SUPERBOWL EDITORIAL
A
s I’m writing this with my eyes half open, it’s 4:30 am in Atlanta and I’m day-dreaming - well, night-dreaming actually - of sunny Miami. It’s rained here for 5 days straight, and it’s too cold for any Floridian to endure, making this mag difficult to complete because I want to grab a blanket and hibernate. *sips Red Bull and continues typing*
But this issue is nearly done, and despite the depressing weather and sleep starvation, I’m really vibing on the inside. There’s no greater feeling than finishing a major project. The way I feel right now is probably how a musician feels when they turn in an album to their label. Relief. Pride. Excited to see the final outcome. Anxious for the world to share in my work. And even though an artist has months to record an album, and I only had a week to interview Florida’s finest, it’s still the same level of satisfaction. It takes the same level of dedication to come up with a direction, a list of goals, execute them within a deadline, and turnout a quality, creative product. Not to mention overcoming unforeseen setbacks (like how I lost my voice for 3 days and couldn’t interview anyone). But we at OZONE do this numerous times a year, and still keep variety in the content. Variety in mind, I really struggled for ideas this Super Bowl edition. Not because there’s a lack of talent in Miami, but because we’ve interviewed everyone in the city already. And because South
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Florida artists have staying power, there’s not much turn around as far as rappers falling off and new ones taking their place. Pretty much everyone gets on top and stays there. So I thought about what we were missing, what the music listeners are missing in general, and it was obvious – female representation. You’ll notice a few more female artist features than usual. And that’s kind of a reflection of the game in general right now. Newcomers like Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj have made such a huge impact recently, and vets like Trina and Lil Kim are staying active. I predict this trend will strengthen. As you flip through these pages, when you stop to stare at the chick pics, make sure you take a few minutes to read their stories too. In this business, it takes twice as much effort for a woman to be noticed outside of her looks. They deserve props. And I deserve a few hours of sleep. [Turning off phone, logging off Twitter, tuning out haters] See you Super Bowl Weekend. - Ms. Rivercity (below, center)