Big Mike Replaces Willie D in The Geto Boys When Willie D left the Geto Boys after their platinum album We Can’t Be Stopped, New Orleans rapper and former Death Row recording artist Big Mike was chosen to replace him. Not only did he come close to making Willie an afterthought (no disrespect to “muthafuckin’ D”), he gave Scarface a run for his money in regards to being the dopest lyricist in the group. Although he was only around for 1993’s Til’ Death Do Us Part, Mike made his presence felt and went on to release solo projects on Rap-A-Lot including the lauded Somethin’ Serious and Still Serious.
RAY TAMARRA
Big Shoes To Fill
Hip Hop Moves to the South
The Founding of Def Jam South Looking to ride the approaching wave of the South’s dominance of rap music, flagship rap label Def Jam created Def Jam South and named Scarface its boss. His first signee was some new guy named Ludacris. They also signed Haystak and a handful of other acts, but none of them came out. Lil’ Flip was signed briefly but he soon left. As of now, the label is non-existent but it did help bring attention to the Southeast during its brief operation.
N.O. Problem
JULIA BEVERLY
David Banner Unites Fellow Rappers to Help Hurricane Katrina Victims
Frustrated with the delayed responses from President Bush and FEMA, David Banner rekindled his activist spirit and put on the Heal The Hood benefit concert in Atlanta to raise money for New Orleans’ evacuees. The concert featured Young Jeezy, Lil’ Jon, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, and Big Boi. T.I., who also did his part in raising money by challenging rappers and business owners on Atlanta radio to donate, performed as well. The Heal the Hood show raised over $500,000. The Right to Bear Arms, Legs and Breasts
Luke Skywalker and the 2 Live Crew Get Nasty with the Government “Sex sells” was an nationally accepted reality up until the 2 Live Crew decided to cash in. Their 1988 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be raised eyebrows and sexual awareness with songs like “Me So Horny” and “My Seven Bizzos.” But Broward County officials started arresting store owners for selling the controversial album because of its explicit sexual nature, and arrested 2 Live Crew members for performing the songs on stage. Eventually they beat the obscenity charges, released the politically charged Banned in the U.S.A. and continued to sell millions of records. But most importantly, it opened the lane for other rappers to practice true artistic expression, silencing censorship.
Steady Mobbin’
The Trials And Tribulations of Goodie Mob After two groundbreaking albums, and a third lackluster release, the Goodie Mob (who coined the term “Dirty South” with their ode to Atlanta’s South side) didn’t die over bullshit, but seemed to break up over it. Cee-Lo left the group in 2000 to pursue a solo career while the remaining members released an album titled One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show, which looked to be a Cee-Lo diss. During that time, Khujo was involved in a car wreck that would lead to his right leg being amputated. With their quarrels now behind them, Goodie Mob has reunited and plans to release a new full-length album.
In the Zone
1st Annual OZONE Awards
One fateful weekend in Orlando, FL, the likes of Young Jeezy and Rick Ross invaded the city best known for Disneyworld. The show was complimented with TJ’s DJ’s Tastemaker’s Music Conference. Hey, we might be biased, but it was a hell of a weekend. The first UGK performance since Pimp C’s release was the highlight of a show that included an all-star lineup (Yung Joc, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, etc.) and aired on MTV2. And, perhaps most amazing of all, everyone came in peace. Diamonds Are Forever
Outkast Sells 10 Million Records The thought of a rap group selling over 10 Million records is almost unimaginable nowadays. But just three years ago, the Pimp and the Poet put up Garth Brooks numbers with their Grammy award winning double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. To some, the album symbolized early signs of the group’s rumored split. Regardless, ‘Kast had definitely made their argument for being the best rap group ever.
Say Something Now
The Dirty South All-Stars Ransack the 2003 Source Awards Stage
Eight years after Andre Benjamin took to the Source Awards stage and proclaimed, “The South got something to say,” David Banner, Bonecrusher, Lil Flip, T.I., Lil Jon & the Eastside Boys, the YoungBloodz, Uncle Luke, The Ying Yang Twins, and whoever else could fit on the stage said something and said it loud. Capping off a night where Pastor Troy wowed the red carpet with his oversized yellow pick-up truck, “Neva Scared” was Song of The Year, and Lil Jon took home two awards, the Dirty South kicked the doors down with this performance. //
The Miami Bass Movement of the Early 90s Before there was buck, crunk, snap or trap music, bass music reigned supreme. 2 Live Crew exposed it to the world with controversial party lyrics while Orlando’s DJ Magic Mike contributed to the scene releasing back-toback albums throughout the decade. Groups like Poison Clan and Splack Pack gave it more street cred by a gangta element to it. Even though the sound began to die out towards the end of the 1990s, it is kept alive via massive play in strip clubs while remnants of the sound can still be heard in the stutter-step production of hitmakers like Timbaland.
56 // OZONE MAG
JULIA BEVERLY
Aces of Bass