internet goin’ nuts Read David Banner’s interview, because he’s right: the harsh reality of the music business is that people don’t give a fuck about you. I realized it a few years ago but it’s the type of thing where you have to constantly remind yourself so you don’t believe the hype. All those hugs and fake love don’t mean anything. Let’s just stop pretending. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. This is just a job. So do me a favor. Let’s begin a policy of brutal honestly when it comes to OZONE Magazine. Don’t send me a kiss-ass email that begins with “I love your magazine” and ends with a few paragraphs about your group and how wonderful you are and that you’re the next big thing and OZONE is sleeping on you. Please, please tell me how you really feel, and if you don’t love it don’t say it. I don’t like to have my ass kissed, unless your name happens to be Al Lindstrom (in that case, I thoroughly enjoyed the quasi-apology but I’m still waiting for Rene’s).
Trevor, me, and Greg G @ Icon in Orlando
If you don’t like me, or the magazine, just say it. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind out of fear that I’ll rip your pathetic ass to shreds in my next editorial, even though I probably will. DJ Chill, Matt Sonzala, and me at KPFT Damage Control radio in Houston
I’ve been on the road almost every day this month and somehow managed to churn out a 100 pages, thanks mostly to a lightweight Dell laptop, a mobile high-speed internet card from Verizon, my trusty driver, and contributions from a number of good people. Someday I’m going to write a book about traveling on a budget, but today I’ll just leave you with this nugget of knowledge: sleep is not a travel necessity, but showering is. A $5-10 guest pass to the local gym (gyms have showers, you know) is much cheaper than any hotel room. And if you can’t imagine going a night on the road without sleep, you’ll never make it in this industry so quit wasting your time and go get a 9-5. I stay in the OZONE truck because if I have to go through one more airport full-body search I will SCREAM.
They say sleep is the cousin of death. Think of all the things I would’ve missed this month if sleep was a requirement. Pitbull and Lil Jon disrupting a Mary Kay convention and trying to get me drunk in Dallas? A memorable 4 AM IHOP breakfast in Houston? A week in New York thanks to the good people at Universal? Dame Dash making the most of some really stupid questions on a panel at How Can I Be Down in Miami? Jay-Z greeting Young Jeezy at his album release party, or 50 and Eminem hanging out backstage at the Anger Management tour in Atlanta (you will not see photos of either of these incidents in the magazine because of overzealous bodyguards)?
Me, Mike, and Pit in Dallas
Speaking of overzealous bodyguards, I have a question for Interscope/Violator/Clear Channel/ Radio One/all other overprotective entities: how famous do I have to be to get a permanent all-access photo pass tattooed on my hand? Cause I feel like I’ve paid my dues. G-Unit has, like, a twenty page photo agreement that you’re required to sign before you can even get near any of their artists. In fact, I’m probably violating the agreement by even mentioning it, so I’m sure a cease and desist order will be forthcoming from the Interscope/XXL Corporation (ha, ha). Thanks for the plug, Elliott, you played into my game beautifully! I’m good at this too, yes? Shouts out to Matt & Chill at Damage Control (KPFT) in Houston, Miss Info at Hot 97 in New York, and Michael Soul in Columbus, Georgia, for showing some love on their respective radio shows. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the coolest white girl in the South is finally available for radio and television interviews, and I’m getting better at the on-camera shit, so Barbara Walters, watch your back. Judging from the last TJ’s DJ’s, some of you aspiring rappers must have missed my editorial about bad breath. Smoking weed, gold grills, bad hygiene, and networking do not mix. At the next pool meeting, if I offer you an Altoid, get the hint. I was just kidding about the ass-kissing though. Feel free to keep doing it, I don’t mind. - JB the Brutally Honest (jb@ozonemag.com)
Guilty pleasure: Black Eyed Peas “Don’t Phuck with My Heart” Ying Yang Twins f/ Bun B “23 Hour Lockdown” Grandaddy Souf f/ Get Cool “Run It” Tony Yayo f/ 50 Cent “I Know You Don’t Love Me” Chamillionaire, Pastor Troy, Killer Mike “Southern Takeover” David Banner f/ Jazze Pha “We Should Be Fuckin’” P$C f/ T.I. & Lil Scrappy “I’m A King”
Bun B “Draped Up” Webbie “Crank It Up” Jay-Z “Back Then (remix)” Remy Ma “Secret Location” 334 Mobb “Keep It Pimpin’” Young Jeezy “Trapster”
W
ho’s got the internet goin’ nuts? This month it’s Karrine Steffans, a.k.a. Superhead, who fucked a bunch of famous dudes (Kool G Rap, Ja Rule, P Diddy, Dr. Dre, Usher, Ray J, Irv Gotti, Bobby Brown, Xzibit) and wrote a book about it, trying to pass it off as a “cautionary tale.” Although the writing style itself is not impressive and her constant claims that she’s learned her lesson are not convincing, the book landed on the New York Times’ bestseller list thanks to its scandalous content and plenty of free radio publicity. Needless to say, the men mentioned in this book were not pleased, and I’m sure their wives weren’t either. But the person whose reputation has suffered the most isn’t even mentioned in the book: Tigger. In the first chapter, Superhead says that she will not reveal the most damaging information, like “the music industry lover” who she caught in bed with another man. When Kool G Rap and his wife, Ma Barker, called in to a New York radio station to dispute many of Superhead’s claims, Ma Barker insinuated that this man was Tigger. Superhead didn’t confirm or deny the claim, simply stating, “That’s not in the book.” Here’s Tigger’s side of the story: Do you know Kool G Rap’s wife Ma Barker? Tigger: I don’t know her. I met her once when Kool G Rap came to Rap City, but I have no idea why she’s bringing my name up and telling lies about me on the radio. Do you know Superhead? Tigger: I do know Superhead, but we were just friends. Usually when you hear a rumor there’s some sort of truth to it. Where do you think this came from? Tigger: I have no idea where that came from. I’ve been trying to find Super to find out where this is all coming from. I have no idea. For the record, are you hetereosexual? Tigger: I am heterosexual. I love women. I have never engaged in any homosexual activities, and I do not like men. I have not, and will not, be entering into any man ever in my lifetime. There’s nobody on this earth that could tell you that I’m even remotely homosexual. I was actually on Hot 97 this morning and I challenged Ms. Jones or anybody else who wants to challenge me to put up $100,000 against my $100,000 to take a polygraph test. And when I win, the money is gonna go towards my charity for HIV/AIDS prevention. What was your motivation for starting a charity for HIV/AIDS prevention? Tigger: I started the charity in Washington, D.C., which is by far the most highly infected area in the country. One out of twenty people in D.C. are infected, and 25-30% of the people who are infected don’t know. OZONE AUGUST 2005
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