jb’s 2cents A
t all the industry events, parties, music conferences (there’s three every weekend now), and video shoots, I run into a lot of artists and music biz folks. You shake hands and hug and dap and take pictures and exchange contacts but after a while you realize the futility of it all and the fact that we don’t give a shit about any part of each other’s lives unless it can benefit our careers, and none of these people will remember you in five years. There’s nothing I hate more than having to pretend to be interested in meaningless small talk and nod your head like you’re listening. Sometimes I totally zone out and it makes me understand why people like Busta Rhymes and DJ Clue are complete assholes when people try to speak to them.
10 Things I’m Hatin’ On GUEST EDITION
Eric “Bought An Iron At The Pawn Shop” Perrin (eric.perrin@ozonemag.com)
01 // WHACK ASS DVD MAGAZINES These damn DVD magazines are getting worse and worse. I watched one the other day that looked like it was recorded on somebody’s iPhone and edited in Pro Tools. 02 // Old, grown ass rappers still Patiently Waiting Nigga, if you’ve been patiently waiting since the days of “Yo, MTV Raps” it’s time to give up. What are you patiently waiting for, death? Grow the fuck up and get a job. UPS is hiring. 03 // Niggas ordering food in the strip club If you’re in the strip club ordering the steak n ass special, smack yourself and go the fuck home. That shit is lame as hell. None of those strippers want you drippin’ hot sauce and shit down their back while they’re trying to give you a lap dance. 04 // Weedcarriers These muthafuckas done got so comfortable getting runoff groupies and free weed that they forget to do their job. They are supposed to carry-the-weed so the artist doesn’t go to jail, but more and more rappers are getting popped off on possession charges.
Me & Scrappy in MIA
I love the CORE DJs, especially the big bald ones
Mr Smith goes to Vegas
05 // Presidential candidates Does Hillary, Obama, or any other candidate actually think they have a chance? Bush ain’t giving that shit up. He’s gonna find a way to change the rules and stay in office forever. 06 // The lottery People hold up the damn line at the gas station for a half an hour “playing their numbers.” Broke people aren’t winning the damn lottery. The government is just selling dreams. You might as well just save that money for some extra chicken wings at the strip club.
Ah, yes. It’s the classic makeJB-wear-your-chain pic
07 // High ass electric bills You’ve gotta win the lottery to pay the light bill. I’m bout to say fuck writing and start trappin’, cause Georgia Power won’t give a nigga lights free. 08 // Click It or Ticket That’s just a bullshit ass reason for the police to pull yo’ dumb ass over. They don’t care about your life. 09 // Crackheads in ATL Walking around Atlanta at night is like a scene from Michael Jackson’s Thriller. They look like they’re auditioning for Resident Evil 3. 10 // Grown ass women doing the SUPAMAN If you’ve got kids older than Soulja Boy and you’re in the club crankin’ it, go sit yo’ old ass down somewhere and read a book. Raise yo’ kids, raise yo’ kids, raise yo’ gotdamn kids!
Me & Bibi Guns doing what ATLiens do (hang out at the bowling alley)
So that’s why this surprised me: I was at a party, but I don’t even remember which one because they all blend together into one big blur (unlike other magazine editors who swagger jack OZONE consistently, I actually go out and get hands-on with this shit), and Gorilla Zoe walks up. I’ve never had much of a conversation with the dude and every time I see him, I’m a little scared because he looks like’s going to eat me (that means whatever you think it means) and the name “Gorilla” is actually quite fitting. But instead of the usual rapper bullshit (“You need to put me on your cover,” “Who are you fuckin’,” etc.), he just asks, “How the hell do you keep from getting jaded?” Just by him saying that, I realized that I am jaded. Somebody told me a long time ago that even if you aren’t dirty when you get into the music business, you’ll end up dirty. It is a dirty game and I try to keep my integrity as much as possible, but what does that really mean when everybody’s definition is different? Everybody’s playing by different rules so how much of a “good girl” or “evil white bitch” you are (I have been called both in the past week) depends on who’s counting. My blackberry buddy said I’m “too smart for this simple Hip Hop life” and I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but it’s probably fair to say that I’ve overanalyzed this way more than necessary. As a white female, I’m used to people questioning my Hip Hop motives (and guys pinching my ass and calling me “Becky” like that asshole at the club last night). In interviews I’ve been asked if I’m “profiting off of the black culture,” but that’s bullshit. I could’ve easily had a comfy 9-5 with a salary and benefits, but money isn’t what it’s about. I could probably write a whole editorial about the reasons I love Hip Hop. I’ve never claimed to be a “real Hip Hop” expert or scholar or historian; I can’t recite A Tribe Called Quest or Run-DMC lyrics or breakdance or spray graffiti or DJ, but the whole essence of what Hip Hop is, that’s what I’m about. The hustle, the energy, the individuality, and the overall gangsta mentality. Fight the power, whether the “power” is a slaveholder or a racist cop or a demanding boss or strict parents or just the everyday struggle of life. It’s not fair for anyone to judge another person’s trials and tribulations from the outside looking in. How do you know if they can or can’t relate when Kanye says “wait til I get my money right” or when T.I. says “small things to a giant, I can overcome this” or when Lil Wayne says “no assistance, just that persistence with that committment” or when Tupac says “get my weight up with my hate and pay ‘em back when I’m bigger”? That’s why all races can connect and love this music. But just like any relationship, over time, it’s easy for the bullshit to turn true love into love/hate. It’s hard to remember why I do this sometimes, and that’s when I write “I quit” rants. I erased my first two editorials. The first was too depressing. Next I was bitching about how I get no love at other award shows even after I did my own damn show, but then Denmark hooked us up with tickets to the BET Hip Hop Awards so I had to scratch that. Anyway, I’m glad next month is the annual sex issue. I may feel like quitting this music industry shit sometimes, but I’ll never be jaded about fucking, so check back next time and I promise to be in a better mood. - Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com
Lil Wayne f/ Juliany “Smoking Section” Young Buck f/ the Outlawz “Driving Down The Freeway” Little Brother f/ Lil Wayne “Breakin’ My Heart” Ludacris f/ Rick Ross & Bun B ”Down In Da Durty” Gorilla Zoe f/ Jody Breeze “Crack Muzik” Lil Webbie f/ Lil Boosie “Independent” Young Dro “U Know About Me” Foxx f/ Trey Songz “She Said”
RE’Splaylist
randy.roper@ozonemag.com J. Holiday “Suffocate” Trey Songz “Store Run” Nas “Surviving The Times” Drake f/ Trey Songz “Give Ya”
OZONE MAG // 17