3 YEARS and counting W
hen T.I. filmed his first low-budget video for “Dope Boyz” in Bankhead, OZONE was there. Back when Mystikal was free to perform at grimy hood clubs, OZONE was there. When Camoflauge was alive and roaming the Savannah projects, OZONE was there. When the Ying Yang Twins first dropped the novelty hit “Whistle While You Twerk,” OZONE was there. Back when Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz shows didn’t pull a crowd, OZONE was still there. When David Banner signed his reported $10 million deal with SRC/Universal, OZONE was right there with him on the Mississippi border, shooting his cover photos. Remember when Coco Brother confronted Khia with a magazine printout of her 19 mugshots on How I’m Livin’? That was OZONE. When T.I. brought out the “Game Over” posters and dissed Lil Flip at Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash, OZONE was in the front row. Back when no one had heard of Ciara, OZONE was on the set of “Goodies.” When Young Buck brought the entire G-Unit crew through the ‘hood in Nashville and nearly caused a riot, OZONE was there. When B.G. and Lil Wayne reunited on-stage in Tampa, OZONE was there. Pitbull. Akon. Mike Jones. Lil Scrappy. Slim Thug. Young Jeezy. Jody Breeze. Lil Boosie & Webbie. Jacki-O. Trillville. PaulWall. Check our back issues: OZONE has a history of featuring artists long before they get signed and become household names. Don’t be fooled by all these folks jumping on the Southern bandwagon. Over the past three years, OZONE has covered Southern artists and events that no other media outlet thought was worth mentioning. It’s the original Southern magazine, up-close and personal. For us, by us. Don’t believe me? Let’s revisit the past year of OZONE:
12
May 2004 (Pastor Troy / BloodRaw)
Memorial Day 2004 (Pitbull)
June 2004 (Pitbull)
BloodRaw dropped by the OZONE office with a slab of raw meat for his cover shoot for our two year anniversary edition. Mike Jones, Jody Breeze, Young Jeezy, and Boo Rossini all made their OZONE debuts in this issue.
For this special mini-Memorial Weekend edition of OZONE, we hung out at Lil Jon’s mansion on South Beach, caught up with David Banner on the road, and featured two of Miami’s finest: Pitbull and Jacki-O.
In this hustler’s edition, Pitbull explained everything you need to know about the dope game and Jacki-O broke down the strategies of a Miami booster. We had to seriously edit both interviews to prevent them from getting indicted.
Memorable quote: “Andre 3000 got up at an awards show and said, ‘The South got something to say.’ That inspired me and kept me rolling. The South still got something to say, and nothing is gonna stop us. Nothing.” - Dirty States of America DVD producer FLX
Memorable quote: “Every time [people in my hometown] turn on the TV and see the ‘Mississippi’ on my back, that’s what means the most. It’s hard to compete with people that stay in New York or Los Angeles because they can bump into a camera anytime.” - David Banner
Memorable quote: “There are a lot of artists out there who don’t care about ownership and control. A lot just want fame. And any major deal can give you fame, without the money, as long as they work you properly.” - Rap Coalition founder Wendy Day
July 2004 (Terror Squad / DJ Khaled)
Aug. 2004 (Don Yute / Birmingham J)
September 2004 (Temmora)
OZONE spent Memorial Day at the Eden Roc for these dual Terror Squad covers. We conducted a very scientific Pimp Juice vs. Crunk! Juice taste test at TJ’s DJ’s, and chased down both Lil Flip and T.I. to get the real story behind their beef.
Birmingham J took us on a tour of the city’s grittiest spots, while Don Yute brought the Jamaican vibe. We checked in with Jadakiss, Twista, former Terror Squad reps Triple Seis and Cuban Link, and DJ Drama of Gangsta Grillz fame.
Memorable quote: “Everyone always wondered what it would be like if Cash Money and No Limit worked together. Soulja Slim actually brought B.G. to me...so his death has been real hard for both me and him.” - former Beats By The Pound producer KLC
Memorable quote: “[The success of Southern music] is a testament to how smart these artists have become. They’re stepping their game up to have a bigger piece of the pie. To control your career, you’ve got to prove that you can handle it.” - TVT’s VP of Urban A&R Bryan Leach
Damn near every bubbling Southern underground artist appeared in our second annual “Patiently Waiting” edition, including Chamillionaire, DirtBag, Grandaddy Souf, Mr. Magic, Kamikaze, Play-N-Skillz, P$C’s Big Kuntry, Miss B, and Rasheeda. By popular demand, we checked in with Mike Jones and Chamillionaire to find out if they really had beef.
OZONE MAY 2005
Memorable quote: “[My label] doesn’t give a fuck about me. It’s a savage industry.” - Grandaddy Souf