nominees Slim Thug
They say everything’s bigger in Texas. Houston’s 7-footer was ridin’ a Bentley even before the album dropped.
T-Pain
Save for the now infamous chain-snatching incident, T-Pain’s breakthrough has been a pleasurable experience. Being “Sprung” and “In Luv” never hurt nobody.
Webbie
Coming from Lousiana’s ‘other’ city, Baton Rouge’s Webbie brought back the I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude that others have forgotten.
BEST RAP COLLABORATION Bun B f/ H-Town All Stars (Lil Keke, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Aztek, Lil Flip, Z-Ro) “Draped Up (remix)” Rodney King and DJ Screw would be so proud to see everybody just get along. Or at least they edited it that way.
by the Ying Yang Twins’ “Wait.”
Dem Franchize Boyz “Lean Wit’ It, Rock Wit’ It”
DFB ruled the airwaves in the year of the snap, with back-to-back radio cuts that were unavoidable.
Dem Franchize Boyz f/ Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, and Bow Wow “Oh I Think They Like Me (remix)” Jermaine and his entire So So Def roster came through to remix this “White Tees” spin-off.
Webbie f/ Bun B “Gimme Dat”
We’re not condoning rape - but when a woman says “no,” sometimes she actually does mean “yes,” which could explain this record’s widespread appeal.
CLUB BANGER Bubba Sparxxx f/ Ying Yang Twins “Ms. New Booty”
After a disappointing reaction to his sophomore attempt, Bubba came back strong with his third-time’s-the-Charm project and gave the people what they wanted.
DJ Khaled f/ Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, and Pitbull “Holla At Me Baby”
Miami’s DJ Khaled called in a bunch of favors for this energetic lead single off his debut album.
Rick Ross “Hustlin’”
Everybody in the country can relate to this record, no matter what their hustle is.
Purple Ribbon All-Stars (Big Boi & Killer Mike) “Kryptonite”
Yeah, the song was jamming. But you may need to go back and listen closely to Big Boi’s verse. He’s no slouch.
Three 6 Mafia f/ Young Buck & 8Ball & MJG “Stay Fly”
This Tennessee union was a long time coming, but well worth the wait.
Trae f/ Big Hawk & Fat Pat “Swang”
Only God can bring the whole crew back, but until then, Screwed Up Click fans have Trae’s tribute to hold them down.
BEST RAP/R&B COLLABORATION Beyonce f/ Slim Thug “Check Up On It”
T.I. “What You Know”
The lead single off King set the stage for both T.I.’s big screen debut and his biggest album to date.
Ying Yang Twins f/ Pitbull “Shake”
First they caught the country’s attention with a whisper - then back to the usual ass-shaking ruckus, teaming up with Pitbull for added effect and multi-cultural appeal.
Yung Joc “It’s Goin’ Down”
This breakthrough record from Bad Boy South’s newest representative came complete with its own dance.
This H-Town radio friendly combo had clubs jumpin’ all across the country.
MIXTAPE MONSTER AWARD
Field Mob f/ Ludacris & Jamie Foxx “Georgia”
Texas’ tamale king stays in the kitchen, whipping up new product.
Chingo Bling
These underrated country boys paid tribute to their home state along with Luda and a damn good Ray Charles impersonation by Jamie Foxx.
T-Pain f/ R Kelly, Twista, Pimp C, Paul Wall, MJG, & Too $hort “I’m In Luv (Wit’ A Stripper)” remix
DSR
Dallas’ T-Town Music collective landed a $7 million dollar deal with Universal Records off their impressive underground grind.
Better known as “T-Pain featuring everyone,” the only hit bigger than the original version of this song was the remix. Apparently, a lot of men can relate.
Magno
Ying Yang Twins f/ Avant “Bedroom Boom”
Pitbull
Young Jeezy f/ Akon “Soul Survivor”
Plies
NO ESCAPE AWARD
Young Jeezy
Atlanta’s wildest “twins” got grown and sexy and hooked up with Avant to serenade the ladies. Akon’s unique vocals were a perfect match for Jeezy’s street tales on this massive hit from Jeezy’s debut album.
The record that was such a huge hit you literally could not escape it if you wanted to - from the radio to the clubs to the streets, it was everywhere.
D4L “Laffy Taffy”
Love it or hate it, music lovers of all ages were introduced to snap music in a big way through D4L’s breakthrough record.
David Banner “Play”
Banner stepped outside of his element and showed his versatility by creating a smash hit with Mr. Collipark that blew up, riding the wave created
Mike Jones’ (who?) former partner Magno now represents DJ Clue’s Desert Storm South and stays on his mixtape grind. No longer just Mr. 305, this internationally recognized superstar still stays true to his humble beginnings and releases mixtapes frequently. Ft. Myers, FL newcomer Plies’ 100% Real Nigga mixtapes with Cool Runnings’ DJ Bigga Rankin helped him amass plenty of fans, and haters, in 2006. This category wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Jeezy’s accomplishments with mixtapeS like Trap or Die and Can’t Ban the Snowman.
SLEPT ON ARTIST B.G.
Although he’s been in the game for a decade plus, B.G.’s independent releases and lyrical skills have been largely underappreciated by the mainstream rap audience.
ozone 15 awards