year-endawards
No one except Dave Mays (left) and Benzino (right) is quite sure how exactly Benzino became co-owner of The Source Magazine, but somehow, ‘Zino’s friendship with co-founder Mays has allowed him to live lavishly and shamelessly promote his albums through The Source for many years. But with The Source’s advertising sales, newsstand sales, profits, and credibility all plummeting over the past two years, Benzino might want to think about finding someone else’s budget to drain.
JULIA BEVERLY
JULIA BEVERLY
Most Successful Extortionist: Benzino
Realest Nigga Award: Paul Wall
Although the magazine has a mountain of lawsuits pending (one from a lending company which advanced them $18 million, a sexual harassment suit from a former editor-in-chief, and tax evasion charges against Benzino, for example), their real problems began when they got into the monthly habit of running laughably biased and derogatory articles (sometimes entire issues) about artists (Eminem, 50 Cent), DJs (Funkmaster Flex), former staffers, and basically anyone they don’t like (XXL, etc, etc) without revealing their hidden motives. See, there’s nothing wrong with writing an article slamming an individual who’s done you wrong. Shit, we do it here at OZONE all the time. But you’ve gotta divulge your real reasons. Tell ‘em why you mad, son!
Calm down. It’s a joke.
JOHNNY NUNEZ/NUBUZZ PHOTO
So, just to make sure we’re not guilty of the same crime, I’m gonna be honest. Why are we (okay, me, JB, the editor) slamming The Source? There’s several reasons. One - when I used to do freelance work for them, they bounced a check on me on Christmas Eve a few years ago which really fucked up my holidays, cause I was broke. Two, they still owe me $1,575 for articles I wrote a year and a half ago. Three - how the fuck did you get a loan for $18 million dollars and still end up bankrupt?? If somebody loaned me just 1% of that (that’s $180,000 for you slow folks) I’d be straight. What a waste. But on the grander scale of things - Dave & ‘Zino were in control of the most recognized brand and platform in hip-hop and they squandered it on a bunch of bullshit instead of tackling the real issues and giving aspiring journalists and photographers a chance to show off their skills. But it’s all good. More room for OZONE! Fuck The Source. And it’s not the money, it’s the principle.
Time To Go See Paul Wall Award: Petey Pablo
Don’t Leave Rap Alone, The Game Needs You Award: Andre 3000 & Lauryn Hill
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JULIA BEVERLY
RONNIE WRIGHT
JULIA BEVERLY
Runner-up: Heather Hunter, Lil Scrappy
OZONE
Time To Retire Award: Master P “I Need Dubs”? No, no, no. We love what you did for the game, but you’ve got to know when your time is up.