JB’s 2cents F
or the past few months, the million dollar question has been, “when are the OZONE Awards?” Last year, after the third annual event in Houston, TJ and I scoured the country for some possible ‘09 locations and I was starting to get excited about the prospects.
10THINGS I’M HATIN’ON
2. Broke niggas who come VISIT from outta town I hate broke niggas who come visit with delusions of grandeur. Like, “Let’s hit Magic City, Velvet Room, Strokers, Lenox Mall, and Onyx. But I’ve only got ten dollars.” Stay the fuck home, please!
Ray J & I @ my Vegas bday party
D-RAY
1. The job market I robbed a bank the other day and the bitch was like, “Take all the money you want!” I’m like, “Bitch, give me a job interview. I need a salary, benefits and a desk.”
D-RAY
by aspiring porn star Maurice Stoney
3. The Recession (again) I hate the recession, but love these food prices. Even homeless niggas and bums in line at Church’s Chicken are like, “Can I get 2 titties, a side of pigeon soup, and some pissy lemonade, hold the ice. Thanks.” LUIS SANTANA
4. The ghetto A lil nigga approached my car with a football helmet on his head, tennis racket in his left hand, baseball bat in his right, and asked me to support his swim team. What the fuck?
Me & Soulja Boy @ my Denver bday party
DJ Christion & I @ my Tampa bday party
5. Pregnant women who wanna use female condoms Number one, it’s too late. Number two, I don’t wanna knock the baby out and he comes out either wearing that shit like a doo rag, or using it as a parachute. 6. Big ass roaches in Georgia I moved in my new apartment and had three unknown roommates. Junior was fixing a sandwich, Trey was watching TV, and Tyrone was in the corner lifting weights. One of ‘em looked at me and said, “Nigga, you got the top bunk. I got a bitch coming through tonight.”
8. Light skinned nUccas These light skinned muthafuckers that think Drake is bringing them back in style are crazy. Wayne and Drake are like a modern day Kid N Play. House Party 5, ‘nuff said. 9. Jamie Foxx Somebody whup his ass please; he’s displaying bitchassness characteristics. 10. Anybody that calls at 3am AND ASKs “What u doing, man?” Muthafucker, I was asleep. What the fuck was I supposed to be doing?
D-RAY
7. Sarah Palin Hoe sit down.
Me & Gorilla Zoe @ my Anchorage, AK bday party
T-Pain & I in Denver
But as the new year passed and ‘09 slowly progressed, I became more and more disenchanted with the idea of dedicating another 6 entire months of my life to this cause, partly because the economy is shit but mostly because people simply don’t know how to act. It’s mind-boggling that even with the amount of time, energy, resources, and effort we (OZONE & TJ’s DJ’s) put in to create an event on that scale, all it takes is a few short minutes of ignorance to overshadow all the work that was put in. And it isn’t limited to the OZONE Awards. At the Dirty Awards last year I witnessed firsthand the all-out brawl between Shawty Lo’s camp and TI’s camp, not to mention Jeezy’s camp and DJ Drama’s camp. It was a complete embarrassment to our entire community. This scenario has been repeated at countless award shows in years past; Source, Vibe, etc. We need to grow the fuck up and get our shit together so we can be respected on a bigger scale. The politics and economics of the music business are fascinating to me; much more so than corporate America. But to corporate America, we will always be a joke if we can’t have a simple gathering of all our key players in one place without someone getting stabbed, punched, or killed. To the average person, anyone associated with Hip Hop is a walking caricature. A punch line. But from the inside out, I know we are, for the most part, innovative, creative entrepreneurs who put in as much work if not more than any Wall Street executive. We should be focused on gaining respect worldwide for our business savvy instead of focused on these petty beefs and altercations. And aside from the respect factor, our community’s reputation for violence hurts our money. Some venues don’t want our business because of the negative aspects. We pay extra for security. We pay extra for insurance. Television networks are hesitant to get involved because of the inherent risks. All of this is preventable; it’s our own fault. My time is valuable. My birthday just passed and reflecting on the last 28 years, I have mixed emotions because I feel that I’ve done so much but at the same time, done so little. I look at life like a to-do list. “Produce award show” has already been checked off that list, three times. There’s a long list of new things I want to explore to move my life forward in a positive direction and I question if the many, many stressful hours required to produce an award show will be worth the end result. As Biggie said on “Sky’s The Limit,”“never make moves unless your heart’s in it.” I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you’re not going to put 100% effort into something, you shouldn’t be doing it at all. The main reason I wanted to do the event in the first place was to create a forum for networking; a place where the key industry players and up and comers could meet each other face to face and develop lasting friendships. That’s how I got my start in the game, going to all the Tech.Nitions events and TJ’s DJ’s conferences and Mixshow Power Summits (even though I had to sneak in), and countless concerts, etc, where I was able to meet future friends, colleagues, and clients. So it was only right that I help continue that spirit on for the next generation. With all that said: when are the next OZONE Awards? I honestly can’t answer that question right now, but as soon as I know, you’ll know. I want to make progress. I want to grow. I want to create bigger and better opportunities for myself, my friends and employees, and all the artists and contributors and readers who have supported the OZONE movement from day one. It’s been GREAT so far this year to have a little time to breathe without feeling like the weight of the world is resting on my shoulders. I’m just taking some time to make sure I’m making the right moves. I’m working on some things, trust me. Whatever comes next, my heart’s gotta be in it. Sky’s the limit - Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com
Gucci Mane f/ Esther Dean “I Think I Love Her” Trey Songz “Yo Side Of The Bed” Mario f/ Gucci Mane & Sean Garrett “Break Up” Young Jeezy f/ JW & Boo Rossini “Biggest Movie Ever” Wale f/ J. Cole & Curren$y “Rather Be With You” Juice f/ Bun B “Can’t Crush My Cool” Al Be Back f/ Fabolous “Mira Mira” RE “Hip Hop Legend”
RE’Splaylist
randy.roper@ozonemag.com Jay-Z “Death of Autotune” Yo Gotti “5 Star Chick” J. Cole “Lights Off” Twista “Wetter”
OZONE MAG // 15