CASH OUT You used to be a part of the Street Lordz/ Chedda Boyz, right? Yeah, but ever since my man got killed it’s been a separation. I don’t know how to explain it. I been doing my own thing, as of right now. Who got killed? Blade Icewood. Ever since he got killed everybody’s been going their separate ways. I was looking forward to everybody doing another album together. Are you from Detroit? Yes, I am. I’m from the West side of Detroit. Who did you listen to comin’ up? Everybody, like EPMD, and whoever else was nice back in the day. I was really into EPMD though. I really dug them heavy back in the day. What category would you say Detroit falls into musically? East coast, Southern, Midwest, West coast? It’s its own city. It’s nothing like no East coast, no West coast city. None of that. We just do our own thing. We’ve got our own slang and everything. So you dropped an album with Blade Icewood? Yeah, it was two Street Lordz albums. He actually had like three albums of his own and I was featured on multiple songs on those albums. Is this your first solo project that you’re working on? Yeah, this project I’m about to drop is a mix CD called Cash Out: The Gan Man. “Gan” is our slang for the purple, high-quality marijuana. Are you putting out the mixtape for promo or selling it? I’m gonna be putting it out on the streets for sale. I don’t have no type of distributor, but the mixtape is gonna be out locally for sure though. My album will be coming soon, probably late June or early July. It’s called Money Talks. What are the hot spots in Detroit during the Super Bowl?
Aw, it’s all type of spots. Icon, Elisium, the Zoo Bar, the Apartment, Floods, Status Quo, the Platinum Lounge, Cousins Lounge, Theresa’s Lounge, Half Past Three. Who do you work with for production? Do you have somebody in-house? Yeah, one producer I work with is named AK. He’s a good producer, he produced most of the Blade Icewood project. Who are some of the other up-and-coming rappers in Detroit to look out for? The Street Lordz, Jesse James, Kato, Rock Bottom, Donnie Brasco, and of course Trick Trick got a deal. As far as rappers from Detroit, most people would instantly think of Eminem and D12. Do you think they’re a good representation of the Detroit rap scene? I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t want to diss nobody though. I guess they are a good representation commercially, but as far as the street aspect of the hip-hop scene, not really. It’s different. That’s not a diss, though. They’re a good sound for Detroit. They put our foot in the door, you know what I’m sayin’? What about the battle rap scene that they showed in Eminem’s movie 8 Mile? Did that accurately show the Detroit underground scene? Yeah, in the hip-hop scene that’s exactly how it is. I’m not really a hip-hop artist, as far as being in a cipher and battling and all that stuff. But that’s exactly what Eminem is, feel me? If gangsta rap is hip-hop, than I’m hip-hop. I’m not really a hardcore gangsta shoot-‘em-up-bang rapper. I really call my music hustle music. Hustle music hasn’t been categorized yet. They might have to create a category for “hustle music.” Does someone like Jeezy qualify? Is that the vibe of your music? Yeah, it’s kinda like a Jeezy vibe with an upNorth feel to it. OZONE is based in the South. Do you think the South will feel your music? My music will appeal to anybody in the world. Just like Jeezy, I just like to motivate people to really get on their grind and do what they gotta do if they lookin’ forward to getting some kind of cash. - Julia Beverly OZONE
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