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First off, I appreciate your magazine 100%. Me being a fan of music, I feel you’re a pioneer in this rap shit. You definitely changed the whole magazine game. I’m 19 and since I was a lil dude I’ve been buying magazines, everything from the Sauce to XXL to the [Rolling] Stones to Vibe, even random shit like boat magazines, real talk. When I first got my hands on a copy of OZONE Magazine a couple years ago I was like, DAMN. This is different from all the other shit I’ve been reading. From the forums to the endless pages of photos to reviews to the covers, I was amazed. You raised the bar to a higher level. Fuck the other side. You know what the fans and readers want and you give it to ‘em. - Carlana Entertainment, via Myspace (Dayton, OH)
I’d like to start by giving OZONE Mag a big ups to the movement in the Hip Hop community. Coming from a real nigga behind these walls, it’s not often that you see a magazine with the type of material OZONE comes with every issue. Especially when the word “real” gets thrown around like it’s a fad. I especially want to give a shout out to the mag for the Prison Diary section. It shows that even though we might be behind these walls, we still have an opportunity to voice our opinion. I’m coming home in a hot second and I’m still gonna be on OZONE when I touch the street. Shout out to all the real niggas that are behind these walls, the ones that kept it 100%! Stop snitching, suck ass niggas! - Andres Nunez, via inmatemessage.com (Atlanta, GA)
I love your write-ups in OZONE, but D.C. has a hidden jewel that you need to cover. Wale, Raheem Devaughn, J Holiday, etc need to be recognized. Love the dirty South though! - Duane Russell, via email (Washington, DC)
I remember when you were trying to get your mag out on a major level, so it’s great that you’re doing major numbers now. I’m currently in a Federal prison but I’m a music man myself, and my best homie for a lot of years, Dramills, is a Hip Hop artist on the rise. You’ve featured him in your mag before, back in ’05. I’d love to see my homie in your mag again. - Steven Currie, via inmatemessage.com (Greensboro, NC)
What’s happenin’? I was wondering why y’all ain’t mention the passing of Dolla, the one with the record “Who Da Fuck Is Dat” featuring T-Pain. I’m a diehard OZONE fan and he deserves a shout out. Hell, he had a video. Oh, and I was hoping that y’all could fuck with Arkansas from time to time. It’s the home of Ne-Yo and others, and we’re not as country as [the TV show] “Simple Life” with that dumb hoe Paris Hilton portrayed us as. Check out Lottury (I had to self-promote) because he’s one of the best, period. Listen to him first, see that he’s worthy, and then print this. Big ups to all of the South and the rest of the Coasts that get down with it. Y’all ain’t sellin’ out. - Rome a.k.a. Lottury, via email (Arkansas) Editor Responds: We did cover Dolla’s passing (R.I.P.) on ozonemag.com and interviewed his business partner and friend Te-Money as a follow-up in an upcoming issue. In your article on notable weed heads [for the drug issue] I can’t believe you muthafuckers slept on Meth and Redman in “How High.” That was all about weed. I’m not knocking Ice Cube in “Friday,” but in “How High,” they were smoking weed AND dead people, man! Y’all need to come out with a scratch-and-sniff issue about weed. It’s from mother earth. Or even a scratch-and-sniff issue about [the strip club] Stroker’s, lol. Don’t sleep on Detroit either. - Crunkatlantamusic, via myspace (Detroit, MI) I was reading your editorial and loved it; I’m not sure which issue it was, but you were speaking about Barack Obama. I loved that whole issue. I’m currently a federal inmate and am working on becoming a personal trainer. I actually used to rap myself, but I’ll be doing management and promotion when I’m released. I did a mixtape with DJ Smallz but got locked up before I could release it. - Eagle, via inmatemessage.com (White Deer, PA)
12 // OZONE MAG
The latest sex issue of OZONE is the shit. I think that was my favorite issue so far. I like the interview with Mr. Marcus and the dominatrix chick. Damn, the whole thing was awesome. I couldn’t put it down. It made me feel like I needed to read every article. - Joker da Bailbondsman, via inmatemessage.com (Anchorage, AK) I’m a big fan of OZONE Mag and your award show. It reminds me of Murder Dog, but two times better. You really capture the underground Hip Hop scene like no one else out there. You are the new Source in the game. I have plans for an online and print magazine; an entrepreneurial and business magazine geared towards the urban sector. As a kid I always watched and studied people like Puffy, Karl Kani, Russell Simmons, Un Rivera, etc. I remember when I couldn’t wait to the get the Source Power Issue and tape all their articles to my wall. Today, even though the Source sucks, I still pick up the Power Issue to see who the new movers and shakers are in the industry. Most kids I knew were just like me and wanted to start their own businesses as well. I went on to college with the hopes of owning my own business and when I graduated my dreams came true. I bought a Quizno’s franchise, which turned out to be a nightmare. Even though my title was “Franchise Owner,” that was far from the truth. I basically had no decision making abilities and felt trapped. Fortunately, earlier this year I sold the franchise and freed myself from economic slavery! I wanted ownership and independence and I finally realized that this was something I needed to create for myself. That’s when God gave me the idea of having something similar to Forbes Magazine, but flipping it for the Hip Hop community. I read an interview with you talking about the beginning of your mag and I was inspired to push my dream into reality. You were talking about how you would lay your magazine on the bar in the club and watch for people’s reactions. Thanks for the inspiration. - Chicago Cruz of Currency/Next Magazine, via email