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WHO THE F*CK IS

BoB?
YOUR FAVORITE RAPPERS FAVORITE MAGAZINE
3rd ANNUAL
DJ ISSUE
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AcE hOOD R.I.P. STATIc MAJOR YUkMOUTh
GlASSES MAlONE TAlIB kWElI YOUNG DRO
0Z0NE hA6 ll I
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YOUR FAVORITE RAPPERS FAVORITE MAGAZINE
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DEY KNOW
DO YOU?
AcE HOOd R.I.P. STATIc MAjOR YUkMOUTH
GLASSES MALONE TALIB kWELI YOUNG dRO
3rd ANNUAL
dj ISSUE
Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll J
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PUBLlShERlElI0R-lN-ChlEl ll 1ulla Beverlv
hUSlC ElI0R ll Randv Roer
lEAIURES ElI0R ll Erlr N. Perrln
ASS0ClAIE ElI0R ll haurlre 6. 6arland
6RAPhlC ESl6NER ll avld KA
AVERIlSlN6 SALES ll Che 1ohnson
PR0h0Il0NS lRECI0R ll hallk Ahdul
SPEClAL ElIl0N ElI0R ll 1en hrKlnnon
hARKEIlN6 lRECI0R ll avld huhannad Sr.
LE6AL C0NSULIANI ll Kvle P. Klng, P.A.
SUBSCRlPIl0NS hANA6ER ll Adero awson
AhlNlSIRAIlVE ll Klsha Snlth
lNIERN ll Karl Bradlev
C0NIRlBUI0RS ll Alex Cannon, Bogan, Charla-
nagne the 6od, Churk I, Clerra hlddlehrooks,
estlne Ca|uste, Edward hall, lellta Knlght,
1arlnta howard, 1aro Varek, 1esslra Koslow,
1 Lash, 1ason Cordes, 1ohnnv Louls, Keadron
Snlth, Kelth Kennedv, K.6. hoslev, Klng Yella, Luls
Santana, Luxurv hlndz, harrus eWavne, hatt
Sonzala, haurlre 6. 6arland, herredes lStrlrtlv
Streets), Natalla 6onez, Rav Ianarra, Rlro a
Crook, Rohert 6ahrlel, Rohlt Loonha, Shannon
hrCollun, Slff, Stan 1ohnson, Swlft, Ihaddaeus
hrAdans, Wallv Sarks, Wendv av
SIREEI REPS ll Jrd Leg 6reg, Adan hurhv, Alex
harln, Al-hv-I, Benz, Blg Brd, B-Lord, Blg Ed,
Blg Iearh lBlg houth), Blgg V, Blark, Bogan, Bo
honev, Brandl 6arrla, Brlan Eadv, Buggah .
6ovanah l0n Polnt), Bull, C Rola, Cartel, Cedrlr
Walker, Chad 1oseh, Charles Brown, Chlll,
Churk I, Chrlstlan llores, anlelle Srott, 1 a,
ellght, errlrk the lranrhlse, 1 lnelere, 1
Lvte, olla Blll, orlan Welrh, wavne Barnun,
r. oon, vnastv, Ed the World lanous, 1
E-leezv, 1 ElN, Elsode, Erlr Crunkatlanta
haves, Erlk Iee, l+ Entertalnnent, 6 ash,
6-hark, 6eorge Loez, 6orllla Prono, hazlq
All, hezeleo, h-Vldal, hotglrl haxlnun, 1ae
Sllnn, 1annln 1av, 1anlro hawklns, 1arvon
Lee, 1av Noll, 1eron Alexander, 1LN Photogra-
hv, 1oe Anthonv, 1ohnnv ang, 1udah, 1udv
1ones, Kenneth Clark, Klarr Sheard, Kool Lald,
Kurtls 6rahan, Kvdd 1oe, Lex, Lun, Lutovua
Ihonson, harro hall, harlo 6rler, harlel har,
1 h.0.E., huslr 6 hore, Natalla 6onez, Nlkkl
Kanrev, 0srar 6arrla, P Love, Pat Pat, Phattll,
Pln 6, uest, 1 Rage, Rald Rlr, Rohert Loez,
Roh-Lo, Rohskl, Rohlt Loonha, Srorlo, Slr Ihurl,
Southaw, Sade Sot, Stax, Sweethark, Ieddv I,
I1s 1s, Iln Brown, Ionv Rudd, Ire uhh, Irll Wll,
Irlna Edwards, Irov Kvles, Vlrlous, Vlrtor Walker,
1 Vlad, Voodoo, Wlld Blllo, Wlll hustle, Wu Chang,
Young harlen, Yung VS
SUBSCRlPIl0NS ll Io suhsrrlhe, send rherk or
nonev order for SZ to.
0zone hagazlne, lnr.
Attn. Suhsrrltlons et
6++ Antone St. Sulte 6
Atlanta, 6A JJI8
Phone. ++-JS-J88!
lax. ++-JS-Z+9!
Wehslte. www.ozonenag.ron
C0VER CRElIS ll B0B hotos lrover and thls
age) hv Wuz 6ood, Shawtv Lo hoto hv Earl
Randolh.
lSCLAlhER ll 0Z0NE hagazlne ls uhllshed IZ
tlnes er vear hv 0Z0NE hagazlne, lnr. 0Z0NE
does not take resonslhllltv for unsollrlted
naterlals, nlslnfornatlon, tvograhlral errors,
or nlsrlnts. Ihe vlews rontalned hereln do not
neressarllv refert those of the uhllsher or lts
advertlsers. Ads aearlng ln thls nagazlne are
not an endorsenent or valldatlon hv 0Z0NE
hagazlne for rodurts or servlres offered. All
hotos and lllustratlons are rovrlghted hv thelr
resertlve artlsts. All other rontent ls rovrlght
Z8 0Z0NE hagazlne, all rlghts reserved. No
ortlon of thls nagazlne nav he rerodured
ln anv wav wlthout the wrltten ronsent of the
uhllsher. Prlnted ln the USA.
monthly sections
90 END ZONE
12 FEEDBACK
16-19 RAPQUEST
32 TATTED UP
86-88 CD REVIEWS
24 CHIN CHECK
13 JBS 2 CENTS
28 DOLLAR MENU
83 INDUSTRY 101
22 MATHEMATICS
26 CHAIN REACTION
21-43 PHOTO GALLERIES
30 SIDEKICK HACKIN
84 PRODUCER PROFILE
44-52 PATIENTLY WAITING
87 CAFFEINE SUBSTITUTES
interviews
80-81 R.I.P. STATIC
60-61 TALIB KWELI
85 YOUNG CASH
features
68-79 DJ ISSUE PANEL
42 AFTER THE RAID
40 DJ TECHNOLOGY
36 DJS FAVORITE ARTISTS
38 DJS LEAST FAVORITE ARTISTS
13 10 THINGS DJS ARE HATIN ON
34 20 REASONS WE REALLY BECAME DJS
0Z0NE hA6 ll II
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IZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
l dont arerlate the dlsresert and hullshlt Randv Roer sald ahout Suer
6 lane ln hls nlxtae revlew. Irue, we |arked for heats, hut to sav nv fow
alnt there he ohvlouslv lsnt dolng hls |oh. lor hln to sav that the rodurt
was sonethlng to rlde to onlv lf there was nothlng else to lav wlthln arns
rearh ls ludlrrousl l denltelv dont arerlate nuthafurkers trvln to nake
out llke we dont llke avld Banner or that we need hln to glve us a handout
or that were dlsslng hln, herause were notl l sald, lts llke evervwhere l go
thev ask ne do l know avld Banner and whv the furk he alnt uttln nlg-
gas on ln 1arkson. l felt llke vall took that shlt out of rontext. What would
Suer 6 lane look llke dlsslng avld Banner when |hls artlst] harrus. ls nv
nuthafurkln honlel So tell lavhov |Randv Roer] lf l ever see hln or lf l an
ever ln the A l wlll sto hv. lf hes got a rohlen vou know how to nd ne.
l alnt no unk ass nlgga and vou ran sto ronlng to nv town lntervlewlng
wlth that hullshlt. Llke Pln C sav, lt alnt all ahout thls ra shlt. You nutha-
furkers over there need to know that l an an ofrlal rodurt of the hood.
Roh lane l1arkson, hS)
l renenher when l went to !-II to get a rhlll 6 rheese dog and went to the
nagazlne rark and saw thls rover that raught nv eve. l was taken ahark to
see a raer on the rover that reresented ne and the nuslr l love so nurh.
l fled through earh age and was anazed to see all the raers l love
fron the South. Ihe qualltv and rolorful ages had ne hooked. l had never
seen a nagazlne that even gave the tlne of dav to Southern raers and
there lt was. 0Z0NE hagazlnel l went hark to that !-II everv few weeks to
huv the next lssue, and needless to sav, l fell ln love wlth 0Z0NE. Ihanks for
vour hard work and dedlratlon to 0Z0NE. Ihanks for reresentlng ne and the
dlrtv South and glvlng us a nagazlne that ls all ours. l look forward to earh
lssue. l take the nagazlne evervwhere. the hathroon, the suhwav, ln hed
as l relax. lt notlvates ne to want to he ln lt one dav. Ihanks for naklng
an anazlng nagazlnel UP 0frlal, nvsare.ronluofrlalnvsareage
lharvland)
l love 0Z0NE hut lf vou reallv want to rover the news on the streets, whv
dont vou ask whv evervone ls ralllng thenselves Ihe Boss lSnoo ogg,
Rlrk Ross, etr.)! Slln Ihug has got a C ronlng out ralled Boss of All Bosses.
lron what l know, he rlalned that nane rst and tltle ln houston, IX ln the
earlv 9s and even droed a C ralled Ihe Boss. how would vou feel lf he
ralled hlnself Ihe oggfather or had a whlte Benz wlth Rlrkv Ross on the
llrense late! Would that he rlght! Not at all. ln not trvlng to start no hate
or no heef hut slnre voure the #I nagazlne ln the rountrv, vouve gotta do
sonethlng ahout that.
Irlstan, avlllon6vahoo.ron lhouston, IX)
0Z0NE ls a hlg uhllratlon, and l nean that fron the ersertlve of how Ihe
Sourre was looked at wlth surh lnortanre ln lts hevdav. Your nagazlne ls
one that a lot of eole ln the South look towards wlth resert. When an art-
lst ls featured ln vour nagazlne, lt reallv seaks a lot to the llstenlng uhllr
ahout that artlst. lt svnhollzes that the artlsts nuslr ls worth llstenlng to.
LhS, soundrllrk.ronllnsnlanl lhlanl, lL)
lve heen a huge suorter of 0Z0NE slnre lts renlere lssue. l rerentlv
lrked u the sex lssue and lt was rohahlv sone of the nost entertalnlng
lntervlews lve ever read. l arerlate what vour tean does at 0Z0NE. As a
ronsuner, l get tlred of seelng the sane artlsts on nagazlne rovers wlth
haslrallv regurgltated lnfornatlon fron thelr revlous lntervlews. 0Z0NE
enhrares the new artlst and lndeendents out there on the grlnd.
- Ahe Wllson, ahe.a.wllsongnall.ron lhlanl, lL)
l hought 0Z0NE hagazlne and was verv lnressedl l love 1Bs Z Cents rol-
unn. 1ust wanted to take an oortunltv to ronllnent a slstah when she
deserves lt. As vou nentloned ln vour Z rents, thls lndustrv ls dlrtv enough
and wonen ran reallv take that shlt to a new level. l dont see anv need to
art llke that. Kee dolng vour thlngl
- Wendv Colllns Squlrewell, wendvsahlesoul.ron lNashvllle, IN)

Ihe artlrle Ioo Short wrote ahout dolng shows ln snaller narkets ls the
hest artlrle ever run ln 0Z0NE. l franed lt and lts hanglng on the wall of
nv ofre for everv raer to see. lurklng hrllllantl Ihanks for runnlng lt. l
nlght rerlnt lt and have naked hookers hand lt out at everv ronventlon.
Wendv av, Raroalltlonaol.ron lAtlanta, 6A)
l love thls rulture that we have ralled hl ho. No natter how nanv hl
ho nagazlnes lve read, lve never wrltten lnto a nagazlne ahout anv-
thlng untll now. As voung hlarks or voung eole of anv rare ln Anerlra,
were alreadv under a nlrrosroe. Were exerted to ness u, to he ahout
nothlng, and to fall. l adnlt lve heard sone rettv lgnorant thlngs ln
nv llfetlne, hut the ronnents hv Lll Wavne ln vour erenher Z! lssue
were lgnorant as hell. ont get ne wrong, Wavne ls verv talented ln nanv
aserts. l llsten to hls nuslr. hes an lron to the vouth, and to nake the
ronnents he nade |ahout kllllng newhorn hahles] was |ust lrresonslhle
on hls hehalf. l an not here to tear Lll Wavne down, hut to hel ullft hln.
lt ls our fault as a whole, that he nakes ronnents llke that. host of the
vouth are the sane wav todav herause we lthe older generatlon hefore
then) do not rearh hark 6 trv to glve then that hellng hand when we see
then dolng wrong. What haened to, lt takes a vlllage to ralse a rhlld!
Ihe rohlen ls that we have hahles ralslng hahles. When l was ronlng u, l
had no rholre ln whether l was golng to rhurrh or not. l had to go. Iodav,
these klds are not helng ralsed u ln the rhurrh, and lt shows. No one ls
taklng the roer tlne to rare for then the wav that thev should he rared
for. Soneone should slt down wlth Wavne and dlsruss wlth hln whv he
shouldnt have nade those ronnents. Lets not lash out agalnst hln, hut
lets tearh the voung hrother. As far as Charlanagne Iha 6od goes, l ron-
nend vou for vour Chln Cherk artlrle ln the lssue wlth Irlna on the rover.
Not nanv would go agalnst Lll Wavne llke that ln fear that he wouldnt
suort thelr nagazlne anvnore. You now have nothlng hut love fron ne.
Kee dolng vour thlng 6 reresent. Where ever vou are fron, thev nust ralse
then rlght around there. Iell then to send nore of vour klnd out to the rest
of the world. Ihank vou for hrlnglng that storv to the forefront.
- 1 0.1. lAtlanta, 6A vla hllton head, SC)

Send vour ronnents to feedharkozonenag.ron
or hlt us u at www.nvsare.ronlozonenagazlne
0Z0NE hA6 ll IJ
Send vour ronnents to feedharkozonenag.ron
or hlt us u at www.nvsare.ronlozonenagazlne
l
t was so nurh easler to wrlte nv edltorlals slx vears ago when
0Z0NE was |ust a llttle nlnl-nag that ne and herredes used to stlrk
under wlndshleld wlers of rars arked outslde 0rlando nlghtrluhs
and nohodv knew who the furk l was. l rould sav anvthlng then, hut
evervthlngs so olltlral now. Notorletv surks.
l rant talk shlt ahout eole who owe ne nonev herause thats glvlng
then too nurh valuahle free uhllrltv. l rant |ust ranhle off the to of nv
head llke l used to herause eole nlght take ne serlouslv and thlnk ln rrazv,
for real. l rant wrlte ahout how funnv lt ls that Elllott Wllson, who never onre
returned nv ralls or enalls when he was the Alnlghtv Edltor of XXL, now wants
to he lntervlewed ln 0Z0NE and lounges around on larehook and hvsare all dav
hlttlng u randon lndustrv eole that he was too good to talk to hefore trvlng
to get then to watrh hlss Ra Surene lwhlrh l totallv lost lnterest ln when Khla
got klrked off the show--would soneone at VhI lease offer her a realltv show!).
Even though ln extrenelv hlessed and 0Z0NE has rone a long wav, l stlll
have struggles on a dallv hasls that l rant wrlte ahout herause eole now
have a rertaln erretlon of ne that nust he nalntalned for the surress of nv
huslness. Perretlon and realltv, ln the nuslr huslness eserlallv, are two verv
dlfferent thlngs. eslte what vou hear ln ra lvrlrs and see on BEI, all raers
land nagazlne uhllshers) do not go hone at nlght and roll around ln lles of
rash. 1ust tune lnto hIV 1ans lhere we are, ln the nldst of a loonlng reresslon
and ahsurd gaslalrllne rlres) and watrh how nanv vldeos voull see of artlsts
hragglng ahout how nurh nonev thevve got. l was watrhlng the other dav and
llterallv saw three vldeos ln a row fron artlsts who owe ne nonev, and thev were
all wavlng around starks of rash. hllarlous, hut not reallv.
l rant talk shlt ahout whv 1ohnnle Cahhell should he nonlnated for Worst han-
ager of the Year, herause we would llke to have Shawtv Lo erforn at the 0Z0NE
Awards. l rant hrag ahout how the 1B-I1-Ionv Neal tag tean heled klll hlxshow
Power Sunnlt and were alnlng for the lrtv Awards next, herause l need Radlo
0ne to take thelr lrtv Awards hudget and tean u wlth the 0Z0NE Awards
lnstead lronlng to houston thls August .). See what l nean! lts all olltlral.
Aslde fron all those llnltatlons, l rant wrlte ahout anvthlng too srandalous
herause nv nother 6oogles nv Z Cents everv nonth and analvzes lt to gure out
what sort of deraved arts of sln ln gettlng nvself lnto ln thls evll world of hl
ho lves, ln helng sarrastlr). Ra nuslr ls not the rause of all the evlls ln the
world and lt reallv lrrltates ne when eole art llke hl ho and slrltualltv rant
he lntertwlned. 0nlv 6od ran |udge ne and lf hed rather seak to ne through a
Kanve West or 0utkast song than a rhurrh hvnn, lts nohodv elses huslness.
Ihats whv thls age ls alwavs the last one l nlsh. What ran l wrlte ahout that l
havent alreadv wrltten ahout ln the revlous 6S lssues that wont lss off lnor-
tant eole, hurn hrldges, or hreak nv nothers heart!
ln ahout to he Z!. l guess lts a nlre nedlun age. Not too voung, not too old. l
never wanted to get old, hut truthfullv, now that ln gettlng there one vear at a
tlne, lts not so had. Sone thlngs reallv do get hetter wlth age. he ersonallv, l
thlnk lve rhllled out a llttle hlt. l walt and watrh and nake derlslons hased on
nv ohservatlons and lot and lan lnstead of |unlng lnto evervthlng. 0f rourse,
lve alwavs heen a genlus lheen hanglng out arross the street at Zaks studlo thls
week and Polows arroganre nlght have ruhhed off on ne... sorrv) hut l thlnk lts
qulte osslhle that ln artuallv gettlng snarter wlth age. Llfe ls heautlfull
lf the nag feels llke lts nlsslng sonethlng thls nonth, thats rause nv lll honle
Erlr lwho ls sonehow related to Elllott Wllson, hut not as lane) ahandoned us for
Chlrago. hlt hln u lerlr.errlnozonenag.ron) and tell hln to get hls ass hark
here ASAP leven though 1en, haurlre, and Randv held lt down for the 1 lssue).
- 1ulla Beverlv, |hozonenag.ron
RESplaylist
jbS 2cents
So veah, l had sone fun thls
nonth wlth the hoto os.
Snoo ogg fl Ioo Short 6 hlstah l.A.B. Llfe of a Partv
Ihe 6ane Nlgga Wlt An Attltude
Young Burk hv lntervlew
Rlhanna Iake a Bow
Llovd fl Lll Wavne 6lrls All Around Ihe World
Wlllle 1oe 6et 0n lt
Akon fl Rav L lallln ln Love
Young Burna Rather See her Snlllng
randv.roerozonenag.ron
Parlr lvlslon Paer
1R 6et honev Nohodv
Shawtv Redd Serlal
Lll Ru Nastv Song
Ioo Short wanted ne to tell
vou that l love the Bav alnost
as nurh as Paadeaux
Caresslng avld Banners halls
ln AIL llts |ust a |oke...|eez)
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a rofesslonal wrestler, not a 1
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hellng Rorrett develo hls
hotograhv skllls ln Phoenlx

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10 THINGS Djs
ARE HATIN ON
hv Crlstal Buhhlln
lBunsquadlC0RE 1s)
I. lNlE ARIlSIS
No, l wlll not lav vour song that lve never heard
at I Ah whlle the danre foor ls arked. And no,
vou rant get on the nlr elther. ont waste vour
tlne offerlng ne nonev to lav lt on nv statlon
herause nv reutatlon as a tastenaker neans
nore to ne than SI,S and a alr of Alr lorre
0nes, and lus, ln too rute for led tlne shout
out to Ellot Sltzerl
Z. PLAYLlSIS
0n the radlo ls one thlng hut ln the rluh, let ne
do nel Ihats whv vou hlred ne, lsnt lt!
J. 6EIIlN6 PAl AI J Ah
Whv does lt take untll J Ah for vou to reallze
voure ronlng u short on nv rash! lts not llke
thls ls the rst week vour rluh was oen - lts
ralled exenses, ldlot. Whv do we alwavs have
to work wlth vou on a slow nlght hut vou never
shoot ne a honus when the rluh ls arked!
+. CELEBRlIY 1s
he doesnt know h..n.s fron n..h. hut voull
av thls Real World re|ert SS, to nove the
fader and he rude to the guests! And lve gotta
argue wlth vou for SS and a hottle of water!
S. WANNABE 1s
Plavlng what vou hear on the radlo doesnt nake
vou a 1. Can vou rut, srratrh, or hlend! hlxtaes
lnvolve nlxlng and lf vou rant do lt, lts not a
nlxtae. lts a ronllatlon. You rant he a 1 lf
vouve never |orkeved a dlsr. Nlre lPod, though.
6. UNERCUIIlN6 1s 6 IhE PR0h0IERS IhAI
lUCK WlIh IhEh
lor S!S, l ran guarantee thls rat surks and wlll
show u wlth no equlnent. hev, vou get what
vou av for. Next week, ln rharglng vou douhle.
!. 6R0UPlE ASS 1s
You rant osslhlv llke everv slngle song hv everv
slngle artlst and he ln everv dann 1 rrew. lf vour
tag looks llke thls.
1 Slan-A-1an
C0RE 1slBunsquad 1zlheavv hltter 1sl6-
Unlt 1slBlarkwall Street 1slhannah hontana
1slSanvo 1slWal-hart 1sllanta 1slZvrter 1sl
hov-around 1slPerdue 1slasanl 1s
Sto hreathlng nowl
8. lLA66lN 1s
Ihev got heef herause thev work for AAA Con-
nunlratlons and vou work for Broadrastlng.
Ihev glve vou the slde-eve at neet-n-greets and
ronstantlv talk shlt ahout vou to the lahel res.
Ihelr whole attltude rhanges when thelr statlon
fls fornat, though. how are vou gonna ght a
dude fron Radlo 0ne and vou onlv have a one
hour nlxshow over there at Clear Channel! Youre
not even on the wehslte, stuldl l rant forget
ahout the 1 rrew gangstas. Whv the hell do vou
have another nans logo tatted on vou! lf vou
dldnt rreate lt or have llrenslng rlghts, vou look
llke a ho. Serlouslv. You do.
9. 1s IhAI hAIE ANYIhlN6 hAVlN6 I0 0 WlIh
RAl0 BUI CALL IhElR hlXIAPES ______ RAl0
lll let vou onder that on vour own.
I. AhAIEUR SIRlPPERS lN IhE 1 B00Ih
Unless lts a strl rluh, kee vour dann rlothes
onl Irust ne, lts not orlglnal, and lf the 1 ls
avlng anv attentlon he thlnks voure a skank,
and helng a skank ls worse than helng a hoe
lskank=Llndsav Lohan, hoe=Kln Kardashlan).
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showlng off hls lnrredlhle
nassage skllls ln New 0rleans
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ll Y0U lEEL IhAI Y0UR ClIY lS hlSREPRESENIE, 0R N0I REPRESENIE AI ALL, hlI US UP at 1B
0Z0NEhA6.C0h
dUMAS, AR:
lnterstate Rlders droed a nlxtae hosted hv
Countrvslde Produrtlons. Arkansas ra srene ls
readv for rlne tlne, the talent here ran natrh
anv state when lt rones to nuslr. Ihe Crawsh
lestlval went down ln ernott, Arkansas. Ihe
festlval ls llke hardl 6ras wlth a rountrv favor.
lts |ust llke the old lreaknlk anvthlng goes. Ihe
Countrvslde 1 Coalltlon was forned for 1s ln
snaller narkets. Not to rall out nanes, hut sone
hlg nane roalltlons have forgotten where thev
rane fron.
- 1 hllev lLanarhllevvahoo.ron)
NEW ORLEANS, LA:
hardl 6ras had evervone eatlng klng rake and sl-
ln gunho ln the S+. here We 6o Entertalnnent
and 1 hollahark had the rltv on lork for hardl
6ras and All Star. When vou rone to New 0rleans
for hardl 6ras, vou have to watrh the arade
under the Clalhorne hrldge. Artlsts llke Shawt,
Young A, K 6ates, Skl, Warko, Ihe Show, lzzv,
and Currenrv ran he seen ln the streets. 1uggle
of Phat Phat rerelves the shlnlng harder than a
raer award for hls raneo ln B.6.s new vldeo.
ZCent nade lts dehut on ABC wlth hlg ne Ananda
looklng sexv as ever.
- errlrk Iha lranrhlse lwww.hvsare.ronler-
rlrkIhalranrhlse)
dALLAS/FT. WORTH, TX:
Ihere wlll he a IX showdown of nuslr ronfer-
enres thls sunner hetween Ionv Neals IUhS
lIX Urhan huslr Sunnlt) and hlke hoodswlngs
IShC lIX Sunner huslr Conf.). onnv B ls keelng
lunkvtown lorth Worth artlsts novlng wlth hls
rhannel Z8 IV show. Ihe legendarv 1 Snake nakes
Cluh Iorrh hls ofrlal sot. lat Plns ln 6ettlng
honev featurlng Young 6uerlllas ls lorklng down
the streets and rluhs. Blg Iurks slngle Alnt a
Staln on he featurlng lat Bastard ls rotatlng
on the alrwaves. Ihe Ist ladv of srrew nuslr 1
Prlnress Cut rontlnues to dro her Bout to Blow
nlxtae serles.
- Edward Pookle hall lwww.urhansouth.us
gnall.ron)
NORFOLk, VA:
Lue llasro was ln town and had the rrowd golng
rrazv. Ihe 0U vs. VCU after artv was off the rhaln
and over Z eole were turned awav. Ihere were
nanv Valentlnes av artles, hut the hottest |olnt
was at 0U wlth evervone fron rute rollege glrls
to rertled tra stars ln attendanre. errlrk Iha
lranrhlse, a.k.a. Young lane, organlzed Clothlng
for the Connunltv and rollerted over Z,S ltens
ln order to rlothe nanv of Norfolks honeless
fanllles thls season. Enrore and Sevens are tled
for the hottest rluh ln VA rlght now.
- errlrk Iha lranrhlse lContartYounglane
gnall.ron)
TULSA, Ok
Iulsa, 0klahonas own 6eneral of hl ho
angerous Roh lhvsare.ronlangerousRoh) ls
on a nlsslon for surress wlth P6C Next 6enera-
tlon lhvsare.ronlthednextgeneratlon). Ihls ls
a grou of slx talented guvs that are shatterlng
the glass wlth tlght lvrlrs and hlastlng heats. Ihe
artv ls on and rrarkln at Cluh Xrluslve lorated
at ZI8Z S. Sherldan Ave. Cluh Xrluslve ls Iulsas
renlere hl ho sot wlth I-Iowns natlve son 1B
Snoove on the slns.
- harshlvnn Bolden lharshlvnn.Boldenusrellular.ron)
dETROIT, MI:
havor Kllatrlrk got raught exrhanglng dlrtv text
nessages wlth hls Chlef 0f Staff Chrlstlne Beattv.
K-eezv seens to he featured on evervhodvs
alhun. Irlrk-Irlrk ls heatlng u alr waves wlth
Lets Work. etrolts Vet or Chlll ls hlttlng streets
hard wlth Boon Cltv. lllnt Iowns hC Breed ls
hark wlth a new grou lBake U Bovz) and slngle
featurlng 1ln 1ones l Can o Ihat. ldentlral ls
gettlng loral vldeo lav wlth ln oln What l o.
Zone Radlo lavs all lndeendentlunderground
artlsts on 89.J lh Saturdavs fron 8 .n. to IZ a.n.
lthezoneradlognall.ron). -Partv ls the hot IV
show on J8 WAL.
- Erlr lltsrrunkatlantavahoo.ron) 6 A1
ltheJIJreortvahoo.ron)
BALTIMORE, Md:
World-known 1 and Baltlnore natlve NA has a
lot golng on. Not onlv has hls show Real Radlo
heen hanglng on Xh radlo + vears strong, hut he
ls now negotlatlng wlth na|ors for hls lahel Round
Iahle huslr 6rou, hone to artlsts llke on Brodv.
NA and P-Cutta. Ihevve hlessed the streets wlth
the hottest nlxtaes and street alhuns ever, llke
the rerentlv released Pln C Llfe after eath.
NA also hooked u wlth 1 rana for hotlon Plr-
ture Shlt Vol J. hore ro|erts wlth Chazz Wllllans,
6orllla Zoe, harlo, and Paula Canhell are on ta
for Z8.
- arkroon Produrtlons lIhearkRoonlnrvahoo.ron)
AUSTIN, TX:
Bavu Blakes ls releaslng a weeklv fow ln Z8 at
8lsSo6reat.ron. 1 6rl took hone the hlxtae
Rookle of the Year award and 1 hella Yella took
hone the Slet on 1 of the Year award at the
Z8 SEAs. Ihe lrtv Wornz ut on a hlg show at
Antones. South Bound held thelr Blrthdav Bash
at Ruta havas. Wlll hustle and 1 Knowledge re-
leased What-A-hustla +. Paul Wall and Lue llasro
rane through for ronrerts at Enos and luze. hl
ho |ournallst hatt Sonzala nade a new transltlon
fron houston to Austln to work wlth SXSW. he also
founded AustlnSurReal.ron.
- 0.6. of Luxurv hlndz lCreatlve06gnall.ron)
cOLUMBUS, OH:
Burkeev and Bootz rane to the rltv and got loose.
Iallor hade was sotted looklng for love ln the
C0 too. 0n the nlxtae rlrrult, 1lgga nlxes are ln
hlgh denand wlth l An Legend hv Iean lnvaslon
hldwest, Anerlran 6angster Iraers Edltlon hv
1 ru and Boogle, and A6 vs. IlP hv our own 1
Bern. Chrls Brown, Soul|a Bov, and C0s dog Bow
Wow shut the stadlun down thls nonth. Ihe hLK
harrh klrked off Blark hlstorv honth and Power
I!.S relehrated thelr I vear annlversarv. Ihls ls
dedlrated to Ionv Share R.l.P.
- Blg Yogl llnagelnqgnall.ron)
INdIANAPOLIS, IN:
Word ls, 0n Polnt Entertalnnent ls ln ronversatlons
to he the rst lahel to slgn a na|or deal fron the
rltv. Ladeana and the Leak hagazlne have heen
naklng nurh nolse arross the hldwest. hunkl
Bov Ent. has also heen naklng a lot of nolse ln
and outslde the rltv wlth thelr artlsts Rlddles and
Navvllle. Parnans C l Can hook U U should he
out soon. Ihe heatslnner 1s wlll he drolng a
nonthlv nlx serles for lndeendents.
- Lurkv Ihe Prono Klng lsrfoleafaol.ron)
FORT MYERS/NAPLES, FL:
Lll Soldler droed hls dehut alhun Blg henln
Z+lJ6S. Rlskavs song Snell Yo lrk, rodured hv
IS.Ss own 1 uest, rontlnues to nake headllnes.
lt was laved on howard Sterns radlo show. A-
arentlv, Stern loves the song. Ihe Blg 0 turns Z9,
agaln, throwlng one of the hlggest artles to klrk
off Z8. 1 Khaled, Rlrk Ross, 1I honev, wote,
and the rest of the JS rrew rane to reresent.
lah llrst Ladv Nlkl of IS.S Ihe Beat was naned
Z!s Radlo Personalltv of the Year hv Lee Pltts
Llve. Plles ls looklng for hls next Bust-lt Bahv.
Audltlons are helng held ln Iana.
- 1ae Rae l1aeRaeISSaol.ron)
OkLAHOMA cITY, Ok
Watrh for new releases fron veteran lvrlrlst Kurt
ogg lwww.nvsare.ronl+kurtdogg). 0KC ls
hlazln the nlddle rlght now wlth a surge of new
artlsts surh as Kool E har fron Wlze Rerords, the
Cltv Bovz, and hlsta Caln. Ihe nen over at e1aVue
were at lt agaln wlth Wehhle slldlng through. You
know Blark heff ls uttlng lt down for vou. Ihe
ever heautlful honevSlrrle nade her wav to hls-
slssll for the SEA awards. hlt her u at hvsare.
ronlhonevslrrle.
- harshlvnn lharshlvnn.Boldenusrellular.ron) 6
PL lBeatBrokers!!vahoo.ron)
0Z0NE hA6 ll I! 0Z0NE hA6 ll I!
PHILAdELPHIA, PA:
Phlllvs hl ho srene has heen rold as of late.
Underground artlsts surh as Iu Phare and the
Suhllnlnal 0rhans, out of Ihe Beat lartorv studlo
ln West Phlllv, rontlnue to sark heat wlth thelr
alternatlve worldlv aroarh to hl ho. 0ther
artlsts surh as 1akk lrost, Young Chrls lfornerlv of
Ror-A-fella), Zeek Butla, Reed ollaz, Ness fron
haklng the Band, and Ah-Llva rontlnue to sulv
the streets wlth thelr heats and words. Latelv, the
rluh srene has heen rontrolled hv olhln the
ronoter who kees Phlllv olng. Ihe nurder
rate droed wlth a new navor.
- 10 l|aharl.ollvernenhlsra.ron)
BIRMINGHAM, AL
Atlantlr Rerords Attltude droed a nlxtae
alongslde 1 Snallz ralled Kev ll the Street VZ.
honev hungrv Cllk, Blg 6ln, and Snle droed new
nlxtaes. Sone notahle events are llrst lrldavs of
Blrnlnghan at Cluh Elevatlons and 1 Lazvhovs
Next Z Blow Showrase. Reglonal ronoter Redd ls
dolng nunerous ronotlonal events. RW Rerord
Pool ls stlll ushlng. Corev Barhar lC.B.) of
lreewlll Rerords droed the new slngle ralled
6et lt Whlle You Can. 1s Serlous, Stlrhan, ertv
Vegas, and Stlkuhush rontlnue worklng hard. Sav
Nlgh Ent.s CE0 Blk Lonnle traglrallv lost hls llfe.
hls N.B.A. V serles ronoted nunerous arts ln
the rltv.
- K. Blhhs lAll0rNothlngPronohotnall.ron)
cHIcAGO, IL:
W6Cls 6o lll Radlo and IlnhurkZ have heen a
surress for the Chlrago hl ho srene. hvnalava
had a slngle release artv for hls rerord Let he
6et Ihat wlth suer-ronoter onskl Ent. Artlon
slgned to 1eezvs lahel CIE. Cool Klds have a huzz
wlth thelr new slngle Blark hags. Not enough
artlsts are worklng thelr nuslr on the srene,
lnstead thev are golng to radlo rst whlrh ls a no-
no. 1 V uh was naned CIE hldwest 1 and has a
new wraed trurk enhlazoned wlth hlnself and
the CIE logo. lll Eagle ls huhhllng wlth erfor-
nanres and an uronlng alhun.
- 1anal hooks l1hookstnall.ron)
NASHVILLE, TN:
Cashvllle stand u and get the kevs to the rhevv.
Ihe entlre rltv was at the Z8 SEAs held at the
6rand Caslno ln Iunlra, hS. Anongst those who
hrought hone the hardware are Shannon Sanders,
late Eastwood, C-Lo, Rohskl, and Berkv Ihe 6reat.
6.L.U.W. Entertalnnents Rl erforned hls hlt
slngle Kevs to the Chevv at Saturdavs klrk off
artv wlth 1s Slr Swlft and Ron C. 1C lBlork Ent.)
and lluld 0utrage lBang 0ut Ent.) erforned to a
rrowd of I,8 lus at Sundavs awards rerenonv
and showed the South whv Cashvllle ls herel
- 1anlro l1anlrosouthernentawards.ron)
MIAMI, FL:
ln golng to srhool vou on a word helng used ln
the J--S ln alnost everv song thats rllnhlng u
the rharts. Ihe word ls shone. ln Ball 6reezvs
song Shone and Under Survelllanres song 0n
erk the word shone ls the naln forus, hut
what does lt nean! l asked nunerous eole and l
stlll have no rlue herause evervone has thelr own
lnterretatlon. So lets |ust sav lt neans a glrl who
looks good, lsnt enharrassed to glve lt u, and
drlnks lt to the last dro. Wowl No wonder lts ln
all the songs. Welrone to hlanl.
- Sua Clndv lwww.hvsare.ronlSuadue)
WASHINGTON, dc:
Ihe Znd Annual hV Awards rane and went. l
slled ln and out of the show wlthout hrlnglng
attentlon to nvself. Ihe wlnners won and sone
of those who dldnt or werent even nonlnated
hltrhed and ronlalned. Sone even nade dlss
trarks towards those that won. Sore losers! 0n
the surfare, the hV Awards ls good herause lt
attents to shlne llght on those artlsts who |ust
rant ratrh a hreak fron the loral nedla or the
lndustrv and glves then a rhanre to he rerognlzed
hv thelr eers. Anvwav, rongrats to the wlnners
and to evervhodv else, navhe next vear.
- Pharoh Iallh lPtallhgnall.ron)
cOLUMBIA, Sc:
Plazo released Buhhle Chevv and lrked u
where he left off. hls lntro for the S 0rlork Irafr
1an wlth Blg 6ee ls stlll a rlasslr. Blg 6ee ls ln
ollars vldeo and Lurkv Leon ls ln lat 1oes vldeo.
avtona and B Lord are kllllng Cluh Levels at I8
Blandlng St. and Cluh Evolutlons ls stlll dolng hlg
nunhers. Blg hurr ls drolng a new llne for hls
hetro Certled Clothlng. o urtv ls one of the
hottest raers ln the streets rlght now and ls
gonna take nlggas hv storn when he hlts. Watrh
out, the leds are ln town.
- Roh Lo lRohLoPronoaol.ron)
MAcON, GA
Ihe IIth hour Award Show was held at the Cox
Iheater. Wlnners lnrluded oskl Wo for Best hl
ho Artlst. hls erfornanre wlth Ihe Clav was
nore than nenorahle. 1 Rodger Rlddle took
hone Best 1 honors and dld the dann thlng
at the after artv. Klller hlke had an lnterestlng
exerlenre at Cluh honevs. Iex 1anes and 1 Rlrk
llare droed thelr new nlxtae ralled We Set the
Cltv on llre.
- All Ror lradlod|Z+Zvahoo.ron)
TALLAHASSEE, FL:
Iallahassee ls now the new urhan nerra of nuslr
as relehrltv after relehrltv, fron ra stars to NlL
stars to ronedlans, vlslted the rltv slnre en
Week. Everv S davs we have exerlenred an enter-
talnnent revolutlon. I1s 1s took over the rltv wlth
the serond quarter Iastenakers huslr Conferenre,
whlrh was also I1 Chanans hlrthdav. llrst there
was 1ullus of hIVs haklng the Band, then there
was Buddha of l Love New York, now he on the
look out for hs. hvanee, a rerent lAhU graduate
and Iallahassee resldent, on llavor of Love J.
- 1 a l1a0nllnegnall.ron)
SAN ANTONIO, TX:
lts heen an exrltlng and rrazv tlne for San
Antonlos hl ho srene. A slew of loral and na|or
artlsts attended the annual hl ho Sunnlt wlth
guest seaker Bun B of U6K glvlng lnslght on
lndustrv woes and advlre on stavlng the rourse
to naklng lt hlg. Ihe largest hLK narrh ln the
rountrv ls also the talk of the town. Everv vear the
nedla ours lnto town along wlth nanv other out-
of-towners to av resert to r. Klng.
- Blsho haxx lhlsho_naxxvahoo.ron)
TAMPA, FL:
Z Plstols and I-Paln shot thelr vldeo for She 6ot
lt around town. Ihe lllnortal SL hagazlne release
artv was held at Cluh Enlre. 1 Knurklez and
Avrh hosted as ho 6utta 6ane, era, BhU, and
others erforned. Avrh staved on the grlnd as he
relehrated hls hlrthdav and the release of hls new
alhun |ust one week after oenlng for Wu-Iang
Clan wlth Larson and Ihe Vlllanz. ln other news,
soneone was husted for growlng ZI narl|uana
lants ln thelr hone and J were found ln
another hone last nonth. Ihats one hell of a
green thunh.
- hz I-Rork lhzIRorkvahoo.ron)
I8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
SEA-TAc, WA: (ThE 206/253/360
& ThE 604 TOO!)
Klng Khazn of the Zulu Natlon lZ6 Chater) re-
rentlv relehrated hls Jth hlrthdav. When vou roll
through 0lvnla, Rork, Rork Yall at Ihe Roval
Lounge on lrldavs, featurlng the doest nlxes of
hl ho, Rork, and Blues. Larev, WAs 1onathan
Stewart, ls ahout to he that lotterv lrk. Nu Sound
lNS) has heen naklng na|or nolse as a rodurer
out of the Northwest whlle worklng wlth rats fron
Ihe Bav Area. ulnrv 1ones was rerentlv honored
ln hls natlve rltv of Seattle as an lron and the
genlus that he has roven to he.
- Luvva 1 lhvsare.ronlluvva|)
dENVER, cO (303, 720)
1 Ktones Welrone to enver h-dav hash was off
the hook. 1 rana, Wlllle the Kld, Blg Iurk, lat
B, and Kla Shlne all rane ln town for the +-dav
event, and the whole town |olned then. 1 Ktone
and lnnerstate lke are set to dro Iurf Barhleoll
Radlo, 1 +h dros +h Radlo Vol. I, and Young
oe dros hls serond alhun wlthln a vear ralled A
Produrt of the Elghtles. 1 S and K1 Ahove have
Soul ln the Cltv lorked on hondavs, and lrldavs at
Ihe Loft ls golng hard now. hawknan nade the
Patlentlv Waltlng sertlon ln the lehruarv lssue of
0Z0NE, and I!.I ls the new statlon ln town. Well
see how long that lasts.
- 1 Ktone lhvsare.ronld|ktonedotron)
LAS VEGAS, NV: (702)
Ihe UNLV Runnlng Rehels won thelr serond
hountaln West Conferenre Chanlonshl and
noved on to the Sweet Slxteen. Ihree of hl hos
hlggest stars rane through Vegas. Ihe heart of the
Cltv Iour featurlng 1av-Z and harv 1. Bllge rane
through the h6h 6rand 6arden Arena. Ihe 6low
ln the ark tour featurlng Kanve West, along wlth
N.E.R.., and Lue llasro had an outdoor ronrert.
Also heatlng thlngs u ln Vegas ls uronlng
ronedlan hlke Ps weeklv ronedv show at Poetrv
Nlghtrluh everv lrldav nlght. Wlth a varletv of ro-
nedlans hostlng earh week, hls varlous rhararters
and sketrhes wlll surelv have vou falllng out of
vour seat.
- Portla 1arkson lPortla1srlnt.hlarkherrv.net)
PHOENIX, AZ:
0ver ! rodurers fron around the rountrv
attended honev hanagenent 6rous 0ne Sto
Sho at the hvatt Regenrv lorated ln downtown
Phoenlx. hanv rodurers were ahle to sell thelr
heats on the sot to artlsts and rodurers allke.
Stoudanlres downtown and Skv Lounge hoth
hosted the star-studded after artles for the nanv
rodurers and vlsltors. 6reen Lantern and Whoo
Kld dellvered the nuslral stvllngs for the affalrs
on the Is and Zs and all was good. Swlzz Beats,
1 Cannon, and 1 Prenler were |ust a few of the
faned rodurers who |olned the ronferenre. Also,
1av-Z and harv 1. Bllge hlt the Vallev for a sold-
out erfornanre at the US Alrwavs Center.
- 1asnlne Crowe l|asnlnenvst|azz.ron)
VALLEjO, cA: (707)
ln thls tlnv town, the Ihlzz Entertalnnent and Slrk
Wld lt rans rontlnue on hlg wlth na|or releases
fron Ihlzz frontnanlCutthoat Connlttee nenher
uhee wlth hls new alhun Last of a Ihlzzln Breed
ltheres also Ihlzz or le and Ihe Best 0f Ihlzz
Natlon). 0n the other slde of town, E-+s voung
lad land one of the Bavs nost sought-after ro-
durers) roo-E releases hls ronllatlon Ihe Slrk
Wld lt Unhrella. Ihe harhlne to kee fans settled
untll Pos dro hls new rollertors lere. All these
alhuns and nore ran he found at Valle|o Street
Show lowners of the hunld Rarkslhar relZPar
energv drlnk), one of the onlv lndeendent rerord
stores ln the entlre rountv.
- Kav Newell lkavozonenaggnall.ron)
PORTLANd, OR: (503)
Ihe orlglnal 06, lre-I and hls heautlful wlfe Coro
lves she looks as good ln erson lf not hetter) slld
through the Rose Cltv wlth Bav Area Legend, Andre
Nlrkatlna for the sold-out Annual Plsres Partv. lre
even took the stage and erforned hefore larlng
the rae on Nlrkatlna a la 1anes Brownnenora-
hlel Ihe SJs orlglnal hustla Cool Nutz ls rerelvlng
rrltlral arrlaln for hls rurrent release Klng Cool
Nutz. And dont slee on Natlve Anerlras #I 1, 1
Iee out of ldaho. ldahos got sone heat and Iees
heen relng the nlxtae gane slnre I99+ real
tough llke. Cherk hln out on hvsare.
- Luvva 1 lhvsare.ronlluvva|)
SAcRAMENTO, cA: (916)
Cherk out Sunthln Ierrlhles new Alhun You Stuld.
oev Rork has a new a Slr Wld lt alhun and nove-
nent tltled 9I6 Unled wlth a hot song featurlng
1 6lhh ralled So Sar Wlth lt. Also, 1av-Svth of
0nlna Lahs ls releaslng a new alhun, Ihe Resune,
and Chrls Wehhers sot Center Court ln Natonas
ls the new lare for star-studded hl ho artles.
hassan has heen uttln lt down and the newest
huzz ls artlst Cawzlos wlth the slngle Ihe Real Sar
Klngs on luse Entertalnnent.
- Zav lzaenalgnall.ron)
SAN FRANcIScO, cA: (415)Cv-
ress hlll shut down the faned llllnore Iheater
on four twentv and the hezzanlne rontlnues to
suort the hl ho novenent wlth varlous er-
fornanres hv evln the ude and Bun B followed
hv avld Banner and Salgon. Conedlan and Bav
Area natlve Paul hoonev rones hone to do seven
shows at Cohhs Conedv rluh. Last hut not least,
Ihe Bav releases three exrluslve new sneakers
lnrludlng the ostrlrh and leather |olnts. Reallv,
thevre ralled Ihe Bavs and vou ran rherk out
havsusa.ron to ro en.
- Kav Newell lkavozonenaggnall.ron)
SAN jOSE, cA: (408)
hetal houth Produrtlons nlxtae nadnan 1
RahZK has teaned u wlth hr. l.A.B. to rreate a
nelv rrafted douhle dlsr nlxtae, Ihe 6ulllotlne.
0ff Wlth hls head. Everv trark ls a freestvle ln true
l.A.B. forn. Ihe 6low ln the ark tour lKanve West
and Rhlanna) erforned to a sold-out rrowd at
hP Pavlllon. ln antlrlatlon of hls fth alhun, Iear
6as, Ihe 1arka wlll nake a rare South Bav aear-
anre at U6hX Studlos wlth 1 Ilto Bell ln the nlx.
- Kav Newell lkavozonenaggnall.ron)
I8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
MILWAUkEE, WI:
Ihev rall lt Brew Cltv, Kll-town, Crean Cltv, hll-
town or an hour and a half fron Chl. Call lt what
vou want hllwaukees hlghlv antlrlated Jrd
Annual Roll Call event, srheduled for Arll I8th at
uestlons J+ W. North Ave., ls laheled hKEs hlg-
gest nuslr lndustrv networklng artv. lts known
for drawlng entertalnnent rofesslonals fron
throughout the hldwest, lnvltlng entrereneurs,
artlsts, lahels, nedla, deslgners, and taste nakers.
lts oen to srouts and rross ronotlons. 0ver J
artlsts and rodurers have artlrlated naklng lt
a verv lnortant and fullllng event ln a hungrv ass
rltv. 6o to hvsare.ronlnkerollrall to get lnvolved.
- 6orllla Prono llnfogorlllarono.ron)
MONTGOMERY, AL:
Irlna was alnost Slngle Agaln for real when she
rane here to erforn at lrontstreet. her slngle
ls the new fenale anthen ln hontgonerv, hut lt
was too dann rold. Plus, Plles was ln Irov on the
sane nlght, +S nlnutes fron hontgonerv. Ihats
where evervhodv was at. Serlouslv, trvlng to see
Plles ln Alahana ls llke looklng for Waldo on the
rereal hox, hes suose to he there hut vou never
see hln. Chav got the streets on lork agaln
wlth Rollln featurlng B.0.B. and honehwol. Ihev
erforned lt at lanonds.
- hot 6lrl haxlnun lhot6lrl.haxlnungnall.ron)
cOLUMBUS, GA:
Ihe fare of nlghtllfe has rhanged vet agaln as a
few rluhs elther rlosed, rhanged nanes, or eole
fat out lost lnterest. Ls Plare ls now Cluh Envv,
Rltno ls now Cluh ZI, and thevre ahout to oen
a new Suer Wal-hart, whlrh ls |ust llke a rluh on
the Ist and ISth. Ks serond slngle 0uter Sare
ls kllllng lt and gettlng heavv rotatlon. Rhvthn
Salon and Cash-Ps Iattoo sho |ust relehrated
thelr annlversarles, and the artv was lnsane.
Sllrk Sevllle herane the onlv erson ever fron
Colunhus to he ln Unslgned hve and Ehonvs Io
J under J.
- Sllrk Sevllle lSllrkSevlllegnall.ron)
cINcINNATI, OH:
Word ls, Chad 1ohnson ls not thrllled wlth the
Bengals Can and ls llkelv to go hone and lav
for the olhlns. A lot of res have srung u thls
wlnter and the Clnrlnnatl llre eartnent ls hav-
lng rohlens ghtlng then. Ihe susenslon hrldge
lorated on l-!S, a na|or arterv hetween 0hlo and
Kenturkv, ls feared to need na|or realrs anldst
the anount of trafr that rrosses lt evervdav.
A6Es llrst +8 has featured Clnrlnnatl, 0hlo and the
vlolent nurders that are under lnvestlgatlon ln the
rltv. Blark-1arkks new song Ihev Llke ls another
hlt ronlng out of the Stun-Ahollrs ran.
- 1udv 1ones l1udv11onesent.ron)
HUNTSVILLE, AL:
1arkle Chalns song Rollln ls gettlng hlg lav.
hata fron the grou X.0. has a new nlxtae
readnan J lhvsare.ronlha|oPaer). 0ther Paer
Route Rerords artlsts are h.A., Blg Poe, 1hl-All,
6unt, Nlrkv Z States, hr. harrellus, awgv Baggz,
and hall Bol fron Blork Beataz. Slo-ho ls stlll on
the nove. 1 !lII rorks Cluh Aex on lrl and Sat
nlghts. Ihe 6reenroon and Benrhwarners also
kee halanred rrowds. Adult rluhs llke Vlslons,
Plavaz Cluh, and Sllver ollar stav hot. Cherk out
1o-Skl Loves honegrown show on IJ.I. Also look
out for 6hanes new nlxtae, 6Z6, l.I.P., and Iear
lt U Cllrk.
- 6hane l6haneZS6gnall.ron)
jAckSON, MS:
1 honev and JSJS Entertalnnent are hark agaln
wlth the hlt slngle 6lve her to he. lts lnrreas-
lnglv gettlng alrlav. Ihe rrowd was not so
leased wlth the erfornanre hv Rorko of the
hlt Unna o he. Sone sav not onlv does he
need nore develonent hut hes trvlng to hlte
off 1eezv. 6utta and World rerentlv rollahorated
wlth Lll Boosle on a rluh hanger uttlng then on
hlast. Salnts laver Charles 6rant, one of the rltvs
honorarv hottle oers, was rerentlv stahhed ln a
nlghtrluh hut hes okav. honta Ellls hlt a rareer hlgh
of JS olnts taklng hls NBA rareer to new helghts.
- Ianhra Cherle lIanhraCherleaol.ron) 6 Stax
lhlorkweartno.hlarkherrv.net)
jAckSONVILLE, FL:
Young Cash ls no longer slgned to SRClUnlversal
Rerords. I-Paln ls runored to he hlghlv lnvolved
wlth Cashs alhun drolng ln Arll. Ihe 0Z0NE
hodel SearrhlWhlte Partv wlth Polnt Blank Ent. and
1arkle-0s RNR release artv hoth went down on
the sane dav wlth hlg turnouts. IREAL tore u the
stage wlth Nehew and hustle house for hoh Boss
B-dav Bash. Unltv lest was a good look for the
rltv although the turn out wasnt so good. Raw,
Anonvnous and hls slster Blu Cantrell oened u
for llo Rlda at Plush. lreewav, Kevshla Cole, Boosle
and Wehhle all stoed through thls nonth.
- Lll Rudv lLllRudvRuvahoo.ron)
LOUISVILLE, kY
Another novenent has started through nultl-
nedla. 6.P. launrhed 9Z.!fn lnart Radlo. LS re-
nleres a Show a hl ho IV show that features
unslgned artlsts, vldeos, and guest aearanres hv
natlonal rerordlng artlsts. Ihe League hrought us
llashlng Llghts lrldav at Cluh lelt +th Street Llve.
Y.V. has a hot song out now l 6ot a ollar featur-
lng Polow a on. Ellte huzlr held an A6R Ialent
Showraselhodel searrh. Wlll soneone he slgned
soon! 1 1ed the Pesl Challenge at the Suer
Bowl and droed a Suer Bowl nlxtae hosted hv
6-Unlts hot Rod.
- lvlne a lnstagata l0uttaaShoEnthotnall.ron kANSAS cITY, MO/kS:
R6B Ihug Blsho Young ons new ro|ert Sex hu-
slr dros thls nonth. hls llstenlng artv ln 1anuarv
was attended hv the whos-who of the Kansas Cltv
nuslr srene. Blsho has wrltten songs for artlsts
llke 1. holldav, 6lnuwlne and 1oe. Conedlan Lll
errlrk fron hlsslssll got raught u hv the leds
trvlng to nove JZ ounds of the good green vla
uhllr transortatlon lrltv hus). Ihere are talks
that KC nlxtae noguls Iha Streetnonstaz wlll he
oeratlng under a new nane. Ierh N9ne ls golng
hark on tour agaln thls nonth and wlll he dro-
lng a new alhun Klller.
- Kennv lanondz lKennvlanondzgnall.ron)
ST. LOUIS, MO:
hltthreaka 1 hr. harrus nlxtae radlo show
hrought ln 8 rlght wlth lntervlews fron B Leglt,
Stvles P., and hanlsh han. lsrlosure Newszlne had
a arked house at thelr one vear annlversarv ar-
tv. A Verh and Street Status V arked the house
wlth WW+ wlth Young holla edglng out Young lll.
SILs renagade artlst utrh 1arkson and 0uta-
WoodWorks hlt the streets wlth had Azz hlddle Vol.
J. lts a solo utrh 1arkson nlxtae wlth features
fron errtvBol hontana, Countv Brown, E, and lll
Sltta. Young 1eezv erforned to a arked a house
at Ihe Sotllte.
- 1esse 1anes l1esse1anesJI+aol.ron)
OAkLANd, cA: (510)
Ihe heart of the Cltv tour left the town snokln
on +lZ at 0rarle Arena lthats a serlal dav for
all vou rheeha heads). Kevshla Cole rane hone
to hold audltlons for slngersldanrers to hark her
u on tour later thls sunner. 0akland fartor Lee
ha|ors artlvates hls Srraer huslr nlxtae wlth
6uerrllla Ent. whlle enolltlon hen unload Nuthln
But Sla, thelr slxth edltlon hosted hv 1arka. Ihe
Warrlors look to nake lts serond hark-to-hark
ost season run as the rst round gets under wav.
- Kav Newell lkavozonenaggnall.ron)
MEMPHIS, TN:
henhls shone hrlght thls vear wlth a few wlns
at the SEAs. 1 Roh Storn walked awav wlth 0ld
Srhool 1 of the Year, Yo 6ottl rerelved lnart
Artlst of the Year, and Plava llv won Perfornanre
of the Year. Iefon on won the henhlsra.ron
Showrase |udged hv a anel of lndustrv ofrlals.
hls erfornanre denltelv stood out. Ihe Znd
lare wlnners were hl ho hand B-Roh and fe-
nale raer Lll Sha. Stav on the look out for these
hot new artlsts. Yo 6ottl got sone na|or attentlon
wlth hls nlxtae Coralne huzlk. lt rerelved good
resonses fron nedla and fans.
- eanna Brown leanna.BrownhenhlsRa.ron)
Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZI
I ll 1 uote 6 Alhle hontgonerv the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll 6uest, Parls 1ontae, Ashlee lord, 6 guest Sohe Llve for her hlrthdav artv lhlanl, lL) J ll 6rand
Prlx 6 1arkle Chaln Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) + ll Lll Boosle, Blgga Rankln, 6 1-Bahv the hvnotlzed Iour lAugusta, 6A) S ll 1 6reo 6 K loxx hanslon for Rlrk
Rosss Irllla alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) 6 ll Plthull 6 wote on the set of wotes ont Wanna llght lhlanl, lL) ! ll Kasa 6 YV the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans,
LA) 8 ll hoetester I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL) 9 ll Renaldo 6 London Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) I ll ES6 6 ueen Warehouse
Llve lhouston, IX) II ll Crlsro Kldd 6 the 6rlt Bovz huslr eot lhouston, IX) IZ ll Ira Starz 6 1 Blg Blnk lallas, IX) IJ ll Ilna, Z Plstols, 6 Clndv Nuzzo Wlldslash lIana,
lL) I+ ll 1 Blsho V Luv 6 1 Slr Ihurl Sorletv lSt Louls, h0) IS ll hean 6reen 6 1 Battlerat Warehouse Llve lhouston, IX) I6 ll 1 KIone 6 Clttv Unltv lhenhls, IN) I! ll
Wlld Wavne 6 lnersha the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I8 ll Rorrett, Parker fron IIZ, 6 Rlrk Edwards Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I9 ll r. oon 6 1esslra
Rorhelle Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll 1esslra 6 Iahelra R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln Bearh, lL)
Photo Credlts. Bogan lZ), Lvte lIZ), 1 KIone lI6), 1 Lash l6), 1ulla Beverlv lI,S,!,9,I!), Klng Yella lI+), Knowledge lI,II,IS), hallk Ahdul lIJ,Z), hs Rlverrltv lJ), Ierrenre
Ivson l+,8,I8,I9)
lahove L-R). Young ro 6 B6 Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat ln New 0rleans, LA, Yung Berg, Rav 1 6 1. holldav Srlng Bllng ln Rlvlera Bearh, lL lPhotos. Ier-
renre Ivson), Bahv 6 Lll Wavne the Klngs Ent. Alnost a hot Bov Reunlon ln New 0rleans, LA lPhoto. harrus eWavne)
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZI
ZZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Y
ouve heard ne stress the lnortanre of tean, over and over agaln. 1ust
as Lehron 1anes, who ls lnarguahlv one of the hest haskethall lavers
ln the world, rould not take on and wln agalnst the worst tean ln the
league hv hlnself, even as talented as he ls, no artlst ran surreed wlthout a
tean of eole roelllng then forward.
l |ust got hark fron sendlng Z8 davs on the road wlth BloodRaw, where we
went to Z6 dlfferent rltles. he has an alhun drolng thls Srlng, and we felt
lt was hest to get hln hark ln front of hls fans, and otentlal new fans, to
ronnert wlth the new nuslr and reronrn all the work and grlnd that Raw
has ut ln over the vears that he was unslgned. lt was tlne to take hr. llorlda
reglonal, and then natlonal.
Slnre there ls no nonev lnvolved ln the earlv stages of an artlsts rareer, lts
lnortant for the tean to he devoted and work harder than lf there was ar-
tual avnent lnvolved. 6ettlng eole to do work on serulatlon lthe ronlse
of sonethlng ln the future that nav or nav not artuallv haen) ls extrenelv
dlfrult. Ihat dedlratlon ls hased on the relatlonshls that the artlst has--
soneone who helleves ln the artlst as a erson and thelr ahllltv to surreed,
wlll ut ln hard work, dedlratlon, and tlne.
Ihere were seven of us who went out on the road wlth Raw. 0ur lndlvldual
relatlonshls wlth Raw andlor CIE lYoung 1eezvs lahel) ls what got us out on
the road wlth hln, and ket us there when tlnes got tough. Not one of us was
ald to he there. Not even Raw.
We woke u everv dav ln a dlfferent rltv, vlslted retall stores, radlo statlons,
1s, rluhs, hlgh srhools, the hood ln everv rltv, and nalls. ln sone rltles we
even sent tlne on ranuses at the hlark rolleges. Ihe kev was to gure out
who would huv a BloodRaw C and rearh then ln the areas where thevd he
hanglng out. Perfornlng at the rluhs everv nlght was also lnortant to let
folks see and hear the slngle, Loule, featurlng Young 1eezv. Worklng a slngle
ls what sreads the word ahout an artlst and the lnendlng C release.
Relatlonshls are what enahled us to nd kev eole ln earh narket to take
us around and share thelr narket wlth us. Whlle an artlst ran lnltrate a
narket wlthout soneone fron that narket lnvolved, lts alwavs easler when
there ls soneone there who ran roll wlth the tean fron olnt to olnt. lt also
glves the artlst a loral rontart erson so that lf sonethlng ls golng on ln that
narket, thev ran edurate the artlst, or easllv rearh out to the artlst to hrlng
hln or her hark for a show or an lnortant event.
So ln a narket llke hohlle AL, where a kev lndustrv erson llke lrtv an was
there to take us to all of the hoods, the strl rluhs, the radlo rluhs, the nalls,
hlgh srhools that nattered, and even to show us the hest rhlrken wlng shark
and a loral studlo where the artlsts ln hohlle rerord, lt was lnvaluahle to
have that relatlonshl that allowed an to do all that work as a favor to us.
he was even ahle to get us lnto the radlo statlon to aear on NlrkNltes
show, and BloodRaws relatlonshl wlth Nlrk ket us there nost of the nlght.
Relatlonshls go further than nonev ln the nuslr huslness. Whlle nanv
eole trv to huv thelr wav lnto the lndustrv, the snart ones learn to lever-
age thelr relatlonshls and trade favors. But the lnortant asert of tradlng
favors ls to artuallv renenher what eole have done for vou ln the ast and
reav thelr klndness when vou ran.
As we vlslted wlth 1s along our rono tour, one resoundlng thene ket
rerurrlng. Ihe 1s, hoth rluh and radlo, rould rerount endless storles ahout
artlsts thevve heled ln the ast hv showlng love on a rerord, onlv to have
gotten nothlng ln return hut hroken ronlses. 0ne of the 1s ln SC shared
a storv ahout hellng an artlst vears ago who had no hudget hut had a hlt
rerord, and whlle thls artlst ronlsed the noon to 1s throughout the south,
onre he herane a star he rhanged all of hls hone nunhers and dld nothlng
for anv of the 1s. he hadnt |ust hurned one hrldge, hes hurned nanv.
Ihls ls a who vou know huslness. Knowlng the wrong eole ls |ust as
detrlnental to a rareer as knowlng the rlght eole and furklng then over. lt
nav not even he the artlsts lntentlon to furk then over, lt nav |ust haen
herause lts the rlrrunstanre the artlst ls ln. Regardless, a hurned hrldge ls a
hurned hrldge. Ihev are alnost lnosslhle to realr.
Ihere was a radlo 1 of sone lnortanre who told ne a storv ahout an artlst
who alwavs ralled hln everv few davs when he had a rerord that was ahout
to rone out. he would stress to the 1 how nurh he needed hln on the re-
rord herause hls lahel wasnt fullv hehlnd hln. hed even o lnto the narket
senl-regularlv and stav at the 1s house, eat hls food, and drlnk hls hooze.
Ihe artlst would do free show after free show as he attented to hulld hls
rareerfor evervhodv hut the 1 who was hellng hln.
Ihen, onre the artlst had sone surress, not onlv rould the 1 no longer get
ln tourh wlth the artlst, hut the artlst stoed ronlng through hls narket
to ronote, hvasslng thls narket for hlgger narkets where he rould nake
nore nonev. Io add lnsult to ln|urv, the lahel, not knowlng there was onre
a relatlonshl hetween the artlst and the 1, hlred the ronetlng 1 arross
town to do street tean work for the ro|ert lthe artlst never steed ln to
rlght thls wrong).
o vou lnaglne thls kev 1 wlll ever suort anvthlng thls artlst does! lf
thls artlst has artlsts ronlng u under hln, do vou suose thls 1 wlll ever
suort anv of then! Prohahlv not. After stavlng at thls nans house, and
gettlng rountless slns on a rerord that rould have gone to another artlst
wlth a hlgger hudget, the least thls artlst rould have done was arrange to
rone hark onre he was surressful, and do a free show for the 1. host 1s
have a nlght durlng the week where thev have rluh arress, and dolng a show
and lettlng the 1 have the door ls a nlre wav to let evervone eat and reav a
favor. Sone artlsts are too short-slghted to see thls.
Sadlv, the artlsts whove rone hefore and done eole wrong, are naklng lt
dlfrult for the new artlsts ronlng through now and need hel. hanv of the
1s, ronoters, and street tean guvs have heen hurned so nanv tlnes that
thev are relurtant to work wlth anvone new. lt hurts evervone ln the lndustrv.
Relatlonshls are kev to surress ln thls huslness. lts lnortant to guard vour
relatlonshls and ronnertlons as tlghtlv as vou guard vour nonevln fart,
when the nonev ls gone, all voull have left are vour relatlonshls. At the
verv least, rall evervone that has heled vou get to whatever level vou are at
rlght now, and tell then thank voul havhe even ask then lf theres anvthlng
vou ran do for then
Developing Relationships | BY WENDY DaY (WWW.WENDYDaY.cOm)
ZZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZJ
I ll 1 KIone 6 1 1ulre the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll runna Bov, Rlrk Ross, 6 Ehonv Love Patrhwerk for Rlrk Rosss Irllla llstenlng sesslon lAtlanta, 6A) J
ll 1ason 6eter, Lll C, 6 Alfanega Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) + ll Zaln 6 h 6eezv I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL) S ll 6rlnd hode 6 Iarvorla
llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) 6 ll avld Banner 6 1 Irauna Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) ! ll r. Ben|anln Chavls, Clara, 6 Valelsha hl
ho Sunnlt Artlon Network Awards lNew York, NY) 8 ll 1 Nastv, helvssa lord, 6 llo Rlda llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) 9 ll 1 lnart, 1 en, Akon,
6 Ionv Neal the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I ll 1 Blsho V Luv 6 1 wlght Stone Ihe Beat lSt Louls, h0) II ll I-ho 6oodle 6 lreddv hvdro the C0RE 1s Retreat
lNew 0rleans, LA) IZ ll Kevln elanev, B Rlrh, 6 I1 Chanan on the set of B0Bs haterz Evervwhere lAtlanta, 6A) IJ ll 1R 6 1ohnnv hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release
artv lhlanl, lL) I+ ll llva 6 1 Rl rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) IS ll hon-E 6, Rlrk Ross 6 lat Bov I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle,
lL) I6 ll Prlnress 6 lat Bov the hvnotlzed Iour lAugusta, 6A) I! ll har Bonev 6 Alfanega Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I8 ll Ieresa 6 Snoo ogg Warehouse Llve
lhouston, IX) I9 ll 1 lrostv, hen Ror, 1 rana, 6 Wlllle the Kld Level for B-Lords hlrthdav artv lColunhla, SC)
Photo Credlts. Clevls harrlson lI9), Erlr Perrln lIZ), 1ohnnv Nunez l!), 1ulla Beverlv lI,Z,6,9,II,IJ,I+), Klng Yella lI), Knowledge lI8), hallk Ahdul lS,8), Ierrenre Ivson
lJ,+,IS,I6,I!)
lahove L-R). Irev Songz 6 1ulla Beverlv Conedv Cluh for Southern hustlln tour afterartv ln hanton Roads, VA lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv), BloodRaw, Young Burk, 6 Young 1eezv
1ustlns ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. Erlr Perrln), 1lnnv henrhnan 6 Rlrk Ross Patrhwerk for Rlrk Rosss Irllla llstenlng sesslon ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv)
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZJ
Z+ ll 0Z0NE hA6 Z+ ll
1
esus would have heen a radlo ersonalltvl1.
l want vou to understand exartlv what l |ust
sald so l wlll reeat lt agaln. 1esus would
have heen a radlo ersonalltvl1. how dld l rone
to thls ronrluslon! Well, 1esus was a uhllr ser-
vant. he ls an exanle of a nan who trulv rane
to serve. Ihe honorahle hlnlster Louls larrakhan
savs we should not want uhllr ofre or osltlons
of ower so that we ran herone hlg shots. We
should want uhllr ofre and osltlons of ower
so that we ran serve.
1esus hlnself sald, he who would he great anong
vou, let hln he vour servant. What Would 1esus
o lf he Was A 1ork! he would he a uhllr servant.
he would serve the needs of the eole. lf voure
a radlo ersonalltvl1 and vou dont feel that vou
are a uhllr servant, vou need to do us all a favor
and dress llke Bln Laden and go runnlng u to the
Whlte house wlth a harkark on srreanlng 1lhAl
Ihe eole have needs, so those of us ln servlre
are onlv good lf we ran use our ower to satlsfv
the needs of those whon we serve.
Lets he rlear, we all know the radlo ersonal-
ltvl1 gane ls a thankless huslness. Ihe hours are
long and the nonev ls short. host of us rohahlv
wouldnt he dolng lt lf we dldnt have a genulne
love for what we do. Ihlnk ahout the headarhes
vou go through when deallng wlth rogran dlrer-
tors who dont even llve the llfestvle. Ihlnk ahout
havlng to ronete wlth other radlo ersonalltles
and 1s who are so far outslde the denograhlr
vou are targetlng that thev thlnk av Z6 ls a four
week welght loss rogran guaranteed to have vou
Z ounds llghter on the Z6th dav. Even worse,
thev thlnk Shawtv Lo ls an artlrlal sweetener for
voung klds wlth dlahetes.
l ask hass Connunlratlon na|ors all the tlne,
Are vou gettlng lnvolved wlth radlo herause vou
have a genulne love for the gane! and, o vou
want to he lnvolved herause vou have a genulne
need or deslre to nake the llves of others hetter!
lf not, then l would stronglv suggest another
rofesslon, sonethlng that does not have vou
dlrertlv affertlng the llves of the eole that hear
vou on a dallv hasls. l know there are sone radlo
ersonalltvl1s out there rlght now savlng, han
Charlanagne slt vour ass down sonewhere, ln
|ust here to rollert nv llttle lere of a avrherk
and kee lt novlng. Well, nv frlend, that ls whv
vour ratlngs surk. Ihat ls whv vou stlll dont have
that shlft vou wanted at the statlon. Ihat ls whv
no one ls returnlng vour ralls ahout that alr rherk
vou sent out. Ihat ls whv vou rant get anv nore
than SZ to sln at a artv and that ls whv the
streets of the rltv vou are ln dont furk wlth vou.
Ihe reason ls herause vou have not enhrared the
dlvlne osltlon that 6od has ut vou ln, the osl-
tlon of uhllr servant.
A lot of tlnes we get raught u ln our own hve
and we sto servlng the needs of the eole. We
start thlnklng lts all ahout us. 1s lav what thev
want to hear or what thevre feellng lnstead of
reallv rherklng the ulse of the rltv and seelng
what the eole want to hear. l know 1s that
wont lav loral rerords that are snash hlts on
the radlo |ust herause the artlst hasnt ersonallv
rone to holla at then and ruh thelr halls. hessage
to those 1s. Your urose ln llfe wlll onlv he
found ln servlre to others and ln helng ron-
nerted to sonethlng far greater than vour unk
ass ego. And vou wonder whv loral artlsts want
to ght vour ass now. lts ralled karna. Youre
helng unlshed for not dolng vour dlvlne dutv as a
uhllr servant.
l also have an lssue wlth 1s who dont lav
rerords herause thev are dlrertlv afllated wlth
rertaln rrews. 1 Khaled shouldnt sto lavlng
6-Unlt nuslr |ust herause thev have lssues wlth
lat 1oe. Now thev have thrown Khaled lnto the so-
ralled heef, hut that ls onlv herause Khaled rhose
sldes and stoed lavlng 6 Unlt nuslr. lts the
sane thlng wlth Whoo Kld. he shouldnt sto lav-
lng lat 1oes rerords herause 1oe has a so-ralled
heef wlth S. When vou start gettlng raught u
llke that, vou as a 1 are totallv ahandonlng the
needs of the eole. You nean to tell ne no one
has ralled Khaleds show and requested a 6-Unlt
rerord! No one has ralled Whoo Kld and requested
a lat 1oe rerord! ln sure thev have, and when
these 1s dont lav the rerords herause thev
rant swallow thelr false sense of rlde to serve
the needs of the eole, what does that llstener
do! Ihev swltrh statlons. Ihat llstener goes sone-
where where thelr needs ran he served.
Law Z ln the +8 Laws of Power savs o not ron-
nlt to anvone, lt ls the fool who alwavs rushes to
take sldes. o not ronnlt to anv slde or rause hut
vourself. lf vou are a trulv a uhllr servant ron-
nlttlng to vourself or vour rause ls not a rohlen
herause vour rause ls to serve the needs of the
uhllr and not the needs of the rrew vou wear on
a rhaln around vour nerk. Whenever vou 1s and
radlo ersonalltles get ut ln a sltuatlon where
vou have to nake a derlslon hetween vour ego
and the needs of the eole slnlv ask vourself,
What Would 1esus o lf he Was a 1ork! lf 1esus
was ln New York slnnlng ln a rluh or on the radlo
and he knew that the eole where denand-
lng Southern nuslr, he wouldnt uroselv lav
hours of evervthlng else and onlv do a IS nlnute
Southern set.
1esus would serve the needs of the eole he-
rause a true uhllr servant rones to servel When
lt rones to helng a radlo ersonalltvl1 there are
forres greater than vour ego that are alwavs at
work. o vou thlnk 1esus would get raught u ln
radlo statlon heef! 1orks not talklng to other |orks
ln the streets herause thev work at rlval statlons.
l hate to see |orks throwlng shots at earh other
herause anvthlng ran and wlll haen ln thls
huslness, and that |ork vou are dlsslng rould he
vour ro-worker one dav or hetter vet vour hossl
halroln X was a uhllr servant and so was hartln
Luther Klng 1r. You never saw then dlsslng earh
other even though thev dldnt agree wlth earh
others aroarhes. o vou know whv! Berause
even wlth dlfferent aroarhes thev were ghtlng
for the sane rause. lnstead of throwlng shots
at earh other and ghtlng for osltlons ln the
ratlngs, radlo statlons should he ronlng together
and devlslng wavs to nake the rltv vou are ln the
hest rltv lt ran osslhlv he.
What Would 1esus o lf he Was a 1ork! Ihat ls the
questlon, 1esus would use hls latforn to tearh.
he would glve the eole food for thought to
dlgest. Everv dav, when l aroarh the nlr as
ro-host of the Wendv Wllllans Exerlenre, l nake
lt nv dutv to glve the eole a |ewel. l nake lt nv
dutv to lant a seed ln soneones hraln. P.E.A.C.E.
ran he a arronvn for Please Edurate Allahs
Chlldrens Evervdavl Ihat ls whv vou rone on the
radlo slx davs a week, herause 6od ls glvlng vou
a rhanre to tearh, and that ls the dutv of a uhllr
servantl l enrourage all radlo ersonalltlesl1s to
get on vour |oh. Ihe eole ln the rltv vou are ln
need vou. Sto golng to the statlon |ust to rollert a
rherk. 6od ut vou ln the osltlon vou are ln for a
reason. You have the ower to rhange llves. Ihere
ls a reason thev rall lt radlo rogrannlng. You
are svrhologlrallv rogrannlng eoles nental
states through the radlo.
1s, those BS slns nean the world to an artlstl
You ran slngle-handedlv rhange soneones llfe hv
slnlv lavlng a rerord enough tlnesl ont ahuse
vour ower, eolel lf vou have anv douhts ahout
vour osltlon, slnlv ask, What Would 1esus o lf
he Was a 1ork!

CHIN CHECK
BY charlamagNE Tha gOD
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZS
I ll 1 Wlldhalrr, IB6z 6 hlke Clarke on the set of Lll Wllls vldeo shoot for hv ougle lallas, IX) Z ll Anthonv hurrav 6 B6 Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) J ll Breezv
6 Yo 6ottl the hvnotlzed Iour lAugusta, 6A) + ll Ashlev horton 6 Blgga Rankln Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) S ll Crlne hoh I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon
ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL) 6 ll 1 Nastv, 1 Khaled, Are, Ihe Runners, KC, 6 Ball on the set of Ares Cash llow lhlanl, lL) ! ll Lll uval 6 Young ro the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew
0rleans, LA) 8 ll Shawn 1av 6 Lll hen I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL) 9 ll 1 loot 6 Irev Songz house of Blues lNew 0rleans, LA) I ll Ed the World
lanous 6 1 Wlll hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) II ll 1ersev, arkarl, KC, Snllez, Ionv Khuu, Southstar, Basln, and 1ohn Korkv Vovage for Ionv
Khuus hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) IZ ll hezeleo 6 Chrls 1ohnson Bun Bs Z Irlll llstenlng artv lhouston, IX) IJ ll 6et Cool 6 avld Banner Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta,
6A) I+ ll Iank 6 1 Showtlne Versare hanslon ool artv lhlanl, lL) IS ll 6uest 6 Ratt I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL) I6 ll Ihe Cllse 6 Blg Earl
l0rlando, lL) I! ll Young ro 6 1 en Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I8 ll Irlrk addv 6 the unk Rvders on the set of Ares Cash llow lhlanl, lL) I9 ll Bun B 6 1
Chlll Bun Bs Z Irlll llstenlng artv lhouston, IX) Z ll herredes 6 6reg 6 Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL)
Photo Credlts. Blg Earl lI6), Bogan lI+), Edward hall lI), Erlr Perrln lIJ), 1ulla Beverlv l!,9,I), Knowledge lIZ,I9), Leon Llovd l6,I8), hallk Ahdul lZ), Ierrenre Ivson
lZ,J,+,S,8,IS,I!), Ionv Khuu lII)
lahove L-R). I-Paln 6 1 Khaled on the set of Cashfow ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. hallk Ahdul), hannle lresh, Slln, B6, 6 Bahv rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards ln New 0rleans, LA, Ioo
Short 6 Srarfare Paadeaux ln houston, IX lPhotos. 1ulla Beverlv)
0Z0NE hA6 ll ZS
Z6 ll 0Z0NE hA6

A
vden lanond 6 Conanv nade the rhaln for ne. lts |worth]
over a SI,, ahout SIZS,. lts a fool. ln all whlte dla-
nonds. l got sone hlood dlanonds u ln there. l alnt wlt all
then rolor dlanonds and all that shlt.
lf vou want value on then nuthafurkas, voull get all whlte dlanonds, lf vou
wanna he ahle to have value on vour shlt. So, l got all whlte dlanonds.
And when the sun hlt lt, lts the sane slze of nv fare. l got a hlg ass fare.
llaughs) And when the sun hlt lt, lts so hlg, shawtv. Nlggas dont even wanna
see lt ronlng, llke, What the furk ls that! Ihen thev see the snllev fare wlth
the grlll. lt has ahout SZS, |worth] of dlanonds ln the teeth. So lt shlnes ln
the teeth, lt gllstens ln the sun.
Ihats nv logo, nan. You know, the snllev fare on nv C. l llke to kee
eole hav. You gotta kee lt snlllng, shawtv. You dont wanna see no
frowned u eole evervwhere vou go. ll
As told to Randv Roer
Photo hv 1ulla Beverlv

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YOUNG dRO
dONT WORRY, BE HAPPY
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z!
I ll 1 Blak, Court lgga, 6 Ilffanv 1ohnson the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll Erlr Perrln, Kelth Kennedv, 6 1eanlse Challn Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA)
J ll Bless 6 Sth Ward Weehle Ihe C0RE 1s retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) + ll Ilgger, 1 Clue, 6 1 uote lhlanl, lL) S ll 6uest, 1 Connando, I1 Chanan, 1 en, 6 Ionv Neal
rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) 6 ll Wlllle 1oe 6 B0B the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) ! ll hana C, ueen, hezeleo, 6 Eddle Rahhlt Bun Bs Z Irlll
llstenlng artv lhouston, IX) 8 ll lvev fron College hlll 6 haltlan lresh on the set of haltlan lreshs vldeo lIana, lL) 9 ll B6 6 Akon the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I
ll avld Banner 6 Kvle Nornan of 1agged Edge Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) II ll 6utta, Stax, 1 +S, 6 World Blorkwear store l1arkson, hS) IZ ll Larrv ogg the
Bahvlon Bovz rar show llt hvers, lL) IJ ll Plavhov Ire 6 B0B on the set of B0Bs haterz Evervwhere lAtlanta, 6A) I+ ll Shake Severs 6 Ashlee lord Sohe Llve for her hlrthdav
artv lhlanl, lL) IS ll -Rorr, herredes, 6 hen Ror the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I6 ll 1oe Anthonv 6 Akon rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) I! ll
Renaldo 6 Chlngv Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) I8 ll Rlrk Ross, Yung 1or, 6 Anlr Shaw Patrhwerk for Rlrk Rosss Irllla llstenlng sesslon lAtlanta, 6A) I9 ll hs Rlverrltv
6 Irlll Wlll Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll 1 Nastv, Irlrk addv, 6 Ihe Bad 6uv Sorletv lSt Louls, h0)
Photo Credlts. Bogan lI+), 1 uote l+), Erlr Perrln lIJ), 1ulla Beverlv lI,J,S,6,9,I,IS,I6,I!,I8), Klng Yella lZ), Knowledge l!), hallk Ahdul l8,II,IZ), Ierrenre Ivson lZ,I9)
lahove L-R). Rorko 6 1 Khaled Wlldslash ln Iana, lL lPhoto. hallk Ahdul), 1us Bleezv 6 Ihe 6oons on the set of Conln lor You ln St Louls, h0 lPhoto. Klng Yella), Snoo ogg
reln U6K Warehouse Llve ln houston, IX lPhoto. Knowledge)
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z!
Z8 ll 0Z0NE hA6 Z8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Wehslte. www.strokersrluh.ron !!-Z!-JS
Photograher. Sean Cokes ++-6ZZ-!!JJ
hake-U Artlst. hlke hlke 6!8-!JZ-SZ8S
halrstvllst. Bahv Bov ++-J96-Z!J9
T
hls ls the storv of But-
terfv, a I9 vear strler
who has a unlque effert
on eolethe unrannv
ahllltv to ronnand the attentlon
of anvone ln her resenre.
When ln danrlng l llke to he the
renter of attentlon, she adnlts.
Evervthlng ahout ne ls glanor-
ous.
But her Butterfv Effert doesnt end
there. When she fas her wlngs,
lt wont rause a tldal wave on the
other slde of the world, or even
the rluh for that natter, hut lt wlll
rause a nonsoon all around the
sule strler.
Born ln 1arkson, hlsslssll, But-
terfv noved to Atlanta at the age
of S. She renenhers herself helng
a shv glrl for several vears hefore
nallv reallzlng her true ersonal-
ltv ln hlgh srhool.
ln a rettv wlld erson, savs the
raterlllar that rorooned lnto the
hlossonlng Butterfv. l |ust llke to
have fun.
And ve nlghts a week, fun for
Butterfv lnrludes danrlng naked
on stage wlth several of her ro-
workers. Arrordlng to the lndlan
and 1analran ronhlnatlon, watrh-
lng her at work ls not vour tvlral
strl rluh exerlenre. anrlng ls
sonethlng ln |ust naturallv good
at. Iheres nothlng rhallenglng
ahout lt for ne, she savs.
Ihough shes onlv heen danrlng
for 8 nonths, her ersonalltv has
led her to herone a fan favorlte
anong the Strokers rllentele. l
rhose the nane Butterfv herause
lt neans llfe, and ln full of lt,
she savs.
Eventuallv, Butterfv has lans
of entrereneur endeavors, all
of whlrh lnrlude large anounts
of nonev. ln |ust trvlng to get
ald, she savs. And though she
lntends to one dav he swlnnlng ln
nonev, for now she does the hut-
terfv stroke ln the starks of rash
that rone fron the rluh.
Butterfly
Words hv Erlr N. Perrln
Z8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z9
I ll 1anes Prlnre 1r 6 1 B-o Bun Bs Z Irlll llstenlng artv lhouston, IX) Z ll Lll Bankhead 6 Anlr Shaw Patrhwerk for Rlrk Rosss Irllla llstenlng sesslon lAtlanta, 6A) J ll
Parker of IIZ, 1uggle, 1 Rl, 6 Ionv Neal rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) + ll Iarvorla 6 Slr Knlght Iraln Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL) S ll 1 Khaled, Rlrk Ross,
6 Are 6utta Wlldslash lIana, lL) 6 ll 1us Bleezv 6 1 Kav Slav 1 Ierhnologv Retreat lSt Louls, h0) ! ll Unrle Luke 6 the orlglnal Z Llve Crew danrers Wlldslash lIana,
lL) 8 ll Shawtv Lo 6 1ohnnle Cahhell Southern hustlln Iour lhanton Roads, VA) 9 ll Soul|a Sllns nother 6 BloodRaw rean for the C0RE 1 Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) I ll
1 Nastv, re, 6 1 Khaled hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) II ll Crlsro Kld, Klottl, 1R, 6 1 Nohle 9J.J lhouston, IX) IZ ll lathov Kush Lounge
for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston, SC) IJ ll ro and Serve Entertalnnent Kush Lounge for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston, SC) I+ ll Rlrh Bov, vldeo nodel, 6 1 Aarles on the set of B0Bs
haterz Evervwhere lAtlanta, 6A) IS ll 1 6I, Snoo ogg, 6 1-ue 9!.9 lhouston, IX) I6 ll oug E lresh 6 Snoo ogg hl ho Sunnlt Artlon Network Awards lNew York, NY)
I! ll 6randaddv Souf, lke 6 a, 6 Wlllle 1oe the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I8 ll harlon, 1 Nastv, Pat Nlx, 1 +S, guest, 6 Slff Ihe Roxv for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv
l0rlando, lL) I9 ll Ied Luras 6 wote on the set of wotes ont Wanna llght lhlanl, lL) Z ll 1 llnesse 6 hls glrlfrlend the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA)
Photo Credlts. Bogan lI9), Erlr Perrln lI+), 1ohnnv Nunez lI6), 1ulla Beverlv lZ,J,8,I,I!,Z), Klng Yella l6), Knowledge lI,II,IS), hallk Ahdul l+,S,!,I8), Ierrenre Ivson
l9,IZ,IJ)
lahove L-R). Bahv Bov 6 hls father the C0RE 1s Retreat ln New 0rleans, LA, Ihree 6 haa the C0RE 1s Retreat ln New 0rleans, LA lPhotos. 1ulla Beverlv), Burkeev 6 Lola Luv
hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. Ihaddaeus hrAdans)
0Z0NE hA6 ll Z9
J ll 0Z0NE hA6
Iextln ls no longer safe now that 0Z0NEs
dangerous nlnds have harked the svsten.
OZONE EXCLUSIVE
TREY SONGZ: hev Shortv Low, whats u!
SHAwTY LO: l told vou, lts L-0lll
TREY SONGZ: 0h, nv fault, nan. hev, l wanna talk to vou ahout nv next
alhun. l want vou to ra on nv rst slngle.
SHAwTY LO: Shawtv Lo usuallv rharges Z thousand for a verse, hut ln not
too fanlllar wlth vour work so well |ust settle at an even ZS grand.
TREY SONGZ: Youre not fanlllar wlth nv work! ln all over the lare, where
vou heen at!
SHAwTY LO: BANKhEAllll Been ullln raers.
TREY SONGZ: Well, look. lf vou ra on nv alhun, lll ut vou on sone of nv
hoes, l got a lot.
SHAwTY LO: Ihese hltrhes! l dunn furked en all.
TREY SONGZ: 0kav, well we ran nake a trade then. lll slng a hook on vour
next alhun lf vou ra a verse on nlne. lve done all klnds of features.
l was on Iwlstas 6lrl Ionlght. l sang on Srarfares 6lrl You Know,
harques houstons llrst Ilne, and even on rakes Relarenent 6lrl
song.
SHAwTY LO: Yeah, hut then shlts was whark. l dont do no glrlv ass nuslr
llke that, and lf l dld l would |ust get Chrls Brown.
TREY SONGZ: Chrls Brown! l ut hln on. Evervhodv knows l run Vlrglnlal VA
all davl ln the nan on thls sldel
SHAwTY LO: Well, gotdann. lt nust he Z sldeslll Ihat hov Chrls Brown he da
shlt. he he doln all that danrlng and shlt, and he furkln that Rlhanna hltrh.
Shlt, that nlgga dunn dunn lt all Irev Songz, not so nurh.
TREY SONGZ: What, nuthafurka! ln the nanl
SHAwTY LO: Naw nlgga, ln a hanl Bltrh, ln a han. l got no wlfe, hut
the whlte he nv glrlfrlend. But l do klnda llke that one song vou got,
Crvln 0ut lor he. Ihats klnda hot.
TREY SONGZ: Nlgga, that alnt ne, thats harlos furklng song.
SHAwTY LO: Well gottdann, vou got harlos nunher!
TREY SONGZ: lurk vou, vou rant ra anvwav nlgga. l was |ust trvlng to do
vou a favor.
SHAwTY LO: Blg usto all nv hAIERZll
TREY SONGZ & SHAwTY LO
- lron the nlnds of Erlr Perrln and Randv Roer lPhotos hv 1ulla Beverlv)
J ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll JI
I ll Ionv Neal 6 Choer Cltv Bovz the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll 6vant of S0hh.ron 6 Erlra of YBl Klller hlke and Pastor Irovs llstenlng artv lAtlanta, 6A) J
ll Klottl 6 Rlrk Ross 9J.J lhouston, IX) + ll 6uest, Bahv , guest, 6 Unk Level for B-Lords hlrthdav artv lColunhla, SC) S ll av Z6 l1arksonvllle, lL) 6 ll 1 Clue 6 eRav
avls Versare hanslon lhlanl, lL) ! ll Rlrk Ross 6 Ied Luras hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) 8 ll Shaggv, wote, 6 vldeo nodels on the set
of wotes ont Wanna llght lhlanl, lL) 9 ll 1us Bleezv 6 Yo 6ottl 1 Ierhnologv Retreat lSt Louls, h0) I ll 1 Ra| Snoove, UIP, 6 Partners N Crlne rean for Ihe C0RE 1s
Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) II ll hallk Ahdul, Randv Roer, Iearanv, 6 1 Churk I Kush Lounge for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston, SC) IZ ll Sweetz 6 avld Banner Atlanta J howllng
allev lAtlanta, 6A) IJ ll 0nar, herredes, 6 Red Rat llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) I+ ll hs. Rlverrltv 6 Blg L I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1ark-
sonvllle, lL) IS ll 6olden Bov, 1ulla Beverlv, 1 B-o, 6 guests SlZ lhouston, IX) I6 ll Chrlstlna Clark 6 1 Nastv Ihe Roxv for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) I! ll VlC
Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I8 ll Snall World 6 1 lnart the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I9 ll 1 Boss 6 1 hl-C Warehouse Llve for Snoo oggs llstenlng
artv lhouston, IX)
Photo Credlts. Bogan l6), Clevls harrlson l+), Erlr Perrln lZ,IZ), 1 Lash l8), 1ulla Beverlv lI,!,I,I8), Klng Yella l9), Knowledge lJ,IS,I9), hallk Ahdul lIJ,I6), hs Rlverrltv lI!),
Stehanle Brooks lS), Ierrenre Ivson lII,I+)
lahove L-R). avld Banner 6 London Atlanta J howllng allev ln Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv), Young 1eezv 6 hake Your reans Cone Irue rontest wlnner 1ustlns ln
Atlanta, 6A lPhoto. Erlr Perrln), Akon 6 Lll uval Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat ln New 0rleans, LA lPhoto. hs Rlverrltv)
0Z0NE hA6 ll JI
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I ll Ihe Runners 6 Ball Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL) Z ll Rashan All 6 Eneror Searrv Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) J ll Phatt Ll 6 Pat the C0RE 1s Retreat
lNew 0rleans, LA) + ll Southstar, IV 1ohnnv, 6 Ionv Khuu Vovage for Ionv Khuus hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) S ll 1 en, Clno, 6 the lranrhlze Bovz the C0RE 1s Retreat
lNew 0rleans, LA) 6 ll az 6 Kurut 9!.9 lhouston, IX) ! ll 1 Ro 6 1uvenlle the Klngs Ent. Alnost a hot Bov Reunlon lNew 0rleans, LA) 8 ll Blg Kuntrv, B6, 6 Young ro
Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) 9 ll Kardlnal 0fshal 6 Rork Cltv rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) I ll Chrlstlna Clark 6 Ierrenre Ivson Ihe C0RE 1s
Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) II ll 1 1ark of Sade 6 Blg Snooth Conedv Cluh for Southern hustlln tour afterartv lhanton Roads, VA) IZ ll Roh, Wataz, 6 Cato Kush Lounge
for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston, SC) IJ ll Ba|e, 1 Entlre, 6 Ashlee lord Sohe Llve for her hlrthdav artv lhlanl, lL) I+ ll 1 Koolald, Corleone, 1 Lll Bov 6 Blgga Rankln I-Palns
6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL) IS ll 1ha 1ha 6 1 -honev Ihe 6lohe for Wehhles release artv l1arksonvllle, lL) I6 ll hlrha Porat, Ashlee lord, 6 C-Rlde Sohe
Llve for her hlrthdav artv lhlanl, lL) I! ll Shawtv Lo 6 1 h-Vldal Wlldslash lIana, lL) I8 ll Ireal 6 1 holldav Wlldslash lIana, lL) I9 ll Young Cash 6 E-Class I-Palns
6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL)
Photo Credlts. Bogan lIJ,I6), 1ulla Beverlv lZ,J,S,9,II), Knowledge l6), Luls Santana lI!), hallk Ahdul lI,IS,I8), harrus eWavne l!), Ierrenre Ivson l8,I,IZ,I+,I9), Ionv Khuu
l+)
lahove L-R). Yung 1or 6 Cherl ennls the C0RE 1s Retreat ln New 0rleans, LA lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv), Udonls haslen 6 llo Rlda hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv
ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. Ihaddaeus hrAdans), 1uvenlle rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards ln New 0rleans, LA lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv)
0Z0NE hA6 ll JJ
J+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
10
Reasons They Really
Became a DJ
If you ask most DJs what InspIreD them to start spInnIng, theyll probably
gIve a pre-programmeD, automatIc answer lIke, for the love of the musIc, or
somethIng sImIlar. but here we expose to real reasons why John Doe DecIDeD
to become DJ Jay Dough.
By eRic PeRRin
10. cOULdNT MAkE BEATS
he trled to lav around on lrootv Loos and hls heats
rane out soundlng llke Sesane Street |lngles. So lnstead
of urrhaslng ProIools, he lnvested ln Serato.
9. HE BEcAME BOREd WITH ScHOOL
he was suosed to he an arrountant, hut got frustrated
wlth rlass and sald, lurk ltl
8. POTENTIAL BRIBES FROM dRUG
dEALING WANNABE RAPPERS
Need we sav nore!
5. NEEdEd TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT BUT
dIdNT LIkE WORkING OUT.
have vou even seen a good 1 sln at a rrowded rluh!
Ihat shlt ls a workout.
4. GOT TIREd OF WORkING AT WAL-MART
Slnnln rerords at the rluh wlns over restorklng shelves and
rolllng hark rlres at Wal-hart anv dav, unless that rluh ls
Sans.
3. cOULdNT FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IN
THE A&R BUSINESS
host 1s are reallv A6Rs at heart, hut slnre lts harder to he-
rone an A6R than lt ls to surreed as a raer, 1ohn oe settles
for slnnlng rerords.
2. ABUNdANcE OF HOES
Belng a 1 lnstantlv nakes vou the nost oular dude at the
rluh. When vou add that oularltv to the ahundanre of grou-
les and nodels who stand around the 1 hooth, everv dav ls a
great dav to 1.
7. POWER
When other guvs are strenuouslv srreanlng over the nuslr
to holla at hoes, the 1 ran talk rlght through the seakers.
6. FREE dRINkS
At rst, free drlnks are a erk of the |oh, hut after everv
aslrlng enree ln the rluh offers to huv the 1 a drlnk, lt
herones an easv rerle for alrohollsn.
cOULdNT MAkE IT AS A RAPPER
Evervhodv ln the hl ho lndustrv has serretlv deslred to he a raer at sone olnt ln tlne. wrlters, nanagers, lahel
exers, and street tean res lnrluded. 1s are no dlfferent.
1
J+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll JS
I ll 1 Broadwav 1oe, Kla Shlne, 6 1 Caln Power 9Z lLlttle Rork, AR) Z ll 1 Irauna, Rashan All, 1C, 6 Yung 1or 1Irauna.rons launrh artv lAtlanta, 6A) J ll Clen 6 Young
1eezv hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) + ll 6utta 6 Irev Songz house of Blues lNew 0rleans, LA) S ll Yung 1or, Snall World, 1 Lll 1ohn, Wlllv
Northole, 6 Shareefa Ihe C0RE 1s retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) 6 ll Are slgnlng autograhs on the set of Ares Cash llow lhlanl, lL) ! ll Rork Cltv, 1 Irauna, Bennv , 6 ladles
1Irauna.rons launrh artv lAtlanta, 6A) 8 ll Rlrk Ross 6 Irae lhouston, IX) 9 ll 1 Nastv 6 Plles Ihe Roxv for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) I ll 1 Blg Blnk, Rlrk
Ross, 6 1 Steve Nlre lallas, IX) II ll lsls 6 Ionv Neal rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) IZ ll Ruthless Rerords 6 Ihe C0RE 1s Ihe C0RE 1s retreat lNew 0r-
leans, LA) IJ ll 1 Nastv 6 San Sneak hanslon for Rlrk Rosss Irllla alhun release artv lhlanl, lL) I+ ll 1 Eddle evllle 6 1 Nohle Warehouse Llve for Snoo oggs llstenlng
artv lhouston, IX) IS ll Chaka Zulu, guest, 6 1anal Colenan 1Irauna.rons launrh artv lAtlanta, 6A) I6 ll Choer Cltv Bovz 6 Blg Kuntrv house of Blues lNew 0rleans, LA)
I! ll Kerlsha Snlth, avld Banner, 6 Klsha Snlth Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) I8 ll 6urrl Poorhle 6 6orllla Zoe reans lAtlanta, 6A) I9 ll 1 B-Lord, I1 Chanan, B0B,
6 B Rlrh Level for B-Lords hlrthdav artv lColunhla, SC)
Photo Credlts. Clevls harrlson lI9), 1 Who lI), Edward hall lI), Erlr Perrln lI!), 1ulla Beverlv l+,S,II,IZ,IJ,I6), Knowledge lI+), Leon LLovd l6), hallk Ahdul l9), Ihaddaeus
hrAdans lZ,J,!,IS,I8)
lahove L-R). hurhv Lee 6 hooz Lunen ln St Louls, h0 lPhoto. Klng Yella), fron IIZ, Phoenlx da llrestarter, 6 Lvfe 1ennlngs the C0RE 1s Retreat ln New 0rleans, LA lPhoto.
1ulla Beverlv), haltlan lresh 6 1I honev on the set of haltlan lreshs vldeo ln hlanl, lL lPhoto. hallk Ahdul)
0Z0NE hA6 ll JS
J6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
llend ls verv hunhle and reallv has a as-
slon for hls rraft, songwrltlng, rodurtlon,
and, shows. lnrognlto
Yung 1or ls alwavs readv, verv rofes-
slonal, verv easv to get along wlth, and
alwavs uts forth II%. 1o-Skl Luv
hurrlrane Chrls alwavs nakes sure ln taken
rare of. Klng Arthur
avld Banner ls nv hrother and we alwavs
have a great tlne. Ihere are so nanv good
artlsts out there that we nake rlasslrs wlth
ld have to sav nost of the artlsts are good to
work wlth. Skee
ln golng have to sav nv hov E-+. hes one
of the nost hunhle dudes out there. lf l need
sonethlng l ran rall hln and he has lt for ne.
hes never on that suerstar status, |ust a real
rat. Knurkles
Ihe hest artlst l have worked wlth has
to he Irev Songz. Ihat hov ls a heast. l
trled to tell rats hark ln S he was next
u. Now look at hln. Radlo
avld Banner. hes llke vour favorlte unrle.
Rage
lve had sone great exerlenres wlth lat
1oe. Yorkle
hv nan Bahv Bov a Prlnre. Ihat dude knows
how to work and nakes lt easv for a 1 to
work a rerord. Blg ee
l love ueen Latlfah. She nakes lt feel llke a
artv on stage. Ihen after the show, we hang
and artv. Eque
Iuar. Bark ln nv davs wlth eath Row
Rerords, l had the rhanre to see hln ln the
studlo. l have never seen anvone wlth the
drlve and wllllngness to work Z+l!. hls energv
and deternlnatlon uned evervone ln the
studlo to kee golng no natter how tlred thev
were. Nothlng hut resert for a fallen hl ho
legend. E-Z Cutt
Shawtv Lo ls an easv dude to get along
wlth hut hls nanager 1ohnnv surksl
Kvdd 1oe
6. halone herause he allows ne to do ne. We
have the sane work ethlr so lt goes hand ln
hand. Nlk Bean
Lll 1on ls a lot of fun ln the studlo and on
vldeo sets. lddv alwavs goes that extra nlle
to nake sure evervthlng looks and sounds
tlght, the sane wlth Kanve and Akon. Luda
wlll alwavs glve vou a hot verse. Baslrallv ev-
ervone lve worked wlth so far on nv ro|erts
has heen a leasure to work wlth. lelll lel
Ludarrls. hes doe, fun and hard worklng.
1l|l Sweet
Ihe artlsts that arent sturk u or feelln
thenselves. avld Banner, Akon, Plthull, and
6hostfare Klllah are real hunhle. Lare
hv hlg hrother hlstah l.A.B. he |ust goes
ln the studlo and freestvles everv trark. lts
rrazv. Ilto Bell
- Conlled hv hs Rlverrltv
lf l had to rhoose |ust one, lt would roh-
ahlv he llend. he gets verv lnvolved wlth hls
ro|erts. Aarles
Shork 6 fron lgltal Underground ls a
rhlldhood hero of nlne that lve nanaged to
hefrlend. hes an anazlng artlst and a well-
soken, thought-rovoklng guv. ld |un ln
front of a hus for hln. Bedz
avld Banner. hes never turned hls hark on
the 1s. Blsho
lts a tle hetween Shawtv Lo and 6urrl hane.
Ihere are no lles and no waltlng when lt
rones to then. Ihev take rare of huslness
rontlv. Ihe Cllse and 1ohn Legend are a
rlose serond for the sane reasons. Blark
Blll 6ates
Shawtv Lo. hes wllllng to do the lll shlt. Also
shouts out to Collard 6reens, Plles, 6orllla Zoe,
1ln 1ones, Young Burk, Yo 6ottl, Young 1eezv
thev all hel when thev ran. B-Lord
6ot to hlg u nv honles J ee, verv hunhle
rats who resert the 1s. Chlll
Akon herause he ls a vlslonarv and oen
nlnded to new ldeas. Cllnton Sarks
Contrarv to oular hellef, S Cent ls
the hest. he answered everv questlon,
slgned everv autograh, took everv
lrture, and dldnt whlne ahout tlne,
water, sklttles or anv of that usual dlva
rra. Crlstal Buhhlln
l dld a nlxtae wlth Young 1eezv hefore
hls rst alhun rane out and he was |ust so
rool and hunhle. l net hln ln hlanl and
was reallv feellng hls Ira or le rerord
so when he got to Baltlnore we llnked u
and knorked out the Ira Ihe lndustrv C,
whlrh nanv eole tell ls a rlasslr. NA
Lll Keke rause hes |ust a IS% real dude
at all tlnes and he has raw talent. re
So far, ld have to sav S Cent, Swlzz
Beatz, Plles, and Rlrh Bov. lf thevve
agreed to do sonethlng, thevve nade lt
haen. Ekln
1eezv and CIE. Ihev rettv nurh know
the vlslon for anv ro|ert. lolk
Young ro. he hosted a nlx C for ne
and hes real arerlatlve of what the
1s do for artlsts. A lot of artlsts are
assholes. lrogle
Iallh Kwell ls real rool and rones
through lf vou need hln to get stuff
done. lurlous Stvles
avld Banner ls rool as hell, also
shout out to nv nan Rlrk Ross, he
alwavs looks out. Both of these
guvs are down to earth and un-
derstand the gane. l was foored
how rool avld Banner was when l
net hln as an lntern. l even asked
hln Whv are vou so rool! Youre
a na|or lahel artlst and ln a
athetlr lnternl hls resonse was
l dont know who voure gonna
herone. Ihree vears later l have
a #I show ln a to Z narket.
Snart guv. Peter Parker
WHo Is
tHE bEst
artIst
to WorK
WItH?
WHy?
J6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
We asked thls vears es-
teened anel of 1s lvou
ran neet then on age
68, and 0Z0NE West age
Z) to hreak down thelr
exerlenres wlth sone of
the hlggest nanes ln the
gane and exlaln who
thev en|ov worklng wlth
the nost, and whv.
0Z0NE hA6 ll J!
I ll B6, BloodRaw, 6 Rorrett Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll Slln, Ionv Neal, 6 Bahv rean for Ihe C0RE 1s Awards lNew 0rleans, LA) J ll Randv Roer 6 hallk
Ahdul Kush Lounge for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston, SC) + ll Alfanega, har Bonev, Blg Kuntrv, Young LA, Wlllle the Kld, LA, 1 lnfanous, 1eanlse, 6 Lll C Ihe C0RE 1s retreat lNew
0rleans, LA) S ll Ierrenre 6 Snook the hvnotlzed Iour lAugusta, 6A) 6 ll A-Rah 6 Soul|a Bov Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL) ! ll Boxle 6 Irev Songz house of Blues lNew
0rleans, LA) 8 ll Plles 6 1-Bahv the hvnotlzed Iour lAugusta, 6A) 9 ll Slln Ihug 6 1 B-o Warehouse Llve lhouston, IX) I ll Blg Irev, guest, Bahv, 6 har the Bahvlon
Bovz rar show llt hvers, lL) II ll A Bahv, Rorko, 6 B Rhvthn Cltv lallas, IX) IZ ll hldget har 6 Shoeh hallk I-Palns 6rannv Arerlatlon ronrert l1arksonvllle, lL) IJ ll
Nlklta Kelsha 6 hs Rlverrltv 1ustlns lAtlanta, 6A) I+ ll Ioro, haltlan lresh, Ross, 6 Ballgreezv on the set of haltlan lreshs vldeo lhlanl, lL) IS ll I1 Chanan, Irev Songz, 6 B0B
house of Blues lNew 0rleans, LA) I6 ll Vee 6 Shaklr Stewart reanz lAtlanta, 6A) I! ll Aleshla Steele, herredes, 6 1 hlshehavlor Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) I8 ll
Rlrk Ross 6 llo Rlda hanslon lhlanl, lL) I9 ll Are 6utta 6 laholous on the set of Ares Cash llow lhlanl, lL)
Photo Credlts. Edward hall lII), Erlr Perrln lIJ,I6), 1ulla Beverlv lZ,+,!,IS), Knowledge l9), Leon Llovd lI8), hallk Ahdul lI,I+,I9), hs Rlverrltv lI!), Ierrenre Ivson
lI,J,S,6,8,IZ)
lahove L-R). 1 Kav Slav 6 Vlr anone Sorletv ln St Louls, h0 lPhoto. Klng Yella), 1 rana 6 1 B-Lord Level for B-Lords hlrthdav artv ln Colunhla, SC lPhoto. Clevls harrlson),
evln the ude 6 hezeleo Warehouse Llve ln houston, IX lPhoto. Knowledge)
0Z0NE hA6 ll J!
J8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
artist images--------------
WHo Is tHE Worst artIst
to WorK WItH? WHy?
Artlsts who are sturk on thenselves and feel
llke thev dont need vou. l rant work wlth then.
lf l ask vou resertfullv and rofesslonallv for
sonethlng and vou rone at ne sldewavs llke l
need voul rant use had language ln a uhllr
nagazlne so vou know the resonse. Zhello
Ihe lazv artlst who exerts vou to do
sonethlng for hln or her. Ihese artlsts hasl-
rallv exert a hand out herause of the lahel
thevre slgned to or thev afllatlon wlth
soneone else. Ihese artlsts usuallv dont
last long ln the ra gane herause thev dont
reallze that at the end the dav, nohodv owes
vou shlt. JI egreez
Raers. Enrees are great to work wlth. host
raers are ln lt |ust to get ald and he seen and
get ass. Llke Phonte fron Llttle Brother savs,
Whats the dlfferenre hetween a raer and
enree! When the nonev ls gone, the enree wlll he
the onlv one ralnl Bee
l never reallv ran arross anvhodv who l dldnt
llke. lf anvthlng, l hate when artlsts rone to vour
sot and dont seak, eserlallv when vou hroke
thelr rerord. Ihats dlsresertful and a good wav
to not get vour shlt laved. Even lf one 1 ls not
as lnortant as another 1, lt doesnt natter how
hlg or snall the narket ls, a sln ls a sln. Chlll
Ihe worst artlsts to work wlth are the ones
alwavs wantlng sonethlng for free. Ihe word
free does not exlst, eserlallv to a 1 dolng
nost of the work to get vou out there. You hetter
have sone dlnero or have sonethlng to trade.
6otten
l net an unknown artlst a vear ago who hugged
the rra out of ne to ut hln on the radlo. l had
hln do a deno and dro lt off at the statlon. l
trled to tell hln at least I9 of the Z songs would
have to he redone hefore anv lahel avs attentlon
to lt. he got lssed and told ne, All Z songs are
hlts, voure |ust hatlng on nv stvle. l washed nv
hands of hln. lts not alwavs |ust the nuslr we
deal wlth, hut artlsts egos and that vou rant
tell ne nothlng attltude. 1s ran hreak or nake
vour rareer, so kee that ln nlnd the next tlne
vou thlnk vour song ran he surressful wlthout us.
Clvll Rlghtz
hX. lt rould he the sllt ersonalltv thlng, ln
not sure. Ekln
Wehhle. he rane to do a show wlth us hut
wanted to get Z llve nlrs hefore he got off
the hus, haslrallv so he rould shout hlnself
out fron the hus whlle soneone else was on
stage erfornlng. Ihen he wouldnt rone off
the hus untll he heard hls song lavlng. Ihen
ln the nlddle of the last song, hls suer-
hlgh ass dros the nlr and walks offstage,
leavlng us wonderlng lf he was nlshed or
|ust needed a ee hreak. Not a good look for
a Z-hlt wonder, eserlallv when one of those
songs was haslrallv the ralsts anthen of
ZS. Wehster vou need to stol Crlstal
Buhhlln
Anv artlst that harasses ne to lav thelr rerord
whlle ln ln the nlddle of nv set ln the rluh. Cone
holla at ne earlv ln the nlght and lts all good.
1oNastv
Ihe 6ane doesnt resert the 1s. Klng Arthur
1oe Budden ls never on tlne and nlght not show
u at all. lurlous Stvles
All of then are had to work wlth onre thev get
ast the hunhle stage. Kvdd 1oe
lat 1oe dldnt show ne too nurh resert.
Also, thevre not terhnlrallv artlsts, hut the
And I street hall guvs rould he the worst
lntervlew ever. Peter Parker
ln gonna ratrh heat for thls, hut lts nv truth. l
dont llke worklng wlth nost hl ho artlsts, ar-
tlrularlv nales. lron nv exerlenre worklng wlth
nost hl ho artlsts, there ls a lark of rofesslon-
allsn and resert. Storn
Ihe worst artlsts lve exerlenred are nostlv
unslgned artlsts. No dlsresert, hut nost of then
dont take the tlne to learn the huslness. Under-
stand that radlo ls a huslness and the enlovees
should he treated arrordlnglv. Ihe rluh 1 that
vou want to lav vour song ls at hlslher |oh and
rhanres are lts not |ust a hohhv anvnore. lts I
nllllon artlsts ln thls rountrv that want thelr song
laved. Iah Blassl
1aheln ls a total |erk and thlnks hes a star.
Busta Rhvnes ls lffv. hes gotta get ronfortahle
rst, whether that neans eatlng, taklng a na,
or whatever. Ihen hell talk wlth vou and our
hls heart out. R Kellv and Kevshla Cole are |ust
drana. Wrekk I
Soul|a Bov. hes a kld, so what do vou exert!
Blg ee
J8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0n the fl slde, we asked
our 1 anel whlrh artlsts
left the worst lnresslon.
0Z0NE hA6 ll J9
I ll Yung Berg, Rav 1, 6 1 holldav Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL) Z ll hlke 1ones Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL) J ll lat Bastard 6 Blg Iurk lLewlsvllle, IX) + ll Lll
Peare Rhvthn Cltv lallas, IX) S ll K0 R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln Bearh, lL) 6 ll 1 rana 6 Prlnress Level for B-Lords hlrthdav artv
lColunhla, SC) ! ll Rorko asslng 0zone to a fan durlng hls erfornanre Cluh hvstlque lVlrglnla Bearh, VA) 8 ll 1 uh 6 1 Churk I Kush Lounge for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston,
SC) 9 ll Blg B, Pavar Snles, 6 Angus Blark of IJ 1AhZs Buddah Brothers hornlng Show hllltarv Clrrle hall lNorfolk, VA) I ll Carldad the Bahvlon Bovz rar show llt hvers, lL)
II ll Lex 6 Shoeh hallk Wlldslash lIana, lL) IZ ll 1ason of WNSB hot 9I.I rhlllen Cluh hvstlque lVlrglnla Bearh, VA) IJ ll on Cannon 6 Blg Ka Patrhwerk for Rlrk Rosss
Irllla llstenlng sesslon lAtlanta, 6A) I+ ll 1 Irauna Wlldslash lIana, lL) IS ll Blg Iearh on the set of Ares Cashfow lhlanl, lL) I6 ll B0B 6 Wlllle 1oe on the set of B0Bs
haterz Evervwhere lAtlanta, 6A) I! ll K6 6 Ire uhh Cluh hvnotlq lallas, IX) I8 ll NlL Rhvthn Cltv lallas, IX) I9 ll Randv Roer, Snook, 6 eldrlrh Level for B-Lords
hlrthdav artv lColunhla, SC) Z ll KC Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL) ZI ll Irlna 6 Iova the Bahvlon Bovz rar show llt hvers, lL) ZZ ll Z Plstols Wlldslash lIana, lL) ZJ ll An-
her 6 on ada R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln Bearh, lL) Z+ ll Phatt Ll 6 ladles R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln
Bearh, lL) ZS ll Coarh K Ihe Roxv for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) Z6 ll Ihe orlglnal Z Llve Crew danrerse Wlldslash lIana, lL) Z! ll lsro 6 hls son llrestone for
1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) Z8 ll a Rvno 6 hs Rlta Cluh hvnotlr lKllleen, IX) Z9 ll 1 Lll E on the set of Lll Wllls vldeo shoot for Lll Wllls hv ougle lallas, IX) J
ll 1 ISI Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL) JI ll 6rlffv ZK Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) JZ ll Coro Renea 6 frlends IJ 1AhZ lNorfolk, VA) JJ ll E-Class llrestone for 1
Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) J+ ll Sooafv 9J.J lhouston, IX) JS ll 1 Churk I Kush Lounge for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston, SC)
Photo Credlts. Clevls harrlson l6,I9), Coro Renea l!,9,IZ,JZ), Edward hall lJ,+,I8,Z9), Erlr Perrln lI6,JI), 1ulla Beverlv lIJ), Knowledge lJ+), Kurtls 6rahan lI!), Luls Santana lZZ),
hallk Ahdul lI,S,I,II,I+,IS,Z,ZI,ZJ,Z+,ZS,Z6,Z!,J,JJ), Ierrenre Ivson lZ,8,JS), Ire uhh lZ8)
lahove L-R). Irlnas ln-store slgnlng lYE ln 0rlando, lL lPhoto. hallk Ahdul), Rorko Rhvthn Cltv ln allas, IX lPhoto. Edward hall), Shawtv Lo wlth hls 0Z0NE artlrle ln Atlanta, 6A
lPhoto. Erlr Perrln)
+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Kee lt Real has heen one of hl hos
favorlte hrases for a long tlne. lt
seens to alv to evervthlng fron song
authentlrltv to lnage ronsrlousness. lf
vou arent relng for vour hlork, voure
not keelng lt real. lf voure ralng
ahout lavlsh thlngs vou dont own,
voure not keelng lt real. lf vou dare
ste outslde of vour nuslral hox, voure
not keelng lt real. But nost of these
attarks are nade on the raers, never
the 1s.
Consldered to he the harkhone of hl ho nuslr,
the 1s realness ls rarelv hrought lnto questlon
aslde fron the orraslonal avola arrusatlon. ln
an age where fossv raers rontlnue to get even
nore attentlon, the low-kev 1 ls heralded as one
of the last real gures left ln the rulture.
But at the turn of the renturv, hl ho 1s hegan
squahhllng anongst earh other as to who was a
real 1 or not. Ihe advent and growlng oular-
ltv of C turntahles gave 1s an otlon to rhoose
hetween lastlr or vlnvl. hanv felt that uslng C
turntahles was hlashenous and sturk wlth thelr
vlnvl.
Ihat stuhhornness to rhange wasnt verv dlsas-
trous slnre rerord lahels rontlnued to ress u
vlnvl for 1s. Add that to nlnor tlnlng lssues on
the C turntahles, 1s rould stlll afford to stlrk to
thelr guns.
But now, wlth new terhnologlral advanres rater-
lng to the dlgltal fornat, that kee lt real at-
tltude 1s exhlhlted wlth thelr rerlous vlnvl ran
rove to he rostlv thls tlne around.
Slnre lts dehut ln Z+, Seratos Srratrh Llve has
all hut ellnlnated vlnvl. Ihe softwarelhardware
1 rogran allows 1s to srratrh and nlx hPJ
les the sane wav thev ran rerords. As wlth
revlous 1 lnnovatlons, Srratrh Llve was sroffed
at lnltlallv, hut now lts herone the undenlahle
standard.
ln not gonna lle, l wanted to kee lt real when
Serato droed, adnlts 1 1ellv of Blg 0on
Rerords and Southern Stvle 1s. l sat on lt for
a alnost a vear. As nurh as terhnologv llke that
hels, lt artuallv hrlngs the value of the 1 down.
Berause now anvone ran |ust rogran nlxes.
Although rograns llke Serato ran nake suh-ar
1s at least sound average, good 1s stlll have an
advantage wlth thelr extenslve rerord rollertlons.
hard-to-nd rlasslrs and rare grooves not usuallv
avallahle ln dlgltal fornat allow then to rreate a
unlqueness ln thelr sets and nlxes. But, there ls
a new servlre on the horlzon that nav nake the
lavlng eld even nore level.
Launrhed ln lehruarv of thls vear, enver-hased
Beat Sourre ls looklng to raltallze on the vold of
rlasslr hl ho rerords avallahle on the net. Art-
lng as sonethlng llke an lIunes for 1s, suhsrrlh-
ers ran urrhase and download hard to nd songs
wlth hlgh-qualltv hltrates that arent usuallv
avallahle at download sltes llke Llnewlre.
Ihere are a lot of rlasslrs fron the 9s are slttlng
on shelves at rerord stores not naklng nonev
and lts hard to nd songs llke those ln one lare
ln dlgltal fornat, savs lranrols Batlste, Buslness
evelonent hanager for Beat Sourre. We want
to sell ln the IZ-lnrh fornat wlth the exllrlt,
rlean, araella and lnstrunental verslons. We
reallv thlnk thls ls the next ste ln the lndustrv.
lgltal dlstrlhutlon at lts nest.
Ihe ustart servlre ls the urhan hranrh of Beat
Port, whlrh serlallzes ln servlrlng 1s wlth anre
nuslr. anre nuslr 1s are alwavs u on the new
terhnologv. lts us ln the hl ho world who are
alwavs hehlnd on stuff, adds 1 1ellv. Evervhodv
wants to kee lt real. l dont nlnd helng authentlr,
hut the wav the world ls, vou have to rhange wlth
the tlnes.
Another slgn of the tlnes ls vldeo nlxlng. Whlle
the trend has vet to ratrh on wlth a lot of 1s,
lt stands to he next henonenon as 1s trv to
nd new wavs to set thenselves aart fron thelr
ronetltlon. But as lnnovatlve as lt ls, lt wlll take
a ronnltnent fron hoth sldes of the tahle to
nake lt work.
lts gonna take sone nore vears to reallv hlow
herause the nuslr lndustrv exers treat vldeos dlf-
ferentlv than Cs, savs Ellonzo 1 Lonnle hanks
of Atlanta, 6eorgla, house 1 at Atlantas oular
J howllng allev. he nentlons that 1s shv awav
fron vldeo nlxlng herause the rost of hulldlng a
vldeo llhrarv and ohtalnlng the roer equlnent
ran run u to SI,. Lahels stlll look at the nu-
slr vldeo as a ronotlonal tool. Slnre thev rater to
networks llke BEI and hIV, thevre not turnlng to
the 1 vet.
As terhnologlral advanres rontlnue the forre the
nuslr lndustrv lnto heronlng a ronsuners narket,
1s wlll have to ad|ust lf thev want to renaln vl-
ahle tastenakers and gatekeeers for nuslr.
Keelng lt real ls the rolned tern, hut the
lndustrv ls rhanglng evervdav, savs Batlste. lf
vou dont want to rhange, vou nlght as well |ust
1 as a hohhv. ll
- haurlre 6. 6arland
Cool
DJ
GaDGEts
lC0NIlNUE 0N PA6E !9)
Virtual DJ by Numark:
Nunarks Vlrtual Vlnvl Conuter 1 Svsten wlth
lnterfare allows vou to use vour ronuter and anv
analog turntahle or C laver to srratrh, nlx, and
sanle dlgltal audlo les.
Retall Prlre. hetween S+J - SS
apples macbook air
Ilred of lugglng around that heavv lato! Between
.I6 to .!6 lnrhes thln and welghlng onlv J.
ounds, harBook Alr sets new standards for ultra-
ortahle ronutlng.
Retall Prlre. around SI,8
0Z0NE hA6 ll +I
I ll BloodRaw 6 Erlr Perrln Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) Z ll B6 the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) J ll Wehhle 6 Lll Boosle Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL)
+ ll Lll Ro of the Wvld Bovz 6 0oos 0Z0NE lAtlanta, 6A) S ll Irlrk addv on the set of Ares Ares Cashfow lhlanl, lL) 6 ll Chlngv Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A)
! ll 1 Chrlstlon Wlldslash lIana, lL) 8 ll 1-Nlrks wlth a lans artlrle lAtlanta, 6A) 9 ll 1 Slr Ihurl Sorletv lSt Louls, h0) I ll 1 Wlldhalrr 6 Rlrk Ross Vlslons for Rlrk
Rosss llstenlng artv lallas, IX) II ll Kelth Kennedv, Nutt Skvwalker 6 Rlrkv lontalne on the set of B0Bs haterz Evervwhere lAtlanta, 6A) IZ ll uval lanondz Ihe 6lohe for
Wehhles release artv l1arksonvllle, lL) IJ ll Coro Renea 6 Bohhv V the Aqua Lounge lVlrglnla Bearh, VA) I+ ll Slln the Bahvlon Bovz rar show llt. hvers, lL) IS ll 1 holldav
Wlldslash lIana, lL) I6 ll Klsha 6 Kerlshla Snlth Atlanta J howllng allev lAtlanta, 6A) I! ll Al 1ohnson R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln Bearh,
lL) I8 ll estlne Ca|uste Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL) I9 ll Blg San 6 K. Esro rhlllln wlth IJ 1AhZ lNorfolk, VA) Z ll Paul Wall 6 Ire uhh hvnotlr lKllleen, IX) ZI ll Plthull
Wlldslash lIana, lL) ZZ ll laholous on the set of Ares Cashfow lhlanl, lL) ZJ ll Ihaddaeus hrAdans 1ustlns lAtlanta, 6A) Z+ ll 1 Blg San Conedv Cluh for Southern
hustlln tour afterartv lhanton Roads, VA) ZS ll 1 Prostvle Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL) Z6 ll Coro Renea 6 Ranage on set hls vldeo shoot lNewort News, VA) Z! ll
Butrh harteld 6 1 Blg Blnk Vlslons for Rlrk Rosss llstenlng artv lallas, IX) Z8 ll Rlrk Ross llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) Z9 ll 1 K-Ror 6 1 ro
Rhvthn Cltv lallas, IX) J ll 6ll 6reen on the set of Ares Ares Cashfow lhlanl, lL) JI ll Naffau R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln Bearh, lL) JZ
ll 1 etrolt 6 1 Blsho Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) JJ ll hlke lresh 6 6randaddv Souf Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) J+ ll Lll C, Blg Kuntrv, Young LA, Blg
Swoll, 6 1ason 6eter the C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) JS ll LaLa 6 Irlna the Bearon l0rlando, lL)
Photo Credlts. Coro Renea lIJ,I9,Z6), Edward hall lI,Z!,Z9), Erlr Perrln l6,8,II,I6,ZJ), 1ulla Beverlv lZ,Z+,J+), Klng Yella l9), Leon Llovd lS,J), hallk Ahdul l!,IZ,I+,IS,I!,I8,ZI,
ZZ,ZS,Z8,JI), hs Rlverrltv lJZ), Randv Roer l+), Skarzz lJS), Ierrenre Ivson lI,J,JJ), Ire uhh lZ)
lahove L-R). Snoo ogg 9J.J ln houston, IX lPhoto. Knowledge), Irev Songz Southern hustlln Iour ln hanton Roads, VA lPhoto. 1ulla Beverlv), Wehhle 9J.J ln houston, IX
lPhoto. Knowledge)
0Z0NE hA6 ll +I
+Z ll 0Z0NE hA6 +Z ll
The Day The
Game Changed
lt was 1anuarv Z6th, Z!, an average dav ln Atlanta, 6A.
hatter of fart, lt was the dav after hartln Luther Klngs
hlrthdav and 1 rana was on to of the nlxtae world.
hls 6angsta 6rlllz nlxtae serles had alreadv asslsted I.l.
ln heronlng the Klng of the South, heled Young 1eezv
rreate one of the greatest novenents the gane had
ever seen, and glven Lll Wavne the nedlun to herone
the hest raer allve wlthout an alhun out. When lt
rane to naklng Southern artlsts relevant, 1 rana was
kev. Evervone knew, lf vou wanted to hreak a rerord ln
the South, voud see rana. lf vou were a new artlst
and needed a huzz ln the street, voud see rana. lf
vou were an estahllshed artlst wlth a new alhun on the
horlzon, voud see rana. lf the nlxtae gane were the
drug gane, 6angsta 6rlllz nlxtaes were Blue haglr.

havhe the leds thought hls nlxtaes were drugs. 0n the
aforenentloned date, horrow and Clavton Countv ollre
ralded the Ahllllates huslr 6rou ofre, as lf rana was
lrank Luras. 8I, nlxtae Cs, ronuters, rerordlng
equlnent and rars were all ronsrated. Not to nentlon,
the ronanles assets were frozen. Ivree rana Sln-
nons, and hls assorlate onald on Cannon, were hoth
lnned to the ground wlth hI6s drawn on then, and
arrested on rharges of hootlegglng and rarketeerlng.
What had started as |ust another dav of feedlng the
streets wlth arguahlv the hest nlxtaes serles ln the
gane ended wlth rana and on Cannon hehlnd
hars. And as rana ralls lt, lt was the dav the gane
rhanged. Ihe two 1s sent the next Z+ hours ln |all,
hefore helng released on SI, honds. Ihev returned
hone to a lree rana and Cannon ranalgn that had
llterallv srung u overnlght, ronlete wlth lree rana
and Cannon shlrts. Ihe streets had rallled hehlnd then,
hut at the sane tlne, not ronletelv understandlng
what haened.
0nre the llghts were turned on, nlxtae advorates
sread llke roarhes. hlxtae 1s aused thelr hurners.
Wehsltes that sold and dlstrlhuted nlxtaes, surh as
nlxunlt.ron and nlxtaeklngs.ron, halted the sale
of nlxtaes. Rerord lahel rono deartnents that
nornallv allorated funds luwards of SZ, er rol-
lahoratlon) for artlsts to work wlth nlxtae 1s turned
thelr harks on the sltuatlon.
As rana told 0Z0NE durlng hls hav Z! lntervlew, l
never felt llke l was dolng anvthlng wrong. Io ne, all
lve heen dolng was sonethlng that was art of hl ho,
a art of the nuslr huslness, sonethlng that lve alwavs
gotten suort ln. So at what olnt would l he thlnklng l
was dolng sonethlng wrong!
Well, terhnlrallv, lt ls agalnst the law. Yes, nlxtaes have
alwavs heen a art of hl ho. Bark ln the davs, 6rand-
naster llex and the lurlous llve, Kool herr, 1 hol-
lvwood and Afrlra Banhaataa sold nlxtaes. Lovehug
Starskl, S6S and Ron 6 rontlnued the trend. lunknaster
llex and Clue took lt to new helghts. haglr hlke, 1ellv
and hlrhael Watts nade lt lnto a rraze down South. S
Cent and Whoo Kld evolved nlxtaes lnto street alhun
fornat, and rana adoted that sane fornat and nade
lt work ln the lrtv South. But throughout the vears,
whlle lt was never reallv dlsrussed or regulated, selllng
nlxtaes have alwavs heen lllegal.
ranas run-ln wlth the Rerordlng lndustrv Assorla-
tlon of Anerlra lRlAA) was not the rst. ln Arll ZS,
Carollna nlxtae 1 Churk I was lnvestlgated for alleg-
edlv vlolatlng federal rovrlght lnfrlngenent laws. hv
|lnvestlgatlon] was ln the earller stages of the RlAA vs.
the nlxtae thlng, Churk I exlalns. Ihev reallv dldnt
know what thev were looklng for, or what to look for.
l got off wlth a ne for not havlng nv address on the
Cs. Iheres artuallv a law that savs vouve gotta have
the orlgln of the nanufarturer and the rovwrlte holder
osted on the C. A lot of nlxtaes dont have that.
After Churk Is lnvestlgatlon, he states that he trled to
warn others lnvolved wlth selllng nlxtaes and even
dlsrussed hls trouhles durlng hls hav ZS lntervlew
wlth 0Z0NE, hut hls warnlngs fell on deaf ears. l
srreaned at the to of nv lungs what was golng on
wlth hls whole nlxtae shlt, and nlggas sald l was
lvlng, he savs. ln talklng ahout 1s, raers, eole
ln the streets. Nlggas thought l was lvlng and ulllng a
uhllrltv stunt. l told eole, |the RlAA] sald thev were
golng to dlg deeer and lnvestlgate nore rases. Ihen,
all of a sudden 1 rana gets knorked and evervhodvs
rrvlng and runnlng to ark u thelr nlxtaes, sell thelr
hurners and get the furk outta odge.
Now, nore than a vear later, a lot of thlngs have
rhanged slnre rana and Cannon got lnrhed. lor ex-
anle, nlxunlt.ron. 0nre a slte that was redonlnantlv
hased on selllng nlxtaes, hlx Unlt rhanged lts forus
and added a larger varletv to lts onllne store. hlxtaes
were what we were known for, rlnarllv, savs founder
and ro-owner of hlx Unlt, harlo Rlos. But onre |1
ranas] whole sltuatlon went down, we reallv shlfted
the forus and klnda trled to nake a hroader store. We
have rlothlng, thousands of leres of wax, thousands of
Vs, klrks, evervthlng related to hl ho.
Whlle selllng nlxtaes was onre the norn, nanv 1s
and artlsts have hegun glvlng thelr taes awav for free.
hanv have offered thelr ro|erts through free downloads
on thelr ersonal wehsltes, hlogs and hvsare. And wlth
the lnrreaslng oularltv of the lnternet, free nuslr on
the lnternet lsnt exerted to go anvwhere, anvtlne
soon. huslr ls drolng for free, dlgltallv onllne, on
Cannon savs. lf vou alnt ln the lnternet gane ln the
next roule of vears, then all that underground nuslr ls
gonna he hard to get. Peole are uttlng thelr nuslr u
on hlogs and wehsltes. Ihats the future.
Artlsts and 1s are glvlng thelr nlxtaes awav for free
downloads herause at the end of the dav, a nlxtae ls
vour huslness rard, rana adds. l thlnk the nlxtae
gane ls denltelv helng enhanred hv new wavs of get-
tlng the nuslr to the eole. A lot of eole are gettlng
then through free downloads and wehsltes. Artlsts are
stlll hreaklng thenselves as artlsts herause thelr nuslr
ls helng heard and lts gettlng to an enornous anount
of eole.
Ihe worldwlde weh has rhanged how nlxtaes are
dlstrlhuted, hut thats not the onlv rhange slnre the
rald. Wlth rana and Cannon on hlatus due to thelr
legal natters and other 1s unsure ahout the legal rlsk
lnvolved, the to nlxtae hlerarrhv was rearranged.
hlxtae 1s surh as Snallz, Srrean, Blgga Rankln and
Churk I steed u, as others quletlv howed out.
What haened wlth rana srared a lot of 1s who
were nv ronetltlon, Churk I savs. A lot of nlggas
who were nv ronetltlon droed out of the nlxtae
gane. A lot of nlggas that were ln lt for the nonev and
reallv dldnt glve a dann ahout reservlng the nlxtae
rulture, thev were the rst to turk thelr talls and run.
|hlxtaes] have heen good for ne, 1 Srrean adds.
lt heled ne hranrh lnto other thlngs on the exerutlve
end. A lot of lndustrv eole and lahels have reserted
nv ear, and rredlt ne for hrlnglng artlsts to the tahle
rst. Ihat oened a lot of doors for ne on the narketlng
and ronotlons end.
rana has returned to releaslng nlxtaes to the streets.
Slnre August Z!, he has worked wlth artlsts llke laho-
lous, the Cllse and 6orllla Zoe, and ln the near future,
has lans to rollahorate wlth S Cent and 6-Unlt.
l thlnk |the nlxtae gane] was slow for awhlle and
eole were ronrerned and nervous, he savs. But a
vear later, llke anvthlng ln hl ho, we learn to ad|ust
and we learn to overrone, and we kee on rolllng. ln
roud of the hlg artlsts that stlll enhrare nlxtaes.
ln roud of the newroner 1s have reallv gotten thelr
grlnd on. ln roud of the to notrh 1s who are stlll
ronslstentlv out here.
What ahout the rerordlng lndustrv! Are lahels and the
RlAA satlsed wlth the ad|ustnents! Wlth the derllne ln
alhun sales arross the nuslr lndustrv, how nurh of the
hlane ran he ut on nlxtaes! ls there a dlrert rorrela-
tlon hetween nlxtaes and alhun sales! o nlxtaes
affert alhun sales, negatlvelv or osltlvelv! Arrordlng
to rana, lts the latter. Last vear, no hlg artlst reallv
hroke off nlxtaes, he savs. Ihe last roule vears,
vou look at 6ane, vou look at S, vou look at 1eezv,
vou look at Wavne. Ihese are all eole that rane u
off nlxtaes. Ihose are all artlsts that had verv hlgh
|selllng] dehut alhuns, exrludlng Wavne. 0ne of the
wavs Wavne got to hls donlnanre ls through nlxtaes.
No rerords were helng sold herause no novenents were
hreaklng ln the streets, artlrularlv fron the nlxtae
era. Ihere was an era ln tlne when all vour favorlte art-
lsts rane fron nlxtaes and that era klnda halted. So,
the derllne of rerord sales was afferted hv the derllne of
the nlxtae era.
Wlthout questlon, nlxtaes have heen vltal to the ra-
reers of nanv artlsts. Ihev have heled veteran raers
llke 1oe Budden and the Cllse renaln relevant to the
underground and allow then to sulv fans wlth new
nuslr, whlle ln llnho wlth rerord lahels. And for new
artlsts llke Ahllllates huslr 6rou newroner, Wlllle Ihe
Kld, nlxtaes have heen the ldeal latforn for lntrodur-
lng thenselves to the streets and estahllshlng a fan
hase hefore releaslng a dehut alhun.
hlxtaes have herone the nunher one tool for nar-
ketlng an artlst, Wlllle, who has released two 6angsta
6rlllz nlxtae wlth 1 rana, savs. Nothlng ran qulte
do lt llke a nlxtae, as far as lettlng an artlst go and do
lt wlthout anv restralnts and hlt the streets rst, rlght
to the eole. Ihe na|orltv of the exosure l got rane
fron the nlxtaes.
Ihe gane has rhanged slnre that dav, hut rana and
on Cannon are ne, lf not hetter off, slnre thelr arrests.
No fornal rharges or lndlrtnent have heen hrought
agalnst then. Ihelr 6angsta 6rlllz radlo show on Atlanta
radlo statlon hot I!.9 lnrreased fron one dav to ve
davs a week. Cannon has rodured trarks for 0utkast,
lreewav, and laholous, and ranas 6angsta 6rlllz
alhun was released on Atlantlr Rerords last erenher.
Stlll, thelr rontlnued surress and RlAA hattle hasnt
stoed thelr lnfuenre ln the streets, as the two have
hoth returned to drolng nlxtaes lof rourse, wlth
thelr addresses and a dlsrlalner on the Cs now).
Where hl ho goes, nlxtaes wlll go, rana savs
hlxtaes have alwavs heen here. Ihevve evolved over
the vears, and are gonna kee evolvlng. ln stlll grlnd-
lng and eole are stlll looklng for 1 rana. ln stlll
gettlng nonev, stlll dolng shows, stlll dolng radlo, stlll
travellng the world. Llfe ls good, nan. lll never leave
the nlxtae gane alone. Ihats what got ne here. ll
- Words hv Randv Roer
0Z0NE hA6 ll +J
I ll Blg Ilgger Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL) Z ll Rlrh Bov on the set of B0Bs haterz Evervwhere lAtlanta, 6A) J ll llo Rlda llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv
l0rlando, lL) + ll 6urrl Poorhle, Are 6utta, 6 1 Nastv llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) S ll Lll Boosle 6 Ruln Southern hustlln Iour lhanton Roads, VA)
6 ll Iosln Cluh hvnotlr lKllleen, IX) ! ll Rosrl Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL) 8 ll 1 Churk I, hallk Ahdul, 6 huhle Kush Lounge for 0Z0NE artv lCharleston, SC) 9 ll
Kld honev K6 6 1 ha|lrk Wlldslash lIana, lL) I ll hs Rlta 6 1 Prlnre 1r Cluh hvnotlr lKllleen, IX) II ll 0rlando Wlldslash lIana, lL) IZ ll hagno 6 Ire uhh Cluh
hvnotlr lKllleen, IX) IJ ll Chantal R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln Bearh, lL) I+ ll Pln 1 Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL) IS ll 1 Khaled Srlng
Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL) I6 ll 1 B-Lord 6 Snook Level for B-Lords hlrthdav artv lColunhla, SC) I! ll Krazv Yogl llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) I8 ll 1eff
1ohnson Cluh estlnv l0rlando, lL) I9 ll Iurner 6 Snlles Ihe Cut Rerordlng Studlo lVlrglnla Bearh, VA) Z ll K da uke, Llsa har, 6 Blg Iurk Cluh hvnotlq lallas, IX) ZI ll
E-Class, Iltv Bol of Plavaz Clrrle, 6 Lvte C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) ZZ ll Akon, Lll uval, 6 1ason 6eter Ihe C0RE 1s Retreat lNew 0rleans, LA) ZJ ll a Iraa 6 Rorkv
Roads Crew Cluh hvstlque lVlrglnla Bearh, VA) Z+ ll 1 Crvstvle 6 huev Wlldslash lIana, lL) ZS ll 1 Sroodz R1s for 0Z0NE artv durlng Srlng Bllng weekend lWest Paln
Bearh, lL) Z6 ll 1 Iwlsta Ihe Cave lVlrglnla Bearh, VA) Z! ll oughskl 6 Stuhh-A-Lean on the set of Lll Wllls vldeo shoot for Lll Wllls hv ougle lallas, IX) Z8 ll 1 Nastv 6 LV
of Nastv Beatnakers Ihe Roxv for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) Z9 ll Ball llrestone for 1 Nastvs hlrthdav artv l0rlando, lL) J ll Brlan of 1agged Edge lAtlanta, 6A)
JI ll Blg Chlef Rhvthn Cltv lallas, IX) JZ ll Coro Renea 6 Blg B of the Buddah Brothers hornlng Show lNorfolk, VA) JJ ll Coro Renea 6 Ralh of Azzure enln lNorfolk, VA) J+ ll
Brure Chan the Bark Park Klng 6 Coro Renea Cluh hvstlque lVlrglnla Bearh, VA) JS ll Soul|a Bov Srlng Bllng lRlvlera Bearh, lL)
Photo Credlts. Clevls harrlson lI6), Coro Renea lI9,ZJ,Z6,JZ,JJ,J+), Lvte lZI), Edward hall lZ!,JI), Erlr Perrln lZ,J), 1ulla Beverlv lS), Kurtls 6rahan lZ), hallk Ahdul lJ,+,!,9,I
I,IJ,I+,IS,I!,I8,Z+,ZS,Z8,Z9,JS), Ierrenre Ivson lI,8,ZZ), Ire uhh l6,I,IZ)
lahove L-R). ueen 6 Bun B Sorletv ln St Louls, h0 lPhoto. Klng Yella), Rlrk Ross 9J.J ln houston, IX lPhoto. Knowledge), 0oos antes ln St Louls, h0 lPhoto. Klng Yella)
0Z0NE hA6 ll +J
++ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Words by ANTHoNy robErTs
0utslde of the Bohrats, heads ln Charlotte havent had nurh to rheer ahout
these davs. Well, walt a nlnute, artuallv thev havent had anvthlng to rheer
ahout these davs. But lf honegrown rhvne sltter Sonnv Rlrh has anvthlng
to sav ahout lt, thev denltelv wlll soon. havlng srrlhhled ln hls rhvne hook
slnre the !th grade, Rlrh alwavs had an lnsatlahle asslon for hl ho, hut
seened to have a knark for alwavs helng deralled hv what he ralls real llfe.
After derldlng to ursue hls enree dreans wlth rerkless ahandon onlv a vear
ago, hes alreadv gearlng u to dro hls dehut dlsr Ihe V.l.R.U.S. lVolre lnslde
Rehel Urhan Soldlers) on Keelork Entertalnnent. And wlth so nurh lvrlral
dexterltv, nanv eole often forget that hes fron North Carkalark.
Peole he ronfused, llke, ls he fron Charlotte! he savs of hls attentlon to
lvrlral detall. Ihev dont usuallv hear down South artlsts wlth so nurh lvrlral
rontent. ln klnda llke a rare hreed down here.
Exlalnlng that hls afnltv for ronlex rhvnes rane fron hls love for storv-
tellers llke Srarfare, Andre J and Raekwon durlng hls fornatlve vears, the
Carollna rhvner ls nore than rondent that hls nlx of down South senslhlll
tles wlth an East roast lnfuenre wlll onlv hel hln rearh a larger fanhase.
Wlth nv sound, ln golng to tourh a llttle hlt of evervhodv, he exlalns.
l ran nake these down South, hass-heavv rerords and stlll rater to those
looklng for lvrlrs. Klnda llke what 1av |Z] hrlngs to the gane. Evervhodv feels
hln, no natter where voure fron.
Never one to he egged as |ust another raer, Sonnv Rlrh also savs that he
feels llke lts hls dutv to he dlfferent than other enrees rurrentlv ln the gane
and that hes uttlng not |ust hls rltv, hut hls whole state on hls hark, holng
that evervhodv wlll ratrh Ihe V.l.R.U.S. when lt dros.
When evervhodv goes rlght, l trv to go left. l dont llke to do what evervhodv
else ls dolng. l want to searate nvself fron other artlsts, he exlalns.
l trled to analvze evervthlng out there and looked for those gas that
nohodv ls reallv tourhlng on rlght now, Sonnv ronrludes. Evervhodv |ust
thlnks of Petev Pahlo when thev thlnk of here. l feel llke the Carollnas are
heavllv overlooked ln hl ho and l want to shlne sone llght on nv area.
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SONNY RICH
CHARLOTTE, NC
0Z0NE hA6 ll +S
+6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Words by CIErrA MIddLEbrooKs
PHoTo by KING yELLA
At a tlne when rlngtones are selllng nore than alhuns and one hlt wonders
are at an all-tlne hlgh, St. Louls nanages to he the hone of one of the few
real raers left ln the gane. 1us Bleezv ls known around SIL as the orlglnal
ra lnnovator. hls rreatlve and aggresslve fow earned hln rredlhllltv ln the
streets, and he savs lt wasnt a had lare to grow u.
6rowlng u ln St. Louls was a good exerlenre and lt gave ne great oortu-
nltles, savs Bleezv. Ihe onlv thlng that set ne hark ls where ln at wlth nv
rareer rlght now, lt should have heen there ten vears ago.
Ien vears ago 1us Bleezv was ralng hut he was lnto the streets nore than
the studlo. An lnrldent at the St. Louls rluh, Ihe Snlth Center, gave Bleezv
a nlght he would never forget. Whlle leavlng the rluh after a show he was
shot seven tlnes wlth hoth an AK-+! and a 9 nllllneter. honlrlde detertlves
ronounred hln dead at the srene of the rrlne hut he sonehow revlved ln
the anhulanre on the wav to the hosltal. Although he rheated death, the
lnrldent dldnt leave a lastlng effert on hln.
lt afferted ne, hut when voure ln the streets rertaln thlngs rone wlth lt and
l was reared to dle lf need he, heglns Bleezv. When voure ln the streets
llvlng that street shlt, gettlng shot u |ust rones wlth lt.
After the shootlng Bleezv noved on wlth hls nuslr, releaslng hls rst radlo
slngle Wonen Alnt All Ihat Bad, whlrh rerelved great revlews and to +
alrlav on radlo statlons. lt ultlnatelv raught the eve of Unlversal Rerords
and he and hls huslness artner 6urrlo slgned a dlstrlhutlon deal wlth the
lahel that he desrrlhes as ure hullshlt.
Ihat shlt dldnt work out at all, he savs. l would never do that shlt agaln
ln nv llfe. Ihev dldnt want to glve us lnfornatlon. Ihev ut our shlt ln the
stores and dldnt want to tell us where lt was at. lt |ust wasnt a good nove.
Wlth that exerlenre u under hls helt, Bleezv ls ursulng the rest of hls
rareer as an lndle artlst, galnlng resert fron sone of hl hos nest surh
as Bun B, 1ln 1ones, Rlrk Ross, and a host of others. hls rurrent new slngle
Llke he featurlng Irev Songz ls heatlng u alrwaves fast and Bleezv ls readv
to nake a lastlng lnresslon on hl ho.
l got wav too nurh ower ln nuslr. You rant ronare ne to an artlst, vou
have to ronare ne to an lron, savs Bleezv. ln ronlng ln to klll the gane
and alnt nohodv stolng ne.
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JUS BLEEZY
ST. LOUIS, MO
0Z0NE hA6 ll +!
+8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Words by ANTHoNy robErTs
PHoTo by HANNIbAL MATTHEWs
lor Nashvllle rrooner 1C, the never-endlng hustle ls |ust a art of the gane.
lts a art that he hoth understands and feeds on slnultaneouslv. havlng
nade a nane for hlnself on the all hut non-exlstent R6B srene ln hls hone-
town, a rhanre neetlng wlth u-and-ronlng nuslr nogul Russell Blork
Senrer of Blork Entertalnnent through nutual frlends would rove to he
|ust the oortunltv that he needed to get hls volre out to the nasses. But lf
voure thlnklng that hls snooth R6B aeal nav not t ln wlth the ran that
houses Yung 1or, 6orllla Zoe and Bovz N a hood, thlnk agaln.
l klnda rarrv nvself llke a raer, as far as nv grlnd. l thlnk thats what he
llked ahout ne, he savs to whv Blg Blork ut hln down wlth the tean. l net
Blork and l had alreadv had an lndeendent alhun out and had sold a roule
thousand roles nvself, on the street. l started off slnglng to ra trarks
herause thats all l rould get at the tlne ln Nashvllle. l was dolng that wav
hefore I-Paln or Akon.
havlng relorated to the nurh frlendller ronnes of Atlanta, the voung vorallst
lnnedlatelv generated a healthv huzz fron hls 6orllla Zoe-asslsted slngle
Nohodv l Know. hls new fanhase ls eagerlv antlrlatlng hls na|or lahel
dehut Volrenall, due out at the end of sunner.
l wrote the whole alhun and ro-rodured lt wlth nv artner Irev Stvles. You
o lt ln, and lts llke voure rherklng vour volrenall, exlalns 1C. lt savs,
You have I6 new nessages, and goes on fron there. Ihe rerord takes vou
fron the rluh all the wav down to the 1ohn Legend-tve songs wlth |ust the
lano.
Wlth hel fron a few frlends lnrludlng Yung 1or, 1odv Breeze and Rlrk Ross,
1C ls holng that those who arerlate good R6B wlth an edge wlll he ahle
to arerlate hls alhun. And though he no longer resldes ln hls honetown
of Nashvllle, he hasnt forgotten ahout lt or taken llghtlv the anount of
resonslhllltv he has to hls rltv. Nashvllle klnda has a glass relllng and vou
ran onlv get so far, he savs. l feel llke l got as far as l rould there and l stlll
dldnt feel llke l had gotten anvwhere.
he rontlnues, Nashvllle ls a lot nore known for rountrv |nuslr] and gosel.
We never had a rontenorarv R6B artlst to rone out of Nashvllle and hlow
u. ln ln Atlanta now and theres dlfferent lndustrv olltlrs here. l have a
hlgger latforn. lt gets to he a llttle ressure herause l know a lot of eole
|hark hone] would he dlsaolnted lf l dldnt nake lt.
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JC NASHVILLE, TN
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ACE HOOD
DEERFIELD BEACH, FL
Words by Ms rIVErCITy
PHoTo by MALIK AbdUL
We the Best ls a hrase that has herone svnonvnous wlth
the southern llorlda nuslr narhlne thanks to evervone fron
1 Khaled to Rlrk Ross shoutlng lt to the olnt of near over-
klll, the ultlnate goal of hrandlng. Wlth the ongolng surress
of hlanls rurrent artlsts, the nonentun nust rontlnue wlth
a new hreed of we-the-hest talent. Are hood svnhollzes a
seed of rehlrth for the next generatlon.
Born ln Port St. Lurla, llorlda, Antolne Are hood hrColls-
ter relorated to Broward Countv at the age of ve after hls
arents searatlon. Although hls father was a srarre gure
ln Antolnes and hls four slhllngs llves, the entertalnnent
genes were assed down. ln addltlon to hls hlrth father
helng ln a hand, hls ste-father was a rerordlng artlst and
art of a slnglng grou, resultlng ln Ares eventual dlve lnto
nuslr.
Bv the tlne he was a voung adult, Are had hegun to narket
hlnself as a raer, growlng ln hoth talent and exosure.
Lorated near one of the huzzlng huhs for hl ho, Are was ln
a rlne osltlon to network wlth the ower lavers of hlanl,
lnrludlng hls future hoss 1 Khaled.
he and Khaled net u at the statlon 99 1anz. l wanted to
erforn at hls hlrthdav hash hut lt ended u helng sone-
thlng further than that, savs Are ahout hls rst enrounter
wlth the CE0 of We Ihe Best huslr. Baslrallv, he sald he
would llsten to the song and onre he llstened to lt, he ralled
nv nanager hark that nlght and told hln he wanted to hear
ne on a hlgger rerord. he sent ln So hood over to ne and
l rled lt down and sent lt to hln the next dav.
After heronlng the rst artlst slgned to We Ihe Best, ef 1an
entered the nlx after Are lnressed lahel head L.A. Reld. he
ran Cash llow hark ve tlnes, llterallv, savs Are. he never
does that for new artlsts. l steed out of the roon and
twentv nlnutes later lts We the Bestlef 1an.
Ihe Runners-rodured slngle Cash llow has over ZJ,
lavs on hvsare and rountlng. Sure, the I-Paln hook
rouled wlth a Rlrk Ross guest aearanre ls garnerlng
a nass of uhllr aeal, hut lts Ares erre lvrlrs that are
keelng attentlon hulldlng for hls dehut alhun, 6utta.
l use the tern gutta a lot herause lt reresents ne as a
erson, he exlalns. lron nv swag to nv slang and how l
do thlngs.
Near ronletlon, 6utta features na|or-league rodurtlon
fron 1.U.S.I.l.C.E. League, 6old Rush, Ihe Runners, and Cool 6
re. Aslde fron ronletlng several hlt rerords and hrlnglng
a new swag to the gane, Are hood ls also drlven to rove
that helng fron a snall rltv ls an ohstarle that ran he over-
rone hv a deternlned artlst.
l want eole to get a new energv and glve the gane a
dlfferent look, he savs. 6rowlng u ln a snall rltv, |nv
sltuatlon] lets eole know that vou ran he fron nowhere
and grow u to he sonethlng na|or.

S ll 0Z0NE hA6
SZ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Words by CIErrA MIddLEbrooKs
PHoTo by KEVIN TErELL
Last sunner Soul|a Bov had the whole world
rranklng lt. Ihls sunner Atlanta raer
V.l.C. has evervone gettlng slllv. 6et Slllv,
rodured hv Soul|a Bov, ls the latest hlt rerord
that has rreated lts own danre noves, al-
though thats not what the song was lntended
for.

6ettlng slllv started out as a forn of seerh
llke nv rhaln slllv, nv whl slllv, neanlng lt
was sweet, V.l.C. savs. lt evolved lnto a danre
hv ltself.
V.l.C. was horn ln New York and noved to
Atlanta when he was ten vears old. When he
noved to Atlanta, thats when he savs he
hegan to exerlenre llfe. lt was so nurh
vlolenre golng on at the tlne that l was llvlng
ln New York that nv arents wouldnt even let
ne go outslde and lav, he renenhers. So,
l dldnt reallv start exerlenrlng llfe untll l
noved to Atlanta and fron there on lt was all
good.
he started ralng at an earlv age, and whlle
he was stlll ln grade srhool the tearhers asked
hln to wrlte a ra and erforn lt ln front of
the srhool. han, l dont know what nade
then ask ne to wrlte the ra and erforn lt,
hut l dld and evervhodv loved lt, he savs.
lron then on l knew l wanted to he a raer.

Now at age Z+, V.l.C. ls gettlng readv to release
hls dehut alhun and although 6et Slllv ls hls
hlt slngle, he savs the alhun wlll not ronslst of
the sane tve of songs. ln an era of rlngtone
raers V.l.C. does not want to he nentloned ln
that rategorv.

Sone eole get lnto the gane |ust to trv and
nake sone qulrk nonev and vou ran tell hv
the lvrlral rontent, he savs. But l do lt he-
rause l reallv love lt, so l dont ronslder nvself
a rlngtone raer.

hls dehut alhun Ihe Beast ls srheduled to he
release thls sunner and wlll feature rodur-
tlon fron hr. Colllark and other well-known
rodurers, hut dont exert to see anv rol-
lahoratlons.

l want to showrase nv skllls on the alhun
so l derlded not to rollahorate, he savs. Ihe
alhun ls golng to he a hanger though. l rant
walt for the eole to hear lt.
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V.I.C.
ATLANTA, GA
0Z0NE hA6 ll SJ
S+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll SS
DEy KNoW HEs Da MaN WHo
DuNN DuNN It all, but WHat It
Is about sHaWty lo aND HIs
solo DEbut, Units in the City,
tHat WoulD MaKE tHE faNs
foolIsH to forGEt?
Words by Eric N. PErriN
Photos by Earl raNdolPh
R
lght now Shawtv Lo ls hlatantlv hreaklng the law.
hes a hlork awav fron hls heloved Bankhead
hlghwav, on an ahandoned street, hone to doe
ends and hood urrhlns-and he ls standlng on ahout +,
hrlrks. hls ever-resent arnv of whlte-tee rlad soldlers are all
aranold that the ollre are on thelr wav, hut Lo doesnt nuster
an ounre of ronrern.
han, raln downl Ihe ollre alnt worrled ahout usl vells a
deant Shawtv Lo, notlonlng the hotograher to rontlnue
wlth the hoto shoot fron the renalns of a rerentlv hulldozed
hulldlng. Los volred dlsregard doesnt ease the anxletv of hls
nervous rrew lseronds earller, the owner of the denollshed
hulldlng threatened to rall the ollre for tresasslng on rlvate
roertv), hut when Shawtv Lo glves an order, hls generals fol-
low, so thev renaln qulet.
Ihev |ust wanna he around thev klng, Lo later savs ahout hls
loval lahorers.
And rlght now, Shawtv Lo rertalnlv feels llke a klng. lts late
afternoon on the west slde of Atlanta and even though the sun
ls hldlng heneath the overrast skv, Carlos Shawtv Lo Walker ls
hasklng ln the hrlght llghts of a fashlng ranera. lts no serret
that Carlos Walker was a onre ronlnent drug lord who served
tlne ln rlson for hls deallngs, hut now hes ald hls dues, and
done hls tlne. he and hls generals have heen novlng unlts ln
LO LIMIT
0Z0NE hA6 ll SS
S6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
thls rltv slnre I99J, and todav ls no dlfferent.
Los Unlts ln Ihe Cltv stlll rone arkaged ln las-
tlr, hut now thevre dlstrlhuted through Asvlun
and eddled hv ushers surh as Best Buv and
San 6oodv. Shawtv Lo nalntalns that he never
lntended to he a raer, hut thats exartlv what
hes herone. Llke lt or not, hls hlt slngle ev
Know, whlrh sanles the rlasslr I9! Edwln Starr
hlt, War, has undouhtedlv herone one of the
hottest songs ln the South, and lf vou add that to
hls growlng resune lnrludlng trarks surh as unn
unn and ZSs ln a han, lt herones aar-
ent that Shawtv Lo ls qulrklv heronlng a stale of
the AIL nuslr srene.
Los llfe ls essentlallv slnllar to nanv of hls
rederessors who transltloned fron traer to
raer, hut one elenent that nakes Shawtv Lo
trulv unlque ls that lf vou want hln, vou reallv ran
nd hln ln the A. hell he on the west slde, nore
serlrallv, rlght ln front of hls studlo at Z6I
onald Lee hollowell Parkwav. Ihe ofrlal nane of
the road was rerentlv rhanged, hut ls stlll referred
to hv natlves as Bankhead hlghwav.
l dont need no serurltv guards or nothlng out
here, savs Lo. Even anldst hls growlng fane and
surress, he refuses to relorate hls +L studlos and
hounre fron Bankhead. All vou see ls ne and nv
honehovs. Ihe Bowen hone hero adds, No nat-
ter what klnda nonev l get, lll stlll he rlght here.
hlnutes after hls hoto shoot ln the denollshed
hulldlng, Shawtv Lo slts ln the harkseat of hls
rhauffeured Cadlllar Esralade outslde of hls
Bankhead studlo. he has a fresh order of Chlnese
rhlrken wlngs and a llngerlng hangover fron the
nlght hefore lRorkos alhun release artv), hut for
Shawtv Lo, llfe doesnt get nurh hetter than thls.
he ls naklng hls nark on the world fron the verv
sane street he grew u on, surrounded hv llfelong
frlends and a ronfortahle settlng. Shawtv Lo ls ln
hls elenent, and theres Lo Llnlt ls slght.
lt seens llke llfe has heen treatlng vou rettv
well latelv.
Llfe heen rrazv, hut lts heen good. Ihe road has
heen klnda rrazv. ln on the road ve davs a
week, fron Wednesdav untll hondav, so l harelv
have tlne for nv fanllv. Ihe alhun ls ln stores
rlght now, Unlts ln the Cltv. And evervthlngs heen
good. l got nv grou Cosanostra Chaln 6ang ron-
lng rlght hehlnd ne wlth lare Salded, hs. I, Red
Bov, and the rest of nv artlsts ronlng rlght hehlnd
ne. Shouts to nv hrother Stuntnan, hook B, and
the rest of +L, and l gotta shout out nv nan er-
to srhooland we were oor, hut she nade ne and
nv slster Ann were fed, rlean, and went to srhool.
We rohahlv dldnt have a lot on Chrlstnas and stuff
llke that, hut she nade a wav for us. Ihats whv l
love that song ear hana hv Iuar, herause lt
renlnded ne of what l went through.
So after she dled what exartlv dld vou get lnto!
l started off rohhln and dolng all klnda stuff, and
l got raught u ln 9+. But 6od hlessed ne, l |ust
got hoot ran and rane hone ln 9S. ln I99S l
was llke the llttle eho ln the hood. l was good
wlth nv hands. ln a good ghter. And thls older
dude naned Cool ulled ne to the slde one dav
and sald, Lo, the wav vou round here klrkln these
nlggas ass, vou gon have a lot of followers. So l
forned a llttle rllque. You renenher No Llnlt!
Yeah.
Well we used to rall ourselves Lo Llnlt. And l was
lntrodured to the drug gane herause |ln] Bowen
hones thats all there was. drugs. l dldnt wanna
he llke hlrhael 1ordan or hlrhael 1arkson. l knew
the gotdann hlg hovs rldlng the Cadlllars and the
evllles, and thats what l wanted to he. l wanted
glrls and nonev. l alreadv had the nusrle ln the
hood, so what rane next ls that l started gettlng
nonev ln the hood, l learned how to rook work.
l got tlred of eole selllng ne hullshlt alreadv
rooked, so l |ust started huvlng the owder and
trled to do lt nvself. lt took ne furklng u ahout
ten tlnes, hut after l got lt down, l started dou-
hllng nv rots. Whatever l rooked l rould rlone
lt, and that nade ne have the hest rlres ln town.
he and nv rrew took over. l was that guv. We was
gettlng nonev, nan, and thats when l herane
that nlgga. l took the streets over around 96, and
l had a nllllon run. l had no tearher, no guldanre,
nothlng. l learned a lot of shlt on nv own, and l
rane to he that nlgga ln Atlanta, and thats whv
the streets of Atlanta resert ne so nurh.
Ihe eole reserted vou as doe hov and a
Bankhead lron, hut how dld vou get then to take
vou serlouslv fron a nuslr ersertlve!
1ust helng real, nan, dev know. lf vou llsten to nv
nuslr, nan, thats what l do. l talk ahout nv llfe.
l entertaln. ln not no regular raer, when l talk
ahout sonethlng, ln talklng ahout sonethlng
l reallv llved. l dont llke to hrag ahout lt or
nothlng, hut llke l sald, ln the real -hov fron
Atlanta. ln who eole used to have to see. Now,
6od has hlessed ne wlth ra.
how dld vou transltlon fron tralng to ralng!
l used to he a rrazv voung nlgga, hut l look at llfe
a whole lot dlfferent now. l resert llfe. l dunn
had nonev. lve heen so surressful ln the doe
gane l thought ld never go hroke. But around
rlrk at Cluh Crurlal, and 1 Pooh.
You get a lot of love ln the streets. how were vou
ahle to arqulre so nurh resert around the hood!
Look around vou. Were rlght here on nv street,
Bankhead. Evervthlng ahout ne ls Bankhead. hv
alhun release artv was rrazv, nan. Ihere were
llke S eole left outslde that rouldnt get ln,
and lt even snowed on that dav. So lt goes to show
that eole rane out to ness wlth ne. But l dont
even ronslder nvself a raer. l ronslder nvself
as a nesser, l rall lt the slow fow. l nesse
the seerh. Baslrallv, l talk ahout nv llfe storles,
nv adventures, evervthlng l done heen through.
Shawtv Lo ls the real Bankhead and l do lt for nv
eole, nan. Alnt nohodv ran nentlon Bankhead
wlthout arknowledglng ne. l dont rare who vou
ls, l an Bankhead. Z6I Bankhead hlghwav-the
lare vou at rlght now. No natter what l get, ln
|ust so hood. Ihev sav ln ghetto-strurk. l nlght
got ne a hlg house ln the woods sonewhere hut
vou know when ln out klrkln lt, thls where l llke
to he, rlght on Bankhead. Ihls ls where l nake all
nv nuslr at, rlght here at Z6I Studlo.
Ihe onlv thlng that outnunhers strl rluhs ln
Atlanta are the rerordlng studlos. Evervwhere vou
go ln AIL there are a nllllon reallv nlre studlos,
hut vou rhoose to rerord all vour nuslr ln thls
sot. No offense, hut lt looks klnda outdated ron-
ared to sone nost of the other studlos.
lts the ugllest llttle studlo ln the world, hut thls
ls where all the hlts rone fron. Ihls ls nv ronfort
zone. Ihls ls where l feel nost safe at. l feel nore
safe here than anvwhere. l rerord all nv nuslr
rlght here. You see the equlnent! l wont even
rhange lt around, l leave evervthlng the sane. l
rerorded one song at Yung 1ors studlo, thats the
onlv tlne l ever rerorded anvthlng outslde lf Z6I
Studlo. l guess lt |ust feels llke hone. Shlt, thls
studlo ls rlght down the street fron the ro|erts
l grew u ln, Bowen hones. l llved at 9Z8 Wood
Clrrle, aartnent +!9, horn and ralsed.
When dld vou nove out of Bowen hones!
9J. But l dldnt reallv rhoose to nove out. hv
grandna assed awav when l was I!, and when she
assed that ut ne out ln the streets. hv nother
was on drugs when l was ronlng u so nv grand-
nother ralsed ne and nv slster. After she dled l
used to he out ln the streets |ust dolng whatever,
hut lf she hadnt assed l rohahlv wouldnt he
ln nv shoes todav, she was llke nv rrutrh. She
wouldnt let ne do nothlngl She nade sure l went
When was the last tlne vou rrled!
hv alhun release artv. lt |ust felt good, nan. Real nlggas rrv. lt
wasnt no hurtful rrv or nothlng, lt was |ust, ann, lts nallv here.
When was the last tlne vou went to rhurrh!
l alnt heen to rhurrh ln ahout a vear. Even though l dont go to
rhurrh l stlll helleve ln 6od. l rav everv dav. ln denltelv lnto 6od.
Whens the last tlne vou ate sone reallv good food!
All the tlne. Ihats what the South lsfood. 6ood soul food, sweet tea
and lenonade. Ihats what we do down south. hv favorlte lare to
eat ln Atlanta ls Sondlvlts.
Whens the last tlne vou threw u!
l feel llke l gotta throw u rlght now. l got a hangover fron last
nlght at Rorkos alhun release artv. l drank so dann nurhl
When was the last tlne sonehodv reallv lssed vou off!
Everv dav, hut l get over lt. ln hunhle now, l alnt got the attltude l
used to. l get nad everv dav hut l reallze that evervhodvs hunan, so
thats what lt ls. l dont get nad to the olnt where l reart on lt. ln
a huslnessnan, so l use nv head.
Whats the largest anount of nonev vouve ever wlthdrawn fron the
hank!
ln a street nlgga so lve seen nore street nonev than nuslr nonev.
Ihe nuslr nonev nlght he on the wav now, hut lve denltelv seen
nore nonev ln the streets, so l alnt never reallv took no whole lot
of nonev out the hank.
lf vou had to he fron anv other rltv hesldes AIL, where would lt he!
Vegas. Vegas nakes ne feel |ust llke when ln at hone.
tHE
sHaWty
lo you
DoNt
KNoW
S6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll S!
ZI, l fell off. 6od strled ne of that nonev
herause l was arrogant. l dldnt thlnk lt was
osslhle for ne to go hroke, hut that vear nade
ne real hunhle. Bv ZZ l rane rlght hark hlgger
than hefore and l was snarter than ever. Bark ln
the dav l used to alwavs have the hlg rhalns and
|ewelrv on, and eole used to alwavs ask ne lf l
was a raer, so l derlded that l should go ahead
and lnvest nv nonev lnto thls nuslr lndustrv.
So l went and got dudes that l knew who had
heen ralng forever, llke laho, hook B, and
Stuntnan. l got then all together and forned a
grou. Peole dont know that +L goes wav hark
hefore ra. We alnt no gang or nothlng, hut a
long tlne ago ne and hrotha Blork started rall-
lng our rllque +L, so when l forned a ra grou
l derlded to rall lt +L. Ihls was hark ln ZJ.
Peole had us ronfused though, thev heard Laffv
Iaffv and dldnt reallze that Shawtv Lo was a
real street nlgga. l wasnt no raer hark then.
l wasnt a raer untll after l rane hone fron
rlson ln ZS.
lnltlallv vou were nore of the huslnessnan
hehlnd the srenes!
Yeah, and what eole dont know ls that ln a
han was nv rst solo song l ever dld. l had ut
together +L, hut l wasnt trvlng to he a raer. l
was nore of the huslnessnan hehlnd lt. l wasnt
trvlng to he the raer, l was the CE0. l wanted
to he what Bahv ls to Cash honev, and what Puff
ls to Bad Bov, hut when l rst rane hone fron
rlson ln ZS, after dolng a vear, eole were
telllng ne that +L wasnt shlt wlthout laho. So
l dld ln a han |ust to let then know, and
eole reallv enhrared that song, eole wanted
to hear nore fron ne. ln the hark of nv nlnd
l was thlnklng that l rane u wlth that song hv
lurk. But l staved wlth lt. l |ust ket rerordlng,
and rerordlng, and l hooked u wlth Srrean ln
6 and dld the nlx C and the rest was hlstorv.
Seaklng of 1s, as vou know, thls ls our 1 lssue.
how slgnlrant have 1s heen ln the develo-
nent of vour rareer!
Io he honest wlth vou, the 1s are nore lnor-
tant than the artlst. Wlthout then we wouldnt
he heard. 1 I-Rork hroke a lot of nv nuslr.
hln and 1 Srrean are largelv resonslhle for
nv novenent. lve also got a good road 1,
Swan lzzo. Wlthout the 1s we artlsts wouldnt
he heard, wed he lost. lts |ust llke a narrlage.
hushand and wlfe. We as artlsts gotta have the
1. l arerlate all the 1s all around the world
that lav nv shlt, and all the rest of the 1s who
lav other raers shlt. Shawtv Lo ls there for the
1s ln whatever wav thev need ne, fron dros to
whatever. ln alwavs there for the 1s.
Aslde fron the love vou get fron 1s, whv else
do vou thlnk vouve heen so surressful ln the
ra gane!
Berause lve alwavs staved the sane, nan.
Llke 1av-Z sald, Never rhange, nan.
When l he on the road dolng shows out
of town, evervhodv fron the fans, to
the |rluh] owner, to the ronoter,
thev all tell ne the sane thlng.
Ihev tell ne ln gonna go far
ln the gane, herause l shake
evervhodvs hand, l stav at the
rluh even after ln nlshed
erfornlng, and l take
lrtures wlth evervhodv.
ln verv hunhle. Ihe hest
thlng ahout ne ls that
ln alwavs I. ln unrut. lve alwavs had the
sane honehovs, and lve alwavs staved real.
Iell ne ahout the ev Know renlx. Youve got
an all-star rast on that song. how dld vou set
that u!
Shawtv Lo and the Blg Catsl Baslrallv, vou
wouldnt helleve lt, hut evervhodv klnda rearhed
out to ne ahout gettlng on the song. Ihe song
was out there huhhllng, and then next thlng vou
know ln gettlng ralls fron evervhodv. 1eezv
ralled ne u talkln ahout, ln furklng wlt lt.
Luda ralled and sald the sane thlng. l seen Plles
at Cluh Crurlal and he told ne to rall hln u he-
rause he wanted to get on lt. Ihen Wavne got on
lt, so lt was rrazv how lt rane together.
Ihe alhun sales arent neressarllv refertlng the
nagnltude of vour huzz thus far. Are vou dlsa-
olnted at all wlth the anount of unlts voure
ushlng rlght now!
ln lndeendent, so ln alrlght. But l feel the
world dont reallv know hout Shawtv Lo rlght
now, so l thlnk |alhun sales are] gon lrk u. Ihe
South knows ahout Shawtv Lo, hut u to and ln
other arts of the rountrv thev onlv know ahout
nv slngle, ev Know. Ihev rohahlv got those
negatlve ldeas ahout +L or whatever, hut onre
thev hear that serond and thlrd slngle dev gon
know. lts gon lrk u, lus, llke l sald, ln lnde-
endent, so l alnt worrled ahout a thang.
Before vour alhun rane out vou lssued a ress
release savlng that eole who hootleg vour
alhun are rheatlng thenselves. But tlnes are
hard, and the reresslon ls affertlng evervone. Whv
should eole go out and huv vour alhun lnstead
of hootlegglng lt!
Cause l alnt no one-hlt wonder. Shlt, l alnt no
two-hlt wonder, three-hlt, four-hlt, or ve-hlt
wonder. ln that nlgga, nan. l nake good nuslr.
lf thev hootleg lt, thev hootleg lt, hut l feel llke
l got a good C. lts gon get heard regardless,
and Shawtv Lo alnt hurtln for shlt. ln a hustler
hefore anvthlng. But the alhun ls hot. l got nuslr
for the klds, the teens, and the grown folks. Ihe
alhun ls solld. lts real, alnt no rtlon to lt. And
lf ln lvlng, lt nust he two sldes. hv whole tean
worked on lt, so lt alnt |ust ne. lts lndeendent
wlth Asvlun, hut the tean that l ut together to
nake the novenent what lt ls todav ls +L Re-
rords, hltt Afta hltt, and hood Rlrh Entertalnnent.
lt was nore than |ust ne golng lnto the studlo
ralng. Wlthout nv tean none of nv surress
would have heen osslhle.
Youve also rerentlv released another ress re-
lease denvlng the runor that vou have hlV. l know
eole alwavs target relehrltles wlth nallrlous
gossl and whatnot, ls that where vou thlnk that
storv rane fron!
han, eole sav a lot of shlt. Ihat shlt goes ln one
ear and out the other. Ihev talked ahout 1esus
and hes da alnlghtv, so of rourse thev gon talk
and nake u false shlt ahout ne. lts all good. lf
lt wasnt for haters lt wouldnt he no lavas. You
know how that shlt goes.
Whats the hlggest drawhark of helng a oular
raer! Whats the nost rhallenglng art!
Iravellng. lts a dlfferent state everv dav, all dav.
lts a real |oh, for folks that dont know. lts rrazv.
Yeah, hut theres no nonev llke show nonev.
0h veah, lts great nonev. l alnt even gon fex,
hut l heen gettlng nonev, erlod. You know, show
nonev, or whatever. What l ran get for a whole
|hrlrk], nan, l ran get for a show.
What do vou see as vour hlggest arronllshnent
ln nuslr!
1ust the fart that l was ahle to take over the ra
gane. ln nv vounger davs, nohodv thought l
would rone to he the hlg doe hov ln Atlanta,
hut l dld. lf vou had seen how l was ralsed, vou
wouldve never thought ld grow u to he that
guv. But l was that guv, l was servlng the rltv.
Now look at the nuslr. l rane lnto the nuslr
gane, and not ln a nllllon vears would anvhodv
thlnk that l would he that raer, that guv. But
thev ne love rlght now. Ihev slng word for word
everv song that l do ln the rluh. l get good show
nonev. ln hooked + or S davs a week.
When voure not ralng, or tourlng, or worklng,
what do vou send vour tlne dolng!
Baslrallv l rhlll wlth fan. l do exartlv what ln
dolng now. l alnt worklng now. ln on Bankhead
outslde nv studlo havlng a ronversatlon. l he at
the studlo evervdav, hut l dont rerord evervdav.
We |ust he slttlng here, klrkln lt, dolng whatever,
ne and nv honehovs. l he wlth the sane hood
nlggas, vou see en rlght there. lolnts to rol-
lertlon of whlte tee wearlng hoollgans) l he rlght
here ln the hood, no serurltv, no nothlng, nlggas
know what lt ls.
A lot of eole dlsrredlted vou as a raer after
thev heard the slnllrltv of sone of the +L
rerords, hut vouve nanaged to sonehow searate
vourself fron that lnage.
Well, |ust to let the rrltlrs knowwe went gold off
that |own + Llfe] alhun, herause lt was a great
alhun. lt started off slow hut lt ended u dolng
well. But lf vou llstened to nv ras fron hark then
|ln ZS], vou wouldnt even helleve what ln
dolng now. Youd he llke, ann, that nan trans-
forned. But the reason l transforned so fast ls
herause when l rst started ralng l was strlrtlv
a doe hov, l dldnt have tlne for the studlo. l was
ln the street naklng nonev. l had oened u the
studlo for |the grou] to work, and thev would rall
ne llke, Lo, rnon to the studlo, we gotta a llttle
song we want vou to |un on real qulrk. And
thats what l dld. l would go to the rluh and throw
nonev to nake us look good, so eole would
av attentlon to us and know who +L was. l was
ln the streets nost of the tlne thev were ln the
studlo, hut then l got lorked u, and when l rane
hark fron rlson l rouldnt go hark to the streets
no nore, so that forred ne to he ln the studlo
nore. And l transforned as a raer.
Youve ohvlouslv heen surressful as a raer, hut
vou stlll get a lot of rrltlrlsn ahout not helng the
nost lvrlral dude. Whats vour resonse to that!
l need to get hetter. l need to get hetter at ra-
ln, nan. l alnt no freestvler. l rall nv shlt the
oven, l llke to take nv tlne wrltlng songs. l |ust
rant go and wrlte no song ln IS nlnutes. l take
all dav on one song, hut when lt rones out of that
oven, lts gon he rlght. ln trvlng to get faster at
what l do, hut hesldes that, l dont need to rove
nothlng to nohodv, lna |ust he ne. l rant he
nohodv hut ne, nan. I, l an a 6. ll

when I first started rapping I
was strictly a dope boy; I didnt
have time for the studio, I was
in the street making money

0Z0NE hA6 ll S!
S8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll S9
6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Talib Kweli is from brooKlyn. .
Talib Kweli is a rapper. .
Talib Kweli goes To parTies. .
Talib Kweli curses. .
i
f you were to insert another name in the place of his, those four character traits would
probably translate into being just a regular ass dude. but for some reason ever since
Kwaa-leee has been in the game, hes been looked as an outsider that the average
rap fan is afraid to like. is it because he uses big words when he raps? is it because he
talks about religion and politics more than he does clubbing and smoking? whatever it is,
Kweli has been labeled everything from backpacker to conscious when really, he prob-
ably doing and saying the same things as your favorite rapper, just a little bit better. now,
Kweli is labeling himself and taking control of his own destiny.
worDs by
maurice g. garlanD
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6I
Can vou exlaln what lt neans to he a hCE0, and tell us ahout the nlxtae
vou |ust droed of the sane nane!
Ihats the nane l rane u wlth for nvself after l slgned nv deal wlth
Warner for Blarksnlth. Belng |an hCE0] ls the onlv wav l rould survlve ln thls
huslness. l had to take rontrol of nv rareer, l rouldnt he a I6-har raer
anvnore. Ihe hCE0 nlxtae ls a wav to stav rollr and feed nv fanhase. hv
fanhase ls suortlve, hut thls ls nv rreatlve wav to narket nvself. l rant go
the tradltlonal route of havlng a rerord that ts lnto the radlo nlx or have a
vldeo on I6th 6 Park. Ihose avenues have rlosed down for ne. So uttlng
out thls nlxtae wlth hlrk Boogle glves lt a rertaln qualltv. But alnt reallv
|ust ahout ne ronotlng the nuslr. Ihe neat and otatoes ls that lts a good
rodurt for the fans.
how lnrluslve ls lt of the rest of the Blarksnlth roster!
Ihe nlxtae feels llke a ronllatlon herause lt alnt |ust ahout ne. Iheres
songs off 1ean 6revs 1eanlus alhun. Ihere are Strong Arn Steadv freestvles
all through lt. lts denltelv a fanllv affalr. lts ln the tradltlon of other nlx-
taes lve done. Ihls ls settlng u the world for Strong Arn Steadv and 1ean
to show thev are qualltv wrlters. lts llke our exerrlse.
has lt heen dlfrult wearlng hoth the raer and exerutlve hat!
lts heen dlfrult herause vou have to nake exerutlve derlslons that a
rreatlve derlslon doesnt nesh wlth, and vlre versa. ln hlessed to have
trustworthv eole around ne that kee ne grounded. But l never forget to
ut the hC art rst. Ihe nuslr and rodurt rone hefore the huslness. Wlthout
that, there ls no huslness to dlsruss.
Belng a rerord exerutlve ln thls rurrent rllnate has to he dlfferent fron how lt
was vears ago. What avenues are vou foruslng on!
l have no rholre hut to forus on dlgltal, thats the future and nv ronanv ls
the future. Worrvlng ahout selllng Cs ls arrhalr. Radlo ls a dlnosaur, lts not
a trendsetter or tastenaker. So we forus on the lnternet and rluhs. hv nuslr
hasnt heen tradltlonal rluh nuslr, hut everv onre a whlle l have a song that
hreaks through to the rluhs and gets on the radlo. loruslng on gettlng radlo
slns ls llke uttlng the rart hefore the horse.l have to gure out what outlets
serves ne the hest and what l ran rontrol wlth nv own hands.
What strlng of events haened to nake vou have to start vour own lahel!
Well rst, Blarksnlth ls nv nanagenent ronanv ran hv Corev Snvth, nv
nanger and huslness artner. We ralled the lahel Blarksnlth for nane rerog-
nltlon. lt was a strlng of events. l was on 6effen and nv alhun leaked onto
the net and the lahel dldnt resond roerlv. Ihev droed the hall and that
showed ne what thev thought of ne. Ihe lark of suort staggered ne. l was
dolng the |oh of the rerord ronanv. ralllng 1s, avlng for nv own vldeos,
shlt that ln nv earlv rareer was taken rare of hv the ronanv. lt took vears
to get off 6effen and get an lnrlnt wlth Warner. ln that tlne we ut out
nlxtaes to stav rollr on a street level and then l rane wlth Eardrun.
A lot of eole llke to sav that vou are thelr favorlte raer, hut sonetlnes lt
seens llke thev are afrald to adnlt lt. have vou ever notlred that!
Yeah. Ihat sentlnent ls also fron eole who sav that ln thelr favorlte ra-
er herause thev heard 1av-Z sav lt or know that l furk wlth Kanve or other
raers who are fanous. Ihevre not fanlllar wlth nv ratalog, thev |ust thlnk
lts sone rool shlt to sav. But l take lt however l get lt. Io he nentloned ln the
rallher of hCs l get nentloned wlth ls an honor. l know ln good at what l do
to even he nentloned ln those rlrrles.
has lt heen a hattle to do dlfferent thlngs fron what eole exert of vou!
lt denltelv has. Iheres tlnes when l nake nuslr l wanna nake for the sake
of naklng lt and eole arruse ne of trvlng to nake nuslr for the urose
of selllng a rerord. 0n nv Beautlful Struggle alhun, when l worked wlth
Ihe Netunes and harv 1. Bllge, eole sald l was worklng wlth then to sell
rerords. lts not to sell rerords, hut shlt, harv 1. Bllge ls the ueen of hl ho.
l resert her nuslr nore than her sales. Wlth Ihe Netunes, l |ust llke thelr
nuslr. Ihat would reallv hother ne, herause dann, whv rant l work wlth
then herause l llke thelr nuslr! Whv rant l work wlth avld Banner, herause
ln underground! Whv l rant l work wlth 1 ulk, herause ln fron the East
Coast! Ihose thlngs hother ne, hut l found a wav to deal wlth lt hv own-
lng nv own lahel and rontrolllng nv lnut and nv erretlon of ne. l used
to allow nv erretlon of ne to run wlld. But wlth the rerords l ut out, l
rontrol that and now l got thlngs olng off. Llke nv ro|ert wlth Res, ralled
ldol Worshl. l found a wav to have a grou and do nuslr wlth a dlfferent
dvnanlr and not have lt he Kwell nuslr. But, that klnd of rrltlrlsn hels ne
rreatlvelv.
ld vou ever fullv enhrare the harkarker tern that was thrown on vou
earlv ln vour rareer!
l enhrared the sentlnent of the lndeendent artlst. When l was on Rawkus
helng a harkarker was rentered around helng lndeendent and uttlng out
IZ-lnrhes. lts funnv herause the tern was used to dlss eole who was |ust
ahout the nuslr, hut thevre the true hustlers. l qulrklv learned that vou rant
let eole |ust sav what thev want ahout vou. You rant let eole derlde vour
olltlrs or how vou vlew hl ho.
0n vour last alhun Eardrun, vou rovered a lot of hases and agaln dld sone
unexerted thlngs. What was vour goal wlth that alhun!
hv rst forus was to nake nuslr that sounded good. l thlnk eole forus
so nurh on nv lvrlrs and nv artnershls that thev dont glve ne rredlt for
the nuslr l ut out and the rodurers lve selerted and what lve added to
nuslr ln general. l felt that l needed to rove how versatlle nv nuslr rould
he. l worked wlth 1ean 6rae, KRS-0ne, Norah 1ones, and 1ustln Ilnherlake
|ust to throw |nv versatllltv] ln eoles fares. Peole trv to sav l trled to
sell rerords wlth harv 1. Bllge, hut now ln worklng wlth Norah and 1ustln,
and lts stlll nore hl ho than vour favorlte hl ho artlst. lts denltelv a
ronetltlve slrlt ln what l do. But rst and forenost vouve gotta he honest
wlth vourself. So l rhose the rontent and suh|ert l wanted to deal wlth and
rodurers l wanted to work wlth. l thlnk the sound l went for was lnfuenred
hv the Pete Rork era. Ihats whv Pete ls surh an anrhor to that alhun.
o vou thlnk hl ho ls gettlng hark to helng nore honogenous as oosed
to lt helng so segregated!
l thlnk everv rltv has thelr tlne and everv sound has lts lare. l thlnk the
sound now ls nore honogenlzed, whlrh ls a sound that works well ln a lare
llke hlanl herause of the terhnologv naklng the nuslr easler to ut out
and sread faster. So lts gettlng nore lnternatlonal than vouve ever heard
hefore. So lt has nore lnfuenre lnternatlonallv than vour average lnner rltv
nlx rlght now. Peole lavlng rluh nuslr and nuslr fron overseas ln the nlx,
lve never seen that hefore. Ihats where l see lt golng.
0n that note, vou have a lahel wlth a fenale hC and a grou of West roast
hCs. What led vou to slgn the grous vou have!
lt was fanllv rst. l grew u wlth 1ean and shes heen nv favorlte hC for
vears. l net Strong Arn Steadv through Xzlhlt, who used to he deelv
lnvolved wlth the grou. Ihen dudes held ne down when l rane to Call. l
wasnt rherklng for thelr nuslr, honestlv, for a whlle, herause thev were nv
honehovs. But thelr nlxtaes ket gettlng doer and doer. Earh of then
have thelr own fans and thlngs olng off and thev all wrlte, hut thev gel ln
a wav that rouldnt he denled.
What are sone of the nlstakes vouve seen other artlsts nake wlth thelr own
lahels, and how are vou trvlng to avold naklng those sane nlstakes!
A hlg nlstake ls havlng a vanltv lahel and not reallv uttlng ln the legwork
of a CE0 to nake sure the rodurt ls ln the street. Sone artlsts elther dont
know |how], or have the tlne or resourres to nake lt o off. lts hard to nd
eole who share vour vlslon. Ihats whv l look u to eole llke Luda and
Chaka |Zulu], or 1av, ane and Blggs. Peole who rane ln the gane together
and have heen ahle to see earh others vlslons and ronllnent earh other.
Bark ln Z+ vou aeared on the rover of Ihe Ave wlth Al Sharton and let lt
he known that vou dont vote. o vou stlll feel the sane wav!
Ihere was no Barark 0hana runnlng ln Z+. ln nv llfetlne lve never seen
anvthlng llke thls. Ihe olnlons l lald out ln Ihe Ave, l had a rherkllst of rea-
sons whv l dont vote. But Barark ls lnslratlonal enough to nake ne ut nv
rherkllst to the slde and suort hln. he ls runnlng an lnresslve ranalgn. l
llke how he resents and handles hlnself.
ln the late 8s and earlv 9s we had volres llke lre Cuhe and Puhllr Enenv
seaklng on resldentlal elertlons and the olltlral rllnate at that tlne. o
vou thlnk nore artlsts todav should he seaklng u on thlngs!
Ihe tlnes have gotten worse slnre then. Sonetlnes the revolutlonarv slrlt
gets ro-oted and translated lnto love of nonev and raltallsn, whlrh ls
sad, herause we reallv have our rhanre and oortunltv to hulld sonethlng
strong wlth hl ho. But l dont look to artlsts for that lnslratlon. l look to
the artlvlsts and soldlers ln the struggle. Artlsts are followers hv nature and
want evervhodv to llke then, and thev are real sensltlve and valn. l know
that herause ln an artlst. lts tlne for eole ln the ronnunltv ln general to
seak u. Ihe artlsts wlll follow what the eole are dolng.
Anvthlng else vou want to share!
1ean 6raes alhun wlth 9th Wonder, 1eanlus, ls ronlng ln Arll, and were
reallv exrlted ahout that one. Were worklng dlllgentlv on Strong Arn Steadvs
Arns 6 hanners. l |ust droed the hostlle 6osel renlx wlth Nlna Skv,
1oell 0rtlz and Blu. l wlll have a vldeo for that soon, hut rlght now we are
ushlng the orlglnal verslon of the song. Also, look out for the new Refertlon
Eternal alhun wlth ne and hl-Iek thats ronlng out on Blarksnlth.
Wlll we see another Blark Star lKwell 6 hos ef) alhun!
lts not on the srhedule, hut lts osslhle. ll
6Z ll 0Z0NE hA6 6Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6J
B
v now vouve heard the nane, seen the ronotlonal osters and
t-shlrts, heard hls slngle haterz Evervwhere and at least, seen
the rover of thls verv nagazlne ln vour hands. And voure stlll
rohahlv thlnklng to vourself, Who the furk ls B.o.B.! lf vou ask
hln, hell run down a llst that desrrlhes hls varlous arronvns-
huslness over hullshlt, hllllons over hltrhes, hrlng one hlunt, hrlng one
heer-the llst goes on and on. But none of those reallv desrrlhes who B.o.B.
trulv ls.
Born Bohhv Rav Slnnons, thls raerlrodurer fron eratur, 6A, grew u
naklng nuslr to esrae the ronlexltv of helng a kld, and, well, he has
alwavs heen dlfferent. he doesnt ra ahout helng ln the rluh, guns, nonev,
rars, |ewelrv or drugs lwell, he does ra ahout snoklng, hut not deallng). Not
to knork anvone that does, hut B.o.B. and hls nuslr nav rone off sllghtlv left
eld.
lor a I9-vear-old, who slgned hls deal wlth rodurer 1ln 1onslns Rehel
RorklAtlantlr Rerords lnrlnt at onlv I!, B.o.B. has loads to get off hls
lntrlrate nlnd. Ihe onlv thlng eole talk ahout ls helng aned ln the rluh
and there alnt nothlng wrong wlth that, hut we gotta address a lot of shlt,
he exlalns. Peole exerlenre death, eole exerlenre deresslon, a lot of
eole exerlenre addlrtlons, a lot of eole exerlenre soneone golng to
|all. lts a lot of other shlt that ran he talked ahout.
Wlth hls dehut alhun Ihe Adventures of B.o.B. slated for release later thls
vear, 0Z0NE sat down wlth the new srhool AILlen to edurate vou so that the
next tlne vou hear hls nane, vou wont have to ask, Who the furk ls B.o.B.!
Youll know.
Youre fron eratur, 6eorgla. So has eratur alwavs heen greater for vou!
lve heen ln eratur slnre l was Z. l was horn ln Wlnston-Salen, NC and we
noved down to the Eastslde |of Atlanta] and lve heen there ever slnre. ln
eratur, lts llke anv other hood. You know how everv rltvs got the hood
slde, so ronlng u l dldnt go to srhool ln eratur. lor the rst art of srhool
vears, l was ln the nagnet rogran. So l was golng over to the other slde |of
Atlanta] and that exerlenre was real dlverse. Youre ln a rlass wlth a lot of
Aslan klds, a lot of whlte klds, a lot of Afrlran klds, and vou reallv see the dlf-
ferent nlnd states. And then, ronlng hark hone to the Eastslde, and seelng
how the hood ls and how lt all oerates, lt reallv nakes vou see whats golng
on. So, slnre l was a kld, l reallv had a hroad lrture. And lus, when l was
ronlng u, nv fanllv was struggllng. l dont wanna sav we were ln overtv,
hut we reallv were struggllng. But l feel llke struggle lsnt reallv deternlned
hv helng ln the hood. l feel llke struggle ls a slrltual thlng. Berause slrltu-
allv, when voure struggllng wlth sonethlng, lt shows ln vour envlronnent
and lt shows ln vour artlons and lt shows ln evervthlng that vou do. So, thats
whv the hood ls ln the state that lts ln. Cause a lot of eole are strug-
gllng wlth thenselves, or struggllng slrltuallv, struggllng wlth addlrtlon,
whether lt he addlrtlon to food, addlrtlon to sex, addlrtlon to rars, addlrtlon
to nonev, evervthlng. So, golng over to the other slde of town and seelng
how thev llve, lts not neressarllv good or hetter, rause vouve got equal o-
ortunltv, anvwhere vou are. But lts |ust that voure seelng the state that lts
ln and lts a reallv good ronarlson.
ld vou turn to nuslr to esrae the hood!
You know whats rrazv! Bark ln the dav, we dldnt reallv huv alhuns. host
of the tlne nv hrother used to tae-rerord the radlo and wed ratrh all the
freestvles and all the songs, and thats how wed llsten to |nuslr] when we
wanted to llsten to lt. hv hrother found a SZ hlll one dav and he hought
the hX alhun |lts ark and hell ls hot], and l llstened to hls alhun and l
studled lt. l wrote out hls lvrlrs and ld studv hls ras. And ld gure out how
he raed. So, l started dolng nv own shlt, and he had sklts on hls shlt, so l
started dolng nv own sklts and then rerordlng then wlth nv tae laver. l
used to go ln the hathroon and hang u sheets to get sone sound roong.
l used desk nlrs, |would] download heats off the lnternet, and ld trv to do
nv own thlng.
o vou start naklng heats hark then, too!
Bark then, l used to want to hut l dldnt know how. And l dldnt learn how
untll l got lnto the nlnth grade, and nv rousln Swag showed ne how to nake
en. So, nv love for ralng reallv grew lnto a love for nuslr ln general, slnre
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6J
Words by raNdy roPEr Photos by WUZ Good
6+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
lve heen a kld. And now ln rodurlng, englneer-
lng, lavlng gultar, |and] lavlng a llttle hlt of
kevs. Prettv nurh anv lnstrunent l lrk u, l ran
learn sonethlng on lt. But ln reallv trvlng to
naster the gultar.
You started off ln a grou wlth Swag, dldnt vou!
hv rousln Swag, he laved the druns. l was ln
the elght grade, we hoth knew we rould ra. 0ur
fanllles used to have Chrlstnas talent shows, and
wed go erforn. hv nanager |B. Rlrh] saw us
ralng at the Chrlstnas talent show, and he was
llke, Yall are rettv talented. At the tlne, B. Rlrh
was dolng a talent show at Blues ln the Allev, ln
Underground Atlanta. We used to alwavs trv to
get at hln llke, What vou thlnk, what vou thlnk!
han, we surked hark then. We were terrlhle. l |ust
heard sone |of our old] shlt todav at the hoto
shoot, and lt was terrlhle. But we stlll |ust wanted
to ra. We felt llke that shlt wav hark ln the dav.
We felt llke we were the shlt. So, Swag, he laved
the druns and he dld hls thlng at the showrase,
hut l was too voung to go to the showrase. he
went u there, laved the druns and he kllled lt,
llke runllne-tve shlt and had the whole rluh
aned. So, he reallv had the oortunltv and he
rane hone llke, how serlous are vou ahout do-
lng thls ra shlt! ln ln the elght grade, hut ln
alreadv serlous. ln llke, Nlgga, hell veahl awg,
ln serlous. he daed ne u llke, Lets do thls,
lets he a grou. At the tlne, lt was ne, Swag and
nv hrother. After a whlle, nv hrother qult, and ne
and nv rousln forned a grou ralled the Kllnlr. l
was ln nlnth grade and nv rousln was ln tenth or
eleventh. We hoth rodured, he taught ne how to
use lrootv Loos. he was ln haron ln hlgh srhool,
so we used to have to send heats hark and forth
through enall. We got our deno together and let
B. Rlrh hear lt. We nallv got a deno good enough
for B. Rlrh to furk wlth us. We started grlndlng.
And over the vears were |ust worklng, gettlng het-
ter, and hv the tlne nv rousln graduated he reallv
wanted to go to rollege to studv huslness, to get
the huslness slde, so he rould hel the tean wlth
hls huslness. At the tlne, l dldnt wanna go to rol-
lege, so we klnda sllt wavs, nan. You know, we
fan, theres alwavs love. he went to rollege and l
|ust kee dolng nv thlng. l dldnt have the nane
B.o.B. untll l was outslde a rluh and Wlllle 1oe was
llke, B.o.B.l Cause vou know, nv nanes Boh. l
was llke, Ihats nv furklng nane. Shout out to
Wlllle 1oe, he gave ne nv furklng nane.
Youre nane ls an arronvn too, rlght! What does
B.o.B. stand for!
Buslness over hullshlt. Bllllons over hltrhes. Brlng
one hlunt. Brlng one heer. Brlng one hroad. Baller
on a hudget. Iheres never heen one hetter. Been
one hefore. ln hurnlng on hlunts. Blast en on
heats. Blast off heats. Bangln on heats. han, all
that shlt, nan.
Youve heen oen ln vour nuslr ahout helng
lrked on ln srhool.
Everv kld got lrked on hv sonehodv, vou know
what l nean! And lts |ust all ahout how vou deal
wlth lt. When l look hark on nv llfe, |l reallzed
that] ln a sensltlve erson. l guess nv sensltlv-
ltv ls whv ln even dolng thls |oh and whv l even
wanted to he a raer. Conlng u l was struggllng
at hone and golng to srhool, and l reallv |ust
grew lnto a shell and went lnto a real dark de-
resslon. Everv kld goes through lt. Nohodv reallv
wants to adnlt lt, hut evervhodv goes through
deresslon and l went through nlne when l was ln
nlddle srhool. l |ust went ln thls shell and started
ralng, herause ralng was nv therav. At the
tlne, l dldnt reallv know what l was dolng, lt
reallv |ust ralled ne. lt forned ln nv llfe. ln real
anxlous all the tlne. l gotta he dolng sonethlng.
Ever slnre l was ln the thlrd grade, everv now and
then when ld get hored, ld ra. But when l got
lnto ln nlddle srhool and l went lnto that shell, l
reallv ventured off lnto lt. l was llke, Shlt, let ne
see how far l ran go wlth thls. Ihat exerlenre
reallv aged ne ast nv vears, and l feel llke thats
how ln ahle to do what ln dolng now. l feel llke
ln hltlng off a lot to rhew for a I9-vear-old. l
hadnt even graduated |fron] hlgh srhool vet, and
l went out to get a |rerord] deal and l got lt. And
nv llfe reallv started rhanglng. A lot of eole
look at that llke lts a |arkot and a surress, hut
reallv lts resonslhllltv. Wlth great ower rones
great resonslhllltv. Ihe nore surressful l get, the
nore resonslhle lve gotta he. lts easv to lose lf
voure not dlsrlllned. l got slgned when l was ln
hlgh srhool, so l started golng on the road a lot. l
trled to work out sonethlng wlth nv srhool, where
l rould he on the road and do |hone]work, hut
thev werent reallv havlng lt. Nohodv reallv knew
ne at the tlne, on a natlonal srale. So, l went
ahout dolng nv thlng and the lahel started avlng
for nv onllne rlasses. l started taklng then onllne
when l was on the road travellng.
Youre ro-nanaged hv I1s 1s founder I1 Cha-
nan. how dld vou neet I1!
lts rrazv that l net I1 on 9lII. 0n Setenher II, l
was at Cluh Crurlal. lt was nv rst tlne erforn-
lng Cloud 9 and l got an enrore and a standlng
ovatlon. And ln llke, Shlt, what dld l do!l l |ust
rane out there wlth a llttle snoke song. And lts
slow teno, and lt dldsnt reallv t lnto the hl
ho srene ln Atlanta at the tlne. Nor does lt t
lnto the rluh srene, so vou got ne--a I!-vear-old
hlgh srhool dro out--trvlng to ush thls song
that ts ln nowhere and not golng to rollege. ln
trvlng to gure out, how the hell an l gonna get
thls to work! l wasnt even gonna erforn lt, hut
Plavhov Ire and B. Rlrh told ne to erforn lt. I1
saw lt and was llke, Ihls kld ls anazlng. B. Rlrh
let hln hear a hunrh of nv nuslr, and I1 reallv
saw how dlverse l was and how unlque the nuslr
was. he wanted to he down wlth lt and he rane on
the tean, and weve heen grlndlng ever slnre.
Where do vou get the lnfuenre for the unlqueness
ln vour nuslr! lts not llke nost Atlanta nuslr.
l rone fron lanet Nlhlru and on that lanet a lot
of the nuslr ls reallv dlfferent herause we watrh a
lot of the dlfferent forns of nuslr here on Earth. A
lot of rork, a lot of terhno, |azz, a lot of alterna-
tlve nuslr, l llke evervthlng. l llsten to evervthlng,
nan, and l feel llke nv lnfuenre ls neshed lnto
one. And stlll, eole reallv havent seen what we
ran do wlth nv nuslr. When l sav we, l nean the
dlfferent forns of B.o.B. Sonetlnes l nav not want
to do ra, l nlght want to do sonethlng else. lts
llke so nanv dlfferent verslons of ne that l gotta
deal wlth when l get ln the studlo, so l ran forus
i HaVeNt eVeN
GraDuateD From
HiGH scHool yet aND
i Got a recorD Deal.
a lot oF people look
at tHat like its a
Jackpot, but really
its respoNsibility.
WitH Great poWer
comes Great
respoNsibility.
6+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6S
lt all lnto one song. l rerord a lot and l got a lot
of songs, hut a lot of the tlne l get ln the studlo
and l |ust slt there, and l dont know what to do.
ln starlng lnto sare, trvlng to gure out where
l wanna go next. Sonetlnes lt ran he reallv frus-
tratlng. Ihe nore talent, the harder lt ls to out-do
vourself. ln ronstantlv trvlng to out-do nvself.
0ur readers nav thlnk voure klnda welrd.
Exartlv. And l an. But lf vou understand what l
nean when l sav that, then vou get lt. And even lf
vou dont understand, nv nuslr ls gonna nake vou
understand. And thats whv ln warnlng u eole
for the alhun, rause the nuslr ls reallv ne, and
l feel llke ln neshed ln wlth so nanv dlfferent
sounds fron sone nanv dlfferent lares. Ihat ln
glvlng lt hark and refertlng lt hark wlth the nuslr.
You have songs llke Left lleld and Lonelv
Peole, does that refert what voure savlng now
and whats golng on wlth vou!
Yeah. When l nake nv nuslr, at the end of the
dav, were all hunans. We all feel the sane wav.
Evervhodv alnt alwavs hav all the tlne. Everv-
hodv alnt alwavs sad all the tlne. Evervhodv dont
alwavs t ln all the tlne. lts so nanv dlfferent
enotlons that we all exerlenre that nohodv reallv
talks ahout. ln talklng ahout a lot of that on nv
alhun. And not onlv that, hut lt feels good. At the
end of dav we wanna feel good. So, l wanna nake
eole feel good wlth nv nuslr. l feel llke ln re-
allv trvlng to seak on a general level, to rearh the
nost eole. ln reallv |ust trvlng to get eole to
wake u and see whats golng on. You know, vou
got ne all hllosohlral and shlt. llaughs)
haterz Evervwhere has heen a hlg rerord for vou.
l nade haterz ln the studlo, and l was havlng fun
wlth lt. A lot of eole talk ahout haters and thev
sav lt wlth a negatlve tone ln thelr volre. haters
are funnv to ne, rause ln good. Whatever a nlgga
thlnks or what a nlgga savs, has no value ln vour
dav. You get u, vou hrush vour teeth, vou eat, vou
shlt, vou go to work, vou go to srhool. Regardless
of what anvhodv savs, vou gon have to do that.
So, whv let what eole sav get vou down, or whv
let eole get vou lssed off! 1ust snlle at then.
lurk lt. Ihats whv the songs got that teno.
lslnglng) haters evervwhere we gol When ln at nv
shows, l have fun dolng that, and lf theres a dude
hatlng, we rall hln out and kee lt golng. lts |ust
a song for the haters. l feel llke the haters need
a song.
ld vou thlnk that was golng to the song that
heled hreak vou!
l never woulda thought that. lts rrazv rause the
haters never reallv got anv attentlon. l feel llke
thats whv lt raught on, rause there are a lot of
haters out there.
What do vou have lanned for vour alhun!
Ihe Adventures of B.o.B. ls ronlng, hoefullv, ln
Z8. Ihe date kees gettlng ushed hark, rause
vou know how lt ls wlth the lahels. Ihev wanna
fornat vour nuslr and rookle-rut lt. You gotta get
vour fan hase hehlnd vour nuslr. Ihe alhun ls
doe. l reallv feel good ahout thls alhun. l reallv
feel llke lts a rlasslr alhun. 6od was reallv wlth
ne on thls alhun. Ihere wlll never he another
alhun llke thls rause lts nv rst alhun, and vour
rst alhun ls fron whenever vou were horn to
now. Youre roverlng all those exerlenres. And l
alnt heen llvlng hut for nlneteen vears, hut l stlll
feel llke lve heen through so nurh, and ln reallv
lettlng out all that aln and all that feellng on thls
alhun.
how dlfrult was lt for vou to he I! vears old and
slgned to a na|or lahel llke Atlantlr!
l had to learn reallv qulrk that lt wasnt ahout a
|arkot. l reallv thought, han, lf l get a deal, lll
hlt a |arkot. lll get thls nonev, then l ran he
fresh. And l ran |ust get what l want. ln helng
honest, thats what l thought. l was llke, ln
ttln to get fresh. lna get these rlothes, l ran
huv all the weed l want to. l had to learn that lt
wasnt ahout that. l was forred to grow u reallv
fast and reallv he resonslhle. 0ne thlng ahout
thls lndustrv ls that vou ut vour llfe lnto lt. lts
vour llfe, llterallv. l hreathe, eat, shlt, slee and
lss B.o.B. And vou gotta take lt nore serlouslv
than |ust trvlng to snoke a hlunt all dav.
lve seen vou ln the advertlsenents for LR6.
han, lts great, nan. lts a onre ln a llfetlne
oortunltv. We dld a srlng hoto shoot ln New
York and the lrtures rane out so good, thev were
llke, Shlt, nan, lets |ust ut lt on a hlllhoard.
l thought was golng to he a snall square or
sonethlng. l wasnt thlnklng too nurh of lt, hut l
knew lt was golng to he a real good look. lt turns
out that thev used the entlre twentv-ve foot
hlllhoard |ln the nlddle of Ilnes Square] and ut
the lrture on lt. And ln llke, 0h nv 6od, thats
rrazv. lts doe, nan. lts reallv rrazv.
Youre slgned to Atlantlr through 1ln 1onslns
Rehel Rork Entertalnnent. Whvd vou rhoose to
slgn wlth hln! And ls that where vou get vour rork
lnfuenre!
l denltelv owe a lot of that rork lnfuenre to 1ln
1onsln. l alwavs klnda llked rork, hut 1ln 1onsln
reallv ushed ne to show how nurh l loved
lt. I1 lntrodured ne to 1ln 1onsln soon after l
erforned at Crurlal and he heard nv nuslr and
he saw the |rork] lnfuenre. he was llke, Wed
go great together. he was llke, B.o.B., regard-
less lf vou slgn wlth ne, l stlll wanna work wlth
vou herause l resert vou and l resert what vou
do. l was also looklng at a lot of other lahels
to slgn wlth. l was looklng at 6rand hustle |and]
Polo 6rounds wlth Brvan Learh ln New York. l was
ronfortahle wlth 1ln 1onsln and Rehel Rork.
Your stvle ls so dlfferent fron nost Atlanta artlsts.
What do vou thlnk ahout other Atlanta artlsts and
nost of the nuslr that rones out of the rltv!
l thlnk a lot of the nuslr ronlng out of Atlanta ls
|ust a lot of what eole are thlnklng ahout. When
eole thlnk ahout Atlanta, thev thlnk ahout what
thev see on hIV and BEI. lts a hlg artv golng
on and Atlanta ls the llfe of the artv. Evervhodv
else sees lt and thevre llke, Shlt, let ne do lt
too. And there alnt reallv nothlng wrong wlth
the nuslr ronlng out, hut l feel llke there should
he a halanre. hv whole llfe, l felt llke at sone
olnt ln tlne l was gonna have to ste u and ll
ln that halanre. hv hats go off to all the Atlanta
artlsts and all the artlsts dolng thelr thlng. But ln
reallv trvlng to do sonethlng dlfferent. herause l
an dlfferent. All the Atlanta artlsts, when thev do
what thev do what thev do, thevre dolng then.
But ln dlfferent, so lna do ne anvwav. And lt
|ust stands out. l feel llke a lot of eole thlnk ln
reallv trvlng to attark Atlanta nuslr, or ln a wav,
trvlng to ralse nvself ahove lt. But ln nerk and
nerk wlth all these artlsts. lve seen laho erforn
and lahos a great erforner. Wlllle 1oes a great
erforner. l feel llke wlth a lot of these artlsts,
were ln the sane hoat, l feel llke ln |ust dlffer-
ent. l feel llke thevre ln one sot of the hoat, and
ln waaaaaav over here ln the hark. But lts all
love, nan.
o vou thlnk voure nlsunderstood!
l dont thlnk ln nlsunderstood. l thlnk ln reallv
here to lnslre eole. When eole hear nv
nuslr and see nv shows, l thlnk thev know what
nv asslon ls. When ln dolng nv shows and ln
erfornlng haterz Everwhere, lts real. lts not
|ust a show, lts a show ln the sense that ln u on
stage and the sotllght ls on ne, and when fans
glve ne that energv hark, lts anazlng. lts the
nost anazlng thlng ln the world. When ln on the
road dolng shows, vou never know where voure
gonna go hut l gotta ut nv asslon ln lt, rause
thats the onlv thlng thats rotertlng ne when
ln on thls road. l alnt got nothlng else. l alnt
got no serurltv guards. ont nohodv got no heat
llke that. l dont even wanna draw that energv to
nvself. lts |ust ne, nv tean han Squad, and Cs.
lts usuallv ne, B. Rlrh, Plavhov Ire, I1 and Swag
on the road. We roll wlth the haterz t-shlrts and
a hox of Cs. Ihats all we got and we |ust hlt the
road and grlnd.
ls there anvthlng vou want to tell vour haters!
Kee hatlng. lts a tough |oh, hut sonehodvs
gotta do lt. And lts |ust fuel for surress for
eole. So, kee lt u. 6ood work. ll
people really HaVeNt
seeN WHat We caN Do
WitH my music. WHeN i
say We, i meaN tHe DiF-
FereNt Forms oF b.o.b.
its so maNy DiFFereNt
VersioNs oF me tHat i
Gotta Deal WitH WHeN i
Get iN tHe stuDio.
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6S
66 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll 6!
68 ll 0Z0NE hA6
WiThOUT ThE DJ, ThErE is NO
sOUND, NO mOvEmENT, NO
parTY. EvErY YEar, OZONE
paYs hOmagE TO ThOsE
ThaT KEEp Us iN TUNE WiTh
ThE NEWEsT hiTs aND OlD
schOOl classics. WE alsO
priNT ThEir cONTacT iNfO
fOr all ThE OThEr pEOplE
WhO WOUlD liKE TO ThaNK
ThEm fOr a JOB WEll DONE.
ThE fOllOWiNg pOrTiON Of
This issUE OUTliNEs EvErY-
ThiNg ThEsE laDiEs aND
gENTlEmEN havE gONE
ThrOUgh TO maKE YOUr hip
hOp aND r&B ExpEriENcE
ONE TO rEmEmBEr.
CompileD by ms. RiveRCity
Dj 2Mello lBaltlnore, h)
hr. Underrover R6B has earned rountless arrolades lnrlud-
lng Best R6B 1 at the Z8 Southern Ent. Awards and
a nonlnatlon for Best R6B hlxtae 1 at the Z8 1usto
hlxtae Awards. 1 Zhello also holds down Ihe Wake U
hlx on WXU 88.! lh ln North Carollna and the SrlntlNex-
tel hohlle hlxshow Radlo on www.forusonthed|.ron.
d|Znellognall.ron for nJs, d|Znellotnall.ron for
nlxtae lnqulrles
lor hooklng rall Barhara wlth lorever Entertalnnent +I-
!+6-ZJJS
Dj 31 Degreez lSunnervllle, SC)
llndlng a nlrhe ln the Iexas narket, JI egreez unleashed
hls Iexas hassarre serles when the Lonestar State was at
the to of the hl ho novenent. Slnre then he has used
hls rreatlvltv and lnnovatlon to ronslstentlv hreak new
talent on nlxtaes and ln rluhs.
d|JIdegreeznJgnall.ron
Dj Aaries lAtlanta, 6A)
1 Aarles relorated fron South Carollna to Atlanta and took
full advantage of the Southern Ra nerra. lounder of the
hood hard hltnakers and the new fare of Rorawear, Aarles
goes hv several other nonlkers lnrludlng Ihe hulk and the
0frlal South Cark Reresenter.
d|aarlesnJgnall.ron
halllng address. P.0. Box IZ! St. hatthews, SC Z9IJS
Dj Aspekt lhlanl, lL)
Known as hr. lorus and tour 1 for uronlng artlst lrank
Blark, 1 Asekt has several lnterestlng tartlrs for hrand-
lng hlnself, lnrludlng hls slogan. Neva Irust a Sklnnv 1.
Ihough he nav have onre heen starvlng for hls sot ln the
nuslr hlz, Asekt rurrentlv en|ovs a verv healthv rareer
hreaklng rerords on the hlanl srene.
alloutallstarsgnall.ron
halllng address. 8Z8 SW Z St., At. 6 hlanl, lL JJIJ

Dj Averi Minor lChlrago, lL)
Iheres nothlng nlnor ahout thls 1s resune. hes toured
wlth Sllrk Rlrk and 1eru the ana|a, rorked ronrerts for
Snoo, hos ef, Iallh Kwell, Bllal, Llttle Brother, and res-
entlv 1s at the house of Blues and lunkv Budda ln Chl-
rago. ln addltlon to nlxlng on KB0L I.I lh ln Waterloo,
lowa, Averl hlnor ls also art of the lnternet and satelllte
radlo novenent on I!JVlP.ron, 6oodfellasradlo.net, and
Slrlus Radlos Barksln +J.
d|averlnlnorgnall.ron, averltvtnall.ron
halllng address. IZZ S. Blue lsland # JB Chlrago, lL 668
Dj bedz lenver, C0)
Also referred to as Ihe Whlte Shadow, Bedz ls a xture
ln the radlo rlrrult, nlxlng for Xh 66 Raw, I!.I K0NN ln
enver, and 96.I KlPI ln Colorado Srlngs. hls rluh llneu
ronslsts of Lo Behene, Purle hartlnl, and the Loft. Addlng
to hls well-roundedness, Bedz rerent nlxtae releases
lnrlude lare 0ff, lrtv South llavaz + wlth 1odv Breeze,
Partv to 6o, Srratrhwutrhvallke wlth lgltal Underground,
and War at JJ IlJ featurlng Puhllr Enenv.
d|hedzgnall.ron
halllng address. Whlte Shadow Produrtlons !S+ E. harvard
Ave. #I+ enver, C0 8ZJI
0Z0NE hA6 ll 69
CompileD by ms. RiveRCity
Dj bee lNorfolk, VA)
Notlng lnfuenres surh as 1azzv 1eff and Slnhad, 1 Bee
ls a turntahllst ln lts truest forn. he ran he seen rorklng
artles at Cluhs Entourage and Natlonwlde ln Norfolk, and
ran he heard on the alr waves vla IJ 1anz, Xh 66 Raw,
and Xh 6S Ihe Rhvne.
heesusnar.ron
big Sue lhenhls, IN)
Patlenre, a strong network, and an even stronger work
ethlr are tralts that arronanv Blg Sues role as Prenlere
lenale Slnner ln henhls. WhRK enlovs Suzle as Assls-
tant Progran lrertor and hornlng and hlddav Personal-
ltv. She also orrules the hooth at Cluhs Sllver Soon and
Level Z.
hlgsuzlegnall.ron
halllng address. WhRK Z6S Ihousand 0aks Blvd., Ste +I
henhls, IN J8II8
Dj bishop l0naha, NE)
henher of Ihe C0RE and Crowd Rorkas 1 rrews, hr.
Exrluslve, a.k.a. Ihat 1 Who Wears the Basehall 6loves,
rurrentlv 1s for Power I6.9 and Xh 6! Ihe Cltv. hls nost
rerent nlxtae ro|ert was 1 Blsho Presents. hlxx Con-
llatlon Vol. IIZ ves, thats rlght - volune one hundred
and twelve.
BlshoZggnall.ron
halllng address. S8S lda St. 0naha, NE 68ISZ
Dj b-Lord lCharleston, SC)
1 B-Lord has rone full rlrrle, fron lrklng rurunhers
wlth hexlrans, to heronlng one of the Souths nost
reserted 1s. Slnnlng on Colunhla SCs WhXI and Savan-
nahs WEAS, B-Lord ls also known for hls rluh skllls, wlth a
nonlnatlon for Best Cluh 1 at the Z! 0Z0NE Awards.
hlordd|aol.ron
Dj black bill Gates lAtlanta, 6AlSavannah, 6A)
Blark Blll 6ates afllatlons lnrlude hood Rlrh Ent.lhedla,
Shade +S Slrlus Satelllte, Pure Paln Rerords, So So ef Ra-
dlo, Leglon of oon, IP, and Stalnless Ent., |ust to nane
a few. he also slns at Ihe Underground on lrldavs, Cluh
hlanl on Saturdavs, reanz AIL, Z+K 6entlenens Cluh,
and varlous other hot sots ln the Atlanta area.
++-S+Z-8+! lRl), hlarkhlllgatesgnall.ron, nvsare.
ronlthehlarkhlllgates
Dj bomshell boogie lNew 0rleans, LA)
ulrklv heronlng N0LAs favorlte fenne fatale on the
tahles, Bonshell Boogle got her start slnnlng old srhool
Ra and R6B ln a renovated lounge after hurrlrane Ka-
trlna. Now hlastlng evervthlng fron street hangers to Io
+ hlts at Ihe Crlrket Cluh and Perklns, Boogle serlallzes
ln hlendlng genres to lease her entlre audlenre.
honshellhooglegnall.ron
Dj Chill lLafavette, LA)
1 Chlll ls the ofrlal tour for Irlll Ent.s J ee. When hes
not on the road ronotlng wlth the grou, Chlll ls ln the
lah nlxlng u taes llke Nlte Cas Vol. J, Certled hustllng
I.S ef 1an Edltlon, 6rown N Sexv Vol. J, and J ees llrst
6 honths.
JJ!-!8I-S8!8 rhlll.d|gnall.ron
halllng address. Z8Z6 Loulslana Ave., At. III Lafavette,
LA !SI
Dj Civil Rightz lIulsa, 0K)
Clvll Rlghtz ls an advorate for the Iulsa hl ho ronnu-
nltv. laned for helng Ihe Iulsa Sorts Anlnal on 9!.I lh,
the Po Lork Klng also slns at Soros and Ihe 0therslde
whlle keelng the nlxtae rlrrult ln tune to the latest hlts.
olorkklnghotnall.ron, nvsare.ronld|rlvllrlghtz
halllng address.
LeAndre Purlev
6!J+ South Peorla Ave. Iulsa, 0K !+IJ6
Clinton Sparks lBoston, hA)
Cllnton Sarks ls a renowned 1 for Snashtlne Radlo, a
worldwlde svndlrated show. hes also toured wlth lddv
and rurrentlv slns for several rluhs arross the glohe llke
Bodv Engllsh ln the hard Rork Caslno Las Vegas. All of hls
Cs, lnrludlng hl Po Rorkstar ll wlth lddv and Kon-
nerted to A Kon wlth Akon, ran he downloaded for free at
rllntonsarks.ron.
SnashtlnenJgnall.ron
Cristal bubblin lhouston, IXlNew Brunswlrk, N1)
Ihe huhhllng volre of KPIY Partv 9J.J ln houston, IX,
Crlstal Buhhlln hegan her rareer ln radlo as an lntern
hefore arretlng a weekend osltlon wlth IZ 1anz ln
6reenshoro, NC. Now the llfe of the artv, Crlstals honest
ersonalltv and randld sense of hunor have herone her
tradenark on the alrwaves.
rrlstalhuhhllngnall.ron
Dj Derty Vegas lBlrnlnghan, AL)
1 ertv Vegas res the Street hltter 1s, RC Pronotlons
6 harketlng, and S.Y.l. Entertalnnent Sound Squad Pro.
hes also a 1 for WBh1 9S.! 1anz and 6oodfellasradlo.
net. ertv Vegas got hls hlg hreak as the voungest strl
rluh 1 ln Blrnlnghan and noved on to several other
rluh glgs over the ast four vears. hE ALS0 SENS ALL hlS
hESSA6ES WlIh IhE CAPS L0CK 0N S0 IhAI lIS hAR I0
REA, hut we forglve hln.
streethltterd|sgnall.ron
Dj DNA lBaltlnore, hlWashlngton .C.)
hlxtae naster and radlo nlxer 1 NA rurrentlv slns
for Xh 66 Raw and lrert IV Channel 8+6. Ihe llst of hls
latest Cs ls too long to nane ln lts entlretv, hut lnrludes
hotlon Plrture Shlt wlth 1 rana, Blarkhand Anerlra,
and 6et on hv Level Vol. 6 hosted hv 6orllla Zoe and 8Ball
6 h16. lf voure ln the .C.lh area, vou ran ratrh NA at
the Lotus Lounge, Bar Nun, and Kashahs.
hJNAgnall.ron
Dj Dre llort Worth, IX)
re has 1ed for sone of the hottest ronrerts to hlt the
allas-lort Worth area llke Pln C, Irae, Lll Keke, Lll
Boosle, Wehhle, Yung 1or, Iwlsted Blark, and Blg hoe,
|ust to nane a few. hls lnternet nlxshow ran he heard at
donnvhradlo.ron and hls rluh reglnen lnrludes Cluh Axls,
Crvstals, and a Ranrh.
d|dre8I!gnall.ron, nvsare.ronld|dre!
Dj Drizzle lClnrlnnattl, 0h)
Nattls own 1 rlzzle tours wlth one of 0hlos hlggest
underground artlsts, Blark-1arkk. When hes not nlxlng
on 88.J lh or slnnlng at 6arage and Cln Cltv Lounge,
rlzzle ls husv narketlng hlnself worldwlde vla the net at
hvsare.ronl1rlzzle.
SIJ-SS!-8JS6, d|drlzzleSIJvahoo.ron
halllng address. P.0. Box +6SS Clnrlnnatl, 0h +SZ+
Dj Ekin lIana, lL)
Ianas nost ronnerted 1 earned hls tltle vla hls
shows on WBIP 9S.! Ihe Beat and Shade +S Slrlus Satel-
llte. Ihe oenlng of BEI Soundstage Cluh ln 0rlando,
llorlda ut Ekln on the rluh na, and lts heen on and
oln ever slnre.
d|eklngnall.ron
Dj Flatline lIoronto, Canada)
Relng the hllkCrate lan and the Canadlan nlxtae
rlrrult, 1 llatllne has a taste for the golden era of hl
ho nuslr. hes toured all over the world, hrlnglng rlasslr
hl ho to the nasses.
d|fatllnenlxtaesgnall.ron
Dj Folk lRone, 6Al6reenshoro, NC)
1 lolks rareer hegan wlth an lnternshl at 6rand hustle.
hls latest nlxtae ro|erts are Blood Raws Agalnst All
0dds, Sllrk Pullas 0nerta, and h.0.S. lts Llke a hovle.
therartelronognall.ron, therartelnuslrgnall.ron
! ll 0Z0NE hA6
Dj Frogie lAtlanta, 6Alhenhls, IN)
lrogles Who Run lt serles ls naklng a notahle nark ln
the Southern nlxtae ronnunltv. Currentlv on Chater II
of the serles, lrogle has hegun other ro|erts llke lrogle
Stvle Radlo and Cluh Sexxv. Currentlv the resldent 1 at
Llons Lounge ln harletta, 6A and on WlS 9.9 ln 6reens-
horo, NC, lrogle seens to have the 1 gane on lork.
d|froglegnall.ron
Furious Styles lWashlngton, .C.)
Startlng off wlth rollege radlo at .C.s Anerlran Unlver-
sltv, lurlous Stvles eventuallv graduated to Xh 66 Raw
where he resentlv en|ovs the handruff-free lavllsts and
ahllltv to lav what the eole want to hear.
halllng address. 1 lurlous Stvles Xh Radlo IS Erklng-
ton Pl. NE Washlngton, .C. ZZ
Dj Gloss lhouston, IX)
Skv Lounge, Next, and E+ are sone of the rluhs where vou
ran ratrh 6loss arklng the danre foor. her nlxtaes are
a huge hlt wlth fans, eserlallv slnre she asses out ll
gloss to her fenale atrons.
d|glossnuslrgnall.ron
halllng address. JIJ lountalnvlew, Sulte ZS houston,
IX !!S!
Dj Gottem lKllleen, IX)
0rlglnallv a rluh 1, 6otten noved to radlo when BI6s
Progran lrertor offered hln a osltlon as nlght show
ersonalltv and nlxer. Now wlth a strong rluh, radlo, and
nlxtae followlng, 6otten ls ofrlallv a tastenaker ln the
ZS+ area.
d|gottenvahoo.ron, nvsare.ronlgottenIZ
H-Dub lColunhla, SC)
hot IJ.9s nunher one nlght show 1 started off ln sales
hefore landlng the weeknlght glg fron 6-I .n. and
Saturdavs fron Z-! .n. h-uh, also known as hollvwood
uh, ls also a nenher of the ef 1s.
8!!-8!+-IJ9, www. hotIJ9fn.ron
Dj Holiday lAtlanta, 6A)
A nenher of the Ahllllates huslr 6rou, 1 holldav has
toured wlth Lll Srrav and Rorko. Ihe Z6-vear-old ron-
slders hlnself to he an all-around 1, slnnlng at several
rluhs ln the Atlanta area llke 6old Bar, Esso, Nolr, and
reanz AIL whlle nalntalnlng a steadv nlxtae huzz.
d|holldavIgnall.ron
halllng address. I+! Walker Street, Atlanta, 6A JJJ
Hotgirl Maxximum lhontgonerv, AL)
haxxlnun ls a 1 and huslr lrertor for WKXN lh ln
hontgonerv, AL. You ran also nd her at Cluh luslons,
lanonds, Ihe Red Rose, and Rltno. As art of the hood
hard 1s, she ronslstentlv dros nlxtaes and has even
heen on tour wlth Nav Roots.
hotglrl.naxlnungnall.ron
Incognito lColunhus, 6AlAlhanv, 6A)
lnrognlto herane the voungest on alr ersonalltv ln
Colunhus at the age of I6. Currentlv ZJ vears old, he
hosts at Cluh Envv and ran he heard on 98.J Ihe Beat and
96.J W1lZ.
dathovlnrvahoo.ron
Dj joe Pro lNorfolk, VA)
Known for hls rlsque nlx V rovers, 1oe Pro has nade
hls own lane ln the nlxtae world. he rerentlv won Best
hlx V of the Year at the Z8 Southern Ent. Awards.
Aslde fron hls nlxtaes and Vs, 1oe also 1s at Cluhs
ha|lk Cltv I 6 Z, Llquld Blue, Purle Relgn, Red Velvet,
Crazv aves, Chanagne, Entourage, and Enrore.
|oero!S!hotnall.ron
Dj jonasty l1arkson, hS)
Aslde fron 1lng at lreelons Bar 6 6roove, 99 1ans W1hl,
and helng the huslr lrertor for Cool 1azz 88.S, 1onastv ls
also a art-tlne ronedlan. No, not reallv, hut he ls known
for hls keen hunor and wlt whlle rorklng a rrowd, not to
nentlon hls slgnature danre noves.
6I-9I8-SS, d||onastvsrlnt.hlarkherrv.net, d||ona-
stvgnall.ron, nvsare.ronld||onastv
jo-Ski Luv (Huntsville, AL)
halllng fron Rorket Cltv U.S.A., 1o-Skl 1s at Plavers Cluh,
Ehonv Cluh, Ihe Knork, and Ihe 6reen Roon. he ls a nlght
|ork IJ.I WEUP lh, ran he heard on Shade +S Slrlus
Satelllte, and ls a nenher of the C0RE 1s.
rore|osklgnall.ron
Dj judge Mental
Ihlrtv-sonethlng-vear-old 1udge lves, thats hls real
nane) hental ls a tour 1 for IIZs . Parker and WXBI
I.I Ihe Beat. hes 1ed at sone of the hottest rluhs
ln the U.S. and ahroad, lnrludlng Atlantas faned Cluh
Crurlal, whlle ronlllng hls lrt Law nlxtae serles.
1udgehentalhuslrgnall.ron
King Arthur lAtlanta, 6AlLos Angeles, CAlLas Vegas, NV)
Klng Arthur got hls hlg hreak hv dolng what anv voung,
lnexerlenred 1 would dolle. After ronvlnrlng a rluh
ronoter to ut hln on stage ln front of Z, eole, he
qulrklv noved u the ranks ln the L.A. rluh srene. Klng
Arthur eventuallv noved to Atlanta where he rurrentlv
1s at Pure lIuesdavs), Iahoo llrldavs - llve hroadrast
on IZ.S), evlnrl lSaturdavs), and Velvet Roon lSundavs
- llve hroadrast on hot I!.9).
klngarthurI!9gnall
halllng address. !I llr Chase lalrhurn, 6A, JZIJ
Kydd joe lAugusta, 6A)
0therwlse known as Ihe Crown holder, Kvdd 1oe nlxes
at WPRW Power I!.! and Cluh reans, J, !6, and
Sound Irark. Prldlng hlnself on the ahllltv to lnterart
wlth the rrowd, Kvdd 1oe attrlhutes hls skllls to hls nen-
tors 1s Nlght Iraln and 6reg Nvre.
kvdd|oegnall.ron
halllng address. II Katherlne St. 6rovetown, 6A J8IJ
Dj Lil Steve lhouston, IX)
After wlnnlng hlxtae Rookle of the Year at the Z6
Southern Ent. Awards and ratrhlng the attentlon of 06
Ron C, 1 Lll Steve qulrklv storned the Iexas nlxtae
srene, rerentlv releaslng Stralght 6angsta + and Ihe
hlxtae Before the Serles. he also orrules the 1 hooth
at nlghtrluhs llke Perfert Rark and a Sot.
d|lllstevegnall.ron
Dj Marc X lEl Paso, IX)
harr X has gotten ln hls falr share of trouhle for lav-
lng non-aroved nuslr at Power IZ.I lh, hut that
doesnt sto hln fron hrlnglng the hlts to the streets.
harr slns at the Wet Ultra Lounge and Shooters Nlterluh,
ls a nenher of the Bunsquad 1z, and rerentlv ut out
hls Chronlrles of the 6erko Bros. nlxtae.
d|narrxgnall.ron
halllng address. 9ISS ver St. B-8 hB#I!9 El Paso, IX
!99Z+

Dj Marlei Mar lLexlngton 6 Loulsvllle, KY)
A Kenturkv reresenter, harlon harlel har Ihonson
ls an artlve nenher of the KYhP 1s and huslr Pool and
releases new edltlons of hls KYhP Radlo serles often. he
also 1s at Cluh Vllla lontana, luslon Lounge, and several
other nohlle glgs.
SZ-68I-+JI8, kvnkand|snJgnall.ron, nvsare.
ronld|narlelnar
Dj Mesta lIorlno, ltalv)
Ihls vears 1 lssue has gone glohal. 1 hesta slns all
over Euroe, the hlddle East, Nlgerla, and ronslders
hlnself to he a rltlzen of the world. hes also a dlgltal
guru, drolng several nlxtaes lnrludlng the 6et at
Paer serles, vla lIunes.
halllng address. C.L.h. harrhesln Vla Plarenza 6 IIZ!
Iorlno - lIALY
0Z0NE hA6 ll !I
MLK lAtlanta, 6A)
Ralsed ln Washlngton, 6A and now resldlng ln Atlanta,
hLK has nade a nane for hlnself ln the A-Iown nlxtae
rlrrult. hes rollahorated on several ro|erts for the hood
Rlrh Ent. fan, and rurrentlv 1s at Seasons, Cluh hlanl,
Ihe Rltz, Ihe Llhrarv, Cluh ++, and Ihe Blork.
nlkngIgnall.ron, nvsare.ronlnlkng
Dj Peachez lRlrhnond, VA)
Ihe rst and onlv fenale to have a nlxshow ln the Rlrh-
nond area, Pearhez has a suhstantlal resune as a nlxer.
ln addltlon to her show on lPower 9Z.I, she also slns at
End Zone ln hoewell, VA and the hverllnk ln Rlrhnond
and ls on her IZth nlxtae volune of Street heat. Pea-
rhez also helongs to the C0RE 1s rrew.
d|earhezgnall.ron, nvsare.ronld|earhezvs
Mr. Peter Parker lhlnneaollslSt. Paul, hNlBoston, hA)
96.Js Peter Parker ls trulv a Suer han of radlo. ln fart,
he has a #I show ln a to Z narket. After an lnternshl
wlth WB0I 9!.! ln Boston, Peter Parker worked rloselv
wlth Cllnton Sarks untll he eventuallv noved to the Iwln
Cltles. Alongslde 1lng at Cluh Valentlnos, Vlsage, Axls,
and Esrae, Peter rerentlv released how hard o You
huStle Vol. J hosted hv Lue llasro and Vol. + hosted hv
lre Cuhe.
eterarkerh96gnall.ron
Dj Q lKansas Cltv, h0)
ulntln 1 Randle ls qulrklv estahllshlng hls hrand
nane. lornerlv at rluhs Kahal, Ihe hangout, Phase ll,
hoda, and Raln, rurrentlv rorks the artv at Cluh Zen ln
Kansas Cltv and the hadrlgall hartlnl Bar as hoth 1 and
hvenan. ls also nanaged hv KPRS Kennv lanondz.
qrandleSgnall.ron
Dj Radio lSouth 1ersev, N1)
1 Radlo helongs to the StreetSweeer rrew, alongslde
1 Kav Slav, and ls art of the Shade +S Slrlus Satelllte
fanllv. You ran ratrh Radlo everv Wednesdav nlght fron 8
.n. to IZ a.n. or on hls hr. Sold 0ut nlxtae serles.
69-8J9-9!69, RadloIZIZgnall.ron
Dj Rage lNashvllle, IN)
Afllated wlth the Sll-N-Sllde 1s, lutureStar 1s, and
hoodhard 1s, 1 Rage nlxes for WK 9Z.I ln Nashvllle
and K0PW I6.9 ln 0naha. Along wlth hls nlxtae gane
lWe Run the Cltv Vol. I-J), Rage also holds down the
rluh srene at Ihe llrn Ultra Lounge and Ihe Plare Ultra
Lounge.
Raged|gnall.ron
Dj RNS lRlrhnond, VA)
1 RNS nlxshow lregula Radlo ran he heard everv Iues-
dav at 9 .n. on Xh Channel 66, lrerIV Channel 8+6, and
A0L Radlo. A xture ln the rluh srene, 1 RNS has rorked
rrowds at sone of the hottest venues on the East roast
lnrludlng L0VE lfornerlv rean Nlght Cluh), lUR, Ihe Cot-
ton Cluh, Cluh levers, Pearl, Ihe Cherrv Lounge, hanslon,
Cluh Serrets, hverllnk Cafe lfeatured on BEIs College
hlll VSU), Velorltv, Paradlse Lounge and I0NlC hartlnl Bar.
lnfod|rns.ron, www.d|rns.ron
Dj RO lNew 0rleans, LA)
1 R0 has nalntalned a llve nlxshow ln N.0. for the last
I! vears. You ran hear hln on 9J.Js S 0Clork llx durlng
the week and Cluh 9J on weekends. hes also a Pesl
lvlslon 1 and slns at Cluh Ceasars, Ihe urk 0ff, Crlrket
Cluh, house of Blues, and Cluh !I+.
d|roS+gnall.ron, www.d|ro.ron, nvsare.ronld|roS+
Dj Shotime lChlrago, lL)
on 1 Shotlne Ellls ls a nenher of the Core Streetz
1s. hr. ! avs ! Nlghts has a full week of rluh glgs.
Cluh Buddah Lounge lhon.), Cluh Wet lIues.), Cluh vlne
lWeds. 6 Ihurs.), Ilnl hartlnl llrl. 6 Sun.). lt looks llke
Saturdav ls rurrentlv oen to the hlghest hldder.
d|shotlnegnall.ron, nvsare.ronlshotlned|
Dj Slab1 lNew 0rleans, LA)
SlahI ls a radlo |ork for 9J and 1s serlal events at
Cluh Anersand ln New 0rleans. hes also toured wlth
Cash honev and notes hannle lresh as one of hls greatest
lnfuenres.
d|slahIvahoo.ron
Dj Spontaneous lBaltlnore, h)
When Sontaneous helleves ln a rerord, he uts hls all
hehlnd lt, even lf lt neans loslng hls radlo glg. Iheres
nothlng wrong wlth helng a rerord hreaker and even
though hes no longer on the alrwaves, he nalntalns a
strong resenre ln rluhs llke Edens Lounge, Slstas Plare,
Rush hour, Pe|us Lounge, Cluh 0ne, and varlous other sots
ln Baltlnore and .C.
d|sontaneousgnall.ron
Dj Storm lIallahassee, lL)
lornerlv a 1 for lAhUs rollege statlon, 1 Storn now
nlxes for WWL Blazln IZ.J ln a town wlth a huge rol-
lege oulatlon. ont vou wlsh vou were her! Storn ls a
|ark-of-all-trades when lt rones to exoslng new nuslr
nlxtaes, tours, radlo, rluhs she does lt all wlth stvle.
nvsare.ronld|stornonllne
Tab Dbiassi lN1, NC, SC)
0therwlse known as a hllllon olla 1, Iah Blassl
nlxes for Power 98 WPE6 ln Charlotte hondav lrldav
fron IZ .n. to I .n. he also slns at Crush everv lrldav
and frequentlv 1s rollege events. Iah helongs to the Bun
Squad 1z and Shadvvllle 1s networks.
Dj Tre lhontgonerv, AL)
Ire hanllton ls a Z+-vear-old 1 for I!.I WKXNlWKXK ln
hontgonerv, AL. Ihe Souths Crunkest 1 adds favor
to several rluhs ln the area surh as Rose Suer Cluh,
lrontstreet Entertalnnent, Cluh lanonds, and Cluh luslon.
Ires latest nlxtae efforts lnrlude Ihe World ls Yours, lts
0frlal, and Welrone to Kutgonerv.
|treJJ+gnall.ron
Dj Unpredictable l1arkson, hS)
lornerlv a narrhlng hand ronsultant for 1arkson State
Unlversltv, 1 Unredlrtahle now uses hls ear for nuslr
whlle 1lng at hot 9!.! WRB1. Ihe untourhahle, unsto-
ahle 1 Unredlrtahle also rorks the rluh rrowd at
lreelons a 6roove.
Dj whitey lNashvllle, IN)
1 Whltev, ronnonlv referred to as Ihe Presldent, kees
Nashvllles nlghtllfe rrarkln at rluhs Zen, erades, luel,
and also takes hls skllls on the road. ln addltlon to hls
rluh rredentlals, Whltev ls also a strong randldate on the
nlxtae hallots.
6IS-9+!-+J+Z, d|whltev!I8hotnall.ron, www.nvsare.
ronld|whltev
Dj wrekk 1 llndlanaolls, lNlSt. Louls, h0)
Wrekk I ls a natural when lt rones to the suer-hve
1 Volre. Presentlv a |ork for hot 96.J Whhh and Slrlus
Satelllte Radlo, 1 Wrekk I also ans u the sot at Cluh !,
hldtowns, Vogue, and lre. hes asslsted wlth tours for Nellv
and U6K and stlll found tlne to release several nlxtaes.
We douht hell ever need to work at hronalds agaln.
WrekkIhotnall.ron
Dj Yorkie lhlanl, lL)
After helng rated one of the Io I Sexlest lenale 1s ln
thls vears Sex lssue, 0Z0NE readers rouldnt get enough of
1 Yorkle. Whlle helng a wonan ln a nale-donlnated ln-
dustrv has heen tough, her quallratlons surass nanv of
her nale rounterarts. her Southern Cookln and Battle of
the Cltles nlxtaes are heatlng u hlanl whlle she hullds a
solld rluh foundatlon at Ihe llfth, lvv, Norturnal, houstons,
Broadwav, to nane a few.
d|vorklenuslrgnall.ron
!Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
For many DJs, the struggle for respect
was a long, often frustrating, battle. For
others, being in the right place at the
right time was all it took:
how did you get your big break as a DJ?
ln ZJ l started learnlng how to nlx fron nv
hrother and rousln. l got nv rst set of turntahles
and after slx nonths of rartlre, l ventured out
wlth denos to get lnto the rluh. l got nv rst
hreak when the owner of the 6reennount Lounge
ln Baltlnore Cltv gave ne nv own nlght on
Wednesdavs slnnlng Reggaelanrehall nuslr.
Zhello
l droed Iexas hassarre when Iexas had a rrazv
huzz hehlnd that Stlll Illn |olnt. JI egreez
l started out slnnlng wlth 1 Phlngaz all over
South Carollna. he advlsed ne to get nv own
equlnent one dav, whlrh l dld and here l an
todav. Aarles
Bllndlv suhnlttlng nv nlx Cs allowed ne to
land a few rluh glgs, and when those rluhs ad-
vertlsed on the radlo lt heled hulld u nv nane
rerognltlon. olng that heled ne neet 1 Chonz,
and after that the donlnos fell. Bedz
l reared, then l hegged for lt. lve heen ln radlo
for vears as a ersonalltv, and J vears ago the
sane 1s that hel ne get nv foot ln the door at
the statlon, heled ne get on. Blg Sue
l rerelved nv hlg hreak hv fate nlxed wlth tlnlng
and rhanre. l was walklng assed thls Ihal res-
taurant that was rlosed after hurrlrane Katrlna. l
went ln and a guv nane 1 Poa Bear was rlean-
lng the |olnt, savlng that thev were ronvertlng lt
lnto a har. l asked hln lf l rould sln there when
lt oened. he relled Surel A few nonths later
he ralled and offered ne an underground hl ho
nlght. Ihe nlght grew huge, and lt herane one
of the nost oular nlghts for underground, old
srhool ra, and R6B. Bonshell Boogle
l dld a house artv for one of nv rhlldhood
honles hark ln 9I. he needed a 1 and l alwavs
wanted to learn, so l 1ed the whole artv wlth
taesl l stlll dont know how l dld that. Chlll
l started off as an lntern at I6.9 K-hlts ln Iulsa.
After three nonths, the rogran dlrertor offered
ne a |oh at the statlon ve davs a week. Iwo
vears later, ln now a nornlng show rodurer at
9!.I. lf lt wasnt for 6od uslng two henonenal
rogran dlrertors llke Iod Iurker and Kevln Ward,
l rould stlll he fllng hurgers at hronalds.
Clvll Rlghtz
l started dolng nlxtaes ln 9+, ronotlng nv
own artles, and 1lng at horgan State Unlversltv
whlle ln rollege. Ihlngs reallv took off ln ZZ
when l steed u nv nlxtae grlnd and hegan
gettlng nv rodurt out natlonwlde. Ihat, along
wlth the use of nv lndustrv relatlonshls over the
vears, eventuallv landed ne the glg at Xh Satelllte
Radlo on 66 RAW where lve heen for J and a half
vears now. NA
lve heen fortunate enough to have a roule of
hlg hreaks. Ihe oenlng of the BEI Soundstage
Cluh ln 0rlando was denltelv a hlg one for ne. lt
set the tone for ne ln Central llorlda. Ekln
l was a freshnan at ISU and another 1 was
suosed to sln thls artv for nv honehov I1
hut dldnt show u. So I1 ralled ne and gave ne
a shot. After the artv he ronlsed ne lf he was
elerted resldent of the Alhas the followlng lall,
he would nake ne the ofrlal 1 for all of thelr
events. he ket hls ronlse. lrogle
l used to 1 underground hasenent artles for
free ln downtown Iurson so l rould hulld u nv
nane. Ihen l got ald rluh glgs. l noved to hous-
ton and llnked u wlth 1 Chlll and Young Sann.
l started drolng nlxtaes and slnnlng sets at
9.I KPlI. l rerentlv won Z8 lenale 1 of the
Year at the SEAs. 6loss
l got nv hlg hreak worklng thls hot sot ln
Kllleen, IX ralled Cluh lre wlth nv hov 1 Chuk. CC
Cruz, the rogran dlrertor for BI6, offered ne a
osltlon on the nlght show as a radlo ersonalltv
and nlxer. 6otten
l was wlth thls guv that was a 1, and ended u
narrvlng hln. l went to Alahana State Unlversltv
for radloltelevlslon hroadrastlng and dld an ln-
ternshl wlth S.N.A. lhlrhael London) and the rest
ls hlstorv. hot 6lrl haxxlnun
l started dolng nlxtaes ln hlgh srhool whlrh
herane verv oular. Ihen l started dolng all the
na|or artles and danres fron there, whlrh led to
dolng ra ronrerts, shows ln rluhs, ronedv rluhs,
and strl rluhs. 1oe Pro
l was at a rollege artv and the 1 was
whark. l went to the 1, no lle, and started
golng through hls C hooks and telllng hln
what to lav. he savs, Watrh thls stuff for
ne, ln golng outslde. he gave ne SZ and
left. l rorked the artv wlth hls nuslr and
hls equlnent. A ue dog rane u to ne
and hlred ne for an afterartv at the Caltol
Cltv Classlr. Ihat was nv rst rluh glg and
ne and nv artner rorked lt llke rrazv.
1oNastv
After slavlng for three vears at nv rurrent sta-
tlon, dolng whatever shlft and task that was asked
of ne, our nlght |ork reslgned and l took hls
lare. lt was a sltuatlon of helng ln the rlght lare
at the rlght tlne. 1o-Skl Luv
! 0asls Pronotlons lIrov harshall and addv
Rlrh) was dolng College hondavs at Paradlse Z+ ln
Los Angeles. l used to go everv week and ald to
get ln. l got tlred of avlng so l lled to then, tell-
lng then l was dolng a lot of artles when l had
artuallv onlv done a roule of house artles. Ihe
rst artv l dld for then was at the Alfa Conven-
tlon ln Los Angeles and there where Z, eole
there. l was nervous as furkl l was thlnklng what
the furk dld l get nvself lnto! Klng Arthur
A guv hv the nane of hlnnesota lattz gave ne
a shot. 1s Nlght Iraln and 6reg Nvre showed ne
the roes. Kvdd 1oe
When l was I!, after ve vears of runnlng around
trvlng to get hls attentlon, l nallv got the
legendarv 06 Ron C to llsten to nv nlxtae Ihe
lnternlsslon, whlrh won ne Rookle of the Year
at the Z6 SEAs. After asklng ne a nllllon ques-
tlons, he nade lt ofrlal. l was hls rotege and
the rest was naglr. Lll Steve
l dont feel as lf l reallv had that hlg hreak vet,
others nav thlnk dlfferentlv. l thank Blark Blll
6ates and 1 Srrean for lntrodurlng ne to the
nlxtae gane and hellng ne hrand nv nane.
hLK
l was an lnternlstreet tean go-getter at WB0I
9!.! ln Boston ln Z and l got a rhanre to host
Ihe lever wlth Cllnton Sarks everv Saturdav
nlght. lt was a great learnlng how to do a nlx-
show fron a hrllllant 1. Peter Parker
Belng a StreetSweeer alongslde 1 Kavslav and
the oortunltv to he art of StreetSweeer
Radlo on Shade +S, Slrlus Satelllte Radlo. Radlo
l started 1lng house artles and hlgh srhool
danres, hranded nv nane, and raught the atten-
tlon of the loral radlo statlon 9J New 0rleans
nlxtae host Lehron 1oseh. R0
9Z had a 1 ronetltlon at Stone Soul Plrnlr
that was |udged hv a rrowd of J, eole. l
earned a sot on the nornlng show nlxlng for IS
nlnutes and then herane an on alr ersonalltv on
the Blg Phat hornlng Show. Sontaneous
A forner enlovee of WPE6 hv the nane of Nate
ulrk gave ne the rhanre to lntern under hln
after hearlng ne 1 at a roule of loral artles.
Iah Blassl
Iwo good frlends of nlne threw artles all the
tlne at a loral nlght rluh ralled the Cahana Cluh.
Ihev hlred ne for an annlversarv artv herause
the 1 was runnlng late and nlght not show u.
Ihat was the rst tlne l ever 1ed at a nlght rluh
and sone other rluh owners were there. Ihev saw
what l rould do lve heen hooked everv weekend
ever slnre. Ire
Whlle ln hlgh srhool l artlrlated ln the Assorla-
tlon of Blark 1ournallst Worksho where a few
of the radlo 1s were tearhlng rlasses on radlo
hroadrastlng. harr Clark suggested that l alv to
work at the radlo statlon. l alled for an lntern-
shl and got arreted. Wrekk I
lt all started wlth a 1 frlend that allowed ne
to get on one of hls sets, then lt was all uhlll.
Yorkle

Catchy slogans and other marketing
strategies have helped many DJs like
Drama and Whoo Kid take over the mix-
tape game. From ear-catching aliases to
eye-attracting dances, this years panel
of DJs has their own forms of branding:
What is your trademark as a DJ?
hv slogan ls Neva trust a sklnnv 1l Asekt
l rall nvself the Sonlr henare herause when l
lav a rerord ln gonna glve lt to vou the wav l
want vou to hear lt. l rall nvself Ihe lnrredlhle
herause 1s llke ne are far and few ln hetween.
A lot of 1s dont honor the svsten of showlng
skllls. Averl hlnor
Iheres no ohvlous glnnlrk, hut lve worked
reallv hard to hrand nv Whlte Shadow allas. hv
nlxtae notto ls lor those who llke thelr nlx Cs
nlxed. lve never heen a ronllatlon |orkev and
never wlll he. Bedz
ln a turntahllst that ran nake the nornal ear
arerlate the art forn and l ran rork anv tve of
artv. Bee
ln the renlere fenale slnner ln henhls.
Blg Sue
Ask anvone ahout the Blsho logo and natrhlng
hasehall gloves. Blsho
!Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll !J
ln the heglnnlng, lt was ne savlng Blark Blll
6ates hoe on nv nlxtaes, hut now lts denltelv
nv ahllltv to rork a rrowd. Ask anvhodv whos
heen to Cluh hlanl or anv of the events lve
laved. Blark Blll 6ates
l love to lntegrate songs fron dlfferent sorlal
srenes and exose then to sots that never get
that rertaln tve of nuslr. And no natter where
ln at, l alwavs lav a Soul|a Slln song. R.l.P.
Bonshell Boogle
ln known for leavlng the turntahles to |un on
the danre foor to hust a nove hefore the next
song heglns. Clvll Rlghtz
lsassenhllng hulldlngs and snashlng down ar-
tles worldwlde. havlng the nost energetlr radlo
show on the lanet. Belng a 1 that not onlv lavs
hlts hut nakes the hlts too. Belng verv rreatlve
and orlglnal on nv nlxtaes. Cllnton Sarks
Ielllng the I% honest, sonetlnes hrutal, truth
a.k.a. helng a hater. L0L. Crlstal Buhhlln
hv tradenark has heen nv ruston 1 re rloth-
lng that ln often seen ln. re
l an Ianas host Connerted 1. Ekln
l llke to do lntros wlth a lot of ruts on nv nlx-
taes to ratrh eoles attentlon earlv. l trv dlf-
ferent thlngs wlth hlends too, llke new araellas
wlth old srhool lnstrunentals. l get nore rreatlve
than a lot of other 1s ln the gane now. lrogle
l glve awav ll gloss wlth nv nlxtaes.
Resert nv shlne. 6loss
Ihe hrase l alwavs sav around eole and on
nv nlxtaes ls 6otten Coarh. lts llke a tern vou
would use whlle lavlng haskethall or foothall
after srorlng the wlnnlng olnt. 6otten
Ihe ladles love ne. holldav
ln |ust slllv as hell. hv strong olnt ls nv song
selertlon and nv hlendlng. When vou see ne ln
the hooth nlxlng, ln llterallv havlng the hest
tlne of nv llfe. l got a danre that l do to lahos
Srottv. Now eole ln the rrowd do nv danre
when l dro lt. 1oNastv
hv tradenark as a 1 has alwavs heen nv
nlxtaes, whlrh feature the hottest lntros, nlxes,
and hlends. Also nv tradenark C rovers featurlng
the hottest nodelslexotlr danrers worldwlde.
1oe Pro
hv slogans are l alnt lavlng no ganes and
Evervhodv fron the front to the harkl Klng
Arthur
Blendlng hl ho and R6B wlth Reggaeton, nak-
lng eole danre no natter what, hreaklng new
trends, rodurlng hot heats, releaslng nlxtaes on
lIunes, and of rourse helng ltallan. hesta
ln known for lavlng a varletv of nuslr and
havlng the nost rreatlve nlx Cs ln the Rlrhnond
area. ln also known for helng the rst and onlv
fenale 1 to have a nlxshow ln the Rlrhnond, VA
narket. Pearhez
ln nv own hvenan. l feed off nv rrowd and
thelr artlrlatlon, whlrh nakes ne have a hetter
set.
l showrase new talent, not |ust the A-llst artlsts.
ln the outlet for a lot of lndeendent and u
ronlng artlsts who need suort. Radlo
Peole tell ne thev love watrhlng ne sln he-
rause thev ran see the asslon that l have for lt.
l want evervone to get lost ln the nuslr wlth ne,
and l thlnk eole feel that. Sontaneous
l danre a lot when ln 1lng, eole alwavs
nentlon that to ne. Storn
Never half-asslng, whether lts I or I, ln
attendanre. Iah Blassl
hv tradenark ls the Souths Crunkest 1. ln
known for alwavs talklng freakv to the ladles
when ln 1lng. Ire
Ihe Untourhahle l Ihe Unstoahle.
Unredlrtahle
From picking cucumbers with
mexicans to selling shoes, your favorite
DJs have had some very interesting
employment opportunities prior to
rockin the crowd:
What jobs did you have prior to DJing?

l rut grass, sold newsaers, and the worse |oh
of all was washlng dlshes at Rvans. Ihat lasted
three davs and l had to glve lt u. JI egreez
Sears, gas statlon, notlvatlonal seaklng, and the
grorerv store. Aarles
lorkllft oerator, 1lffv Luhe, Clrrult Cltv, Burger
Klng, too nanv to nane. Bee
lve had a few, fron throwlng hoxes for ledEx, to
worklng ln a drv rleaner. lve sold sneakers and
answered hones for 6revhound. Blg Sue
ln serlous wlth ronuters and have lnterned,
worked, and ronsulted for at least S lortune S
ronanles hefore the age of ZS, all of whlrh l left
herause thev rouldnt deal wlth nv other rofes-
slon. l qult nv nal osltlon when thev refused to
let ne take off to ln Ra Cltv. Blark Blll 6ates
Plrklng rurunhers wlth hexlrans. B-Lord
ln a llrensed Cosnetologlst. l worked as a
nake-u artlst for Lanrone and hAC. l ald for nv
rst set of equlnent hartendlng ln a nlghtrluh.
Bonshell Boogle
l worked for fast food restaurants, ronstrurtlon,
lawvers ofre, lus work-studv |ohs ln rollege.
Chlll
l was at UPS for four vears. Ihe nonth l went
full-tlne and was ahout to nake a rareer
out of lt, l fell through a stalrrase rarrv-
lng an 8S ound arkage. l ln|ured nv hark
and rouldnt do that |oh anvnore so l had to
nake nv dreans of helng ln the nuslr husl-
ness a realltv, fast. Cllnton Sarks
l grew u sweelng halr and foldlng towels ln nv
nothers halr salon, then l was a rashler at the
Rutgers Unlversltv Bookstore, then a sales assorl-
ate at Sneaker Stadlun. urlng nv vears ln radlo,
lve worked for lnsuranre ronanles and heen
a waltress. Shout out to 0llve 6arden. Crlstal
Buhhlln
l was the fornat roordlnator for the urhan nuslr
deartnent at a ronanv ralled Artlve lndustrv
Researrh, lnr. where l dld natlonal radlo rono-
tlons. Before that l lnterned wlth several lahels
lnrludlng Polv6ran, ef 1an, Ehl, and Vlrgln whlle
ln rollege, worklng a full tlne |oh dolng roller-
tlons, ronotlng and lannlng artles. NA
hlgh-end hone theatre lnstallatlon. llatllne
Sarked grorerles at Kroger, telenarketer, ware-
house rlerk. lrogle
Baskethall roarh for vouth at the hovs and glrls
rluh, dental terh, then l herane a dental lnsur-
anre adnlnlstrator. 6loss
Before 1lng, nv legal |oh was helng a walter.
6otten
l worked at the alrort loadlng hags and l
was a hotel hell hov. holldav
l was a davrare worker and l was worklng at the
dell ln Brunos when l nade nv nlnd u to ursue
thls. hot 6lrl haxxlnun
lYE, Coelands, and Best Buv. lnrognlto
l had lots of |ohs whlle 1lng art-tlne surh as
rerelvlng rlerk at the deartnent store hesss,
worklng the drlve thru at hardees, and envlron-
nental eld terhnlrlan. 1oe Pro
Underground Statlon ln the hetro hall ln 1ark-
son, slangln Ilnhs. l also used to drlve forkllfts
ln a warehouse. lt surked, hut the av was good.
1oNastv
l dldnt have anv hefore 1lng. l had nanv durlng
1lng, fron fast food to nanaglng a nultl-nllllon
dollar ronanv. 1udge hental
Selllng hot dogs at Ihe 6reat Western lorun,
sroolng lre rrean, tltle lnsuranre, lederal Ex-
ress, hCA Rerords, and Power 88.I ln Las Vegas.
Klng Arthur
l was worklng at a Iovota dealershl. harr X
l work ln the nanrlal servlres lndustrv.
lve heen a loan ofrer and also an annultv
serlallst. Pearhez
l used to do lead alnt renoval, not a great look.
l also worked at 6ultar Center for four davs.
Peter Parker
l started at a vldeo store and went to hone e-
ot. After hone eot, l noved to a hlll rollertlon
agenrv for a vear, sent a roule of nonths at an
eBav store, and another few nonths at the lRS.
llnallv after the lRS, l worked for an auto arts
lant dolng lnventorv full tlne.
l worked for ISA. Rage
l was worklng as an ofre asslstant at nv srhool.
Ihen l had the retall rlothlng store |oh for a nln-
ute. But dont get lt twlsted, l stlll work. Alnt no
hollvwood over here, l got hllls to avl RNS
last food rhalns and hotel |ohs. R0
Irurk drlver, Pavless Shoes, retall. Shotlne
hronalds, telenarketlng, door to door sales,
deht nanagenent, evervthlng under the sun.
Sontaneous
0Z0NE hA6 ll !J
!+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
l have a hasters degree, so fortunatelv l havent
had too nanv shlttv |ohs. l used to he a nedlal
narketlng serlallst for the Unlversltv of llorlda.
l was a sokeserson for the State of llorlda e-
artnent of Envlronnental Protertlon, whlrh nost
eole would never guess. Ihev were good |ohs,
hut ln glad l dont have an 8-S now. Storn
Wendvs, Sho Rlte, Iransanerlra, hertz, and a
few harhershos. Iah Blassl
Before l started naklng a llvlng off of 1lng, l
was an elertrlrlan and l 1ed rlvate artles on
the weekend. Ire
harrhlng Band Consultant for 1arkson State
Unlversltv and Resldent 6 Leaslng lrertor for Ihe
Pallsades at E-Cltv, whlrh ls a student and farultv
houslng ronlex. Unredlrtahle
Bartender and student. Whltev
l used to work at hronalds, and ln a warehouse
arklng wholesale grorerv orders. l hated lt.
Wrekk I
ln artuallv stlll a Behavlor Iheralst. l work
wlth serlal needs rhlldren under the Autlsn
sertrun. Yorkle
With all the new outlets for spinning
music, we wondered if internet, satel-
lite, and podcasts are making traditional
radio obsolete. according to most DJs,
terrestrial radio is still alive and kicking,
but artists and listeners alike are slowly
appreciating other radio entities more:
are internet radio, satellite radio, and
podcasts killing traditional radio stations?
l dont thlnk thev are kllllng tradltlonal radlo
statlons, l |ust thlnk thev glve artlsts on the rone
u a vlahle lare to he heard as not evervone ran
get laved ln the tradltlonal radlo fornat. lnternet
radlo, satelllte radlo and odrasts are the wave of
the future. Zhello
l would sav thev are attrartlng a dlfferent lls-
tener, hut thev arent kllllng regular radlo. Regular
radlo ls stlll ln hlgh denand and has na|or lnut
on whats hot and whats not. JI egreez
No. Ihevre a totallv dlfferent forun fron tradl-
tlonal radlo. A lot of eole are looklng to the net
to fulll thelr radlo ltrh hut ln the sane token, a
lot of eole arent lnternet savvv enough to nd
a radlo statlon on the net so ld sav thev hoth
serve thelr urose. Averl hlnor
lts kllllng thelr revenue erhas, hut not the
nuslral art forn. Ihere ls a nurh hetter varletv of
outlets for nuslr to he heard ln the nodern era,
and lt uts the ower ln the hands of the artlsts
nore so than the rerord ronanles and rorora-
tlons. Bedz
All these nedluns serve a urose, hut at
the end of the dav, how do vou klll sonethlng
thats free! Blg Sue
No herause untll lnternet radlo, satelllte, etr. are
nade easv to ohtaln llke nornal radlo, tradltlonal
radlo wlll rontlnue to wln. Blsho
Yes herause thev are hreaklng rerords, thev are
lnterartlve. Peole ran llsten to odrasts and look
at the eole ln our studlo on lower9ZI.ron. As
far as satelllte radlo, not evervhodv wants to av
for lt, and sone eole rant afford lt. Iradltlonal
radlo statlons wlll alwavs he here, hut thev nav
have to nake sone rhanges. Pearhez
Yes and no. New nedla ls affertlng the sales
and ratlngs hut ronnerrlal radlo wlll alwavs he
ronnunltv drlven. Your lPod rant tell vou where
the hot rluh ls on lrldav nlght. Ierrestrlal radlo ls
learnlng how to adat ln wavs that wlll rreate a
whole new look and sound, llke h96hlho.ron.
Peter Parker
hell veah. Peole get tlred of llstenlng to the
sane songs and long ass ronnerrlals thev lav
nore ronnerrlals than nuslr. lh radlo ls terrlhle
ln nv rltv. Satelllte radlo ls gettlng so nurh love
ln the new rars and devlres and all that rause
vou ran get a hetter varletv of nuslr, lntervlews,
exrluslves, etr. l wouldnt rlose the rasket on
tradltlonal radlo statlons, hut thev are denltelv
loslng the War of Radlo. Podrasts are a good
look too. l denltelv got one of those for nv Xh
nlxshow on www.1RNS.ron. 1 RNS
No. ln the end the fornat wlth the strongest er-
sonalltles and freshest rodurt wlll wln. SlahI
Yeah, lve seen a lot of eole swltrh over to
satelllte radlo and lPods wlthln the ast roule of
vears and l know tradltlonal radlo ls feellng that
rhange. Unless radlo starts hreaklng new nuslr,
addlng nore serlaltv shows Reggae, loral
artlst sotllght, etr. thevll rontlnue loslng that
hattle. Sontaneous
Soneone needs to klll tradltlonal radlo,
qulrklv. Iradltlonal radlo surksl Ihls ls ronlng
fron soneone wlth I vears ln the hlz. lts
wav too rororate. lts lost tourh wlth artlsts,
1s, and nost lnortantlv, the eole who
llsten. Storn
Yes. host eole l know llke lt nurh hetter
herause lts raw and unrensored so vou get nore
raw lntervlews. Along wlth gettlng to hear the
rluh verslons of songs, lts ronnerrlal free. Ire
No. Radlo glves vou nalnstrean hlts that are he-
lng ushed hv the lahels and lnternet and sattellte
glve vou exrluslves and underground hlts. Ihev
work hand ln hand ln nv olnlon. Whltev

the average listener might not realize
that the DJ doesnt always call the shots
when it comes to radio. playlists dictated
by pDs and mDs, and politics in gen-
eral, often control which songs reach the
mainstream and which dont:
how restrictive is your playlist? have you
ever gotten in trouble for playing some-
thing that wasnt on the list?

lortunatelv for ne, l get to lav what l feel as
long as the had language ls edlted out. lve heard
ronversatlons wlth radlo 1s and lahel res asklng
that a rertaln rerord he laved and the resonse
fron the 1 was l have a hoss. l rant lav that
rerord untll he savs l ran. lts sad. Zhello
At nv rlor radlo statlon, ves. l got ln trouhle
herause there was nothlng hut lavllst nlx shows.
Currentlv ln en|ovlng the freedon on satel-
llte radlo and nv Whlte Shadow Radlo show has
lettlng nlxshow 1s he 1s, and thev are not lav-
lng the sane rerords vou hear ln rotatlon all dav
long. Chlll
l dont thlnk so. At the end of the dav, lts all
ahout the llsteners referenre. Evervone doesnt
have arress to the lnternet to hear lnternet radlo
or a odrast hroadrast. Also, the ronsuner avs
for satelllte radlo so whv not |ust llsten to tradl-
tlonal radlo for free! l thlnk lts henerlal to have
dlfferent sourres of radlo for eole to rhoose
fron, hut tradltlonal radlo wlll alwavs he a fan
favorlte ln nv hook. Clvll Rlghtz
No not reallv. Iradltlonal radlo ls free. You
rant heat free. Ihe rest rater to a rertaln
tve of audlenre that wlll av for or searrh
for rontent, whlrh ls a snall errentage ron-
ared to those struggllng wlth gas rlres and
the wav the erononv ls rlght now. Who wants
to av a nonthlv fee to hear these artlsts
rurse at then all dav! Crlstal Buhhlln
No. lts klnd of llke havlng rahle televlslon or
lrert IV. Youre alwavs golng to have haslr radlo
statlons llke havlng vour haslr televlslon statlons
hut satelllte radlo, lnternet radlo, and odrasts
rater nore to a wlder audlenre wlthout water-
lng down what the llsteners are looklng to hear.
Ihev glve llsteners nore otlons and enrourage
tradltlonal radlo statlons to ste thelr rogran-
nlng gane u. NA
A lll hlt. Ihe alrwaves are saturated |ust llke the
rest of the lndustrv rlght now. lts not llke hark ln
the dav where vou would tune lnto that one doe
show everv week to hear sone rrazv exrluslves
llke a luture llavas or a Stretrh Arnstong show.
Now vou |ust nd lt on the net and download lt.
Ihere are stlll a few good shows left. You stlll
have Prenos show on a lrldav nlght, so Satelllte
radlo ls good ln that sense. llatllne
Satelllte ls kllllng the radlo rause we have the
ahllltv to lav what we thlnk the eole would
here and hreak arts and not he handruffed.
lurlous Stvles
Not at all herause theres nothlng nore ersonal
than tunlng lnto vour loral statlon for the +II and
loral hlts. h-uh
No. l reallv arerlate then, to he honest.
Whatever we have to do to kee good nuslr out,
ln wlth lt. lts stlll a lot of unheard volres and
the weh, satelllte, and odrasts lrk u where tra-
dltlonal radlo slarks off. lnrognlto
Iradltlonal radlo ls kllllng ltself. lt lsnt ahout
glvlng the eole sonethlng thev want to
hear. lts ahout advertlslng dollars and run-
nlng ronnerrlals, so thev take the I nost
oular songs and run then lnto the ground
whether we llke lt or not. 1oNastv
Ihev hrought that on thenselves hv havlng strlrt
rules on what to lav. Plav sonethlng dlfferent for
a rhange. Satelllte and lnternet radlo are dolng
that. Lll Steve
Yeah and no. Ihe onlv wav thev are kllllng radlo
ls hv leaklng new nuslr hefore ronnerrlal radlo
gets lt, hut artlsts are not gettlng deals off lnter-
net and satelllte radlo vet. When artlsts ran henet
fron then, then ronnerrlal radlo wlll have to
glve lndle artlsts nore lav. harlel har
l dont thlnk anv of the new nedluns are kllllng
tradltlonal radlo. Ihe statlon ln on, lPower 9Z, ls
!+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll !S
strurture, hut at the end of the dav l rhoose nv
songs. Bedz
hv lavllst ls oen thanks to good tralnlng,
knowlng how to sandwlrh new rerords wlth hlts,
and llsteners trustlng l wlll lav doe shlt. Bee
We have a lavllst hut we have freedon. We |ust
rant get too rrazv, for exanle, havlng a whole
show wlth all new nuslr ls a no-no. Blsho
hot IJ.9 lets ne do ne. Shout out to Chrls
Conners. E9J he on sone hullshlt sonetlnes.
B-Lord
hv rogran dlrertor derldes what should he
laved, so lts out of nv hands ronletelv. Clvll
Rlghtz
Yes. l used to have a P who had no rlue
what was hot and when l was hreaklng S
Cents Wanksta l was hrlnglng lt hark, o-
lng shlt, hlowlng lt u, and he ralled ne and
sald, Sto lavlng that rerord, lts a noveltv
rerord and S wlll never he anvthlng. Need-
less to sav, hes no longer ln radlo. Iheres
nothlng worse than a P who ls not oen-
nlnded, at least to 1s who artuallv are ln
the rluh and know whats oln. Cllnton
Sarks
Plavllsts are restrlrtlve all over. What eole fall
to understand ls radlo ls hased on nunhers the
nore eole that llsten, the nore vou ran sell ad
tlne for. l know a lot of talented artlsts wlth no
radlo love herause thev dont have a huzz. Radlo
ls J% ronnunltv servlre, !% ratlngs. We gotta
eat too. l havent gotten ln trouhle for lavlng a
rerord, hut l dld get susended for not lavlng
Laffv Iaffv and R. Kellv rerords. l dont rondone
whark raers or rhlld nolestersl Crlstal Buh-
hlln
l have total freedon over what l lav on nv
nlxshow on 66 RAW. lts an unedlted hl ho
statlon so the onlv wav l would get ln trouhle ls lf
l laved sone rrazv R6B or Po rerords that were
totallv left eld of the statlons fornat. - NA
As wlth anvthlng, there are rules. Belng that ln
the hlxshow Coordlnator, lve got a llttle sav wlth
nv P and h. l got lnto trouhle vears hark wlth
Phll hlrhaels, nv P over at WPY0 ln 0rlando. l
had a rerord l thought was a rertled hanger. hX
and 1av-Z were at the to of thelr gane, so whv
not hlast lt off! Ekln
0n regular radlo l ran haslrallv do what l want
as long as the trark ls radlo frlendlv, hut vou got-
ta stlrk wlth the nore oular stuff to kee the
llsteners attentlon. As far as nv onllne statlon,
l lav what l want, rurse words and all. Iheres
nore roon for exerlnentatlon. lrogle
ln fortunate enough to he the hl ho and R6B
nuslr dlrertor for nv statlon, so nv lavllst ls
not verv restrlrtlve. But, onre when l was worklng
at another radlo statlon, l dld get ln trouhle for
trvlng to sll ln sone nuslr. lt was when the lrtv
Bovz had rst rone out and l was trvlng to show
then sone love. hot 6lrl haxxlnun
hv show ls hased on nv ersonalltv rst, hut
also nv ear for nuslr. lve had na|or restrlrtlons
ln the ast, hut rurrentlv l have the hlghest rated
nlght show fron !-II .n ln statlon hlstorv. A lot
rhanges when voure #I. Peter Parker
Ihe lavllsts ran he rettv restrlrtlve, whlrh ran
he annovlng, hut vou have to ronnunlrate wlth
the Plh lf vou reallv helleve ln a song and feel
lts ln the hest lnterest of the statlon. l was red
for lavlng thls song hv eenl ralled Soundtrark
of hv Llfe herause lt wasnt on the llst. lt never
herane a #I hlt, hut l stlll feel lt was a good
song. Sontaneous
Wlthout rules vou would have rhaos. At
nv statlon we helleve evervhodv deserves
a rhanre. lf the rerord ls good enough lt
wlll stand on lts own. Yes, l have gotten ln
trouhle for lavlng sonethlng l shouldnt
have laved. lt wasnt herause l was helng
rerkless, l |ust should have rherked wlth nv
P hefore l laved lt. Sonetlnes thlngs are
golng on hehlnd the srenes that we as nlxers
know nothlng ahout. Ihats whv vou have to
he on the sane age wlth the rest of vour
nlxers and nanagenent. Iogether we stand
hut dlvlded vou wlll take the fall. 1o-Skl
Luv
lts verv restrlrtlve. Were allowed a rertaln nun-
her of songs to slke and l stav ln trouhle wlth
nv P for lavlng rerords. harr X
As a nlxshow 1, the lavllst at nv statlon ls
verv restrlrtlve. lf there ls a new R6B or hl ho
artlst that l reallv llke, l have to nake a sugges-
tlon to ut lt on the llst. Pearhez
We have a nlxshow llst that we nust follow. We
neet everv week and go over new nuslr and vote
to see lf lt nakes the llst. hv sltuatlon ls a lll dlf-
ferent herause ln also the nlght |ork. l ran lav
rerords not on the llst durlng nv show hut |ust
llke anvthlng, vou rant go overhoard. Wrekk I

every successful DJ needs to know their
craft, but what else should a DJ acquire
before hitting the streets?:
besides talent, what are 3 things a DJ
needs to have to be successful?

eternlnatlon for the ones who wlll alwavs
tell vou that vou wont surreed. Creatlvltv whlrh
nakes vou dlfferent fron the other 1s and
hunllltv to alwavs lend a hellng hand to another
1 or artlst who ls on the rone-u. Never forget
where vou rane fron. Zhello
A followlng, an effertlve nonlker, a true sklll for
rrowd rontrol. Averl hlnor
hunllltv, work ethlr, and resolve. Bedz
Knowledge of nuslr, the ahllltv to nlx not |ust
on heat hut the transltlons gotta nake sense. 1ust
herause two songs have the sane teno doesnt
nean thev nlx. And a hunger for the artforn.
lf vou do lt |ust for nonev and fane eventuallv
voull lose vour asslon for lt. Bee
A serlous work ethlr, a wlde range of nuslral
tastes, and an undvlng resert for thelr rofes-
slon. Blark Blll 6ates
lts lnortant to kee vour ear to the streets
herause rhange ls ronstant. Serondlv, a strong
sense of self. Evervone wants to nake vou ln the
lnage that thev want. Ihlrd, good equlnent,
slee, Red Bull, and eole that rlde or dle for
vou. Bonshell Boogle
Personalltv, hunllltv, and knowledge of the husl-
ness. Crlstal Buhhlln
Belng oen nlnded ahout vour nuslr, helng
hunhle, and havlng hustle. ertv Vegas
Love for the nuslr wlll kee vou golng. You have
to he on vour grlnd Z+l! herause the entertaln-
nent lndustrv ls rough and ran send vou worklng
at hronalds ln no tlne. host lnortantlv, vou
have to have good huslness sense. Ihe 1 ls al-
wavs the rst erson eole are trvlng to get over
on when lt rones to gettlng ald. - NA
A lot of ronnertlons, good song selertlons,
and glrls. Youve got to have good look-
lng wonen around vou, lt attrarts a lot of
attentlon whether or not vou surk at 1lng.
6otten
Io he a surressful 1 lts verv lnortant that
vou narket vourself, treat 1lng llke vou would
anv other huslness, and know how to read vour
rrowd. re
Buslness savvv. Your word should nean sone-
thlng herause thats all that vou have at the end
of the dav. A good tean. lf vou look at the ones
who are reallv naklng lt, theres a lot golng on
hehlnd the srenes to kee lt novlng. Ekln
hustle, deternlnatlon, and sone nonev lnvested
ln thenselves. lolk
Be ronslstent, he rofesslonal, and network.
lurlous Stvles
Buslness savvv, long tern goals as a 1, and of
rourse a good ear for nuslr. 6loss
Know nuslr front and hark, know how to ut on
a show wlth the nlr, and have sone dann swag.
holldav
Lovaltv, raver, and hustle. lnrognlto
Ihls rofesslon wlll wear vou out sonetlnes
so vouve gotta have the drlve to kee golng
even though nohodv nav show u at everv
artv vou do. You need the ear to know what
the eole want to hear and what songs
go well together when voure nlxlng, and
rofesslonallsn. 6et vour rontrarts together.
Show u earlv for vour glgs. have vour nuslr
organlzed. 1oNastv
Exrellent narketlng and ronotlons, relatlon-
shls, not onlv ln the nuslr lndustrv hut wlth the
eole of the ronnunltv, wlth vour fanllv, and
drlve and ronnltnent. You gotta have sonethlng
dee down lnslde of vou to nake vou wanna do
thls |oh. Ihere are a lot of dues to he ald hefore
vou start naklng serlous nonev. 1o-Skl Luv
Strong work ethlr, knowledge of terhnologv, and
an oen nlnd. 1udge hental
6reat rerord selertlon, great nlr work, and a feel
for when the rerord voure lavlng has lost lts
energv. Klng Arthur
Belng hunhle, roartlve, and ronslstent. hesta
lntelllgenre, notlvatlon and helng a real lndl-
vldual. You ran have all the talent ln the world hut
lf voure not lntelllgent, dont have notlvatlon,
and voure a fake erson, voure golng no where.
Radlo
lversltv, ersonalltv, rrowd rontrol, networklng
skllls. 0h, and the lnternet. Rage
0Z0NE hA6 ll !S
!6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Pronotlon, an ear for nuslr, and nost lnor-
tantlv, rondenre. Shotlne
A good nouthlere. You gotta he ahle to talk to
eole and talk wlth resert. Were not savlng the
world, were slnnlng rerords, so sto thlnklng
vou are the shlt. Serond, nuslral knowledgel
deth. A nonkev ran llsten to the radlo and gure
out whats hot. lf vou want to he a good 1, dont
he a nonkev. l ran go to a artv and sln Elvls
Preslev, Chuhhv Cherkers, 6retrhen Wllson, and
even lorelgner. lf vou 1 and dont know who
those artlsts are, go do sone researrh. And thlrd,
a good ersonalltv. ln so tlred of these rarhon
rov 1s. Add vour own twlsts and ersonalltv lnto
vour sets. Storn
Know the nuslr huslness, know how to network,
and nost lnortantlv, glve the eole thelr
nonevs worth when thev rone to vour shows.
Youre onlv as good as vour last artv. Ire
A good huslness lan, a strong work ethlr, a
squad hehlnd then that works for the ultlnate
goal. Whltev

touring around the world can be blessing
and a nightmare at the same time. From
being shot at to offending a whole crowd
of germans, these DJs have experienced
it all:
What was your best and worst tour
experience?
Ihe hest exerlenre was gettlng ald over seven
dlglts to do a show. Ihe worst exerlenre was
dolng a #Z on the tour hus. Aarles
l got to sln ln an ultv nountaln town at a
nanslon for the afterartv of a skl tour event.
Ihere nust have heen slx gures lnvested ln that
artv. Ihere were rlrrus erforners swlnglng fron
the relllng, and the sound svsten sounded hetter
than a stadlun. Ihat was the hest exerlenre.
Ihe worst exerlenre was helng the vlrtln of
an elahorate fraud sran. l went all the wav to
Vlrglnla onlv to dlsrover l had heen laved. Long
storv, hut lt wasnt good. Bedz
l was ln Plttshurgh wlth Plavaz Clrrle. Ihere was
an unfortunate sltuatlon hetween a nenher of
our entourage and sone loral artlsts. Ihat snall
sruffe grew lnto sone of the hlggest hullshlt lve
ever heard, savlng we were heaten and rohhed.
Ihe onlv ln|urles anvhodv rerelved was fron the
raggedv ass stage thev had us on that rollased
and two rell hones were lost. lt nust have heen
a slow dav ln runors or sonethlng, herause no
one lald a hand on ne, Iltv Bol, or olla. Blark
Blll 6ates
Ihe hest exerlenre ls the rst tlne the show
|elled together. J ee trusted ne to know what
song to ut on hv readlng the rrowd and we fol-
lowed earh others lead. Ihe worst exerlenre ls
the rono shows we dont get ald for, hut lt has
to he done. Chlll
hv worst exerlenre was havlng to load Z! ver-
slons of the sane song ln nv lnstant relav and
nenorlze whlrh one was verslon that had Puff
savlng uh huh and whlrh one dldnt. Ihen after
all that, not uslng anv of lt. Cllnton Sarks
Ihe hest exerlenre was 1lng a show ln 1aan.
lts wlld how thev harelv seak Engllsh hut relate
to the nuslr and love lt so nurh. Ihe resert for
the re of a rhlld nolester and nlggas stlll needle
dro hls rerords. So whv not a gav erson! lf fe-
nales danre to lt, lll dro lt on en. Averl hlnor
Io ne thls ls a horderllne offenslve questlon. A
raers sexual referenre would have no hearlng
whatsoever on whether or not ld lav the song.
Io ne, thats alnost llke asklng lf ld lav a song
hv a raer lf he were WhltelBlarklLatlnolAslanl
Candv Strled. Llfe ls too short to he a hate non-
ger looklng for reasons not to enhrare eole.
Bedz
host of the 1s ln Atlanta oenlv suort the
leshlan ronnunltv and thelr nuslr, hut l honestlv
helleve that hl ho wlll never enhrare an oenlv
gav nale raer. Blark Blll 6ates
l rould rare less lf soneone ls gav, as long as
vour song noves the eole. Ihe gav ra-
ers ln nv rltv hold lt down harder than sone
stralght ones. Ihev wlll have the glrls danrlng ln
a headstand, l have seen lt wlth nv own eves.
Bonshell Boogle

What a erson derldes to he on thelr tlne ls on
then, as long as the nuslr ls hot and the eole
want lt l got to do nv |oh. honev has no sexual
referenre. Chlll
honestlv, l rouldnt rollahorate wlth anv
nale hono thugs, real talk. But as far as the
fenales are ronrerned, we nlght ran work
sonethlng out. l guess theres that douhle
standard on what ls rlght and wrong wlth the
sltuatlon. lll |ust do what nv nother alwavs
told ne, rav for then and kee lt novlng.
Clvll Rlghtz
lf thev are ralng ahout what thev do ln the
hedroon exllrltlv, hell no. l dont want to hear
that shlt fron stralght eole. l dont want to
turn on nv radlo or see a vldeo wlth anvones
ass tooted u or vaglna sread on nv JZ lnrh t.v.,
Ihll Crlstal Buhhlln
lf the eole wanna hear lt, then lav lt. hv
ersonal hellefs would sav no, hut thls shlt ls for
the eole so lf thev wanna hear lt ln ohllged to
lav lt. lolk
lf the rerord ls hot, whv not lav lt! Ihere
are a hunrh of wark raers who are stralght
so l gotta |udge the song hv lts ahllltv to get
the rrowd rrunk, not hv what the artlst does
ln hlslher sare tlne. hell, Eddle hurhv ls
stlll funnv even though he was raught wlth a
transsexual hooker. lrogle
lf lts hot l would sln lt, even though we lav for
dlfferent teans. lurlous Stvles
lf lts a guv, naw, hut l alnt got no rohlen wlth
the ladles, eserlallv sexv ones wlth ne frlends.
holldav
6ood nuslr ls good nuslr. Sone of the greatest
songs rone fron gav raers. lnrognlto
lf the rrowd stlll rorked to hls or her nuslr lt
would denltelv stlll get laved. An artlsts sexual
rholre doesnt affert thelr talent to nake good
nuslr, hut lf the artlst rhooses to oenlv dlsruss
thelr sexual referenre and destrovs thelr fan hase
then that ran denltelv rause thelr nuslr not to he
laved. 1oe Pro
Ihat would deend lf the raer was ralng
hood stuff and then rane out gav. hell no. l wont
the 1 as well as entertalners ls huge over there.
lll never forget dolng a show ln 1aan and havlng
ahout Z klds outslde waltlng |ust to see ne. Ihev
were danrlng and ralng ln 1aanese. Ihat shlt
was rrazvl NA
Ihe hest was ln 6ernanv. Ihev know thelr shltl
Ihe worst was ln 0ttawa, lt was a welrd ass
rrowd. llatllne
Ihe hest was 1lng for I.l. ln ZJ when l rst got
on wlth 6rand hustle. Ihe worst was gettlng shot
at. lolk
Ihe hest was nv rst nlght out wlth nv
nlgga Srrav. 6roules are great. Ihe worst
was nlsslng nv flght ln Vegas and havlng to
stav at the alrort for seven hours. holldav
Ihe hest was gettlng rork star treatnent. Ihe
worst was savlng, o nv ladles run thls notha-
furka!l! and reallzlng through the sllenre that the
hrase doesnt translate well ln 6ernanl 1udge
hental
Ihe hest was tourlng Nlgerla. lve never had had
exerlenres tourlng, although l had sone srarv
nonents at rherkolnts ln the hlddle East.
hesta
Ihe hest was rorkln ln the legendarv Iunnel NYC
wlth Cash honev rerords. Ihe worst was when nv
needle ket skllng durlng a ronrert ln hlA.
SlahI
0nre whlle ln hohlle wlth a artlrular artlst,
we were klrklng lt at the hotel after the show
and had a few glrls over. All of a sudden we
heard a knork on the door and when l went
to see who lt was, all l saw was a hadge,
unlforn, and fashllght. Sone of the other
guvs anlrked and lnnedlatelv fushed our
dortor-resrrlhed herhal nedlrlne down
the tollet. l oened u the door and lt was a
dann serurltv guard. he |ust told us to kee lt
down a lll hlt. l was llke, nan vou guvs threw
awav all of the nedlrlne for a serurltv guard!
We had a ! hour road trl the next dav. All l
ran sav ls that was the longest ! hours on the
hlghwav ever. 1o-Skl Luv
Ihe hest exerlenre was oenlng for Kanve West
and Usher. Ihere were over +, eole and thev
were feellng everv song l laved. So far, the worst
thlng thats haened on the road was at a Lll ho
show. l hlt the wrong hutton at the wrong tlne. lf
looks rould klll Sontaneous
2008 brings us closer to a time of ac-
ceptance when it comes to peoples
differences. but have we really become
tolerant of alternative lifestyles in the
hip hop industry?:
if a rapper came out of the closet and was
openly gay, would you still spin his/her
records?
l9!% sald Yes lf the rrowd wants lt, Z% sald no,
I% sald Yes for a fenale artlst, no for a nale)
Yes. At the end of the dav what thev do ls thelr
huslness. l |ust wanna know lf the nuslr ls hot or
not, l dont rare ahout what vou do wlth vour sex
llfe. JI egreez
lf he had a hot rerord ld suort lt. See, raers
have heen to |all and surh. Besldes, R. Kellv has
!6 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll !!
No, herause that would he had huslness attarhed
to nv nane. Peole would he serond-guesslng the
next ro|ert that l work on. Shotlne
lts gonna rost one ound of that goodl SlahI
lt deends on lf lve nade nv nortgage
avnent or not. Serlouslv though, lll never
sav never, hut not llkelv. Shlt, l harelv have
tlne to do stuff for artlsts l thlnk are great.
Storn
l do all hostlng for a fee, unless lts an artlst
ln nv rlrrle. lts not u to ne to deternlne the
net worth of an artlst. Botton llne, nonev talks,
hullshlt runs a narathon. Iah Blassl
No, l wouldnt do lt for a fee, and l rohahlv
wouldnt do lt at all. l llke to glve eole honest
feedhark. lf ln not feellng vou, ln not golng to
retend llke l do |ust to take vour nonev. l got
nonev and ln a real erson. Lvlng to then to get
ald ls fake as hell. Ire
Charglng a fee to host a nlxtae would he strlrtlv
huslness. lf the raer was wark, that would he hls
or her lssue and ronrern. Unredlrtahle
l wont ronletelv host lt, hut l wlll send then a
dro. Evervone needs sone love. Yorkle
When it comes to giving credit for break-
ing records, things can get pretty contro-
versial on the DJ scene. We asked these
ladies and gentlemen whose movements
they consider themselves to be a part of:
What was the last record you broke and
how did you break it?
Ihe last rerord l hroke was 1ordln Sarks featur-
lng Chrls Brown No Alr. l had lt on nv nlxtae
Whos Ihe Klng Agaln Pt. Z osslhlv a nonth or
so hefore the alhun was released. l also had a
YouIuhe vldeo done for lt that was ln exress of Sk
hlts ln two davs hefore Zonha huslr 6rou lnslsted
that the Youtuhe slte shut lt down. l hear lt helng
laved on the radlo ln nv rltv a lot and l snlle
herause l hroke that rerordl Zhello
As soon as l heard Wehhles lndeendent l knew
lt was a hlt song. l was one of the rst 1s to
get hehlnd that rerord on the nlxtae srene. Ihe
rerord was so hot that l ut lt on nv volrenall on
hoth of nv hones. JI egreez
R. Kellvs Rorkstar. l snaed lt ln half.
Crlstal Buhhlln
lts hard to quantlfv thls and trulv take rredlt,
hut l heled ut lelll lels 6et Burk ln here ln
the hands of the rlght folks at nv old statlon, and
l helleve we were one of the rst statlons ln the
rountrv to add the rerord, hesldes lellls statlon.
Bedz
l hreak rerords ln twos and threes. l hroke Shawtv
Los Ihev Know and Rorkos Unna o he ln the
sane week. So well, ln fart, that thev hoth rane to
Cluh hlanl two weeks later on the sane nlght and
erforned for free. uffe Bag Bov was hroken
the sane wav, whlrh led to Plavaz Clrrle and Lll
Wavne erfornlng for free, along wlth Young 1eezv
and USA the sane nlght. lts well-known that a
lot of novenents hegln wlth ne and Cluh hlanl.
0nre ln hehlnd a rerord, lt wont he long hefore
Ps, hs, and radlo |orks rone through to ee
rrowd reartlons. Blark Blll 6ates
lav hls stuff no nore. Ihat deserves a heat down.
Now lf vou rane ln ralng ahout frult rakes and
Suer han thls and suer soak that and sald vou
was gav then l rohahlv would stlll sln vou. Lll
Steve
l would stlll sln hlslher rerord lf lt ls hot. Ihere
ls a verv oular loral artlst ln Rlrhnond that
ls honosexual, and a lot of 1s sln the rerord,
lnrludlng nvself. Pearhez
lf Kln Kardashlan rane out of the rloset would
vou stlll holla! l lav what the eole want, lf the
song ls hot, lts hot. As long as thevre naklng hlt
rerords and not hlttlng on ne, were rool. Peter
Parker
lf the trark was hot l dont thlnk lt natters.
Besldes, there are a few raers that have heen
runored to have taken that ste hehlnd rlosed
doors and thev stlll get trarks laved.
lf lts hot, whv not! lf a gav dude nakes a
song that arks the danre foor ln lavlng
lt everv nlght. hlssv Elllott ls a raer, rlght!
Sontaneous
Yes, herause ln resonslhle for hreaklng good
rerords, not |udglng lndlvlduals. Unredlrtahle
no worries for all you wack rappers.
theres still a few notable DJs that would
host your mixtape, but it might cost you:
if a rapper is wack but they want you to
host a mixtape, would you do it for a fee?
No. Ihere are rertaln standards that nust he u-
held whlle helng a 1, even wlth nonev lnvolved.
1 1udge hental sald lt hest at the SEA ronferenre.
We as 1s are the gate keeers. We rant |ust let
anvthlng through unless lts worthv of gettlng
laved. ln not savlng that were all vlrtuosos at
nuslr arerlatlon, hut lf a rerord ls whark to one
1, lts nore than llkelv gonna he wark to qulte a
few 1s. Zhello
l would hel then get thelr stuff tlght, then we
ran get lt rrarkln. - Aarles
Ahsolutelv not. ld do lt for free. l resert the
grlnd. Were all |ust trvlng to nake lt. At the end of
the dav thev wlll surreed or fall hased on the nerlt
of thelr nuslr, hut far he lt for ne to art llke sone
all-knowlng rlrk whos too good to show sone
love. lt takes a lot for soneone to exress that
level of lnterest ln ne, the least l ran do ln return
ls get ln the studlo for ve nlnutes. Bedz
Noe. lf a raer thlnks a 1 ls wark would thev
want then to host thelr nlxtae! Bee
lt deends on the level of wharkness. l trv not to
let nv olnlon suerrede the olnlon of the eo-
le. So lf l ran tolerate a raers nuslr l would do
lt. But lf lt ls sonethlng that l rant stonarh out of
dlsgust, l rohahlv wont. Bonshell Boogle
Evervthlng has a fee. As long as the hlends
and the srratrhlng are rlght, l dont glve dann
how the raer sounds. You |ust do vou and
lna do ne. Chlll
No. Raers send ne denos all the tlne for ne
to host thelr nlxtaes, hut l never do lt untll
thev ste thelr lvrlral gane u. l rant work wlth
evervone herause nv reutatlon ls on the llne. lf
l release whark nuslr l nlght as well retlre fron
1lng. Peole wont resert ne. Clvll Rlghtz
lt would deend lf theres anv other value
lnvolved that wouldnt neressarllv lnrlude nonev.
Cllnton Sarks
eends on how whark thev are and how nurh
aer thevre worklng wlth. l alnt rhea for hot
enrees so a whark raer ls golng to get taxed.
But l do helleve that even whark raers are ahle
to lnrove lf thelr hustle ls rlght. lve seen whark
raers reallv sharen thelr rraft and hlow u ln
the nuslr lndustrv. NA
lts not ahout the nonev, l love what l do and lf
ln not feellng lt l wont ness wlth lt. Ihats |ust
ne. Pee nv trarkllsts on nv nlxtaes and voull
see what ln talklng ahout stralght good nuslr
fron start to nlsh. And ves, l hreak new artlsts.
llatllne
l reallv dont dlsrrlnlnate on whats whark
no nore rause what l nave thlnk ls whark
rould he the favorlte rerord of I, other
eole. lolk
Naw, l rant sarrlre the lntegrltv of nv work for
nonev. ln a vear that artlst wont exlst hut that
lere of shlt nlxtae wlth nv nane on lt wlll.
lrogle
Yes and lll also ronsult to nake lt work. h-
uh
Yeah, haens all the tlne. holldav
Yes, hut lll have sone suggestlons ahout what to
do and how to do lt. l would add nv rreatlve ge-
nlus on lt so that the nlxtae wouldnt he wark.
hot 6lrl haxxlnun
Ye. All vou surka enrees get at ne. l got a nlre
lll arkage lan for vou to get vou out there hlg
tlne lnl 1o-Skl Luv
Yeah, of rourse theres gonna he a fee. Ihe
rhanres of eole llstenlng to lt when the artlst
ls whark ls llke ZS% and that lnrreases to !S% lf
vou are hostlng lt. lve also heard a lot of whark
rra hefore and eole |annln lt so lt reallv |ust
deends. Lll Steve
hell naw. ln a qualltv 1. l dont have tlne for
artlsts who dont ut tlne and effort lnto thelr
work. l send nonev and tlne on nv rraft, whv
shouldnt thev! harlel har
lf a raer was extrenelv whark, neanlng that
the songs were not ratrhv at all and the rodur-
tlonlenglneerlng of the songs were terrlhle, l
would not host that raers nlxtae, not even for
a fee. lt would danage nv hrand. Pearhez
ln stavlng out of the huslness of endorslng
artlsts that ln not reallv feellng. Ihe gane ls
saturated hv a lot of garhage and l thlnk that
we as tastenakers are golng to have to hel
to nake sone rhanges. Ekln
Not ln Z8. l would have had a dlfferent answer
ln + or S. Peter Parker
hell veah l would, for a fee. lt glves ne nore
exerlenre and sonethlng else to lare under nv
helt. You have to learn fron hoth good and had
sltuatlons and that rould he a learnlng exerlenre
all around and for hoth sldes.
lf the artlst |ust wants a few dros, thats noth-
lng. But lf vou want ne to host and nlx lt, then
there nav he a fee lnvolved. RNS
0Z0NE hA6 ll !!
!8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
We laved a hlg art ln hreaklng 6et Slllv hv
V.l.C. l ralled ln a few favors and the hood hard
hovenent 1s ronoted lt. Aarles
l ran honestlv sav nv whole rrew Young Volre of
the Streets and l were the rst ln New 0rleans to
hreak lndeendent hv Wehhle. We hroke lt ln thls
sot ralled Perklns. lt went down everv Ihursdav
wlth honev lresh and 1 Poa and everv Sat-
urdav wlth 1 honev lresh and l. l would get on
the nlr and sav l love nv nlggas, hut lts ladles
nlght that artuallv herane a kev slogan for ne
then ld slan lt on then. Bonshell Boogle
0n the alr l nav hrlng a rerord hark J or + tlnes
to nake nv llsteners av attentlon. lve hroken
rerords fron varlous artlsts surh as Irev Songz,
Raheen eVaughn, Allrla Kevs, Usher, and Kevshla
Cole ln the rluhs and hl ho artlsts llke Red Cafe,
-Blork, 6rafh, Rlrk Ross, Young 1eezv, Lll Wavne,
and even Soul|a Bov on the radlo as well as the
rluhs. l helleve l was the rst to lav the Soul|a
Bovs Crank at ln C |ust herause l was hearlng
surh a strong huzz on lt fron nv frlends and fan-
llv ln Atlanta. NA
Blarr 1arrs hustle hean hard Work featurlng Lll
Keke. l laved lt J or + tlnes a nlght ln the rluh
and ut lt on all nv nlxtaes. re
l hroke |Young ros] Shoulder Lean ln Noven-
her of ZS on ee N a 6ane 6. l never got
the rredlt thats due, so 1ason 6eter, wheres nv
laque! lolk
avld Banners 6et Llke he. lf ln feellng
the rerord l endorse lt. l hrlng lt hark several
tlnes and ut nv seal of aroval on lt. l lav
lt nore than onre. lts all ahout ronvlnrlng
the nasses. Wrekk I
Shawtv Los ev Know. hv hov 1 Srrean shot
ne the song wav hefore evervhodv else was on
to lt and l |ust laved the shlt out of lt at all nv
glgs. lrogle
Collle Buddz song haters. l started uttlng lt on
nlxtaes and lavlng lt ln rluhs, then l ut other
eole on to do the sane. Now ln worklng on
6rlnd hodes Shes so llv. 6loss
hv nlgga Rorko the ons new shlt Ionorrow.
l ut lt on nv new nlxtae holldav Season and
went hard ln the rluhs wlth that one. holldav
Lll Chavs Rollln. We got lt to all the rluh 1s
and laved lt at all the rluhs and shows that l
host. We also dld a hvsare and lnternet ran-
algn. hot 6lrl haxxlnun
Ihe last rerord l hroke was haterz Evervwhere
hv B.0.B. l hrought lt hark to Vlrglnla fron Atlanta
and hroke lt ln the strl rluhs, and on nv nlx C
nonths ago. Now lts helng laved evervdav on
the radlo, the sane for Unna o he hv Rorko.
1oe Pro
l know l was one of the rst eole, eserlallv
ln nv area, slnnlng that V.l.C. 6et Slllv. When l
get a new rerord l usuallv sln lt earlv ln the nlght
and see how thev feellng lt, and douhle hark and
sln lt agaln ln the eak rluh hours lf the rerord ls
that strong. 1oNastv
6orllla Zoes hood llgga. l was 1lng at Cluh
Crurlal when lt was handed to ne. l laved lt

0nlv one tlne. Rlhannas Pon l Relav. Look at
her, what would vou do! 6lad the song was re.
Aarles
Noe, herause l know that even the nost well-
ket artlst ran nake whark nuslr. Averl hlnor
Yeah, onre or twlre. lt was a loral artlst fron
Loulslana, l dont renenher her nane. Chlll
honestlv, l rant sav that l have. ln rettv leerv
on who l work wlth. lf the rerord ls wark lts not
gettlng laved no natter how vou look. lf the
rerord ls a hlt, hut vou look llke Cralg hark or
Khla lll lav lt, hut lts herause the song ls a rluh
hanger, not herause of how vou look. Clvll
Rlghtz
Well, after l saw the lssue of 0Z0NE wlth
Polow a on on the rover, that nade ne
klnda get hehlnd whatever hes dolng. hot
6lrl haxxlnun
No, hut lve avolded llstenlng to a rerord herause
the erson on the rover looked llke a donkevl
Cllnton Sarks
Nah, vou rant reallv do that ln hl ho. Ihe
wonen get rleaned u so the fellas go for lt.
Ihere are a hunrh of uglv, hugelv surressful nale
raers, so l havent even had the oortunltv
to lav the |ust rause hes ne rard. Crlstal
Buhhlln
Yeah. Afronans Berause l 6ot hlgh. Ihat was
a rrazv looklng dude wlth a funnv ass rerordl
NA
Nah, lve never heen down thls road. Ekln
Nah, hut vou know l had to ro those 6ane
rerords wlth the hl ho honevs on the rover hark
ln the dav. llatllne
Naw. how the artlst looks doesnt nean anvthlng
when eole are walklng off the danre foor russ-
lng vou out. lrogle

Noe, not to sav that l wouldnt though. lf Irlna
or lanond or sonehodv llke that wanted ne to
sln a rerord that was wark and thev were rlght
there ln the rluh, ld rohahlv sln lt. But thelr
rerords alnt wark so l wont have to worrv ahout
that. 1oNastv
lll lav anv song for hval R0
No, l onlv lav rerords hased on relatlonshls.
1o-Skl Luv
No, what the hell does looks have to do wlth how
a rerord sounds! 1udge hental
Naw, l dont do that. Ihls ls huslness and vou
know what thev sav. huslness hefore leasure.
Plus, lf lt was that easv then l would have nv own
lahel wlth ZS ne ass glrls naklng nllllons. Lll
Steve
Naw, hut lve watrhed that eellshus vldeo a
grllllon tlnes. Sontaneous
Nah, l dont even watrh IV, so l have no ldea
what nost of these artlsts look llke. But lf enzel
ever rane out wlth a rerord, hell veah, l would
lav ltl Storn ll
that nlght and had lt on a nlxtae and radlo that
week. lrt Law was on lt long hefore nost 1s had
lt. 1udge hental
Rlrk Ross lna Boss. lt wasnt too hard to
hreak rause when the streets heard lt thev
rould relate. rlzzle
l laved the shlt out of hurrlrane Chrls Av Bav
Bav. ln the rluhs and on the radlo. Klng Arthur
Ihe last rerord l hroke was Llovds 6et lt Shawtv
hefore the nlxshow llsts exlsted. l laved lt on nv
show and eole started ralllng ln to request lt.
Pearhez
l hreak rerords everv dav. Ihe last rerord l hroke
was Lll Wavnes Lolllo. l hroke everv rerord ln
the last two vears ln hN. Peter Parker
Rlrk Ross Ihe Boss. l laved lt llke everv IS
nlnutes. Rage
ln ronstantlv lavlng new nuslr on nv nlxshow
hefore the lh statlons and nlxtaes lav lt. ln
not golng to take rredlt for hreaklng a artlru-
lar rerord, l |ust do what ln suose to do as a
1 whlrh ls lav the new shlt. We stav wlth the
exrluslves on satelllte radlo. hv show ls not ralled
lregula Radlo for nothlng. RNS
Rvan Leslles lanond 6lrl and havado featur-
lng 1av-Z ln 0n the Rork. l laved then at
rluhs and on nlxtaes rellglouslv. Sane wlth Ihe
reans Shawtv ls da Shlt and l Luv Ya 6lrl, and
Irev Songz Cant hel But Walt. Sontaneous
Sone rerords vou rant hreak, thev are destlned
to he hlts. You nlght he the rst to lav lt, hut
vou alnt hreaklng lt. Io hreak a rerord, lts gotta
he an artlst that eole arent fanlllar wlth or a
song thats not lnartlng radlo or doesnt have
a vldeo ln rotatlon. Wlth that sald, ln Iallahassee
lve hroken Ireals ln Not Lorked own, Young
Ralhs l Work hard and ln worklng on l.a.s.t.s
ln 6ood. Storn
Wehhles lndeendent, Shawtv Los ev Know,
Rorkos Unna o he, B.0.B.s haters Everv-
where, V.l.C.s 6et Slllv, and 6et Llke he wlth
avld Banner, Yung 1or, Chrls Brown, 1ln 1ones.
l hroke all those rerords on a nlxtae l dld ln
August !. Peole dldnt understand those songs
hark then, and now lts the wlldest C out. Iah
Blassl
Ihe last rerord l hroke was hv ougle hv Lll Wlll.
l hroke lt ln the rluh on a rollege nlght. lt went
hard due to the fart sone honetown houston
folks knew the rerord and started the danre
trend. Unredlrtahle
one of the most common phrases in the
music industry is sex sells. but are DJs
really buying into that concept? surpris-
ingly, most of them arent:
have you played a record from an artist
strictly because of her/his looks?
Irlna. l dont rare how good or had the song ls
l alwavs suort her rerords. Ihats whv shes da
haddest hltrh. JI egreez
ann, ln husted. 6lorla Velez. Bedz
!8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
0Z0NE hA6 ll !9
maGma sWitcHbox
Wlth the hagna Swltrhhox lgltal 1, two dlgltal 1-
Svstens llke Serato and llnal Srratrh ran he lugged
slnultaneouslv to a nlxer lalso Battle-hlxers wlth
onlv Z x PhonolLlne lnuts) and ran he ronhlned
wlth a usual 1 setu. Ihat neans that lt ls osslhle
to ronstantlv swltrh hetween the slgnal of the turn-
tahle, the C-laver or two dlgltal 1 setus wlth two
PhonolLlne lnuts of the nlxer.
Retall Prlre. around SZ
korG kp3 kaoss paD
Bv slnlv tourhlng, talng or slldlng vour nger
over the tourhad, the all-new KPJ allows vou to
rontrol nultlle efferts araneters and nanlulate
sanles ln real tlne. hore than a roressor, the KPJ
ls a ronlete lnstrunent allowlng vou to nanage,
rerall, and lav hark sanles, sanle on the fv, and
add dvnanlr roresslng to anv audlo slgnal or to the
sanles thenselves.
Retall Prlre. around S+
traktor scratcH 3
IRAKI0R J ls a versatlle and ronrehenslve dlgltal
1lng solutlon deslgned to neet the nost rofes-
slonal of standards. Ihe thlrd generatlon of thls
award-wlnnlng software offers hreath-taklng sound
qualltv rouled wlth an unreredented arrav of new
features sure to get anv artv rorklng.
Retall Prlre. around SZ
portable miNi
HarD DriVes
External hard drlves are a nust
have for anv 1 on the go, hut the
added welght ran he runhersone.
USB owered nlnl hard drlves lno
AC adater requlred) range fron
+6B to ZS6B and generallv welgh
less than + ounres.
Retall Prlre. ahout SI-SZS
besides serato, whats some new technology
that DJs and producers should be up on?
Adohe Audltlon, Cuhase and Pro Iools are what 1s
swear hv. Ihe new Vlrtual 1 hv Nunark lsnt had and
h-Audlos verslon Iorque lsnt had elther. Zhello
Ihat new harBook Alr ls the future. Ihat rlght there ls
terhnologv at lts nest. JI egreez
l got thls rogran on nv sldeklrk ralled Klrkhlx that
lets ne sln hPJs llve on nv hone. Averl hlnor
ln waltlng for vldeo nlxlng to take over the
gane. ltll take a whlle for rluhs to ratrh u on the
terhnologv and for 1s to get all the vldeos, hut l
helleve lts sonethlng evervone wlll he dolng ln the
rluh ln ve vears. Bedz
All the tovs that go wlth Serato. Ihough lts not new,
the hagna swltrh hox ls on nv llst. Blg Sue
Pro Iools ls stlll the standard, hut the SSL Audlo
Workstatlon AWS9 ls the shlt. Blark Blll 6ates
Roland SP-SSS and the new Kaoss Pad. B-Lord
hv favorlte 1 software for the ast vear have heen
Vlrtual 1 and PC1 lX PR0. Both rograns enahle
vou to use varlous serlal efferts, loolng, and
sanle edlts. 0n the rodurer slde, l reronnend the
K0R6 nlrroK0R6, IRlI0NEX88, and the K0R6 Kaoss
ad. Ihat should get the |oh done nlrelv for anv art-
lst. Clvll Rlghtz
Ahhleton Llve and Konlete. Cllnton Sarks
Iraktor Srratrh J, Pro Iools. ln dlgglng nlxlng
llve vla the lnternet through Yahoo Llve. lve
heen rherklng 1 Barkslde and shes dolng lt out
there ln the Bavl Ihats sonethlng lll he ho-
lng on soon. ertv Vegas
Ploneer V1 I V turntahle. re
Belng that Rane has released that hot ass IIh-S!
nlxer and the vldeo ortlon ls heronlng a hlgger
art of the show, l would sav that lt would he wlse
to learn sone sort of vldeo edltlng rogran, even for
haslr edltlng. l roslgn llnal Cut Pro. Ekln
Ploneer has a new C1-+ that vou ran lug a
USB |un drlve dlrertlv lnto, so vou dont even need
a ronuter. You get the rellahllltv and feel of the
Ploneer C1 serles wlthout needlng a PC to arress all
of vour nJ les. lrogle
Ihe Vestax VCl-J. h-uh
Io ne nothlng wlll ever relare Z Ierhnlr IZs,
hut ln reallv feellng the rats over at Beatsourre.
ron. Ihev have a great new wav of dlstrlhutlng vour
nuslr. lts all ahout ronotlng vourself and gettlng
heard as a 1 or artlst. 1o-Skl Luv
1un drlves, hll ln vour 1 set, and the latest ln
lato terhnologv. 1udge hental
RSS feeds. hesta
1lng wlth vour lod. hLK
l thlnk 1s should know ahout rerordlng software
lf thev want to rodure good nlx Cs. l use Adohe
Audltlon. lts lnortant to rhange and enhanre
sounds so that vour nlx Cs are exrltlng for
llsteners. Pearhez
ln hlg on Adohe Audltlon. lts real good for
audlo rodurtlon and easv to use. Peter Parker
Sone 1s need hPJ II and Enalllng II.
Radlo
Pro Iools, Adohe Audltlon, and those new USB
owered hard drlves the slze of a rredlt rard.
Rage
Cool Edlt Pro and Pro Iools. R0
Iraktor Srratrh. SlahI
Everv 1 should have thelr own wehslte and look
lnto odrastlng or sonethlng slnllar. 0ther than
that, revlslt the old terhnologv vour turntahles.
ont get lazv herause vou have Serato, stav
shar. Sontaneous
A har rogran ralled Sequel, Cool Edlt, Wave
Lah for PCs, lglwaxx.ron, Crateronnert.net,
Bunsquadd|z.ron, and Shadvvllled|s.net. Iah
Blassl
Nuendo J. Whltev
Vlrtual 1 ls good vldeo shlt on that next level.
Blg ee
Loglr. l love lt. Eque
l use Iorq Audlo when l sln. lts a rheaer
rogran alnost llke Serato. ln trvlng to get nv
hands on the Ploneer 1h-8 + Channel nlxer. lt
rosts a llttle over SI,S. Esee
V nlxlng ln the rluhs. ln erfertlng that rlght
now. Ilto Bell ll
8 ll 0Z0NE hA6
L
oulsvllle, Kenturkv ls lavlsh wlth heavv
hltters. erades ago vou rould see natlve
son huhannad All dellverlng |ahs ln the
rlng. Everv sunner vou ran hear the dlstlnrt rllnk
of a Loulsvllle Slugger hasehall hat uer-ruttlng
a hall towards rentereld. And u untll lehruarv
ZSth, Z8, Loulsvllle natlve Stehen Statlr ha|or
6arrett was ln the studlo rreatlng nuslr to hook the
entlre world.
lf vouve llstened to the radlo at all wlthln the last
ten vears, vouve surelv heard the hard-knorklng
hlts of Statlr ha|or foatlng through the alrwaves.
Aallvahs Are You Ihat Sonehodv, Irv Agaln, and
Rork the Boat, 6lnuwlnes Ponv, So Anxlous,
and Sane 0l 6, estlnvs Chllds Sav hv Nane,
lddvs Iell he, Prettv Rlrkvs 1ulrv and 0n
the hotllne, 1av-Zs Change the 6ane, Nas You
0we he and, nost rerentlv, Lll Wavnes Lolllo
were all hls rreatlons, |ust to nane a few. But the
average fan of Statlr ha|ors ronosltlons rohahlv
doesnt even know who Statlr was.
Ihev rohahlv dont know that Stehen 6arrett was
a fanllv nan who loved hls wlfe and rhlldren ln-
nltelv nore than nuslr. Ihev rohahlv dldnt know
that Statlr was a great rhef who often nade neat-
loaf, roasted otatoes, and nararonl and rheese
for hls out-of-town guests, or that Statlr was a
hunhle nan who klrked lt ln the hood everv week
and treated hls S+, Bentlev llke lt was a used
Iovota. Nor do thev know that after Statlrs slster
dled at age ZZ, he adoted hls nlere, Lexl, who ls
now a sohonore at the Unlversltv of Loulsvllle.
Sadlv enough, thev rohahlv have no rlue that
he dled ln a hosltal ln Loulsvllle, Kenturkv at the
voung age of JJ. Ihe average fan of Statlr ha|or
nav not know nurh lf anvthlng ahout hln, hut Ste-
hen 6arrett llved a llfe that was trulv adnlrahle.
bEGINNINGS
0n hondav, Novenher IIth, I9!+, Stehen Ellls
6arrett was a rrvlng newhorn ln a hosltal ln
Loulsvllle, Kenturkv. hls nother had |ust glven hlrth
to the thlrd nenher of the fanllv, and though lt
was a snooth dellverv, lt roved to he anvthlng hut
Statlr-free.
Stehen 6arrett rane lnto the world as the nan of
the house. hls nother was a slngle arent, and hls
ve-vear-old slster was hoth hls onlv slhllng and
hls hest frlend. lron hlrth, Stehen was surrounded
hv nuslr. hls nother was the dlrertor of the rholr
at 1oshua Iahernarle Batlst Churrh, and hls slster
helvnda laved lano. Young Steve was haslrallv
hred to he a nuslrlan, hut as hls nother renen-
hers, the hov who would grow to he an outsoken
nan hegan llfe wlth a nurh dlfferent deneanor.
he was verv shv, renenhers hls nother, who af-
fertlonatelv goes hv Blg hana. l used to have to
sll hln a llttle lere of nonev |ust to slng solo.
Not nanv slngers ran rlaln thev got ald for thelr
shows hefore thev rould slgn thelr own nane, or
even sell lt, for that natter. But Stehen rould.
Perhas lt was the nonev that notlvated hln,
herause the shvness hls nother soke of dldnt
last long. At onlv three vears old, Stehen nade hls
televlslon dehut slnglng on a televlslon show ralled
Slng Ye, whlrh alred Sundavs at 9 Ah on WAVE IV,
rhannel J ln Loulsvllle.
he was J vears old and he led a J volre rholr ln
the song Irouhle ln hv Wav, reralls hls nother.
he was verv nodest ahout hls talent, hut he
showed great ronlse as rhlld.
Starev Wade, the lrertor of Art at Statlrs rerordlng
hone BlarkgroundlUnlversal Rerords, was also a
a Tribute to stephen
Static Major Garrett By eric n. Perrin
0Z0NE hA6 ll 8I
rhlldhood frlend who grew u ln rhurrh wlth hln
and knew all ahout the ronlse he showed as a
vouth.
When |Statlr] was 8, nv aunt asked hln, Stehen,
what do vou want to he when vou grow u! and
he sald, l wanna he a slnger, renenhers Wade,
desrrlhlng Statlrs slnglng ln rhurrh as a treat for
evervone ln attendanre. At that verv voung age,
he knew exartlv what he wanted to do. he was
alwavs slnglng.
Stehens slnglng rontlnued fron rhlldhood to
adolesrenre at Wagner hlgh Srhool, where he
earned a reutatlon for helng rool, funnv and
oular wlth the ladles. Llfe was sonewhat sweet
for the I6-vear |unlor untll tragedv strurk.
Stehens slster helvnda suffered fron ulnonarv
hvertenslon, a rare rondltlon that rauses heart
fallure. She was ln dlre need of a heart-lung trans-
lant, an even rarer roredure whlrh ls erforned
on less than I atlents ln Anerlra earh vear.
Sadlv, helvnda lost the hattle, and dled of heart
fallure at onlv ZZ vears old.

Arrordlng to hls nother, Stehen had a hard tlne
rolng wlth hls slsters death, and suhsequentlv
got lnto trouhle at srhool. 0ne hrlght sot rane
when he was lared ln a hlgh srhool rogran,
the Burger Klng Aradenv, and asked to slng the
natlonal anthen at thelr natlonal svnoslun. hls
enthralllng erfornanre won hln a full srholarshl
to the Unlversltv of Loulsvllle where he na|ored ln
nuslr. hls davs at UL roved to he verv lnfuentlal
as lt was durlng thls tlne when Stehen heard
a hraggadorlos llne on a ra rassette tae that
rovlded hln wlth the nane the world would one
dav know hln hv.
he was llstenlng to a song, and the raer sald l
rause statlr ln the lndustrv. And Steve sald, Ihats
what l want to do, rause statlr ln the lndustrv, re-
ralls hls longtlne huslness artner and hest frlend
Lll . Statlr later added ha|or to hls nane vears
later to dlfferentlate hlnself fron other artlsts who
energed wlth the nane Statlr.

lt was also at UL where Statlr rane ln rontart wlth
Snokev and Blark, two gosel-turned-R6B slngers.
Ihe three of then would eventuallv |oln forres to
forn the grou Plava.
Ihe grou nagled thelr wav harkstage at a 1oderl
ronrert ln Loulsvllle. Ihe Plava rollertlve got ln
front of 1oderl slngerlsongwrlter eVante Swlng
and erforned several of hls songs a raella.
lnressed, eVante soon slgned Plava to hls Swlng
hoh lnrlnt wlth Elektra Rerords.
At the tlne, Plavas lahelnates lnrluded then
u-and-ronlng arts surh as 6lnuwlne, Ilnhaland
and hagoo, hlssv Elllott and a voung songstress
hv the nane of Aallvah. eVante Swlng herane llke
a nentor to Statlr. lt was under Swlngs tutelage
that the voung slnger hlossoned as a songwrlter
and forned the relatlonshls that would allow hls
talents to tourh the world.
l was talklng to the grou ahout nanagenent and
Statlr |ust stood out as a star, rlght off the hat,
savs 1ono hankerson, Presldent of Blarkground
Rerords, who rst net Statlr whlle he was one
thlrd of Plava. Ihev were all lnrredlhle wrlters,
hut Statlr was reallv the rreatlve forre hehlnd what
thev were dolng.
Plava wound u leavlng thelr Swlng hohlElektra
sltuatlon and later noved to ef 1an where the
grou released thelr rst and onlv alhun, Cheers Z
You, ln I998. Bv that tlne, Statlrs rareer as a song-
wrlter was headed ln dlfferent dlrertlon. Iwo vears
hefore, he had enned hls rst Blllhoard #I rerord,
6lnuwlnes rrossover hlt Ponv.
lf lt wasnt for Statlr wrltlng that song, l rohahlv
wouldnt he here todav adnlts 6lnuwlne. Ilnha-
land had |ust dld the heat, and we were |ust golng
to |ust use lt for an lnterlude, hut l was llke, Nah,
Statlr, we gotta wrlte sonethlng to that. Ihat heat
ls rrazv. So, Statlr took ahout a dav to wrlte Ponv,
and the next nlght he ralled ne ln and he let ne
hear lt, and l was llke Yo, thats a snashl
6lnuwlne and Statlr went on to nake nunerous
other snashes together, lnrludlng the rhart-to-
lng hlts Sane 0l 6 and So Anxlous.
lve alwavs adnlred hls wrltlng, adds 6lnuwlne.
Needless to sav, the songs he wrote for ne were
sone of nv hlggest hlts. he reallv laved a na|or
role ln nv rareer earlv on. Statlr was also lnstru-
nental to Aallvahs resurgenre. he wrote her snash
slngle, I998s Are You Ihat Sonehodv.
hlssv was suosed to wrlte lt, hut we had to
turn the song ln the next dav, reralls hankerson
ahout the song that aeared on the r. oollttle
soundtrark. We onlv had a dav to get the rerord
done and we rouldnt get hlssv there ln tlne, so
Statlr rane ln, and he and Aallvah worked together
for the rst tlne. lt was an lnrredlhle sesslon. Ihev
nalled the song ln llke three hours, and lt herane
the snash that we all know. Ihat roved to he
|ust the heglnnlng as Statlr later wrote two nore
nunher one hlts for Aallvah, Irv Agaln, and Rork
the Boat.
LIFE
ln I998 Statlr was on the road wlth Ilnhaland,
6lnuwlne and Aallvah on thelr Blarkground tour.
Ihe tour nade a sto ln Statlrs honetown of
Loulsvllle, for the Kenturkv erhv. Real ulet was
the nane of the horse who won the erhv that
vear, hut Statlr ha|or rlalned the hlggest rlzehls
future wlfe.
he was erfornlng wlth Ilnhaland, hlssv,
6lnuwlne, and Aallvah. renenhers Avontl 6arrett,
Statlrs wldow, whon he rst net followlng a show
that erhv weekend. We haened to see earh
other ln asslng, and he klnda gave the notlon that
he wanted to talk to ne, hut l ket golng. l saw
hln the next dav at the nall, and l stlll ket golng.
l was not trvlng to deal wlth an entertalner.
however, sonetlnes fate ran follow vou.
Ahout a nonth after erhv Weekend l was at a
ark, reralls Avontl. l was leavlng and Stehen
was ronlng ln. l was wlth nv glrlfrlend and she
gave ne an ultlnatun. 6et out of the rar and talk
to hln or she was golng to ut ne out.
After the exrhange, a ronanre hetween Stehen
and Avontl esraladed raldlv and the roule got
narrled exartlv a vear and a half after thev net.
l rouldnt ask for a hetter hushand, she rorlalns.
he was lovlng, devoted, loval, and glvlng. he was
nv hest frlend. he would rall ne I, Z tlnes a dav,
even through the nlght when he was at the studlo.
Conlng fron a snall fanllv where hoth hls nother
and grandnother were onlv rhlldren, Statlrs
dreans of havlng a hlg fanllv were reallzed when
he net hls ln-laws. But nothlng ronared to hls
ultlnate drean of helng a father.
Statlr loved hls fanllv, he alwavs talked ahout
then, renenhers R6B songhlrd Brandv, who
worked wlth Statlr on her slngles Cone As You Are
and Slrens.
Anvone who sent anv anount of tlne wlth Statlr ln
the studlo wlll tell vou the sane.
A lot of eole dont know that Statlr nade heats,
too. But he never wanted to do lt, herause he felt
lt took too nurh tlne to do hoth songwrltlng and
rodurlng, Lll olnts out. Statlr was a fanllv
nan. he wanted to send tlne wlth hls klds and hls
wlfe.

Although Statlr onlv had two hlologlral rhlldren,
he was a father to four. Lexl 6arrett, the Z-vear
old daughter of hls late slster helvnda, who ls a
sohonore at the Unlversltv of Loulsvllle, Stehen
6arrett 1r., I+, hls rst son fron a relatlonshl rlor
to narrvlng Avontl, onald 1arkson, I+, lAvontls
son fron a revlous relatlonshl) and hakarl 6ar-
rett, !. Statlr got the two hovs lnvolved ln sorts,
eserlallv foothall.
l dont rare what he was dolng or where he was
at, he would sto what he was dolng and go to hls
klds foothall gane, savs Lll .
But foothall was far fron all he dld wlth then.
Statlr would often take hls klds to lav laser tag, to
rare at the go-rart trark, or lav vldeoganes at the
arrade. lf he lost, he refused to let then leave untll
avenged the defeat.
he loved all hls rhlldren, hut our daughter was the
love of hls llfe. he |ust adored her, exlalns Avontl.
he would look at her and sav, She looks |ust llke
ne. Evervthlng ahout her ls ne.
STUDIO STATIC
Ihough hls fanllv neant nore to Stehen 6arrett
than anvthlng ln the world, the nuslr that Statlr
ha|or rrafted left an lndellhle nark on the world.
Even nore lnresslve was that evervone he worked
wlth was lnslred hv |ust helng ln hls resenre.
Everv tlne Statlr walked ln the hulldlng he hrought
|ov and llfe to evervone ln the hulldlng, exlalns
Blgg B, a long-tlne Statlr assorlate and rodurer
of 1av-Z and Lll Wavnes hello Brooklvn. l dont
rare what klnd of dav vou were havlng, as soon as
Statlr walked ln the roon vou were readv to work,
and nake a hot rerord.
Plav of the Plav-N-Sklllz rodurtlon tean nost
known for rodurlng Chanllllonalres Rldln lrtv
shares slnllar sentlnents. Statlr lnfuenred us
forever, he adnlts. Even the wav we do our
rerordlngs. We swltrhed evervthlng u after watrh-
lng Statlr do lt. he showed us the wav lts reallv
suosed to he done. l herane a fan ln the studlo
when l was worklng wlth hln.
lt was an event |ust helng ln
the studlo wlth Statlr.
Pleasure P, fornerlv the
lead slnger of Prettv Rlrkv,
looked at Statlr as an older
hrother. lt was an honor
to even neet sonehodv
llke Statlr. Io he ln the
resenre of good eole
ls klnd of hard to nd ln
thls lndustrv, he de-
rlares. lf vou rouldnt
vlhe wlth Statlr
sonethlngs wrong
wlth vou, herause he
By eric n. Perrin
8Z ll 0Z0NE hA6
was an easvgolng erson that evervhodv llked.
Statlr rreated a stvle of nuslr that was ronletelv
orlglnal and unlque to onlv hln. he was horn wlth
an undenlahle ear for nuslr and rould envlslon the
nlshed rodurt hefore others ln the studlo even
knew the dlrertlon.
We would he ln the studlo sonetlnes and the heat
would he golng one wav, and |Statlr] would he go-
lng another, reralls Avontl. lt alnost looked llke
he was off heat, hut that |ust let ne know that he
would ta lnto sonethlng else, llke another dlnen-
slon. he was hearlng sonethlng totallv dlfferent
than what evervone else was hearlng.
Plav adds, What was so heautlful and lnrredlhle
ahout hln was that he was ahle to work wlth artlsts
llke 1av-Z, and then swltrh lt u to a ronletelv
dlfferent sound wlth an artlst llke avld Banner.
Even though Statlr wrote these lnrredlhle R6B
|olnts for artlsts llke Aallvah and 6lnuwlne, he stlll
had a asslon to nake hood nuslr.
Statlrs asslon to nake good hood nuslr was
renarkahle. Even nore lnresslve was hls unrannv
ahllltv to freestvle hls nasterleres, a rhararter-
lstlr rlalned hv nanv ellte enrees, hut unronnon
anong songwrlters.
Statlr was one of the rst dudes we got to see ln
artlon wlthout a en and a ad, savs Plav. lor an
R6B artlst, thats unheard of. You hear ahout ra-
ers all the tlne that |ust go ln the hooth and nake
songs off the to of the head, hut Statlr dld lt on
the R6B tlharnonv, nelodv, lvrlrs, evervthlng.
hls wlfe agrees. Weve heen together ten vears,
and lve never one tlne seen hln wrlte one lvrlr. he
had so nanv harnonles, l thlnk he |ust had a true
glft fron 6od.
Perhas lt was hls ronetltlve slrlt that fueled hls
rreatlvltv. he was alwavs so ronetltlve, olnts
out Australlan nuslr naker Rudv, a.k.a. 6roove.
havhe that was |ust hln helng fron Loulsvllle. he
was alwavs so roud of hls rltv. Llke huhannad All,
he was alwavs so drlven to do thlngs.
Statlrs love for hls rltv was undenlahle. hls nother
renenhers hln telllng anvone who would llsten
ahout hls honetown and state. ln fart, Statlr
hragged on hls hone so nurh he had a ruston-
nade rharn rrafted ln the shae of Kenturkv
drenrhed ln hlue and whlte dlanonds.
Ihe Kenturkv lere that he had nade was llke a
SZ, dollar lere, exrlalns Lll . But dude
would walk around wlth hls rhaln on llke he dldnt
rare. he was never srared of nothlng. Wed walk
around the hood and ld he nervous, hut Statlr was
never srared of nothlng.
Statlr was a dlfferent erson, adds Lll s wlfe,
haenae Washlngton, who was also good frlends
wlth Statlr. he alwavs got along wlth evervhodv.
Conton rrooner and forner Cash honev Rerords
nenher I has nelghhorhood storles as well.
When l rst net Statlr l went to Loulsvllle and
Statlr took ne to hls nelghhorhood, and we hasl-
rallv hung out there. Youll he surrlsed how nanv
dudes ln the lndustrv rant go to thelr nelghhor-
hoods. But the fart that he rould reallv showed ne
a lot.
Statlrs worth ls neasured dlfferentlv deendlng on
who vou ask, hut to hls fanllv and frlends hls nerlt
ls lnneasurahle. Io ne, Statlr was the songwrlt-
lng klng of R6B, savs Blgg B. When lt rane to the
hood R6B rerords he was the klng.
Statlrs forner Plava hand nenher Blark adds, l
was hlessed to he around a nuslral genlus. he was
rohahlv one of the to wrlters ln the lndustrv for
the last ten vears, hut he dldnt get the notorletv
that he deserved. he heled shae R6B nuslr.
Slnllarlv, Plav feels Statlr was a legend. l ut
Statlr ln the sane sentenre as Pln C, rorlalns
Plav. hes a legend to ne. hes the nost hunhle
guv weve worked wlth.
he had hls own wav of exresslng nuslr, Brandv
reralls. he would sav, ont he afrald of where
nuslr takes vou. l helleve that, and wlll alwavs
renenher hln savlng lt.
DEATH
Stehen 6arrett dled on lehruarv ZSth, Z8 ln
Loulsvllle. lt was serulated that the rause of
death was a fatal hraln aneurlsn, however, those
reorts were lnrorrert arrordlng to the storv
relaved on hls hrother-ln-laws hvsare age.
Statlr was ln Atlanta, and hegan to feel slrk. hls
deslre was to go hone lLoulsvllle, Kenturkv) to he
around fanllv and seek nedlral attentlon. he had
a vlrus. l, stlll, dont know what the nane of thls
vlrus was, hut lt was not a llfe-threatenlng lssue, l
do know. Ihls artlrular vlrus afferts the nusrles,
throat lqulverlng of the volre), as well as, rauses
droolng of the eve. he had no hlstorv of lllnesses
or anvthlng of that nature.
When he adnltted hlnself to Batlst hosltal East
ln Loulsvllle, Kenturkv, the dortors resented hln
wlth nedlrlne that would treat the vlrus. Ihe treat-
nent was taklng the nedlrlne through a shunt, ln
the nerk, whlrh treats nore severe rases of thls
vlrus. ulrker than taklng llls for davs. Ihough,
he dldnt want the shunt, the dortors lnslsted that
he treat lt thls wav. Ihe treatnent was a forn of
dlalvsls to lter the hlood of the vlrus.
he ralled hls non and told her, hana, sonethlng
doesnt feel rlght. lt hurts. When the dortors were
nade aware that the shunt was hurtlng hln, thev
took lt out......lt was overl When taklng the shunt
out, thev took lt out ln the wrong nanner that
resulted ln danaglng the arterv. he hled to deathl
Ihough nost of hls fanllv and frlends rhose not to
seak on hls death, Snokev felt ohllgated to rlarlfv
the assuntlons surroundlng hls good frlends
asslng. he dled onlv fron ronllratlons fron
a nedlral roredure. Nothlng else hrought lt on,
nothlng else raused lt. ln other words, the hosltal
furked u. ln nore realltv terns, 6od dont nake
nlstakes, and he knows hest. We love Statlr, we
nlss hln, hut 6od loves hln nore.
IMPACT
urlng hls JJ vears on Earth, Statlr left an lnrred-
lhle nark on all those he tourhed. he wlll alwavs
he renenhered as soneone who nade the world a
hetter lare. he wlll he nlssed hv anvone who ever
rane ln rontart wlth hln or hls nuslr.
l nlss hln waklng ne u ln the nlddle of the
nlght to tell ne |ust he wrote a hlt, savs hls wlfe.
l nlss hln for nv klds. l nlss hln for hls fanllv,
for hls nother, for ne. he was good to evervhodv.
l nlss hln for the world, herause the world dldnt
get to reallv see hln, or know hln.
At the tlne of hls death, Statlr was on the verge
of hrlnglng hls lnendlng fane to frultlon. Statlr
got offers fron Atlantlr, 6-Unlt ralled, and other
na|or lahels, savs Lll . But lovaltv took hln to
the eole who haslrallv gave hln hls rst nllllon
dollarsBlarkground.
After slgnlng hls deal wlth Blarkground Rerords,
Statlr had rerentlv ronleted hls solo alhun
Suertlne, and was relng for lts release. Less
than three weeks hefore hls death, Statlr few to
Las Vegas to ln a vldeo for Lolllo, a slngle he
ro-wrote wlth Lll Wavne.
Statlrs solo rareer was reallv startlng to take off,
savs 1ono hankerson, Presldent of Blarkground
Rerords. he was so exrlted ahout followlng u
Lolllo wlth hls slngle, l 6ot hv, whlrh ls out
there rlght now. he was nallv gonna get hls shot
as an artlst.
Lll reralls, l never saw hln get exrlted ahout
worklng wlth anvone the wav he dld when he was
worklng wlth Lll Wavne. lor the last two or three
vears thats all he had heen talklng ahout, and he
nade lt haen.
Not onlv dld Statlr nake hls rollahoratlon wlth Lll
Wavne haen, hut the song he heled rreate has
roven to he a trenendous hlt. Around a week after
ostlng the song on hls hvsare age, Lll Wavne
rerelved a nllllon age vlews and rose to the #I
osltlon on the Io Artlst role. Ihen on harrh
Z8th, Lolllo |uned !6 sots on Blllhoard hot
I rhart golng fron # 8S to #9. At ress tlne Lol-
llo was #+ on the Blllhoard hot I, solldlfvlng
the song as Lll Wavnes hlghest rhartlng slngle
ever as a lead artlst.
l wlll nlss Statlr, savs Lll Wavne. We wlll all
nlss hln. he had a ronlslng future, and a well
reserted hlstorv. Blark adds, he was so voung,
we dont know what other glfts he had vet to glve
nuslrallv. l thlnk the world ls gonna nlss out on
sone great songs.
Ihankfullv, Statlr had over IZ songs unreleased
at the tlne of hls death, so the world wlll he
hlessed wlth nanv nore of hls nelodles for vears
to rone. Rerentlv, he worked wlth artlsts surh as
1esslra Slnson, Bevonre, 1anet 1arkson, Lll Wavne,
Bohhv Valentlno, and Irev Songz.
Although he dled ln hls rlne, he arronllshed
great feats. Stehen 6arrett ls one of the less than
I% of eole ln the world who herane exartlv
what thev sald thev would as a rhlld. he was er-
slstent and he alwavs knew what he wanted ln llfe.
ln so roud that he was ahle to arronllsh nuslr
as hls rareer, savs hls nother. huslr was hls llfe-
stvle. hls wlfe adds, hls legarv wlll llve through
hls nuslr. When l start nlsslng hln l |ust start
lavlng hls nuslr, herause lt nakes ne feel rlose
to hln. l ran stlll hear hls volre, and a lot of eole
dont get that when thev lose a loved one.
She auses.
Ihev nlght save a volrenall or a nessage, hut l
have a whole ratalogue full of nuslr to llsten to. l
ran hear hln talk to ne through hls lvrlrs ln everv
song. ll
*Serlal thanks to orlan Lll Washlngton
0Z0NE hA6 ll 8J
Known for helng the voungest lrertor
of A6R ln the gane, Slrkanore shorked
the lndustrv hv reslgnlng fron hls osl-
tlon at Atlantlr Rerords. 0Z0NE rerentlv
raught u wlth Slrkanore whlle he was
drlvlng to 1lK Alrort on hls wav to
hlanl to srout talent. We dlsruss how
he went fron hlxtae 1 to A6R, whv he
left hls osltlon, and how hls ronsul-
tatlon ronanv Ihe lanous llrn wlll
rhange the lndustrv.
how ln the world does a I6-vear-old oen u hls
own rerord store!
Well, l was I6 vears old when l got the lease to
the rerord store hut I! when lt oened u for
huslness. l went to an Alternatlve hlgh Srhool
where evervone at the srhool rerelved a nentor.
hv nentor gave ne a few hooks on huslness to
read nv freshnan vear. l eventuallv got through
the hooks he gave ne and at IS l wrote nv rst
huslness lan. After that, the srhoollng svsten
dldnt reallv work for ne.
And fron there vou started dolng nlxtaes!
Yeah, l had heen naklng nlxtaes and selllng
then whlle l was stlll ln srhool. l nade the sulv
for a untaed narket. hv taes nade nonev and
l ket rollertlng, and hefore l was I8 l was run-
nlng nv own huslness.
Ihen rane Salgon!
Ye. he had a lot of suhstanre. l knew he would
hlow u hlg or not hlow u at all. At the tlne he
was worklng wlth hark Ronson and l rould tell hls
talent wasnt helng rultlvated ln the rlght wav. he
|ust needed hrandlng and new heats.
So howd vou hook hln u wlth 1ust Blaze!
l was sonsored hv a rlothlng ronanv to go on
the Ror Ihe hlr Iour and 1ust Blaze had hls own
tour hus. So, l was |ust real erslstent and told
hln Kanve was kllllng lt wlth hls lahel and he
needed soneone llke ne to hel hln wlth hls own
lahel. After awhlle he gave ne a shot and told ne
to nd an artlst and then well see whats u. So, l
hrought hln Salgon.
So ls lt a general sklll or talent level that vou look
for ln an artlst!
l look for artlsts that arent green. l look for
eole who are alreadv novlng on thelr own. lts
ahout how hlg vour novenent ls and how hard
vour ran hustles. Rerord lahels are now looklng
for artlsts that have all the tools hut need a ush.
You dont neressarllv need BS or Soundsran
nunhers, vou |ust need a huzz or strong nonen-
tun. When l look for talent, ln not looklng for
soneone slttlng on thelr ass wantlng sonethlng
handed to then. Youve gotta he novlng.
oes that nean as an artlst vou need to rone
re-arkaged!
No, hut a lot of eole exert a rerord lahel to
nold artlsts and develo then. Ihat doesnt
haen anvnore. When Nas droed lllnatlr he
dldnt do na|or nunhers hut when vou look hark,
that was a na|or ro|ert. Ihe lahels ket Nas and
hls fan hase grew, hut an artlst todav wlll not get
those sane oortunltles.
Rlght, rause the lahels are ahout that aer.
Yeah, hut the uslde to havlng nore ollshed
artlsts ls that the nore rontrol an artlst has, the
hlgger thelr return wlll he. Artlsts are naklng a lot
nore nonev now than artlsts ln the earlv 9s, hut
overall the svsten doesnt work. A6Rs nake salarv
and get olnts on alhuns hut what does lt natter
lf the alhun doesnt go +x latlnun!
how dld vou get lared as an A6R so earlv!
l net hl ho whlle worklng on Salgons ro|ert
at Ror-a-lella wlth 1ust Blaze. host eole dont
know hut Salgon was slgned on as a |olnt venture
through hl ho I9!8 not lort Knox. After the
Iru Llfe deal was done Kvanho hrought ne ln to
Atlantlr under hln and 6. Roherson.
A6Rs are often errelved as havlng glanorous
|ohs, hut lt ls rohahlv the nost nlsunderstood
osltlon ln the huslness. What ls lt that vou all
artuallv do!
Belng an A6R ls ahout antlrlatlon. lts nore than
|ust lrklng what songs vou thlnk wlll hlow u
and he hlts. We dont run around the rountrv |ust
slgnlng talent. 0ur |oh ls ahout the nanagenent
of an alhun. ln that osltlon vou are the rerord
lahels reresentatlve to the artlst, and vlre versa.
lts lnortant that vou ran ronnunlrate earh
artvs dlrertlon and get then on the sane age.
A6Rs lose |ohs herause of the lark of relatlonshls
wlth the artlst, thelr nanagenent or rodurtlon
tean worklng wlth then. hanaglng relatlonshls
ls what we get ald for. Contarts are vltal to helng
an A6R. Belng ahle to rall u rertaln rodurers, or
get another artlst on a renlx ls rrurlal to the |oh.
how have vou ad|usted golng fron a hov won-
der lnto a legltlnate forre ln the lndustrv!
honestlv, eole arent shorked hv nv age
anvnore. No one ronslders ne a rookle. l was
lurkv, herause nost eole have to lntern for two
vears to get to an asslstant A6R osltlon for two
nore vears and then navhe after a total of seven
or elght vears, vou nlght get an A6R glg. ln |ust
thankful l dldnt lose nv vouth worklng for a
svsten l dont helleve ln.
ls that whv vou left!
Yes. l left alnost two vears to the dav l started
worklng for then. lt |ust herane frustratlng to ut
nv heart and soul ln a ro|ert that doesnt rone
out |ust to work on sonethlng else |the lahel]
wanted ne to work on. Ihe nuslr huslness has
stoed helng ahout the nuslr and has herone a
rerord huslness ronrerned wlth sales. When nuslr
sales went down the nuslr lndustrv went down
wlth lt, and lt shouldnt have heen that wav. l left
Atlantlr wlth a lan and four or ve lnterns.
l take lt voure referrlng to vour ronsultatlon
huslness!
Yes, Ihe lanous llrn. Ihe lanous llrn ls golng
to turn lnto a talent lahel, where the forus ls not
as nurh on artlsts hut talent, whlrh rould lnrlude
grahlr deslgners, englneers, and uhllr affalrs
rofesslonals, as well as artlsts. Anv erson who
has thelr own huslness wants to get thelr ronanv
to a olnt where the ronanv funrtlons wlthout
vou. ll
Words. 1ared Anderson ll Photo. heather rake
INdUSTRY 101
sicKamOrE
8+ ll 0Z0NE hA6
Produrtlon Credlts. 1 Unk Walk lt 0ut 6
Z Ste, llo Rlda Low, Ihree Slx haa
ld Rather
As told to Randv Roer
When l rst heard |the nal verslon of Low], l reallv
llked lt a lot. When l dld the heat, l was llke, ln golng
to do sonethlng dlfferent ln the gane. l sent lt to
Atlantlr. Atlantlr lrked the heat out, got I-Paln to
wrlte the hook, and then thev got llo Rlda on lt. Ihev
ut then together and the rest ls hlstorv.
lt dldnt start |hreaklng] on the urhan slde, lt started
o. l loved the song when lt rst haened, hut what
got ne golng rrazv was when l saw Youtuhe and saw
how nanv eole were artuallv feellng the song. how
thev were danrlng to lt at hone. Ihev had thelr own
llttle hone vldeos. l knew the song was ahout to hlow
u. Next thlng vou know, lt dld.
|Unks] Walk lt 0ut was nv rst hlg rerord. Ihat was
nv rst #I hlt. Z Ste followed after that, lt was
#J or #+ on the rharts. Ihen l dld the llo Rlda rerord
|Low], whlrh was nv next #I. |Walk lt 0ut] was
surrlslng to ne. l rouldnt helleve l |rodured] the #I
song ln the rountrv. We were telllng Unk Walk lt 0ut
was a hlt. Unk was a 1 at the tlne, so he was hreaklng
hls own stuff and l was hellng hln. he and 1 1ellv
hroke Walk lt 0ut. 1ellvs on |Atlanta radlo statlon]
VIJ and ln on hot |I!.9], so we work together. As
the whole 0on Can, we nade sure the streets had lt,
evervhodv ln the rluhs, evervhodv. Unk was dolng free
shows, trvlng to get the song out there and lt worked.
l also rodured the olla rerord, Who Ihe lurk ls
Ihat, loollsh on Shawtv Los alhun, l also dld Ihree
Slx haas new slngle ld Rather featurlng Unk. We
were ln the studlo together, hut thev had to leave
when l dld the heat. l dld the heat, sent lt to then,
and thev loved lt. Ihev rane u wlth the hook and
the whole song for lt, we ut Unk on lt. lts dolng real
good rlght now. lts lrklng u evervwhere. l llke lt,
lts dlfferent and lts sone Ihree Slx haa shlt. And ne
helng thelr rst outslde rodurer, l reallv feel good
ahout lt.
ln versatlle. l trv to do a llttle hlt of evervthlng. l
wanna get sone of the street nonev, rrunk nonev, o
nonev, evervthlng. l dont rare who lt ls. ln wllllng to
work. ln wllllng to do whatever.
l 1 on hot I!.9 on Iuesdavs and lrldavs. ln ln the
rluh lrldav, Saturdav, and Sundav, so l kee nv ears
to the street. l also kee nv ears on sone dlfferent
thlngs. l go to dlfferent sots throughout the week.
Atlantas a artv rltv, so thev artv everv dav of the
week. l go to dlfferent rluhs to see dlfferent vlhes. lt
hels ne know what dlrertlon to go ln when lts tlne
to nake a rerord. Sonetlnes vou ran go ln another
dlrertlon hv leadlng, and vou wont he dolng the sane
old stuff, llke how llo Rldas rerord ls. lts an u-
teno rerord, lts a rluh rerord. l |ust trv dlfferent stuff
to go to another level. ln golng to nake nv nane
known. l got two #Is alreadv and weve got the whole
Z8 to go. ll
BOARd
GAME
DJ montay
0Z0NE hA6 ll 8S
S
everal vears after slgnlng
wlth SRClUnlversal, the
streets are asklng Whv
hasnt Young Cash droed
vet! lts a questlon asked
of nanv artlsts ushed to the hotton of na|or la-
hel rosters. lnstead of waltlng on SRC to raltallze
on hls alreadv-oular nane, Cash ronsulted long
tlne frlend I-Paln, who ultlnatelv lnked a new
deal wlth uval Countvs favorlte relehrltv under
Nav Bov lgltal.
how dld vour deal wlth I-Palns lahel rone ahout!
l was ln L.A. talklng to Paln. l told hln that SRC was
draggln thelr feet wlth a nlgga and l was trvlng to
leave. he told ne he was golng hark to Atlanta to
work on Iav lzns alhun and to rone out there.
We rhoed lt u and he sald, You need to he over
here wlth ne on nv new lahel. l ran get vou off
|SRC]. Usuallv lt takes a whlle to get off a lahel
hut the next thlng vou know, l had the release
aers. l gured lt was gonna he llke four to slx
nonths, deallng wlth then stuld ass lawvers,
hut Paln nade lt haen ln two weeks. |SRCs CE0]
Steve Rlfklnd ls a falr dude. hell never trv to hold
an artlst hark lf thev feel thev ran have a hetter
sltuatlon. he and Steve are stlll rool. lt |ust wasnt
the lare for ne.
What are the terns of the deal wlth I-Paln!
hes dolng thls new shlt where lts all gonna he
dlgltal. lts a two alhun sltuatlon and lve stlll got
the freedon to do whatever l want wlth nv h.0.E.
and .C.R. nlggas.
ld vou ask SRC whv vour alhun hadnt rone out!
l dont reallv seak nv nlnd unless ln ln a sot
where ln nna he done wlth shlt. hv honehov
6randaddv Souf used to nake denands, l dldnt
want to he that tve of nlgga. l never ronlalned
or anvthlng so l rould have leverage. When l
steed to Steve Rlfklnd ahout lt, he was rool wlth
that. l never rane to then llke, Yall need to do
thls and that. Evervhodv knows ln a hunhle kld.
l dont he hoastlng ahout shlt or nake denands.
1ust do what vou sav voure gonna do. lf vou rant
do that, then lts hest for ne to nove on.
0ther artlsts have had lssues wlth SRC, were vou
aware of that rlor to slgnlng wlth then!
honestlv, l dldnt reallv rare rause ln nv olnlon,
l felt llke l had nore talent than eole that was
on thelr roster. l thought nv nuslr would seak for
ltself. But when vour lahel doesnt av attentlon
to vour nuslr, what klnd of lahel ls that! Ihev
dldnt even know X was unln for llke a vear.
l got vldeos of nv shows on YouIuhe and hvsare
rorklng rrowds and thev dldnt even know ahout
the song. lf vou dont know that, whv an l slgned
to vall! l nallv ralled Steve Rlfklnd and showed
hln what the song was dolng ln the rluh. he sald,
We need to get on thls rerord, and l never heard
nothlng fron that agaln.
Are vou golng to glve those songs a new ush
under Nav Bov!
Ihevre stlll hot and 1s are stlll hlttlng ne for
the rerord herause lt never reallv got ushed, the
world never heard en. ln naklng new rerords
too. l nake street anthens and ut en out nvself,
llke oe Bovs, X, and now l got Pure Coralne
thats golng hard. Now that ln slgned to I-Paln,
lts a hetter envlronnent, and vou nake good
rerords when voure ln a good envlronnent.
hldget har has heen vour hest frlend for vears, hut
after he got a lot of notorletv on the VhI show l
Love New York, the runor was that vall fell out.
We alnt have no falllng out. When we got hln on
the show, l told hln lt would he henerlal to hls
rareer and to nlne. l had to get hln to understand
that all the vears l had heen rarrvlng hln, and
now that hes ln the llnellght, he rould ut ne out
there. lts wavs that vou ran hlg u eole, as far
as radlo and lntervlews. l had to ste to hln llke,
Iheres nore thlngs vou ran do to hel nv ra-
reer, herause l had heen hellng hln for so long.
Evervthlngs rool now!
Yeah. Evervhodv knows thats llke nv llttle hrother.
l dann near ralsed the lll nlgga. he hangs around
a whole hunrh of street nlggas hut he alnt no
street nlgga llke that. hes |ust got that 6 nentalltv
fron helng around ne and nv nlggas for so long.
hes a good nlgga. ln alwavs gonna take rare of
hln no natter what. But sonetlnes that shlt goes
to a nlggas head when thevre on IV. Sonetlnes
vou |ust gotta rherk a nlgga.
Are vou tourlng rlght now!
I-Paln ls hrlnglng all hls artlsts on stage hetween
hls shows 1av Lvrlr, Iavlzn, Sohla lresh, and
ne. Paln onlv does arenas and house of Blues and
hlg shlt, so lts gonna he a good look for ne.
ld vou ever feel llke vou rould he dolng a lot nore
wlth vour rareer, llke eole were holdlng vou hark
after voud looked out for then!
0f rourse. l had wav nore nonev when l was ln the
streets. l hought nv hunner and all nv |ewelrv
hefore the deal. Ihen when l slgned the deal, l
rouldnt he ln the streets rause l was ln the llne-
llght. l dldnt want to he ln rlson or dead when l
was so rlose to naklng lt. l thought l was gonna
he stralght, hut lt dldnt go as lanned. l shouldve
had a hark-u lan and ut nonev awav. l was |ust
slttlng around dolng nuslr. Not naklng nonev ls
one thlng, hut nothlng ls ever gonna sto ne fron
naklng hlt songs. l was alwavs naklng nuslr and
trvlng to hel other nuthafurkas out. When l rane
ln the gane l was |ust a voung nlgga wlth nonev. l
learned that thats an lndustrv nlggas drean. Ihev
nd doe hovs that got nonev and sell en dreans
and dont exerute what thev sav thev gonna do. l
ald a lot of eole to do a lot of shlt, nlggas sav-
lng thev ran get ne radlo and deals, hut ln the end
thev wasnt followlng through. l was hellng a lot
of eole ln nv rlrrle and showlng love as far as
features. Ihats |ust how l an. ln a glvlng nlgga.
Whats the deal wlth vour nlxtae Stralght ro
Volune J!
lts hosted hv Blgga Rankln of rourse. lts got a lot
of street re on that hltrh.
ls there anvthlng else vou want to sav!
Shout out to I-Paln for keeln lt 6. A lot of nlggas
dont know, hut he used to rone to uval and
slee on nv rourh, hark when he was dead hroke.
l looked out for hln and now lts ronlng hark
around. hes |ust a genulne nlgga, whlrh we dont
have no nore. he saw l was ln a furked u osltlon
and he dld sone real nlgga shlt. Shout out to nv
.C.R. and h.0.E. fanllv, all the hungrv artlsts ln
1arksonvllle and to Blgga Rankln, hes heen stand-
lng hv nv slde and hellevlng ln ne. Shout out to
the Nav Bov fanllv, all then nlggas that steed
to ne wlth oen arns and no anlnosltv. ll
Words hv hs Rlverrltv ll Photo hv Ierrenre Ivson
86 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Rlrk Ross dldnt take anv rhanres on hls
sohonore alhun. he hrought ln the hest heats
and guest rhvners ef 1ans nonev rould huv,
rouled that wlth a sonewhat lnroved fow,
and released arguahlv the hest Southern ra
alhun of Z8 thus far. 1av-Z, R. Kellv, I-Paln,
Nellv, Irev Songz, Lll Wavne, Irlrk addv, Young
1eezv and 1 Khaled all nake guest aear-
anres, and the 1.U.S.I.l.C.E. League, hannle lresh,
1.R. Roten, the Runners, runna Bov, 1 Ioon
and Nastv Beatnakers all rll ln wlth rodurtlon.
ln the end, Rlrk Ross shlnes and Irllla, wlth onlv
a few nlshas, sounds llke the work of a hoss.
Randv Roer
hall on Sundav sounds
llke a ralo alhun,
where llo Rldas hrag-
gadorlos rhvnes ahout
nonev and wonen
are all llsteners get.
Stlll hlssln, ln Ihe
Aver, he 6 U, All hv
Llfe and ont Know
how Io Art all elther
sound llke attents
at Io + love, or |ust
dont sound good.
Ihls alhun lsnt all
had, the rodurtlon ls
rlne and llo Rldas
rald slnglng fow ls
ronnendahle. But lf
nall were to rone on
Sundav, lt would he
sonethlng serlal,
whlrh thls alhun lsnt.
Randv Roer
0n Irlnas latest alhun, the ueen of hlanl
returns to rove shes Stlll a Baddest, hut her
weak fows over nedlorre rodurtlons rould
lead llsteners to thlnk otherwlse. Ihe sexu-
allv rharged lvrlrs that the lanond Prlnress
ls known for are stlll ever-resent hut songs
suffer fron her larklng lvrlral ahllltv. Rlrk Ross,
Klller hlke, Kevshla Cole and Plthull all outshlne
Irlna as thev asslst her on trarks. And whlle rore
fans should he sonewhat satlsed wlth her new
alhun, others wont he as leased.
Randv Roer
Whlle lt ran he ronsldered oor taste to release
a osthunous Blg hoe alhun slnre sone of the
rontent swlrls around the verv ronrortlon that
nav he resonslhle for hls death, lts rettv
nurh lnevltahle slnre svru was hls favorlte
thlng to ra ahout. And |ust llke hoes ast rata-
log, the alhun |ans wlth the R6Blsh rodurtlon
and nelodles that nade hln one of the ganes
nost unlque volres. Although the lnfux of ran-
eos ran nake the alhun sound llke a rrowded
artv at tlnes, at least thev dont nake lt sound
llke a wake lala ZPars osthunous alhuns). Un-
nlshed Buslness sounds so good at sone olnts
that lt nakes vou uset that hoe rouldnt stlrk
around long enough to nlsh what he started.
haurlre 6. 6arland
RICK ROSS/TRILLA/DEF jAM/
SLIP-N-SLIDE/POE bOY
FLO RIDA/MAIL ON SUN-
DAY/ATLANTIC/POE bOY
TRINA/STILL DA bADDEST/
SLIP-N-SLIDE
bIG MOE/UNFINISHED bUSI-
NESS/KOCH
YUNG RALPH/MOST UNEXPECT-
ED/UNIVERSAL REPUbLIC
Look Llke honev ls a reglonal
hlt for Atlantas Yung Ralh and
on hls dehut, he trles to shake the one-hlt wonder
stlgna that has lagued nanv A-Iown raers of late.
Ralhs alhun has llttle derent rodurtlon, and too
often, hls ras sound llke hes struggllng to read hls llnes off a aer,
whlrh nakes for god-awful dellverles. Ihe Cool 6 re rodured 0ne Eve
0en ls a good heat, hut whv artlsts kee allowlng re to slng on thelr
hooks ls the questlon. And Yo 6ottls guest aearanre rant even resrue
Ralhs alhun on ann Rlght. lor hr. Look Llke honev, hls hlt slngle, l
Work hard and hv hood are the onlv trarks worth llstenlng to, that ls,
lf vou ran stand llstenlng to Ralhs dreadful fow. Randv Roer
FAT jOE/ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
TERROR SQUAD/IMPERIAL
Swltrhlng hls stvle to southaw nav
have gotten lat 1oe sone new frlends,
hut the new sound doesnt alwavs work ln hls favor. You
Alnt Savlng Nothlng featurlng hls llorlda als re 6 Plles
feature sone entertalnlng verses, hut doesnt nend well wlth
the rodurtlon. hls hragglng ahout rlngtone sales on the Lll Wavne-asslsted Ihe
Crarkhouse onlv roves that 1oe ls far fron a 6angsta that onre reed .l.I.C.
to the fullest. But rlght when vou thlnk 1oe stes too far out of hls houndarles,
he sulles a surrlse wlth hv Consrlenre where he trades hars wlth KRS-0NE,
one of the few well-thought out nonents on thls alhun. holdlng true to lts tltle,
Elehant ln Ihe Roon ls a rohlenwlth few solutlons. haurlre 6. 6arland
GNARLS bARKLEY/THE ODD
COUPLE/ATLANTIC
6narls Barklev rontlnues thelr
tour of the svrhe, taklng rurlous
llsteners to the ranvons of deresslon. anger house
hlts |ust the rlght notes to stlr a llttle stonarh tlngle
whlle Cee-Los lvrlrs wlll have llsteners questlonlng
thelr sanltv. Ihls hrllllant alhun ls a stark renlnder of how deresslon-
rlddled sorletv has herone. Standouts lnrlude Whos 6onna Save hv
Soul and A Llttle Better, anong nanv others. Rohlt Loonha
KIDZ IN THE HALL/THE IN
CROwD/DUCK DOwN
What do vou get when an 0lvnlr
hurdler fron New 1ersev and a
star hlgh srhool hasehall laver fron Chlrago do an
alhun together! A hl ho rlasslrl Ihe ln Crowd, the
serond alhun fron Kldz ln the hall, ls an lnresslve
rollertlon of rhvthns and lvrlrs, olsed to hrlng attentlon to urk own
Rerords. Ihe alhuns feel ls wlde, ranglng fron the ronnerrlallv aeal-
lng tltle trark Ihe ln Crowd to the street sweeer rlvlng own Ihe
Blork lRenlx) featurlng Bun B, Cool Kldz, and Ihe Cllse. Kldz ln the hall
have a hanger. Reronnended to anvone. 1ared Anderson
jAE-wAN/ECONOMIC wARFARE/
CAPRICORN RECORDS
Erononlr Warfare nav have heen
a hetter alhun lf 1ae-Wan were
artuallv a good raer. Unfortunatelv, although the
Chlrago enrees rhvnes are lled wlth osltlve and
sorlal relevant rontent, hls anateur fow deters hls
nessage fron effertlvelv rearhlng llsteners ears. Songs llke Letter Io
Ihe Presldent and Never Wanna 6o Bark have good ronrets hut arent
well ut-together songs, whlrh ls the rontlnulng thene throughout the
alhun. Randv Roer
0Z0NE hA6 ll 8!
1. Don Cannon The Cannon Hip Hop Instrumentals: Anthem 1.0 www.myspace.com/djdoncannon
2. DJ Scream & DJ Khaled Heavy In The Streets 13: We Goin In www.myspace.com/4045405000
3. Jay Classik Kingz Of The Underground Hosted by Yung Texxus/Cash & Magno www.myspace.com/jayclassik
4. DJ Envy & DJ Drama Purple Codeine 16: Gangsta Grillz Edition www.myspace.com/djenvy
. DJ Bobby Black Down & Dirty 30 Hosted by Gorilla Zoe www.myspace.com/djbobbyblack
6. DJ Slym So Muufu**in Florida Pt. 2 www.myspace.com/therealdjslym
7. DJ Infamous Family Business www.myspace.com/infamousatl
9. DJ Princess Cut Laid Back Stack Vol. 1 www.myspace.com/princesscutatl
10. DJ Wits & G-Swiss The Network Part I Hosted by Geolani Grandz www.myspace.com/djwits
11. DJ Jay-O N.W.A. The Chronicle www.myspace.com/offcialdjjayo
12. DJ Spinz Rhythm & Swag www.myspace.com/dj_spinz
13. DJ Dax H-0 Radio 19 www.dj-dax.com
14. DJ Scrill You Heard It Here First 4 Hosted by Rocky Fontaine www.myspace.com/therealdjscrill
16. DJ Spree DJ Spree Radio www.myspace.com/djspree
15. DJ L Southern Domination 8 www.myspace.com/djlmasterkey
17. DJ Scream & MLK Hoodrich Radio 8: The Best Never Rest www.myspace.com/4045405000 www.myspace.com/mlkng
18. DJ Sureshot Durty South Shootout Hosted by The Soundchild Crew www.myspace.com/sureshot1st
19. DJ Kaye Dunaway H.B.I.C. www.myspace.com/djkayedunaway
8. DJ Drama & DJ Holiday Holiday Season www.myspace.com/djdrama www.myspace.com/dj_holiday1
Dj CHUCK T
DOwN SOUTH SLANGIN 49.5
Churk Is fornula for nlxtae surress ls
slnle. he takes the newest trarks, throws ln a
few exrluslves, and dros hls nlxtaes hefore
other 1s even get thelr artwork deslgned.
0n Volune +9.S of hls own South Slangln
serles, onre agaln Churk I ls two stes ahead
of the ronetltlon wlth new trarks fron Blg
Bol featurlng Andre J and Raekwon lRoval
llush) and Lll Wavne lhllll), unreleased
nuslr fron llo Rlda lhake A Wlsh) and new
nuslr fron down South u-and-roners VXll
lConlng own featurlng Bohagon) and Sonnv
Rlrh lIranan Pt. Z).
1s, send vour nlx Cs lwlth a rover) for
ronslderatlon to.
0zone hagazlne
6++ Antone St. Sulte 6
Atlanta, 6A JJI8
Churk Is fornula for nlxtae surress ls
slnle. he takes the newest trarks, throws ln a
few exrluslves, and dros hls nlxtaes hefore
other 1s even get thelr artwork deslgned.
0n Volune +9.S of hls own South Slangln
serles, onre agaln Churk I ls two stes ahead
of the ronetltlon wlth new trarks fron Blg
Bol featurlng Andre J and Raekwon lRoval
llush) and Lll Wavne lhllll), unreleased
nuslr fron llo Rlda lhake A Wlsh) and new
nuslr fron down South u-and-roners VXll
lConlng own featurlng Bohagon) and Sonnv
Rlrh lIranan Pt. Z).
1s, send vour nlx Cs lwlth a rover) for
ronslderatlon to.
0zone hagazlne
6++ Antone St. Sulte 6
Atlanta, 6A JJI8
0Z0NE hA6 ll 8!
20. Stefan The DJ Street Bangerz Volume Four www.myspace.com/stefanthedj
88 ll 0Z0NE hA6
lf Blg Kuntrv Klng ls ln fart a self-rorlalned
klng, thls effort ls rlearlv an lndlratlon of a
rrunhllng enlre, rle for a qulrk and easv
takeover. 6enerallv larkluster trarks and nothlng
all that nenorahle ahout hls volre or dellverv
leaves the 6rand hustle afllates latest work far
fron attentlon grahhlng. Kuntrv needs to leave
the dutles of klngshl to I.l.P. and forus on ron-
lng u the ranks for hlnself. Rohlt Loonha
lor vears Poe Bov has heen that other lahel
naklng nolse ln hlanls nuslr srene, hut the
roster featured on thls nlxtae wlll denltelv
asslst then ln heronlng the lare for all thlngs
hlA. llagshl artlst Rlrk Ross dltrhes hls un-
lnslred for the alhun fows and attarks thls
offerlng showlng hls true skllls and star ower,
eserlallv on 6et Love Ioo and 1ournev lnto
Sound. Co-hVP llo Rlda shows that he has even
nore to offer that what he does on hls radlo hlts
whlle Brlsro gets down for hls on everv trark.
Carol Cltv Cartel nakes lnresslve aear-
anres, Iorrh on l Alnt Suosed Io Be here
and 6unlav on Klllswltrh and Extra Nlre,
ln artlrular. All JJ trarks on thls nlxtae have
sonethlng dlfferent to offer lnstead of onlv re-
lvlng on redlrahle svnth-heavv hlanl sound
rodurtlon. Perhas the hest nlxtae of Z8, so
farl haurlre 6. 6arland
hls rst release slnre leavlng hls longtlne Ra-
A-Lot rerordlng hone, evln gets as nastv as he
wants to he. he tos hls lnfanous thlrk whlte
snot llne fron lurk lares nultlle tlnes
throughout, onlv thls tlne lts nore hlatant
than rlever. 0n Ihe Real Ihlng, he rhastlses
wonen who refer dlldos over dlng-dongs wlth
a hook that slngs, lts hung hut lt dont hang,
lt swlngs hut lt dont swang l lts not a natural
dlng-a-lang, hltrh vou need the real thang. Ihe
onlv other thlng raed ahout on the ro|ert
ls evlns other vlre, snoklng weed. Although
there are sone derent heats here and there,
thls snoke sesslon sounds nore llke an orgv.
haurlre 6. 6arland
Young Burk has had hls
falr share of aarent
dlfferenres wlth 6-Unlt
hut these dont surfare
nurh on Runors,
whlrh even features
6-Unlt afllates. Burk
doesnt veer nurh
fron hls standard,
hut, ln anv rase, hls
dellverv ls to notrh
as he shares ahout
Vltanln Water and lat
1oe, over well-selerted
heats, whlrh wlll leave
seakers evervwhere
hlttlng hard. And, oh
vea, Burk dldnt get
honlra regnant.
Rohlt Loonha
Choer, a.k.a. Young
Cltv, returns to the
nlxtae srene. Although
hls dellverv fows
snoothlv, the trarks
start runnlng together
wlth Choer falllng to
show nurh varlatlon
hetween trarks. Poor
heat selertlon also
lagues thls nlxtae,
on whlrh Choer lets
evervone know that hes
heen dolng well and
gettlng hls falr share of
show nonev. Wlth de-
nlte talent, erhas all
Choer needs ls sone
lnslratlon. Rohlt
Loonha
bIG KUNTRY, Dj SCREAM &
MLK/COCAINE KUNTRY
POE bOY RADIO
DEVIN THE DUDE/SMOKE SES-
SIONS VOL. 1
YOUNG bUCK, THE
CARTEL & THE EMPIRE/
RUMORS
YOUNG CITY & Dj Ob-
SCENE/M.O.E. VOLUME 2
YELAwOLF & Dj IDEAL/STEREO:
A HIP HOP TRIbUTE TO CLASSIC
ROCK/REDD KLAY/GHET-O-VISION
Last sunner we saw a wealth
of hl ho artlsts slollv ln|ert rork nuslr lnto thelr
nuslr, onlv to later adnlt that thev dldnt even llsten
to the genre. Bana reresenter Yelawolf does hoth hl
ho and rork |ustlre wlth thls tlneless effort. Sanllng evervthlng fron
Plnk llovds Brlrk ln Ihe Wall to AClCs INI, Wolf goes ln on everv
trark, offerlng sonethlng refreshlng on earh one. Brown Sugar shows
that he ran stretrh hls lnaglnatlon. Break Ihe Chaln has hln grounded
ln realltv whlle Burnout lets vou know he ran |ust sav furk lt and
stlll sound good. A lot of artlsts trv to nesh rork and ra, hut Yela has
erferted lt. haurlre 6. 6arland
Dj TEKNIKZ & GORILLA ZOE/jOOG
MUSIC
Zoes Welrone Io Ihe Zoo wasnt
released that long ago hut thls
AIL hood Nlgga dldnt waste anvtlne drolng a
nlxtae wlth 1 Ieknlkz, lled wlth hrand new nuslr.
Zoe shows hls skllls on Runhle ln Ihe 1ungle and
reans, hut trarks llke Waddle and Blow honev detrart fron hls
true otentlal. Purle rlnk wlth 1odv Breeze, Call he featurlng Llovd,
and Rlght 6 Wrong are all alhun-qualltv trarks, hut he does nake a
ness of Irev Songzs Cant hel But Walt and Ilnhalands Aologlze.
Zoe dros a few forgettahle trarks on 1oog huslr hut thls nlxtae has
lentv of songs that rould have even nade the rut on hls dehut alhun.
Randv Roer
DON P & Dj SCREAM/TARGET
PRACTICE TwO
lor the last few vears on P and
Irlllvllle have heen on a hlatus,
and durlng that tlne, rrunk nuslr has heen on llfe
suort. lour vears have assed slnre Irlllvllles
dehut alhun was released, and llstenlng to Iarget
Prartlre Iwo, songs hullt on slnllstlr hooks and slngalong rhants llke
6et Loose, Neva Eva lall 0ff and hot Yet sound rervrled and dated.
And wlth on P helng a hetter rodurer than raer, he larks the lvrlral
dexterltv to rarrv a solo ro|ert. hoefullv, hv the tlne Irlllvllle releases
thelr next alhun, on P wlll nd a wav to relnvent the sound that was
surressful for Irlllvllle ln Z+. Randv Roer
SONNY RICH & Dj KAY SLAY 85
wIT DA HARD
0n 8S Wlt a hard, Sonnv Rlrh
hooks u wlth the rana Klng to
show the lndustrv how raers ln Charlottle, NC slt.
here, Rlrh rls the lnstrunentals to thls vears hlggest
hlts, and ln nanv rases he nakes the songs hls own.
he showrases the skllls of an ahove-average raer, wlth a good dellv-
erv, wlttv one-llners and unrhllnes. Sonnv ls lnresslve on trarks llke Lll
Wavnes 6ossl, Kanve Wests llashlng Llghts and 1av-Zs Ror Bovs,
hut stunhles when enulatlng the fows of Shawtv Lo on ev Know and
Rorkos Unna o he. lf he renalns true to hls skllls, lnstead of dunh-
lng down hls rhvnes, hell he an artlst to watrh ln Z8. Randv Roer
Dj ObSCENE & TRAE THE TRUTH/
HOUSTON wE HAVE A PRObLEM 5
Whoever ls telllng vou that houston
hl ho ls loslng thelr stean nust
have hoed on the handwagon ln ZS. lron the sounds
of thls nlxtae, houston lsnt sweatlng the fart that
the nalnstrean fans have noved on. All of the all-stars
fron Kllla Kvleon and hagno to Unrle Brad and hr. J-Z show u wlth worthv
offerlngs, lettlng vou know that not a dann thlng has rhanged where thevre
fron. Ihev also ull out rlasslr Iexas heats llke U6Ks Woodwheel and lares
ln Cold Blood for Lll lll and Lunrh honev to hust over. lf vou stlll rlde for
h-Iown, thls ls the tae for vou. haurlre 6. 6arland
0Z0NE hA6 ll 89
9 ll 0Z0NE hA6
Nu 1ersev evllIrev Songz
Venue. house of Blues
Event. Irev Songz 6 1 holldav tour
Cltv. New 0rleans, LA
ate. harrh I+th, Z8
Photo. 1ulla Beverlv
end zone

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