipment? When I was like 3 years old I knew how to hook up a whole studio, keyboards, and everything. My uncle was an R&B singer and I always looked up to him. He recorded my first song. I wanted to be like him, so I learned from him. Then he bought me a karaoke machine, and after that it was over. Did you ever take singing classes or were you just a natural? No, I never took any classes. I was always singing in church, and just around the house. My whole family sings. What are your plans for Super Bowl weekend? I’m sure I’ll have a couple shows. We’ll be promoting this mixtape real heavy, and my EP. My EP drops April 27th and I’ll be on Wild Out Wednesday on 106th & Park that day. The code to vote is text "A" to 79922. Do you have a Twitter or anything else to let people know about? My Twitter is @JR_Patton. My Facebook is JR Patton. My mixtape will be in the streets Super Bowl weekend. My song “Sound of Love” is on iTunes, Amazon and the Sound of Love EP will be on iTunes and Amazon and select stores. It’s a new age in R&B. Soon as I get the chance it’s a wrap. //
n o t t a P JR Rivercity Words by Ms.
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T.Cash an Brown Words by Jeev
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T. Cash has been rapping for over five years and he’s finally gaining attention throughout Texas and other southern states. His first album Get to da Real did exceptionally well in the local momand-pop stores in Dallas, but now T. Cash is ready to take his brand to the next level. His strip club anthem “Spread Your Legs” is in heavy rotation and the plan is in motion to get an all-star lineup for the remix. Tell me a little about yourself. I was born and raised in St. Louis but I came here as a kid around 13, and from there Dallas raised me. How long have you been rapping? I’ve been rapping probably for about 5 years. You’re the CEO of Swagg House Muzik? Yes sir. I’ve had the label for about a year. What have you learned from having your own label and putting out your own music yourself? It’s actually fun because it keeps you moving, working, and it keeps you seeing all the benefits you want to see. Especially from somebody telling you something and you not seeing it on paper. When you’re hands on with everything you have control over certain things, nothing happens without you knowing. It’s more like you’re controlling your vision and you can complete it with no distractions. How many mixtapes have you put out? I put out three mixtapes before I put out my last album Get to da Real. What were the names of those mixtapes? They were called First Quarter, Music & Money, and the third one was L.O.B. which stood for Look Out Bitch. Are you planning on putting out another album? Yes, it’s actually about to be finished. It’s called I Don’t Play. It should be here around March. Is “Spread Your Legs” going to be on that album? No, “Spread Your Legs” won’t be on that album, but the remix will be on there. We spoke with Juelz Santana, we’ve got Dorrough, Chalie Boy, and Beat Kingz. They’re all going be on the remix.
“Spread Your Legs” has gained momentum out of Texas. What would you say is the key to coming up with a marketable strip club anthem? First is finding production that you think could be good; the beat has got to be smashing. So you have to go to the club and get that sound first, then drop your lyrics in whatever direction you’re going in your song. I went through my producer L Boogie with Beat Monkeys. I just pushed it for a whole year, going from club to club pushing it to the DJs, and it started taking off. What would you say your signature style is? I’m unorthodox, for real, man, my style is kind of crazy because I don’t even know how I’m going come on a track. I can’t even say, because I might just do something out of the ordinary. What obstacles have you overcome since getting in the music industry? I’ve been actually trying to create a budget for myself being a CEO. I got kicked out of my job. I felt like I was going to stay there, but I got fired on some background stuff. So I just went straight hustling on the streets, day-to-day grinding, putting money back into my own project. My mom was in jail for four years then she got out of jail, but she’s in there now doing three years, plus I’ve got five kids, so I have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders. But it’s really keeping God first and grind second, that’s really what pulled me through all of this. I never get comfortable. I’m always trying to do something different, just stay pushing to reach my goal. Would you say you’re a part of the Dallas Boogie movement or are you separated from that movement? I’m separated from the Dallas movement because I didn’t really do a dance like do the “Ricky Bobby” or do this or do that. It was more like seeing females in the club spreading their legs and arching their backs. “Spread Ya Legs” is really my only dance song. My music is real life shit. Are you performing anywhere during Super Bowl weekend? I’m going to be at Ground Zero Thursday, Friday I’ll be at Steve Austin’s, Saturday I have a show at Murphy’s, and Sunday I’ll be at Club Flow with Terrence and Rocsi from BET. //
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Lil Tony definitely has things popping in the city with his mixtape Posted Loaded Floatin, which was a Twitter trending topic in Dallas recently. The NGenius Ent. artist has several other things in the works, including more music, and expanding outside of his hometown.
Paint Job” was hot, he hit me about joining NGenius Entertainment. He felt like I was one of the elite artists in Dallas. From there he put me in the studio. Merk has done so much for me.
What have you been up to since our interview last year? Last year was All Star weekend and we were working on the mixtape Flight 214. We put it out on 4/20 with DJ Drop, the CEO of Definition DJs. We blasted it everywhere and picked up a buzz on it. At the same time, I was halfway done with my original album Posted Loaded Floatin. We were going back and forth on release dates with Music Access, which is a Dallas-based independent music company. We set a date and was promoting it real heavy, but when the date came, Music Access told us the CD wasn’t comin’ out due to a misprint.
How would you describe your sound? Are you a street rapper or club type rapper? I’d describe my sound as being cool. Where I grew up it was just wild and crazy, so you can hear a lot of the street mentality I have in my rhymes and songs. But I’m trying to cater to the females a lot because I feel they gonna be the biggest fans and all the dudes gon’ come later. So that’s what I try to do with my club songs. Basically my sound is all about my life and what I been through, all the happy moments and sad moments. I put all that together and do what I do in the studio.
What did you do when the album wasn’t released? Set another date? We set a date and had to buzz it real hard from July to December. We dropped it free online on December 6th. We wanted everybody to be able to get it. It trended in Dallas on Twitter for two days. And we had a big album release party. We just been pushing Posted Loaded Floatin since then.
What do you have going on for Super Bowl weekend? We’re doing a couple club nights and shows with Dorrough. He’s got a big mixtape release party. We’re gonna promote Posted Loaded Floatin until we can’t no more. I’m giving y’all the news on my new all-original project I’m working on called Catch Me If You Can. We’re not gonna say the DJ yet, but it’s a big DJ from the west coast. I’m dropping another Flight 214 mixtape on 4/20. I’ma do this mixtape again with DJ Drop.
What are some of the songs off Posted Loaded Floatin that are getting a big response? My single “Shout Out,” a single called “We Ride We Roll” featuring Coress and Big Los. I also have a feature from Juicy J called “Let’s Get It” produced by Todd Hamburger. I also tried to show love to people in Dallas that’s got something going. I also got my producers Dangerous MGz on there. We went in and tried to create the biggest situation we can. We got 18 all original tracks. What’s your label situation? Right now I’m signed to NGenius Entertainment which is me, Dorrough, Ace Boogie, and our CEO is DJ Merk. I started with NGenius in 2010. When Merk was touring with Dorrough, when “Ice Cream 16 // OZONE MAG
Do you have your own label as well? Yeah, I also wanna speak on my click Triple G’s. We’re dropping a lot of new stuff this year. We’ll be dropping an album soon, and the mixtape will come first.
Have you cut off the shag since the last time we saw you? Nah, I haven’t cut off the shag. That’s a D-Town thang, that’s how we do down here – the parts on the side, the money making mitch up top, shag fade, you already know. I love being cool. I love rockin’ wit’ cool people. The shag is just noticeable everywhere I go so I will never cut it off. Is there anything else you want to say? I want to shout out to NGenius, Triple G’s, DCC, everybody that’s holding me down. RIP Sergio. I want people to hit me up on Twitter.com/LilTony214. Welcome to Dallas, TX for our Super Bowl. //
Rivercity Words by Ms. n Childs Photo by Bria
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Rivercity Words by Ms. nzo Wallace Photo by Lore
Inertia
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Inertia got his first taste of the music industry at age 16 when he joined Master P’s No Limit roster. SINCE HE WAS SO YOUNG, and No Limit WAS still in THE development stages, the situation didn’t fully take off. Learning a lot from Master P, Inertia took his indie grind to conferences and music events where he eventually caught the attention of Play-N-Skillz. Now signed with Play-N-Skillz through G4/SRC/Universal, he’s launching a new mixtape and single campaign, utilizing his past experiences as motivation. How did you get started rapping? When I first came in I was 16. I hooked up with No Limit Records when it was poppin’. I was one of the new artists P picked up. But you know how his roster used to be, with all those dudes on the frontline and I was just a youngin’. That was my first look though. They ended up moving from Priority to Universal so a lot of our artists got left behind, and I was one of ‘em. But it was cool ‘cause I learned a lot from P. How did you keep things moving after that? I started goin’ to a lot of conferences, like the CORE DJ Retreats and Summer Music Conference. So I would go like every year for 5 years tough, grinding CDs, t-shirts, posters, all on my own. I did it for so long people started paying attention. Play-N-Skillz had just got their G4 label situation with SRC/Universal and they decided to check me out. I got brought to a guy named Baby Boy who’s an A&R at G4. It was perfect timing. Did you have any songs that were popular at the time? I had a popular song out 4 years ago called “Mo Bass” and it went nuts. It grew and kept going. Then I put out another song called “Bus Stop.” That’s one of the biggest records I’ve seen in this area. I was gettin’ almost 1000 spins a week between here and Dallas, Brownsville, Arkansas, the whole southern region. I already had 3 records poppin’ on the radio before I even had a situation. It was crazy ‘cause for me to have that much going on and not have a situation, it just wasn’t the right timing. I probably woulda fucked it up. (laughs)
mixtape getting ready to drop the week after Super Bowl. It’s a series of mixtapes coming out called Where Is Inertia. Volume 1 is called Lookin’ for Myself. It’s all original music. I have a lot of things people might not have known, and things I probably wouldn’t have wanted to share to the general public. But now I want people to know more about me as an artist, and understand a lot of things I went through and things I had to deal with – not only growing up, but dealing with being an artist. Being an artist isn’t always the easy way to go because there’s so many artists out there. At this day and age there’s way more rappers than fans. We’re all fighting for fans. And what about the album? I’m working on the album now. I have a single out called “Do It Girl” featuring Dorrough and Trai’D. I helped co-produce it. The record’s on fire here. While that song is out, I’ll have a mixtape coming the 2nd week of February. Where are you from originally? I read you were a military kid. I’m originally from H-Town. I moved out here when I was in 8th grade. I grew up here, but I was back and forth. Where can people find you during Super Bowl weekend? We’re at Escapade Saturday with Young Money. That’s actually a G4 event. Beamers is on Friday. We got a listening session we’re doing for records on my tape, my album, and Play-N-Skillz’ album. We have an event on Sunday with Ne-Yo. All Star was cool, but I think this is gon’ be nuts. There’s gon’ be so many more people out here for the Super Bowl. Dallas is blessed to have all that going on in the span of 2 years. What else do you want to tell folks about? Check out the WhereIsInertia.com. I’m blogging on there. Me, Dorrough, and Trai’D are finna get on the road and hit everybody for the promo tour. We got a lot of thangs poppin’. //
Now that you’re with G4, what are your goals? I’m working on the album. I actually have a OZONE MAG // 19
Trai’D Rivercity Words by Ms. Beverly Photo by Julia
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Even after being recruited by A&R Memphitz and signing with Jive/ Hitz Committee, Trai’D still had to discover himself. Here the 20-yearold Dallas native talks about inking a deal in high school, his new “Popularity,” working with T-Pain and Twista, and a new management situation with Play-N-Skillz. What are you working on right now? Anything new coming out? Everything. I’ve got the Popularity Contest 1.5 coming out. That’s my new mixtape. I got a new record called “Popular” featuring Tyga, and “Drop” featuring T-Pain and Twista, which is a big record. How did you put together a collaboration with T-Pain and Twista? Through Memphitz. I recorded it when I was in Vegas and it came out so well. I got Johnny Juliano on the beat. Shout out to Johnny Juliano, he’s doing his thang. So, Memph reached out to Pain and he set that up, then Twista submitted his verse. Shit sounds crazy. I can’t wait for the world to hear it. You have a good ability to come up with hooks and put together songs. Have you written for anybody else yet? Or is that something you want to do in the future? Not for other people, but I have been keeping a lot of shit for myself. (laughs) But I’m actually looking to get into that. If it’s another outlet to bring in bread, why not? What’s with the whole “Popularity” theme? Where does the concept come from? I did the original Popularity Contest mixtape with DJ Ill Will and DJ Rockstar. Shout out to them and their website HotNewHipHop, it’s blazin’ right now. The popularity theme came from – I went from high school straight to a major label situation so I went straight to TV. I had to get back into my city and figure out who the power players was. For the last two years I’ve been getting my relationships with certain people right. With the popularity theme, it’s like I’m the rapper at school again, but it’s on a bigger level now. Were you popular in high school? I went to school away from where I lived. So I’d go to school, and then go home and work on my music. I was always well-known, and I always had my thing with the ladies, but I wasn’t really Mr. Popular. I stuck to my music and went straight home after school. It got me where I needed to be, so I can’t complain.
Music kept me out of trouble. So you’re a ladies’ man? Yeah, I can’t really fight that argument. (laughs) You’re still single then? I don’t have no lady in my life, but I guess I’m always lookin’. But I can’t really balance it I guess, you can only focus on one thing or the other. When will you be old enough to get into 21 and up clubs? (laughs) March 27th. I’m excited. It’s coming up soon. But I’m pretty much good everywhere to get in the clubs, depending on who I’m with, even though I’m not 21. How does it feel to be so young and have experienced this much so far? There’s always somebody younger than you that’s working just as hard. Of course youth is an advantage, but I’m finna turn 21 and there’s cats that’s 17 coming up in the game. I was 17 when I came in, and there’s some people that age that’s already got it made. So you gotta keep pushin’. You feel like there’s always somebody on your heels? Yep. And you have to feel like that in order to stay motivated. Having a record with T-Pain and Twista is a pretty big deal. What are some other big moments in your career? I mean, when y’all get to hear that record, it’s probably going to be the biggest sounding record y’all heard from me, as far as nationwide appeal. But other than that, I’ve had plenty of big moments. Anything is something to me. I’m just a country boy from Texas, and on top of that, I’m Ethiopian so I never expected any of this to happen. For me to even be doing this interview is something big to me. Your parents are foreigners? Yeah, they were born in Africa... To read the rest of this interview, log on to www.ozonemag.com. You can also check out Trai’D on Twitter - @ TraiDMusic.
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Tum Tum Rivercity Words by Ms. n Cortez of ro Aa by o Phot phics Non Stop Gra
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A trendsetter in the Dallas rap circuit, Tum Tum’s creativity commanded attention once again with his recent mixtape release Purp Kobain. Here he talks about the concept, his new projects, and a long-awaited D.S.R. reunion show during Super Bowl Weekend. Give us an update on what you’ve been working on. I dropped that Purp Kobain on Livemixtapes. com and I got copies in stores. I’m really working that right now. I’m also working on my next project TumK11. I’m shooting videos. I’m still with Yums. I’m trying to brand that D.C.C. movement we got goin’ real tough out here. The Purp Kobain tape is definitely all over the internet. How did you come up with that idea? Our click got like little smokin’ nicknames and I just named myself Purp Kobain. That’s my favorite weed, purp. (laughs) I was chilling one day, I think I was watching Courtney Love on VH1, and I was like, “You know what? I’ma name my next tape Purp Kobain.” I ran with it. I got with Daniel Got Skillz to design the cover with the baby with a shag. What are some of the songs that people were talking about when they heard that tape? “Cannibus Club,” “Gas Pipes” with Killa Kyleon, and “Chucks.” Converse even called and wanted to get behind “Chucks.” You mentioned shooting videos. What videos do you have out right now? I did a video with Play-N-Skillz called “Smoke Somethin.” I did another one for “If It’s Fuck Me” and one for “Ode to the Bay.” You’ve been around for a long time and some newer folks might consider you an OG Dallas rapper. Has the game changed a lot for you over the years? Like having to do a lot of videos and internet work. Yeah, that’s crazy they say I’m an OG ‘cause I just turned 27. (laughs) But yeah, it’s kinda different ‘cause you gotta do a lot of videos now. But we was doin’ that when D.S.R. started so we already had a little knowledge of how to do the new age videos. People used to always ask where our new videos were. But I’m still trying my hardest to get it all the way down. A difference I see between a lot of people is they just do the internet and don’t be on the streets. I do both.
Yeah, yeah. You know in Texas they done changed the mixtape game up. In order to sell a mixtape now, you kinda gon’ have to put the CD in there and all the videos you did. I got like 6 of them floatin’ around town. Explain what the D.C.C. movement is. It’s is a lot of my homies from Dallas. We already be smokin’ and recording together so we just put a name behind it and call ourselves the Dallas City Council. It’s me, DJ Q, Tuck, and Mase, we kinda run it – then the rappers are Lil Man, Fat Pimp, Lil Tony, Lil Ronnie, Fat Pimp, Hoodboss, Lil Wil, Doughski, the hot street artists in the D lookin’ out for each other. Marquis Daniels helps us with it too. I started it with Play-N-Skillz so you know they always gon’ look out for me. We’re just tryin’ to make an impact on the city. Does D.C.C. have any projects out as a group? We got 2 mixtapes out right now on Livemixtapes that are gettin’ a good response. So you’re working on TumK11? Yeah, I do one like every 2 years. This year’s theme is Lee Harvey Oswald. I had got Indie Album of the Year at the SEAs last year for TumK9. A couple labels have been calling after Purp Kobain and after they saw I got Indie Album of the Year. What are your thoughts on major labels right now? I’ve been in the game for a minute and I see labels making changes. Universal and Def Jam are changing, and then I read somewhere that Warner was trying to sell so I’m waiting till all that gets done. I don’t wanna go somewhere with one staff and then the people I’m working with get fired and I’m back to square one. I’m waiting that out, continuing to build the streets and build my brand. Do you have any info on your Super Bowl appearances yet? The Yums event is gon’ be big. It’s gonna be me, Martellus Bennett from the Cowboys, and whoever else they got coming down. Then we got the D.S.R. reunion show with me and Tuck, Lil Ronnie, all us gon’ be wildin out. And I think I’m at Beamers with Play-N-Skillz, Lil Wayne and Drake. Where can people find you on the web? Youtube.com/ZillaTV, Twitter.com/Zillaman, and the new website ThaCannibusClub.com.
You actually press up hard copies of the videos, right? OZONE MAG // 23
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