editor’s note I’m Just Sayin’tho by D-Ray
S
o I have artists swearing daily that I’m hating on their career by not putting them in the magazine. Well, for one, this is a national magazine. Two, I’ve been to in-stores of artists with radio play and artists with no radio play, so let me express this thought. I am the West Coast kid. I rep the West Coast until I die! I’m from the Bay so you already know I’m gonna rep what I know. I’m not going to co-sign an artist prematurely. I just can’t. That’s like stamping a poor quality photo with my name. That would be reppin’ me bad. So I was at a recent in-store, and no one showed up. Hello! We need to get our promotion tighter or our raps hotter, because the in-store turnout made it clear that the fanbase isn’t quite there. The visual is a bitch! I didn’t hit the same line-up’s in-store in Sacramento, but I inquired and heard that it was the same turn-out. One of the artists that was scheduled to be there is the supposed King of Sac. I would have been very, very, very bugged if I had taken my time to drive to Sac for that. Sac is a whack drive from the Bay to me. Not sayin’ that they have whack artists; just sayin’ that the drive sucks! C-Bo comes from Sac and when I think of the King of Sac, I think of him, not the new artists.
Artists, to be successful, you can’t blame a bad turnout at an in-store on lack of radio play, because that’s far from the case. Artists like Mistah FAB, J Diggs, Andre Nickatina, and Messy Marv have in-stores that are fuckin’ bananas with no radio, period! Then there’s E-40: no matter what, his in-stores get shut down because he has a never-ending line of fans. Let’s reflect on what the real problems are and invest in our careers. Don’t worry about the radio so much. Radio is nice, but most people listen to CDs and MP3s and satellite radio today anyway. Satellite
Me & Chuy Gomez @ Blush for Streetcred’s Christmas party in Burlingame
Skin Head Rob, me, & Paul Wall @ The Mezzanine in San Francisco
E-40 f/ Cousin Fik “I Can Sell It” Nipsey Hussle “Hussle in the House” Ya Boy f/ Dr. Hollywood “We Run LA” Keak Da Sneak & San Quinn “Hot N Cool” Clyde Carson f/ The Game “Touchdown Remix” Baby Bash f/ Lil’ Jon, Mario, & E-40 “That’s How I Go” The Jacka, Big Righ, Balance, & Jimmie Reign “Can’t Go”
28 // OZONE MAG
radio is uncensored. My ear is always to the streets, even if I’m not in them physically, so miss me with that “why are you hatin’” bullshit. I can’t do anything but keep it real. I refuse to co-sign a premature artist or project in the mag. You’ve gotta put your footwork in. I’m not sayin’ that if I see you out, I won’t take a photo and still rep you in the photo gallery to help build a buzz. But make sure you’re coming with that heat. Get your product out there. Shake hands and kiss babies. Your attitude may be standing in the way of your own blessings, and that’s real, so take time to reflect. If your homies are sayin’ your music is hot but other folks are hatin’, well, they’re your homies, so they’re supposed to say it’s hot. They want to be on stage with you and have a mic to overpower your lyrics and ad-libs. Take the time to re-evaluate your situation. Is it you? Is it your manager that’s holding you back? Publicist? Distributor? Promo team? Homies? Or do you just not have that Lil Wayne fan base yet? Reflect. Success doesn’t come overnight. Have patience and a good attitude, not a chip on your shoulder. There’s an artist out in the Bay right now who has so much talent, but has a huge chip on his shoulder. He gets radio interviews and spins, not to mention that the Music Director damn near sucks his ass, but has absolutely no fans. No loyal fans! Wow! Amazing, huh? The worst thing is, this wasn’t supposed to be my editorial this month. I wanted to talk about my Grammy week and how dope it was. So look out for next month’s editorial. I’m gonna tell you about the Cash Money party and DJ Quik’s monthly concert. I’m gonna take you through the Land of Hollywood! - D-Ray, OZONE West Editor-At-Large dray@ozonemag.com
Me & J Diggs @ The Phoenix Theater for Merry Thizzmas in Petaluma
Me & Rydah J. Klyde @ Pinky’s for Merry Thizzmas in Sacramento
DJ BACKSIDE’S
TOP 10 SLAPS
Jay Rock “Be on the Block” Pacific Division “Mayor” Mistah FAB “Teenage Thug”