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With cats on your team like Che Boogie and articles on Saigon, you not only got your finger on the game you got your foot in it. Thanks for keepin’ me up on this biz shit! Keep talkin’ to the thugs and takin’ all those pictures. – J Lanski, jlanski@tmo.blackberry.net (Philadelphia, PA) know you all in the South really show so much love, that’s *whyYou the South ain’t dyin’ no time soon. I do some music business in the South and I always tell my people in D.C. that this is the way it’s supposed to be done. – E Dot Bay, e_bay28@tmail.com (Washington, DC)
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Much thanks for the exposure you have helped place on Dallas/Ft. Worth artists. We are focused to make sure that this is a long standing relationship between DFW and OZONE Magazine. One thing I’m sure of is that you will witness a steady and prosperous grind from the Big Ben camp. I assure you that there was no ink wasted on the article “Dallas Got Next” by Matt Sonzala. Thanks for believing! – Stuart “Sarge” Wallace, warriordstroyer@hotmail.com (Dallas, TX)
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I work in the broadcasting industry and I am very familiar with the way the media twists stories. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you for providing the forum and allowing the Bishop of Crunk to tell his side of the story. On the day that the accident occurred I was in Atlanta and was supposed to get up with him to get music for my mixtape. I had just spoken to him earlier that week. I have known the Bishop for ten years now from when we worked together as teenagers for the Atlanta Olympic games. When I got the news about the accident there was a lot of speculation as to what happened. At first I was disappointed but then I thought to myself, Bishop isn’t on that stuff. We tried to find out what hospital he was in but no one would give us any answers. I think it was very cool of you to allow him to tell his own story and clear up all of the rumors. You know how the hip-hop industry is, and people are always looking for the next controversy. – G-Smove, georgemcdonald79@yahoo.com (Columbus, GA) Thank you, OZONE Magazine, for helping to shine a light on South *Carolina hip-hop! It has been great to finally see South Carolina getting some shine on hip-hop’s radar. Although it is impossible to cover all South Carolina artists, thanks for your coverage of Piazo, Lil Ru, Collard Greens, DJ B-Lord, and all others covered. – Kingsley Waring, kiwaring@richlandone.org (Columbia, SC)
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I have been reppin’ South Carolina now in the music industry for about fifteen years. I was featured in, or helped out with, South Carolina spreads in The Source, Down, Murder Dog, and several other magazines that have done write-ups on South Carolina artists. But the OZONE Bike Week special edition was the most thorough, complete, in-depth, well-rounded representation of South Carolina in a magazine that I have ever seen! When I first got the email from Chuck T about it I was smug as usual, because even though it sounds great, it usually comes out weak or lopsided. But your issue was page after page after page of artists that I not only have heard of, but have actually booked and done work with. You don’t know how many times cats here in South Carolina use those little opportunities to blackball, sideswipe, and overlook South Carolina cats that are doing it for real. I can’t stand opening magazines and seeing someone reppin’ South Carolina that no one has ever heard of and they haven’t put any grind time in. Although the spread was mostly focused on street-oriented artists, all of those artists in that magazine – even promo rep Rob-Lo – I can vouch for. I’ve seen their grind first-hand or heard about them from one of the other cats in that magazine. So OZONE, I just want to say thank you for reppin’ my state so well. From this point on, I will make it my business to see that the companies I am involved with do business with you. I’ve never been a supporter of ad dollars for national mags, only local mags like Urban Pages, until now. I’d be proud to spend my money with y’all. Thanks a million times. Nothin’ but SC love. – Shekeese the Beast, sherard@gencreative.com (Columbia, SC) 12
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JB, keep doing your thing. You’re good at what you do so fuck whoever’s got a bad word to say about you. OZONE is the new street bible. You got the hottest pictures, great articles, and no other magazine can touch your interviews. That’s why they hate, but fuck ‘em. It’s not your fault their shit ain’t what’s happenin’. Muthafuckers need to step their game up instead of hating on OZONE. I can’t say it enough: fuck ‘em! – DJ Cube, bighomiecube@yahoo.com (Columbus, OH) good OZONE? I like how you rep the South to the death, *butWhat’s your boy Roland Powell with his comment on how the South
doesn’t need help from New York is bullshit. We all need each other to make this hip-hop thing last. I don’t think New York is hating on South music, I just think New York is mad that so many garbage artists are trying to be like the South and make radio-dance-get crunk type songs. That’s the South’s thing, and New York should learn that they can only bring to the table what they’ve been bringing for years – good lyricism. On another note, where the fuck does Cam’Ron get off dissing Hov? Cam’Ron is a bitch. I’m from Harlem and I grew up around 145th & Lenox. Dude has always been pussy and so has Jim Jones and Zeeky. I don’t know too much about Juelz but I know that the only real niggas in the whole camp back then was Mgruff, Big L, and Blodshed. Ya boy Cam is puss and if he’s the don he claims he is then why the hell did he let G-Unot diss Juelz on stage? Fuckin’ clown, a.k.a. the Pink Gangsta Cam-Ron Tam-Pon. – Tyreke Williams, cardan0831@yahoo.com (Harlem, NY)
In the feedback of your June issue, someone used my name in *an article going off on Plies. There is only one Jessica Freeman in
Ft. Myers and that’s me. I would like a retraction done to that article since I didn’t say any of that stuff. I’ve known Nod (Plies) and his brother Ronnell for over 20 years and I can honestly say Nod is one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet. I know who wrote the article and used my name because the dumb bitch had to put her name in it some where for the attention. Also, why would I use my real name on some shit like that? If I have anything to say to anyone I let them know directly. I don’t print bullshit about them in a fuckin’ magazine. There’s enough money out here for everyone to make so if you don’t like Plies you don’t have to buy his shit. If you’re going to be woman enough to talk shit about someone, be woman enough to stand behind your words and use your own name next time, bitch. - Jessica Freeman, SupaStah68@hotmail.com (Ft. Myers, FL)
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I read the July issue of JB’s 2 Cents and you say “nobody in your backyard knows” how big OZONE has become. I beg to differ. While I’m a survey of one, I do recognize what you have done. As an independent record label with start up artists, Image Records has to grind and fight many of the same issues as you did with the big guys. – Dino DeRose, dinoderose@comsysgroup.com (Orlando, FL)
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Hey OZONE, just picked up issue number 47 and read the 2 Cents where you said Flyidcg a.k.a. Flyi da cool guy texted you about violence in Jacksonville. I will agree with him that Jacksonville, FL is a very violent city. All the media outlets, not just your magazine, have the power to help stop some of the senseless violence that is going on in our inner cities. I hope for goodness sake we don’t have many more murders here, or anywhere else for that matter. We have a lot of young people that are killing each other over some of the most silliest issues. Please ask your readers again and again to stop hating on each other and stop the violence! Big ups to Flyidcg and other artists like Shot Out for trying to put an end or at least slow down our murder rate from rising. Together we can make it work. – Adam Italian, rainbowadamgay@yahoo.com (Jacksonville, FL)