Send your comments to feedback@ozonemag.com else will be held to a higher standard. Somewhere along the line you were exposed to something real and that has biased you for the better. Honestly there is no such thing as objective journalism. The only objective is to fool the masses into thinking what that media outlet wants you to believe. Allow me to get off my soap box, and get back to work, keep doing your thing. Stay true to yourself and although the load gets heavier the higher up the ladder you go, never let go of those two key elements: integrity and moral responsibility! - Rasheed Amin Chappell, rasheed.a.chappell@verizon.com
JB, I just read OZONE for the first time last week. My boyfriend works in a barbershop and he brought home the March 2007 issue and I read almost every page. It’s crazy. It was all new to me, how real it was. You’re writing about what your readers really wanna know. My boyfriend’s got this chip on his shoulder about white people cause he’s had some run-ins with white cops and stuff like that. We have a different outlook on things and he makes fun of me and calls me white cause I talk proper and don’t smoke weed. When I showed him who was editor-in-chief of this hood magazine that he supports so much, he was in shock. I like that you’re doing what you know and you’re not like some corny white girl tryna act. This obviously comes natural for you and it’s cool to see a white girl with a magazine like this. I can only imagine how much negativity, hatred, and jealousy you must get from black girls. – Toots Mickels (msmickels@yahoo.com) You’ve done it again with the latest issue of OZONE magazine, with Rick Ross and Carol City Cartel and Young Jeezy and USDA on the cover, who continue to make good music (regardless of people’s opinion of their overused cliché of drugs, cars, and women). I read the magazine from front to back in its entirety on a trip to NYC, and of course your JB’s 2 Cents section is always on point. I’m from the East Coast but I respect good music and I don’t care where it comes from. At this point in time it’s plain to see that the South is doing what they do. Much respect, because they deserve it, and that goes for your magazine as well because you and your staff continue to bring interesting articles. I don’t see your mag as being biased because you also cover any artist from the East Coast that is doing something except complaining about the South. Like DJ Khaled’s blazing single “We Takin’ Over” that is exactly what OZONE is doing, and I see it continuing to be that way because you don’t bullshit or sugarcoat nothing. Also, I really respect Wendy Day’s work ethic and all the information that she provides readers via OZONE Magazine. It is truly helpful and valuable information and I appreciate her for it. I have always followed Wendy even before OZONE because she is a part of the culture we call Hip Hop. If it wasn’t for Wendy a lot of individuals would not be where they are today, and that’s just the truth. Can’t nobody take away what she’s brought to the table and what she means to the game. That’s why she receives the love and respect that’s he does – because it’s deserved. - Ray Matos, MatosR2@corning.com JB, kudos for another issue hitting the stands. Give yourself not a proverbial but a literal pat on the back for having the balls to name names, for those who lacked the vision to see what you were trying to do. I was taught that sight without vision is the true definition of blindness. Many of us walk around with our eyes wide open but our minds closed to the potential we possess and our souls closed to the power we hold, so you can’t fully blame them for their shortcomings. I laughed out loud when I read your 2 Cents. One of the first things people shed when they climb up the ladder of success is integrity. It’s a long climb and the less baggage you carry, the quicker you’ll make it. People give up their integrity by saying things like, “This is what the people want,” so they rehash old stereotypes or alleged tried-andtrue selling techniques. They abandon moral responsibility by saying things like, “Who I am as an artist is not what I depict in my music.” To see that you have held on to those two things is commendable. I offer no critique and no advice, just a sigh of relief that there is still journalism available that provides a biased opinion. When I say “biased,” I mean that in the most complimentary way. Once you have been exposed to something real, anything 14 // OZONE MAG
The DJ issue was tight! I want to give some advice to all the artists that want us DJs to play their music, like you asked in the DJ issue. If you artists out there want DJs to listen and possibly play your music on-air or in the clubs, here’s some ideas: Do a personal and very creative studio drop for the DJ you are trying to network with. Or, do a personal freestyle for the DJ on a current hit instrumental, studio quality of course, so that we can mix to it. People will still jam to it, and it gets your name out. Or, submit your single with the DJ’s name in the intro. If you do things like this, all DJs will take you more seriously. You’ll stand out from all those Myspace wannabes and unprofessional artists that are out there. – DJ Thailo, djthailo407@aol.com (Orlando, FL) The DJ Issue was fresh. You’re reppin’ Chicago in here with two of the most deserving: V-Dub and Boolumaster. Love it when people get it right. Good shit! -Shala, shala@tmo.blackberry.net (Chicago, IL) Thank Port Arthur, TX, for UGK. Pimp C, we need more men (not rappers) with brains, not more jewelry in this “new” rap game. Thanks for standing up and letting people know the real deal in your Release Therapy article and how these labels are just the new plantation. I wish more rappers would stand up and not just wait for a check. - The Green Kang, pacogeneinc@excite.com I think I speak for all DJs when I say thank you, OZONE, for showin’ us love. Out of all the Hip Hop magazines I’ve read, y’all are the best, no question. Hpefully one day I’ll be in there, but until then, keep holdin’ it down. DJ Drama, keep your head up! - DJ Shawny Boy, djshawnyboy1984@yahoo.com I just read the Pimp C article on mixtape DJs and that dude told it right. I don’t know about them Carol City boys, they seem to have little focus. I’m glad to see my nigga BloodRaw got some justice. He’s a humble dude. I’m about to finish reading the rest of the mag - this month is hotter! Keep bringing the real! - Kash Kastro, kashkastro@hiptop.suncom.net Keep putting the mash on these other so-called Hip Hop mags that are out there putting out garbage. But I couldn’t believe Baltimore wasn’t in the Rapquest section of OZONE. You had D.C. and Virginia in there, two-thirds of what we like to call the Middle East, but you didn’t have the third and very important section of this up and coming region: Baltimore. Besides being home of the hottest urban show on television (The Wire), our area has quietly started an active Hip Hop scene. We have four artists signed to major labels (Bossman – Capitol Records, D.O.G. – Universal, Los – Bad Boy, and Young Leek – Def Jam). My company Darkroom Productions produced original music for season 4 of The Wire and were featured in Rolling Stone, Fader, and the New York Times. Also, we produced multiple joints for Chamillionaire, Sqad Up, and Maino. Baltimore is also home to Stay Getting Productions, who have produced mad joints for the whole Diplomats family. If you go anywhere in the city, you’re bound to see someone out on the corner pushing their latest mixtape. Our scene is jumping here and we’d appreciate the same love. - Jamal Roberts, jkroberts114@yahoo.com (Baltimore, MD)
Corrections: In last month’s April DJ Issue, the phone number for DJ Blak on page 83 was listed incorrectly. The correct number is 404-446-8504. Also, Isaac Frias name was spelled incorrectly on page 63. //