Are You a G? 7 Questions to FIND OUT if R&B star SAMMIE is the 7th letter of the alphabet. Sammie, who first signed with Capitol Records at age 12, is among an elite class of musicians who have topped the charts in two different decades. In the late 90’s he released the wildly popular singles, “I Like,” and “The Crazy Things I Do For Love,” and currently, he is the melodic voice featured on Soulja Boy’s “Kiss Me Thru The Phone.” Having separated from Dallas Austin and Rowdy Records, Sammie recently started his own imprint, Star Camp, and is working on his third album, Coming Of Age. A. Do you have any aliases? My New York friends call me Samo, my aunties called me Sambo, and my pops, I don’t understand how he got this name, but they call him Foxy, so they call me Foxy Jr. sometimes, too. I guess I got that name my default. No way can we award points to a male R&B artists for a nickname like Foxy Jr., sorry brotha. B. What’s the most untrue rumor you’ve heard about yourself? People have these misconceptions that I’m real cocky and arrogant, and I’m far from that. I’m real humble, and I think me going to school and graduating from a public high school helped me to stay humble, and to stay real and stay true. Most child stars are home schooled or have private tutors, so we’ll award Sammie for actually being G’ enough to tough it out in an Atlanta public high school. 26 // OZONE MAG
C. How did the kids in high school treat you? My freshman year of high school was one of the craziest years ever. The dudes were hating, but the ladies loved me. I used to have security escort me to class, but I figured if I just stayed down and stayed true, in due time people would really get to see me. Midway through my sophomore year I was just a regular dude on campus, nobody was trippin’ on who I was. I played basketball for two years, I was homecoming king, I was on the choir my junior and senior years. I pretty much lived the regular, normal high school life. The fact that you had security escorts and sung on the choir omit you from gaining points on this question. D. When was the last time you got in a fight? I got in some altercations in high school, but not really any fist fights. I’m a hot-head, so when I get mad I might say the craziest thing and my mouth probably kept me out of a lot of fights. I’m from Miami, so I’ve always been tough, and I always had heart. I talk a lot of trash, and I play basketball, so if I’m bustin’ your ass in basketball, I’m gonna let you know I’m bustin’ your ass, so a couple of times I got into a push or shove here, but nothing major. Sammie and Bow Wow probably square up all the time on the court. E. Craziest thing you’ve ever done for love? My ex-girlfriend was the only chick I’ve ever been in love with. I sent her flowers ‘cause I couldn’t
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be there for her birthday, and that’s not crazy, but I was just really gone over her. I was really sprung for a minute. I was 18, so I was wide open. Check: If buying a chick flowers for her birthday when he was out on the road is craziest thing he’s ever done for love, Sammie has us all beat on this one. F. Worst song you’ve been a part of? It was a song called “Hey” that was just too pop for me. It didn’t come out, thank God, I recorded it, and every song is not gonna be a hot record, but one thing I’ve been blessed with is the ability to sing, so I can really sound good. I can make a bad song sound good, and a good song sound great, and that’s not being cocky, that’s just a blessing. Foxy Jr. gets credit for being confident in his singing abilities. G. Do you have friends or relatives in jail? I do, unfortunately. Sammie didn’t really want to talk about this question, which means whomever he knows in jail is either a really close relative, or did something punishingly severe. Score: 4/7 Nicknames like Foxy Jr, and security escorts almost cost Sammie a passing grade, but overall his modesty and decision to attend public schools amidst his celebrity promoted Sammie to a G’. Look out for Coming of Age, which he says is his most personal album yet. - Eric Perrin
Hood Deeds WORDS By Eric Perrin // PHOTO BY JOHNNY NUNEZ On May 11th, rapper and community activist T.I. joined forces with Al Sharpton in Harlem, NY to speak out against gun violence in the community. T.I., which is facing an impending one year and one day sentence for felony gun possession, took the opportunity to apologize to those in attendance before stating his case. “The same gun activity that I’m standing right here in front of you today attempting to stop, I was once was a part of it. I once played a huge, huge part in promoting it. A lot of people do it as a fashion statement, but for me it was a part of life,” he said. “LeBron James played basketball, Walter Payton played football; I carried guns and slung dope as a 13 year old. That’s why I feel like I owe you guys an apology, but I feel like all the experiences that I gathered in that time is exactly the tools that I need to be able to get out here and reach the people that are now doing what I used to do.” T.I. also took the opportunity to speak on his looming prison sentence, stating, “I will be back. And when I get back you gon’ see me standing stronger, wiser, richer, and I’ma be singing the same song.” Sharpton, who was speaking to a home crowd in his native New York, expressed his belief that T.I. shouldn’t be imprisoned at all. “He made a mistake, and he’s trying to correct a mistake. We don’t need him locked down. We need him out here trying to correct the mistakes,” Sharpton said to a roaring audience. The event was broadcast on MTVNews.com.
1. DJ PETER PARKER (www.myspace.com/djpeterparker1)
Yeah, a DJ named Clark Kent has become a Hip Hop legend, but that doesn’t mean every superhero alter ego is cool. Peter Parker was and still is the epitome of a geek. This Queens, New York-based DJ isn’t making the name any cooler. Known for DJing and taking photos in a Spider Man mask, Parker has ties to the Duck Down Records family and he hosts a podcast, Rhyme Tyme, where the likes of Slum Village have stopped by.
2. THE METERMAIDS (www.myspace.com/metermaids) Sure, metermaids may have their own reality show on cable TV a year or so ago but that still doesn’t make them cool enough to name your rap group after them. 3. LO-DOWN ENTERTAINMENT (www.myspace.com/valetv)
The words “low” and “down” are like oil and water, they will never mix. Though it’s not as bad as the Down Low Entertainment moniker we featured months ago, this is still a pig that doesn’t fly straight.