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I am so proud of OZONE. I’m here in Oklahoma and it’s so nice to see someone covering the Southern music scene. I’ve forcibly read The Source and XXL, hoping that each issue I came across would finally pay the South their just dues. And of course as you know, they don’t. XXL tries, and we all know The Source is a joke. When my friend showed me a copy of OZONE I read it from cover to cover and loved every freakin’ page of it, real talk! Everything about the magazine is top notch. You have everything a true Southern Hip Hop head wants to see and read about. Wendy’s advice is golden. Charlamagne is a fool wit’ it, and JB’s 2 Cents editorial is dead on. I’ve never written to a magazine before and I’ve been listening to and studying Hip Hop for a good fifteen years. Hell, the first rap single I ever bought (of all things) was “Rampage” by EPMD & LL. My first whole album I bought was Cypress Hill’s first album. I was hooked from there, and now with the South being the hottest thing in rap, I’m basking in it, loving every money-makin second of it! Once again, thank you for providing a magazine that’s well worth the paper it’s printed on. Don’t ever stop! - Bigg Dave (Ada, OK) JB, your 2 Cents in the June issue makes sense to this 23-year-old virgin. I have been working on radio for six months now, which has brought back my hunger to be a part of the music industry. I’m a big fan of OZONE and I love that there’s an OZONE West section now too. I’ve loved Hip Hop since I was young and I’m trying to get into the game; I see myself as the female version of Ne-Yo. The only problem is this: I am not a hoe. I don’t walk around the club with my hand out. I have a degree, I read, I pay my own bills, I care about politics, and I’m saving myself for that special one. It’s hard to find Hip Hop artists that understand that kind of female. I have to put a disclaimer up that I don’t do overtly sexual hooks, moan, or say anything that is against my character. I feel like women like me have no real place in Hip Hop today. What I represent is the woman who will be down for a man who’s down for her, one who can hold her own financially but still wants her man to treat her like a princess, and most importantly, a woman who values respect more than a designer label. I totally agree that if a female puts herself out like a hoe, she deserves to be called that, period. It’s not a derogatory term when it’s correctly used. I’ve never been called a hoe. I’m 23 years old and still a virgin. I’m waiting for the fellas to step up their game, cause I am not impressed with you doing something for me that I can do for myself. You’re exactly right when you say that women have the power. Real women have the power cause no dude can truly disrespect them. Hoes are hoes. They aren’t trading pussy for a touch of celebrity, they are trading it for their respect. Once you give up your respect, you can’t get it back. Ladies should realize what they’re giving up and who they’re giving it to – I can’t understand a female who’ll give it up to a member of the entourage. That’s just stupid. Keep up the good work, and I’ve included a picture to show that I’m a virgin by choice. – Shanetta Little, Shanetta.Little@CoxRadio.com (Orlando, FL) I just got the June joint with DJ Khaled and everybody on the cover and this is definitely a hot issue! I know everyone missed Lil Duval on this one. The substitute wasn’t funny at all. RapQuest was on point, and I see that New 14 // OZONE MAG
Orleans is finally back on the map! Thank God you didn’t put Baton Rouge on there because Webbie and the rest of the country fam would have a field day. Wendy Day should write a book on how to make it in the music business. If she doesn’t, I’m going to steal all of her articles and make it myself! Prada looks like her breath may stink, among other things. I wouldn’t tip. Y’all need to put a stripper from She She’s in New Orleans up in there. They got that work! I really didn’t know DJ Khaled was from New Orleans. I’m never buying another Mike Jones album. I equate his record to someone selling bonk in the hood. Once you sell someone bonk (horrible product), you’ll never get your customers back. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Tell Diamond to holla at me if she wants to learn some new words. I made a 4.0 last semester and I’ll take her under my wing. Paul Wall seems like the truest of all. He’s still reppin’ Swishahouse, unlike some others who “allow” them to put their logo on a CD. Like Ludacris said, “The streets respect that cheddar.” Paul Wall is a blueprint to getting paper. Fat Joe is the richest guy to never sell records! He can sit around and play as himself on video games all day – wow! In conclusion, OZONE is the truth. Continue to hold it down for the South and everyone out here grindin’. – Derrick Francis, Derrick_francis03@hotmail.com (Virginia Beach, VA) Why in the hell would you put groupie confessions in a male-oriented book? I damn near threw up. That’s sick! I never see women reading your mag, only men. Why don’t you find the guys that are bangin’ female artists and interview them? That would be more interesting. I wanna hear how wet Eve is or how tight Rihanna’s pussy is or which female artist takes it anal and who gives the best head. - 7577145256@pcs.ntelos.com
Editor Responds: Who said it was a “male-oriented” book? I loved JB’s 2 Cents in Issue #53 talking about New York. Even though I’m not from the South, I feel exactly the same way about those snobby ass New Yorkers. I see how that shit must irritate y’all down South – they’re always jealous that someone else is getting their shine on. That’s exactly how shit is up here in Milwaukee. They can’t accept the fact that they really just ain’t doing shit! I wish Milwaukee could be more like the South. Don’t get me wrong, I love Milwaukee, but not too many people come together around here. And the fucked up thing is that if we in the Midwest came together like the South, we could be having our time to shine right now too. We need to do something for ourselves before blaming our non-success on what some other region is doing. Long live Southern rap, and any other region that’s willing to put in the hard work to make raw music. – Joe Wiggles (Milwaukee, WI) OZONE is an air-tight magazine. I’m from NYC but I appreciate quality when I see it. The way y’all do the stories is very clever and original. I like the “10 Things,” that’s what’s up. I’m a journalist fighting my way up the food chain. Keep up the good work. – Black Pacino, myspace.com/blackpacino (Brooklyn, NY)