RICK ROSS - Ozone Magazine

MINI MEMORIAL DAY 2006 SPECIAL EDITION
99 JAMZ’
K-FOXX &
SUPA
CINDY
DRE
SUPA
J-SHIN
GEISHA
DIRTBAG
BLOODRAW
UNCLE LUKE
TRICK DADDY
PITBULL
RICK
ROSS
WELCOME TO MIAMI
MINI MEMORIAL DAY 2006 SPECIAL EDITION
99 JAMZ’
K-FOXX
& SUPA
CINDY
DRE
J-SHIN
GEISHA
UNCLE LUKE
TRICK DADDY
BLAK CHERRY
MR MAURICIO
BLOODRAW
DIRTBAG
C-RIDE
SUPA
PITBULL
RICK ROSS
WELCOME T O M I A M I
PUBLISHER/EDITOR:
Julia Beverly
MUSIC EDITOR:
Maurice G. Garland
CONTRIBUTORS:
Aldrick Williams
Bogan
Charles Parsons
Cordice Gardner
Cynthia Coutard
J Lash
Malik Abdul
memorial day 2006
COVER STORIES
Rick Ross pg A24-25
Pitbull pg B16-17
DISTRIBUTORS:
Big Teach (Big Mouth)
Buggah D. Govanah (On Point)
Lex Promotions
Mercedes (Strictly Streets)
Teddy T
To subscribe, send check or money
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Ozone Magazine
1310 W. Colonial Dr. Suite 10
Orlando, FL 32804
Phone: 407-447-6063
Fax: 407-447-6064
Web: www.ozonemag.com
Cover credits: Rick Ross photo by Julia
Beverly; K Foxx photo by Joe Wesley;
Pitbull photo (cover and this page) by
Ray Tamarra. OZONE does not take
responsibility for unsolicited materials,
misinformation, typographical errors, or
misprints. The views contained herein
do not necessarily reflect those of the
publisher or its advertisers. Ads appearing in this magazine are not an endorsement or validation by OZONE Magazine
for products or services offered. All
photos and illustrations are copyrighted
by their respective artists. All other content is copyright 2006 OZONE Magazine, all rights reserved. No portion of
this magazine may be reproduced in
any way without the written consent of
the publisher. Printed in the USA.
INTERVIEWS
Mr Mauricio pg A14-15
Trick Daddy pg A26-27
Dirtbag pg A30-31
K-Foxx pg A32-33
Geisha pg A34-35
Uncle Luke pg B18-19
Supa pg B20-21
Dre pg B22-23
J-Shin pg B26-27
C-Ride pg B28-29
Blak Cherry pg B30-31
Supa Cindy pg B34-35
BloodRaw pg B36-37
FEATURES
Photo Galleries pg A11, B11
Chick Flix pg A12, B12
Miami Maps pg A17-19
Event Listings pg A20
01: Scott Storch,
Stacks, and Beanie
Sigel (Miami, FL)
02: Lil Wayne and
Baby (Miami, FL)
03: Ladies on the set
of Rick Ross’ “Hustlin’”
at the Rollexx (Miami,
FL)
04: Chillin’ on South
Beach
05: DJ Irie and Zo on
the set of DJ Khaled’s
“Holla At Me Baby”
(Miami, FL)
06: Pitbull, Fat Joe,
and DJ Khaled
07: DJ Entice, Lorenzo
Ice Tea, and Tony Neal
on the set of “Holla At
Me” (Miami, FL)
08: Ted Lucas and
Carlton Wade on the
set of DJ Khaled’s
“Holla At Me” (Miami,
FL)
09: Gucci Poochie,
Brisco, J Lash, and
Rick Ross on the set of
“Hustlin’” (Miami, FL)
10: Juelz Santana, Jha
Jha, and Jim Jones
(Miami, FL)
11: Trina and Trick
Daddy on the set of DJ
Khaled’s “Holla At Me”
(Miami, FL)
12: Wayne Wonder,
Papa Keith, and Smitty
(Miami, FL)
13: Baby (Miami, FL)
14: Rick Ross on
top of the Rollexx on
the set of “Hustlin’”
(Miami, FL)
15: Big Will and DJ
Khaled on the set of
DJ Khaled’s “Holla At
Me” (Miami, FL)
16: Rick Ross and
Trina on the set of
“Hustlin’” (Miami, FL)
17: Jim Jones, Supa
Cindy, Rick Ross, and
K-Foxx on the set of
“Hustlin’” (Miami, FL)
18: Milk, Ted Lucas,
and Dre on the set of
DJ Khaled’s “Holla At
Me” (Miami, FL)
19: Baby and Slim
(Miami, FL)
20: Gu, Slim Thug,
Macho, and Joie
Manda on the set of
“Holla At Me” (Miami,
FL)
21: Shakir Stewart and
Ted Lucas (Miami, FL)
Photos by J Lash
except 08,17, and 20
by Julia Beverly
OZONE
11
Photo by J Lash
954-854-4008
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
PHOTO: J LASH
14
OZONE
MR. MAURICIO
Where are you from?
My folks are from New York, but I’m born
and raised here in Miami.
Where do you currently DJ?
I’m on the radio every day doing the 5:00
traffic mix on 103.5 The Beat and I’m in the
clubs six nights a week at Mansion, Opium,
and Prive. I’ve also got my own separate
radio show on Friday nights from 10-midnight.
What’s your strongest quality as a DJ?
Other DJs are one-sided. I’m working six
nights a week at the top three clubs in Miami. I’m on the radio every day during peak
hours. I’ve traveled all around the world. I’ve
played in Vegas, New York, everywhere.
The difference with me is that most of the
spots I do are high-end. That’s what I focus
on. On the beach in Miami, if you wanna
make money you gotta be at the high-end
spots. That’s what it is down here. That’s
what I do; Mansion and Prive. It’s not the
same as playing in the spots I grew up at.
When you say “high-end,” what kind of
audience are you talking about?
White, Euro-trash, models and stuff like
that. That’s what Miami Beach is known for
and how it’s portrayed on TV, and that’s basically what I do. I do all the big parties, like
Paris Hilton and Scott Storch and stuff like
that. To me, it’s kinda corny, but it is what it
is and I accept it. Bottom line, that’s where
the money is, and I’m trying to make money. That’s what I do and I do it better than
anybody else. When I’m in New York I do
the high-end spots too and spots with Enuff
and Camillo and the other Heavy Hitters up
there. It just depends on which market I’m
in. I do stuff with Felli Fel in L.A.; I do highend stuff. I try to balance myself out just so
I can branch out, not holding myself to one
market. I think that’s the problem with the
majority of the DJs; they just stick to one
thing. I try to do everything and I try to corner the market.
MIAMI, FL
house, techno, trance, crazy shit, and it’s
just evolved since then. Hip-hop’s so commercialized now. It’s funny. I’ll play Rick
Ross in a club that’s honestly completely
full of white models and French and German people, and they know the words to
every song. That’s how hip-hop is evolving.
To me, it’s crazy the money that hip-hop
brings in. Anybody can tap into it, whether
you’re a hip-hop producer, DJ, clothing designer, radio station, artist, A&R, or anything
in the urban market. Everybody’s cashing
in right now, because regular people and
rich people and European people can’t get
enough of it. They wanna wear chains and
walk around with our clothes on. They just
wanna live the life. For the last few years
turned away; now they embrace it. It’s just
crazy.
How did you get started DJing?
I just moved to the beach tryin’ to get a
regular job, and my homeboy got me a job
at some club. The promoter did a party on
the beach. I never showed my interest in
wanting to DJ, and no one really knew that
I DJed. This was back in 1996 or so when
hip-hop was in the small room. Hip-hop
was never in the big room in the 90s...
The rest of this interview is featured in
the June issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
Why do you think the “Euro trash” at
the “high-end” spots you spin at want to
hear hip-hop music?
Me, I’m 27. I got my first album when I was
17 or 18. I remember when I first started
out, and it was unheard of for a club in
Miami Beach to play hip-hop. There was
one or two hip-hop spots but they were
in the hood. All the big clubs were playing
OZONE
15
GREATER MIAMI
AREA MAP
DOWNTOWN
MIAMI MAP
SOUTH BEACH
MAP
MEMORIAL DAY - MIAMI EVENT LISTINGS
Thursday May 25th
Steel Brickz Entertainment – DJ S&S
& DJ Technic
Sobe Live
1203 Washington Ave.
917-664-5367
www.DTechnic.com
DJ Irie
Remix Thursdays at Mansion
1235 Washington Ave.
305-532-1525
Friday May 26th
Smitty hosting at Crobar
DJ Irie & Mr. Mauricio
Mansion
1235 Washington Ave.
305-531-5535
Saturday May 27th
Supa Cindy and Supa Friends Inc
3rd annual “I Know I Can” young
women’s summit
Joesph Caleb Auditorium
5400 NW 22nd Ave
Join celebrities from the entertainment and sports industry as they
help motivate and educate the young
women of Miami. It’s free and registration starts at 8:30 AM.
SUPACINDYONLINE.COM
2:00pm - 8:00pm
Nightbreederz Entertainment & Interscope Records’ 1st Annual Cookout
Music with DJ Epps, DJ Polo, The
Original Fat Boy Prince Markie Dee,
LA Smooth
Penthouse - 1434 Collins Ave.
www.penthousesouthbeach.com
For more info text 305-924-0277
Slip-N-Slide’s first annual Greg Street
celebrity car, bike, & fashion show
Miami Beach Convention Center
Rick Ross, Citty, Baby, Swizz Beatz,
Shaq, Trick Daddy, Uncle Luke, Trina,
Khaled, DJ Irie, K-Foxx, Cool & Dre,
Slip-N-Slide family, & many more
Scott Storch celebrity party with special guests Paris Hilton and Jacki-O
Live performance by Chamillionaire
and Rick Ross
Club Metropolis
950 NE 2nd Ave
Saturday May 27th
Tony Neal, DJ Quote, Frank Luv
Five rooms of hip-hop, R&B, reggaeton, reggae, & house music
DJ Irie & Mr. Mauricio
Prive - 136 Collins Ave
305-673-9991
Chamillionaire, Smitty, and DJ EFX performing live @ Club Empire
DJ GQ
Reggae Wear 4 PM – 9 PM
China White 10:30 PM – 4 AM
Sunday May 28th
Bulletproof Ent. & OZONE Magazine
6th Annual Memorial Day Weekend Celebrity
basketball game
Miami Beach Convention Center
Doors open at 5:30 PM
305-891-1668
DJ Irie, DJ Khaled, DJ Erok
Sunday Ritual at Opium Garden
136 Collins Ave. 305-531-5535
DJ GQ
Reggae Wear 4 PM – 9 PM
China White 10:30 PM – 4 AM
Throwback Old School
Street Hustler Enterprise Release Party
Landmark SportBar Broward and 31st in Ft
Lauderdale Sunday May 28 Live Performances By CP Hollywood Marcy Malone Luc Duc
80’s Babies
Treal performing @ Oxygen
Twista & KING Magazine “Bottles & Models”
Hosted by Buffie The Body and DJ K.Foxx
Red Carpet Event 3:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Marlin Hotel - 1200 Collins St.
Info: Echoing Soundz (818) 787-7633
2006 Memorial Day Festival Presented by
BET J. & SOBE Ent.
Featuring: Shabba Ranks, Beenie Man, Rick
Ross, Paul Wall, Damian Marley, Bounty Killer,
Lady Saw, Buju Banton and many more...
Bicentennial Park, Downtown Miami
Doors open @ 12 Noon
Hustlin In Miami
Performing Live- Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick
Ross, Nova Club Amika Loft Lounge
1532 Washington Ave
Elephant Man, Baby Cham and Spice live
Bayside Hut, Key Biscayne
Door open @ 10pm
S
WORDS & PHOTO:
JULIA BEVERLY
24
OZONE
RICK ROSS
What is Rick Ross’ real hustle?
Man, it’s everything. I’m just trying to
spread my feet and run around a little bit
and see what’s really happening. My album
Port of Miami is slated to be released this
summer and it’s a classic record. Other
than that, I’ve got a documentary production named M-I-Yayo: The Cocaine Capital
being directed by Antoine Smith. It’s like
the top ten countdown of the ten biggest
hustlers in the history of Miami, and it goes
really in-depth when I talk about the other
side of the bridge. Along with my partner
E-Class we’re gonna release a compilation CD called Live from 305 featuring Trick
Daddy, Pitbull, and Rick Ross.
Do you think the whole cocaine thing in
rap is a little bit overdone these days?
Nah, I ain’t gonna say that, cause that’s the
era that I came from and that was the hustle. So for street cats that are really involved
in the music, they know the importance of
that. I know real street cats and when they
first get up at 10 in the morning and cut their
phone on, that’s the first thing: “What’s it
lookin’ like? What’s happenin’?” You know?
So when I think about my immediate surroundings, that’s a part of the struggle. And
it’s not so much that I’m glorifying it, but I’m
talking about the struggle side of it. A lot of
times, dudes don’t have any other choice,
for real. I can only speak for real hustlers
that go out there on a limb every day. A lot
of times, they don’t have a choice. They
lifestyle that they get caught up in, there’s
no way out. There’s no way you can just
stop living today. There’s no way you can
just stop running your business. So many
people depend on you. It’s a lot of responsibilities and cats in the streets.
Who was your biggest influence when
you came into the rap game?
Luke Skywalker. I remember it like it was
yesterday: I was in elementary school when
I first seen the “Move Something” single
cover. They took it in the back of the alley,
standin’ in front of a Cherokee, with his
pants down to his knees. And the Cherokee said “Luke Skywalker.” I could remember being a kid and riding around in the
back seat with my mom and I was always
lookin’ for that Cherokee, cause there was
just something about that picture. When I
realized that he was from where I was from,
man, I knew that dreams can come true. To
me, as a kid, just being on a vinyl cover was
MIAMI, FL
good enough. So that stayed on my brain.
That album cover Luke did most definitely
influenced me to become an entrepreneur
and pursue my music career. My biggest
influences were Luke, Ice Cube, and Big
Daddy Kane. I loved Ice Cube’s album
Amerikkka’s Most Wanted. That was the
turning point when I knew I wanted to make
music. I felt like I related to his music so
much, as far as what was going on in my
community and shit. That was a great fuckin’ album. That’s one of the top five greatest albums in the history of rap. Rick Ross
said it and if somebody don’t like it, I’ll sit
down and we can break it down. I’m a student of the game. You got to understand, I
was skipping school and hanging out at the
gameroom where they had the big screen
TV playing videos. I remember this fine girl
walked in. I was a shorty. She had one of
those little Luke booty shorts on and when
I seen her, I was like, damn! As soon as Big
Daddy Kane walked in with his flat top [on
the TV screen] I’ll never forget the face that
girl made. I was convinced. I was sold on
hip-hop. I was sold! I started growing my
flat top the same day.
Going back to what you said earlier
about the fact that you came up in the
cocaine era, what do you think is the new
hustle for this era?
I don’t know. The streets always change,
but there’s always gonna be people who
have and people who don’t have. And
those people who don’t have, they’ve got
a lot of heart and a lot of charisma and they
ain’t gonna just lay down. So in our time,
that’s what it was on the streets. For people
who really hustle, it’s because they have
to. I go to some of my homeboy’s houses
and it’s crazy. They’ve got six sisters, each
one of them got four kids, and it’s crazy. It’s
sad. If you were in that position you’d be
selling drugs in a week, without a doubt.
It’s when people are put in those kind of
positions, man, you do what you have to
do. Me, when I was young, hangin’ at the
places I was hangin’ at, it wasn’t hard for
me to hustle. All I had to do was just have
what they wanted when they came. If you’re
gonna sit out there, you might as well make
some money, right? That was my outlook.
It was just the way of life...
The rest of this interview will be featured
in the August issue of OZONE Magazine
at www.OZONEMAG.com.
OZONE
25
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
26
OZONE
TRICK DADDY
When we were talking earlier, you sounded frustrated.
I just wish muthafuckers the best of success. I don’t wanna talk bad about nobody.
My beef ain’t with no label. My beef ain’t
with no single individual. My beef is with
life, with the game itself. My beef is with
rap music cause a lot of rap music that’s
getting put out there is for this week only.
Next week you won’t listen to it. My beef is
not with the artist, cause you can’t blame
an artist if they come out with a one-hit
wonder and people fall for it. My beef is
with the major labels that are putting this
bullshit out and packaging this shit up. But
when people open that package up, there’s
nothing in it. You never win no prize. It’s like
the little games at the youth fair, where they
push the quarters. It always looks like the
quarters are gonna fall, but they never fall.
That’s who my beef is with, those types of
people. But anybody who’s getting money,
I don’t have beef with them. That’s why a
lot of niggas on record don’t have beef with
me and a lot of niggas in the streets don’t
have beef with me. And if they do, fuck ‘em,
cause it’s some undercover shit. It ain’t legit.
So what do you think is the problem? Radio blasting too much garbage?
To me, the problem is money. You’ve been
seeing a lot of that lately – people getting
in trouble for paying for certain records to
be played. I think if they investigate even
further they’ll see that people are getting
money for videos to be played. I’ve seen
a lot of hot videos in the last two or three
years of my career, but I’ve also seen a
lot of bullshit videos. And even my videos
could be taken up another notch. But I’m
not that type of dude. I’m not the pretty boy,
I’m not what you’d call a “stunner.” I’m not
gonna fake it til I make it. I am what I am,
and that’s what my videos represent. [In
my videos] you might see a Phantom in the
background but you’re not gonna see me
driving in a Phantom cause that ain’t mine.
I tried that shit with “Dro In Da Wind.” They
had me driving a Bentley in the video. But
that ain’t me, man. I’m for the thugs, I’m for
the streets. I think the problem is the money
aspect of the game. It’s the same problems
in music as there is in sports. In sports,
the younger NFL and NBA owners are not
concerned with the well-being of the game
itself. Younger people are getting money
and getting out of control, and they’re using
MIAMI, FL
their money to have power and they’re taking away from the game itself. It’s all about
what they can take away from the music
and how much money they can make. It
ain’t about what they can instill, or give to
hip-hop. Hip-hop has been around for a
long time, since the 70s. Now it’s 2006. I
want hip-hop to be here forever, because
once hip-hop dies my whole legacy dies.
That’s all I represent.
You think rappers are making too much
money?
No. It’s just that in this music game, every
year there’s somebody new and hot. Once
something is done or said in the industry
it travels around and once it gets back, it
might be taken out of context. It’s all one
big circle and one big family, so eventually
we got to get together and say, “Let’s do
this for hip-hop.” Whatever happened to
the Stop The Violence movement? They
had the East Coast All Stars, West Coast
All Stars. We’re all in the same gang. These
days, you call niggas for features and they
tell you, “He’s working on his own project.
He can’t do it right now.” And nine times
out of ten, it ain’t the nigga. It’s the management or the label. So that’s why we
have to go out and communicate...
The rest of this interview is featured in
the June issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
OZONE
27
WORDS & PHOTO:
JULIA BEVERLY
30
OZONE
DIRTBAG
MIAMI, FL
Where have you been hiding? There was
a lot of hype when you signed your deal,
and then things slowed down a bit.
Basically, things just came to a stop. I
learned the hard way – you can’t win on the
label, you gotta do it yourself. It’s a little politics, you know? I was supposed to make
a move from Jive to another company, so
we’ve been going through that for the past
six months. They finally decided I’m gonna
stay over there at Jive, due to the success
of Cool & Dre. Dre signed over there at Jive.
So politically they figured, damn near anywhere I go I’m gonna blow up now since
Dre finna blow, so they kept me. But it was
a battle for six months that held things up. I
was out of town for a little bit and that kind
of held things up too, so now I’m on the
grind. I’m putting out a mixtape and I’ve got
a new single I’m working on called Bring It
Back to The Bottom. I’m just keepin’ it poppin’ while these boys work.
What were the problems between you
and Jive? Some of the Southern artists
that have been signed to Jive in the past
felt that the label didn’t really know how
to market them. Was that part of your issue?
The real problem I got at Jive is that they
really don’t take too many chances. They
kinda tippy-toe. You can’t play ball like that.
You either go all out or you don’t do it at
all. They’ll throw a single out there but they
won’t work it, they’ll just see how it goes
by itself. So fuck it, I gotta work it myself.
I know if I get it poppin’ myself they’re the
machine so they gotta do what they gotta
do. But they’re not gonna take that first risk
on me. They’ll sign me and have me sitting
for five years, and they don’t care as long
as I ain’t making money for nobody else.
So that’s the situation over there. After you
create a buzz and get a few hundred spins
yourself, Jive will step in. They don’t have
good street teams. Their pop records sell,
so that’s their bread and butter. They’re
known for pop music so they just got rap
on the side. You know, Too Short ain’t over
there no more and E-40 ain’t over there no
more. It’s not impossible to eat [at Jive] but
you’ve gotta make that buzz on your own.
If you ain’t got a buzz, it’s difficult.
I ain’t gonna say that I relaxed, but I did
think they were going to pick up the slack.
But with a lot of the stuff I was doing, they
just didn’t want to put music out. It was all
“hush-hush.” So it got kinda frustrating. But
on my part, I forgot the grand hustle, you
know what I’m saying? You never stop hustling. Even if you’re on a major label, you
still push your own shit. So I take 75% of
the blame for that. But the other 25% is on
them, because they didn’t push my talent.
Didn’t Jive do a video for you and Mystikal?
Well, Jive didn’t do that. Chris Lighty did
that. Then Mystikal got locked up and Busta Rhymes and his label got on us about
putting the song out there. A lot of people
didn’t come through on clearances. But it’s
all good, I keep doing it. It’s like being in the
game not knowing the game. God bless
them, my heart goes out to them, but I’ve
moved on to some other things now.
With all the setbacks did you ever get to
the point where you felt like quitting?
I can’t. Cause if I quit and do something
else, it’s going to be illegal. I gotta give it
at least a five year run. I been in it for three
years, so I got two more years to go...
The rest of this interview will be featured
in the July issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
Is it fair to say that when you signed the
deal with Jive you slacked off a little and
relaxed, thinking that they were gonna
pick up the slack?
OZONE
31
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
PHOTO: JOE WESLEY
32
OZONE
K-FOXX
NYC/MIAMI, FL
Where did you get the idea to put out a
calendar called I Am Every Woman?
I did a shoot for another magazine last summer and I posed as a Bond girl. We created
three looks from a James Bond movie, and
I got good responses from people all over
the country. I never knew I had it in me to
actually look like that on camera, so I decided to use it to my advantage and take
it further. I picked ten different influential
women who I admired, and honored them
by recreating their look in this calendar. It’s
called I’m Every Woman, and it pays tribute to women like Billie Holiday, Josephine
Baker, Tina Turner, Halle Berry, and Angela
Davis, just to name a few.
How can someone get a copy of the calendar or get more information?
They can log on to www.KFoxxOnline.com
to purchase the calendar. A lot of them will
be given away through the radio station for
promotional use. I will also be giving some
away to local stores, and hopefully Borders
will pick it up. I think nowadays there are
not a lot of female role models that little girls
can look up to. Back in the day you had the
Tina Turners, Josephine Bakers, and Angela Davises, but today there are really no
role models for us to look up to aside from
video girls. Not everyone fits that image, so
that’s why I wanted to put out this calendar,
so we can get back to the real essence of
a woman and show how we’re able to conquer adversity.
a male-dominated business, men obviously look at the physical first. I really had
to set my boundaries first and decide what
I’m gonna do and what I’m not gonna
do. As a woman in this business, you get
tested. Men look at you like you’re a sex
symbol first. I had to really perfect my craft
and say, listen, this is what I have to offer,
and if you’re not fucking with it then step
down. I’m not about to lay down for anybody that wants to get up in me. Once you
know yourself and you’ve set boundaries,
it’s easier not to get discouraged by the
challenges. Once you prevail and your talent is exposed, there is no stopping you. If
you’re talented and you believe that, you’ve
gotta stand by it and keep on going. If one
door is closed, believe that another one is
gonna open. There’s definitely been sexual
harassment and men thinking I’m not smart
enough to handle certain things, but give
me the opportunity and I’m taking it and
running with it.
So once you developed a reputation, it
got easier for you?
Definitely, cause men will test you to see
how far they can go. Once you say, “Listen,
I don’t get down like that,” they’ve gotta
give you your respect...
The rest of this interview will be featured
in the July issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
Do you plan on taking your modeling career to the next level?
I definitely think this calendar is gonna be
a stepping stone to more modeling, because when people look at it they’re like,
“Wow, you transformed into each of these
women.” I’m not saying that I look totally
like them, cause you can’t look like ten different women, but I captured the essence
of each of them. I’m not opposed to doing
print work so I’d definitely like to do more
modeling, but I want to tap more into acting. I used to do theater back in the days
when I was in high school. I really want to
act because people can see you as different characters. I’m a chameleon, and I
think this calendar shows that. I think I can
put that talent to use on the big screen.
What are some of the challenges for you
as a woman in the music business?
When you’re a young attractive female in
OZONE
33
WORDS:
JULIA BEVERLY
34
OZONE
GEISHA
MIAMI, FL
You got a little buzz with your Trina diss,
“True Facts,” and it sounded kinda personal. Why did you diss her? Were you
friends before?
Me and her were never friends. We were
totally opposite. But there was an incident
at a club called Cristal, a club on South
Beach that used to jump a few years ago.
I ran into Trina and I asked her to get on
a track with me. She gave me her number
and I would call her and go to the studio
and wait. She’d tell me she was coming,
and she’d have me sitting at the studio for
hours and never show up. I’d call her again
and she’d be like, “I’ll call you back,” and
then turn her phone off. If she didn’t want to
do a song with me, she shoulda just kept it
real and said, “I don’t wanna do anything
with you.” So last year, during Hurricane
Wilma, we had a bad storm and I was just
sitting in the house writing rhymes. I wrote
a song about Trina. Basically, the things I
said about here were nothing new to anybody, it was just the first time it was put in
a song. I let a couple of my friends here it
and they were like, “That shit is hot.” I decided to make covers and burn the CD, and
they were selling real fast. The flea market
ended up selling like 100 CDs a week and
everybody started playing it on the underground and burning it onto mixtapes.
So you were mad at her and you did a
song to get it off your chest.
Yeah. It could either help me or hinder me.
Battle rap has been going on since LL Cool
J, the Real Roxanne, N.W.A and Dr. Dre, so
I felt like I called her to the plate. If you’re
a so-called artist, you should be able to retaliate with no problem. But if you’re not a
real artist, you’ll have to sit around and wait
for a ghostwriter to help you retaliate. Trina
has a lot of people in her ear sayin’, “If you
respond to this girl, you’re gonna blow her
up.” Down here in Miami, if you’re not in the
circle or you’re bashing someone that’s in
the circle, they’re not gonna let you blow
up. A lot of DJs are not giving me spins
cause of who she is and who she knows.
Her being a celebrity already, she has the
upper hand on everything. She can sit and
talk to anybody and say that it’s a hate
song. It really isn’t a hate song; it’s a reality check. Everything on the song is “True
Facts”: Trina Represents Untrue Entertainment. Here’s an artist that’s never went
gold or platinum and all she has to show
for her career is a perfume bottle. So some-
body in Miami needs to step to the plate
and really take us somewhere – not cause
of beauty or sex appeal, but cause she really has skills. I feel that I possess that.
What did you say about her in the song?
As far as T-Double-D, he wrote a song
called “You Don’t Know Na’an.” He wrote
some lyrics and Trina so-called rapped the
female part of the lyrics that he wrote. Miami is finally getting the opportunity to get
put on the map. But she’s doing interviews
and giving props to somebody up North
saying they’re the number one rapper,
when the number one rapper should be the
person that paved the way and put you in
the game. Just keep it real. If Trick wouldn’t
have wrote that song for you, you wouldn’t
be where you are today. She had a best
friend named Janie Howard, “Pinkey.” She
was real popular down here in Miami. She
wasn’t even a celebrity, but guys would
come to Miami from far and wide to see
her perform in the strip club. They used to
dance together. They started off stripping
in high school. When Trina blew up she left
Janie behind and really kinda dissed her. If
you’re my homegirl, you’re my homegirl. If
I hit celebrity status I’m not gonna change,
I’ma stay the same. It’s several things in
the song that I wrote about her not going
platinum and her not being a real rap artist.
She’s the Milli Vanilli of the hip-hop game.
I don’t even wanna rap about her no more
cause I crushed her. There’s no reason for
me to discuss her no more.
What makes you stand out as compared
to other female rappers?
I’m trying to be versatile. I want people to
recognize that I truly do have skills. I’m expecting to expand into movies and investing in property – for real, not just saying
that I’m investing in property. Right now I’m
living a mediocre life and I’m trying to do
something positive for myself. Getting in
the rap game has always been a desire and
a dream of mine. I wrote five songs during
that hurricane and when I put them on a
CD and put it out, [the Trina diss] is what
grabbed people’s attention. I guess controversy sells, so if that’s what’s gonna give
me that buzz for people to pay attention,
it’s cool. My intention is not to stay on Trina,
just to get the doors open. It really did open
doors for people to recognize who I was.
Good publicity and bad publicity is publicity, period.
OZONE
35
10
OZONE
01: Slim Thug and
Young Cash @ Springfest (Miami, FL)
02: T-Pain and Sean
Paul @ Springfest
(Miami, FL)
03: Shawn Jay and
Gotti @ Club Suite
(Miami, FL)
04: Trick Daddy, Fat
Joe, Trina, Dre, and
DJ Khaled on the set
of “Holla At Me Baby”
(Miami, FL)
05: Kawan Prather and
Latin Prince @ Springfest (Miami, FL)
06: Fat Joe and crew
on the set of “Holla At
Me Baby” (Miami, FL)
07: Lil Wayne and
Dizzy (Miami, FL)
08: Trick Daddy @
youth football tournament (Miami, FL)
09: Trina and Lil
Wayne (Miami, FL)
10: Cedric Hollywood
@ WJHM (Orlando,
FL)
11: DJ Mars and DJ
Bobby Black @ Mansion (Miami, FL)
12: Tye Dash and
Diddy @ Mansion
(Miami, FL)
13: Kinky B and
BloodRaw @ Mansion
(Miami, FL)
14: Gotti and K-Foxx
@ Club Suite (Miami,
FL)
15: Cool, DJ Serge
and friends on the set
of Dre’s “Chevys Ridin’
High” (Miami, FL)
16: Hustle Simmons,
Ump, and Gotti @
Club Suite (Miami, FL)
17: Sean Paul and
Supa Cindy @
Springfest
18: Dela Candela,
Luc-Duc, and a guest
on the set of Dre’s
“Chevys Ridin’ High”
(Miami, FL)
19: Slim Thug and
Bun B @ Springfest
(Miami, FL)
20: Radio One crew:
Coco Brother, Emperor
Searcy, and friends @
Springfest (Miami, FL)
21: WTMG DJs,
Jock Smoove, and
Julia Beverly @ Venue
(Gainesville, FL)
Photos: Bogan (08);
Bright Star (10); DJ
Ren (18); J Lash
(04,06,07,09); Julia
Beverly (01,02,03,05,
11,12,13,14,15,16,17,
19,20); Malik Abdul
(21)
OZONE
11
Photo by J Lash
954-854-4008
h
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
PHOTO: RAY TAMARRA
16
OZONE
PITBULL
MIAMI, FL
You’ve always repped hard for Cuba, especially on your new album El Mariel. Do
you stay in touch with what’s happening
there?
I’m always in touch with Cuba. You really
have no choice when you live in Miami. In
Cuba you have no right to speak your mind.
There’s no opportunities. You have people
hungry over there. Poverty, bottom line.
What do you think about all these immigration debates?
Well, as soon as Cubans touch ground
they have the right to stay in America and
they have a chance at citizenship. All of my
family were immigrants, so I feel for them.
The way they’re setting up the laws, they’re
stripping them of their rights and setting
them up for failure because anybody that
tries to help them gets in trouble. The way I
see it is this: America is supposed to be the
land of the free and the land of opportunity,
so everybody should get equal opportunity to the rights and freedoms of being an
American.
Do you touch on these subjects on your
new album or is it mostly party records?
Of course we’ve got party records, but I’m
touching on a lot of different things. You’ve
got to cater to everything in the game.
That’s why I called it El Mariel; it’s my boat
lift. I’m coming, and hopefully I’ll be able to
take advantage of all these opportunities.
You don’t feel like you’ve achieved your
full potential yet in this game?
In no way, shape, or form. This is just
the beginning. The next step is making a
stamp. All I really need on this album right
here is for one song to bust open like three
times the size of “Dammit Man.” Once I do
one of those, it’ll put me in a whole different
category in the game where I’ve covered all
bases. Spanish, in the club, in the streets,
political, deep, storytelling, whatever. Pit
can cover all the bases. That’s basically
what I want to do with this album – show
my versatility.
Do you think being with an indie label
has limited your potential or prevented
people from seeing you as a superstar?
I don’t think it’s limiting. No matter where
you are, if you’re a star you’re a star, bottom line. But I like it better like that. If they
throw you out there quick and you blow it
up, it ain’t a slow grind. You know how we
say in the South: a slow grind is a fa’ sho’
grind. That’s how I look at it with my career.
I want a career like T.I. and Jay-Z. I want
a career that’s constantly growing, no decline. A constant incline. I sold 600,000 on
M.I.A.M.I. and 300,000 on Money Is Still A
Major Issue with no promotions. So if I do
800,000 or 900,000 on my next album, I’m
happy. If I hit a million, it’s a blessing. And
I’m gonna come back to back with a Spanish album, so it’s a blessing.
Your last album seemed like it had a lot
of commercial/radio records. Is this one
going to sound more like a mixtape?
Well, a lot of my records didn’t get cleared
cause of sample issues. So a lot of the records that I wanted to put on M.I.A.M.I., I
couldn’t use. So that’s basically what happened. With this album, I’m getting the
chance to work on some things. So if it outdoes the last album, it’s great. It’s gonna be
more like a mixtape, exactly. There’ll be like
four club-oriented records on there like a
“Bojangles,” and the rest is gonna be those
mixtape records.
In Uncle Luke’s interview he said that
you and Rick Ross are gonna be the
ones to take Miami’s music scene to the
next level. Do you agree?
That’s 150% accurate. Rick Ross is gonna
help show the world what I’ve been doing in
Miami. I jumped on the “Holla At Me Baby”
song with DJ Khaled and all them folks, and
“Born And Raised” with Trick Daddy and
Rick Ross. People are starting to see the
other side of Pitbull. Cats like Rick Ross, he
doesn’t make the type of records I make.
When he comes out and says that Pit been
doing it for years and they love Pit in Miami, that’s another stripe earned. That’s
gonna help the whole Pitbull movement. As
far as me and [Rick] Ross doing a record
together, I’d love to do it but I don’t know,
because of these Def Jam and TVT issues.
Do you feel underrated as a rapper?
People can call me anything but broke, because at the end of the day that’s all I care
about. If they’re thinking about me that’s a
beautiful thing because that means they’re
listening to me and adding fuel to the fire.
I’m not in a rush. What comes quickly
leaves quickly. Those that know Pit know
how I get down. If I’ve got an opportunity
that I can take full advantage of, why not?
I’d be a foolish businessman not to.
OZONE
17
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
PHOTO: COLIN WILLIAMS
18
OZONE
UNCLE LUKE
How hard is it for an artist such as yourself to stay relevant in the game for a
long period of time, with trends coming
and going so quickly?
How hard is it to stay relevant? It’s not hard
at all. Not to me, because I’m a businessman first. If I was just an artist I would probably have been lost in the shuffle a long
time ago. But I’m in the business of sex,
and when people are in the business of sex
they stay around for a long time. And I’m
consistent with sex, I don’t fuck around. I’m
not a gangsta one day and a weed smoker
or something the next day. I’m sex all the
time!
Have you thought of going into the “sex
business” full-time? Like full-out porn?
Yeah, that’s what I’m doing now. This will
probably be my last album as an artist. I
have a couple artists on my label, yeah,
but I’m going straight sex, porno, adult
entertainment. That’s the only way to go.
It’s a $57 billion dollar industry. Ads in the
porn magazines ain’t like your magazine
where you’ve got to spend $10,000 an ad
(laughing). In the porn business you can
just spend $2,000 with the AVN and you’re
good. You don’t have to buy ads, you don’t
have to buy videos, you don’t have to
spend half a million dollars in promotions
and marketing.
Would you describe your new album My
Life & Freaky Times as softcore porn, or
more mainstream? How explicit is it?
It’s Luke. Everything I brought to the table
with 2 Live Crew.
MIAMI, FL
if they’re talking like that, 9 times out of
10 they’re listening to music like that. To a
large to degree they are getting exposed
to it through music, but you’ve gotta know
how deep to go with them. That’s how I
am with my kids. Sometimes they ain’t
ready, like my son. He ain’t ready, he’s into
that Playstation right now. But as soon as
he started talking about them girls, that’s
when I’m going to start talking to him hart.
He’s gonna be hearing that shit. “Nigga,
you better wear a rubber!”
Do you think it’s important for the schools
to address sex education as well as the
parents?
Yeah, I think they need to. I think kids nowadays are not like the kids when I was a
kid. Nowadays, the kids are exposed to so
much more. You’ve got internet, music, fast
girls, everything is fast right now. The world
is going real fast. You’ve got cell phones
now; shit is not slow like it used to be. Back
in the day if you had four brothers or something in the house and one phone, you
could never get on the goddamn phone.
You’d have to wait in line or beat somebody
down like you was in a jail cell just to use
the phone. So it ain’t like it used to be, and
there’s so much shit that they can see...
The rest of this interview will be featured
in the July issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
You have kids, right? What’s your opinion on how much sex kids should be exposed to?
Yeah, I’ve got three kids. Kids should stay in
kid’s place. I don’t think kids should be exposed to nothing that they ain’t ready for. I
coach football, and I’ll have all the kids over
at my house. They’ll be in the back room
and they talk like grown people. I’m not sayin’ that I condone that, though. They don’t
talk crazy around me cause I’ll straighten
them out. You’ve gotta know how much
they’re ready for. I got a 15-year old daughter and her mother said she was talking to
boys. So I got on the phone and told her,
“Yo, you talking to boys? You know what
them muthafuckers want, right? That’s all
they want, to try to get a little piece of the
tail.” I talk to them real. At the same time,
OZONE
19
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
20
OZONE
SUPA
MIAMI, FL
What’s your background in the music
business?
I started out with G-Mash and One Stop
Records. We had the group Unda Presha.
We produced our own music and wrote our
own music. We were in the studio mixing
down our songs and a couple A&Rs were
checking out our music. They liked it, and
we took it from there and kinda made it
happen. That’s when everything started
happening. That’s where I really got my initiation into the game. That was five years
ago.
Were you a producer or an artist at SlipN-Slide?
I was more of an artist, but by me being real
close to Trick, that drove me to make songs
for him. I was always a producer since I was
9 years old, but I did a couple songs exactly
for Trick. It wouldn’t be for nobody else but
him, that’s who I was aiming at. I produced
“All I Need” and “Money & Drugs” on the
Thug Holiday album. I also did a record on
the Drumline soundtrack, that was real hot.
I also played in the movie.
So what label are you with now? What
happened to the Slip-N-Slide situation?
I’m still with the same label One Stop Records, but as far as Slip-N-Slide goes,
it ain’t no communication because they
didn’t pay me for my songs and the work
that I did. After that, the relationship got
sour. The contract we had with them was a
label deal – they signed One Stop Records
because they loved what I do. That’s how I
got close to them. If you listen to my songs
and you think they’re fire, you’re gonna
want me close to you as well, especially if
we got a relationship.
How were you able to get out of the contract?
With the label deal, we were able to pull
out after the album because we wasn’t
prospering with them. We didn’t have too
much promotion. We had to slip out. I was
15 when I signed with Slip-N-Slide, so that
gave me a lot of leeway as far as the contract and parting ways. I’m 21 now. But it
wasn’t a hard split. I’m cool with Trick and
any other artist that was on Slip-N-Slide,
but as far as the company, they owe me
money. I ain’t cool with nobody that owes
me money.
How long ago did you leave Slip-N-
Slide?
I been out of that situation for like four years
now. Because I didn’t collect my funds that
was pretty much it. But I was still fuckin’
with Trick. On the album Thug Matrimony,
the song “If I Ain’t A Thug” was originally
one of my songs. I produced it and wrote
the chorus for it. Instead of paying me for it,
they had somebody else remake it.
Are you glad you went through that situation in retrospect? Do you feel like it was
a learning experience and paying dues?
I don’t see it as paying my dues. I just feel
like I got jacked. I been paying dues ever
since I got started, which was a long time
ago. I paid plenty of dues even getting to
that point. I got jacked and it’ll never happen again. I’ve got a stronger team now so
we’ll never go back down that route.
What are you working on now as far as
your own project?
Right now I’ve got the Bigga Rankin mixtape, and the DJ Irie mixtape is in the works.
I’m also doing a straight street mixtape with
Tony C. It’s not just local, but it’s real to the
point where if you pop it in you’ll feel like
I’m talking exactly to you. That’s gonna be
real big – something for Dade County, putting together a whole new movement.
Are you producing for any other artists
besides Trick?
I’m working on a Yung Joc single right
now. I got songs for 50 Cent, Jermaine Dupri, and Lil Jon. I’m a producer, so when
I make my songs I take a particular angle
and make a song for whoever I got in mind
and it sounds exactly right for them. Matter
of fact, we just sent some tracks to Ciara for
her next project. Hopefully she’ll consider
some of Supa’s work.
Now that you’re indie again, are you
hesitant to hook up with another label
because of your past experiences?
We plan to drop an indie album to get a
major deal. I don’t think I would do it differently if I could – like you said, it’s a lesson
learned. All I can do is grow with it and get
bigger and that’ll make ‘em even madder.
I’m unstoppable right now. With each and
every track I make, it’s that type of mentality
Do you have a website?
Yeah, www.myspace.com/supa305music.
OZONE
21
WORDS & PHOTO:
JULIA BEVERLY
22
OZONE
DRE
MIAMI, FL
You actually got started singing in an
R&B group, right? You’re also a producer now, but you’re getting ready to drop
an album of your own. Is it a rap album,
or R&B?
It’s a rap album, but I do have an R&B joint
on there. A lot of people like Fat Joe, Puff
Daddy, Timbaland, Cool, Busta Rhymes,
and DJ Khaled were telling me to put an
album out.
So when you started out rapping were
you playing around?
I’ve always been freestyling and whenever I
was in the studio with people I’d give them
direction. I’d rhyme for them and give them
direction and then Busta Rhymes was like,
“Yo, you dope, you should rhyme,” and
then Joe Crack was like, “Yo, you need to
rap,” and that’s how I got it. You can never
limit yourself.
When you first got your label deal for
Epidemic/Jive, wasn’t Dirtbag supposed
to be your first release?
Yeah, we’ve been trying to get that Dirtbag
situation straight for the past two and a half
years. But Jive hasn’t fared well with their
rap department, so we all felt that if I put
out an album it would brand Epidemic and
make an easier lane for Dirtbag to drop his
shit. Basically, I’ve been changing how Jive
conducts business on their rap side. People know who I am already, so it’s easier.
record that had kinda set off [the 50 Cent
and Fat Joe beef] in the first place.
You and Cool seem to steer clear of the
beef and drama.
Yeah, God has blessed me and Cool. Me
and Cool, we’re about the music. At the
same time, [Fat] Joe is a good friend of mine
and I hate when people talk bad about him.
But Joe has always led me and Cool away
from that. He always told us it’s about the
music, and that’s our mindset anyways. At
the end of the day, if we can create music
for people to come together, that’s a good
thing. Just the fact that we did both those
records, and they were both great records,
let people know that we don’t get involved
with bullshit and that two great records can
be made.
Being that you’re close to Joe, what’s
your opinion about some of the controversy he’s had with former Terror Squad
artists like Cuban Link? Remy Ma was
recently blasting him on the radio.
I don’t know Cuban Link. Me and Cool became cool with Joe after all that so I can’t
speak on that. As far as the Remy Ma situation, she was just frustrated and just let
herself go on the radio...
The rest of this interview is featured in
the July issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
So you’re able to call in a lot of favors.
Yeah, all of that. It’s just easier because
people know my face, and I have relationships in the industry.
A lot of people know that you, and your
partner Cool, produced Ja Rule’s “New
York” record. What are some other songs
you’ve produced?
“Hate It Or Love It” for Game and 50 Cent,
“Rodeo” for Juvenile, “Say I” for Christina
Milian and Young Jeezy, “Holla At Me Baby”
for DJ Khaled, and a lot of album cuts.
Since you’re affiliated with Fat Joe, did
producing the “Hate It Or Love It” record
with 50 Cent put you in the middle of
their situation at all?
Naw, cause we did that record for Game,
not for 50 Cent. We did that record prior
to any friction. That was the third single off
Game’s album. What was crazy about it
was that we had produced the “New York”
OZONE
23
WORDS & PHOTO:
JULIA BEVERLY
26
OZONE
J-SHIN
MIAMI, FL
So what have you been up to lately, since
your last interview?
I’ve been on a middle school and high
school tour for the last three weeks. That’s
my main goal with the promotions for this
album, to hit up the middle schools, high
schools, and colleges, and also do the club
stuff. The album drops in August so I’m
tryin’ to reach the teens right now. By the
time the album drops I’ll be ready to go and
start hitting that adult contemporary scene.
We’ve been videotaping all the events that
we’re doing, especially in the schools.
There’s been a nice turn out and a great
response so it’s looking pretty good.
What’s the difference between performing in a club atmosphere and performing at a school – do you change up your
routine?
Yeah, when I perform at the middle schools
and high schools not only do I perform,
but I also step in and talk to them about
education and how important it is. A lot of
young kids want to get into music, so I talk
to them about it. It’s a performance and it’s
also motivational.
What do you think is the most important
thing for kids to hear from you, aside
from just “stay in school”?
Just having a goal and going for that goal.
Life is what you make it, and it all boils
down to the decisions you make. I tell
them, “Right now, you’re in middle school
and high school. You’re with your parents
and really don’t have no responsibilities.
But time is running out, and soon you’re
gonna have to make a decision. Your decision is gonna determine how far you go in
life.” That’s what I try to preach to them.
that love. The song is basically about being involved in a relationship where you’re
looking for someone that you’re going to
love. Before you get into that situation, a lot
of times you want to know if that person is
going to love you like you love them. That’s
what the song is about.
So the majority of the album is based on
love and relationships?
Yeah, it’s about love. The title is All I Got Is
Love. Especially being in the position that
I’m in, I have a lot of young ladies come my
way. And I’ve always got to try to figure out
what it is that they really want when they do
come to me. Is it the fame, is it the jewelry,
is it the money, or is it me? So on this album, I’m telling you that love is all I’ve got.
How do you check out a woman’s motives?
I’m not gonna say it’s a test, but it is certain
things that I do and say just to find out their
response. I don’t really wanna give it away,
but it helps me find out if they’re into me as
a person or just me as an artist. I just ask
questions. I try to read into certain things
and certain situations. As an artist, trying to
find love is hard...
The rest of this interview will be featured
in the July issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
The single you have out now is called “If
I Fall In Love.” Was that based on a personal experience you went through?
“If I Fall In Love” was written by Trap; I was
the co-writer. The song stems from my
past history. I just wanted to touch on the
experience of being able to get involved
in another relationship after you’ve been
in one that really didn’t turn out right. It’s
been discussed, but not on a major scale.
They don’t wanna talk about love or fallin’
in love, but gangsta need love too. You see
the rappers in the street, but what do they
do when they leave out of the streets and
go home? They’ve got wives, girlfriends,
and kids. They humble up. We all need
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27
WORDS: CHARLES PARSONS
28
OZONE
C-RIDE
MIAMI, FL
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I got in some trouble and had to leave
Miami and move to Atlanta in 2000, when
Pastor Troy was running shit. By staying in
Atlanta, it attracted me to dark 808s. In Miami they speed everything up just like how
niggas Houston slow their shit down. So
when I got to Atlanta I heard the crunk shit
slowed down with niggas yelling and I love
it. That’s not what I do but the love the style.
I’d rather listen to Lil Jon over Pharrell.
Growing up, who would you say were
some of your influences?
Since I’m from Carol City, Miami listening
to Luke was inevitable. I had to grow up
on Luke. But really, I’m from the No Limit
and Hot Boys era. I liked Master P because
sometimes it sounded like he just went
in the booth like he was drunk or high. I
could tell he wasn’t writing a lot of that shit.
He was just vibing because he had them
beats. I liked Outkast, but I was a G. Andre
went over my head sometimes, but I still
dug the music.
If that’s the case would you say that you
aspire to over people’s heads too?
Yeah, kinda. Rappers say the same shit because they around the same shit everyday.
So I just wanted to separate myself from
the average by using different metaphors
and words. After the first rhyme I ever recorded, some people threw a contract in
my face. I knew I had something right then.
Plus when I moved back to Miami in 2003
there was like 30,000 more rappers now.
So I started focusing on saying things to
make you rewind and listen again.
from Florida. But Miami don’t really get out,
we stay among ourselves. I want to change
that.
How did you hook up with Cool & Dre
and Epidemic?
I recorded a CD with another company and
they packaged it up and gave it to a lot of
people. A DJ gave it to Cool & Dre and they
kept calling asking about me. Then when
they saw me they were happy to see I
wasn’t looking like a monster so it was on. I
got with them in the beginning of ’04, when
Dirtbag first got signed to Epidemic/Jive. I
was having a lot offers with just 3 songs.
Nothing has really came out yet, but I know
I know that everything happens for a reason.
What are you promoting right now?
I just did a mixtape called Comin’ From Da
Bottom with DJ Ideal. It’s my first official
mixtape, the first one to get pressed up. It’s
led to me doing a lot of features down here.
You can ask around, people know about
me now. It’s really worked out for me. Mixtapes are for DJs in the South, that’s how
your music gets heard...
The rest of this interview is featured in
the June issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
Everyone’s eyes are starting to look towards Miami for the next wave of music.
What do you feel that you are bringing
to the table?
I want to unite Miami. Rick Ross got everybody down here trying to see who’s next.
I’m trying to make Miami like Houston and
Atlanta. I wanna bring unity to Miami and
Florida period.
Do you think Florida has unity?
Well, we didn’t support Plies and T-Pain
when they was blowing up because they
weren’t from Miami, even though they are
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29
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
30
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BLAK CHERRY
MIAMI, FL
How did you get into the rap game?
I had a couple cousins that used to rap, and
my homeboys were the Lost Tribe over at
Slip-N-Slide. We used to always rap together. After they introduced me to the game I
went over to this company called EKG Records. They liked my style and signed me,
but that didn’t work out. I was out of there
about two years ago and I’ve been grinding
on my own ever since. I’m just doing everything by myself right now. I’ve had a lot of
independent labels trying to get at me, but
everybody don’t have their stuff together.
with a baseball bat – but I’d like to try.” I
did a remix to David Banner’s “Play” but I
flipped it into “Ooh Boy.” I just did the “Lean
Wit’ It” and “Betcha Can’t Do It Like Me.” I
did a lot of remixes and flipped them.
There’s so many female rappers in Florida, especially in Miami. Does that make
it harder to establish yourself?
Not really. It’s hard for any female rapper to
come out, it’s not just cause I’m in Miami
or in Florida. Everybody has their own style
and flavor that they can add to the game.
But just being a female period, it’s harder
than being a male. Females don’t really
get respected in the game like a male artist
would. Like when Jeezy was coming out,
he could go to the clubs and ask a DJ to
play his song. But if you’re a female in the
game and you’re sexy and you want a DJ
to play your song, they’ll try to holla at the
same time. So it’s kind of crazy.
Do you think it’s hard to get radio play if
your single is too explicit?
No, because I can always clean it up
enough for radio. You always have your
street shit and your radio edit.
You’ve promoted yourself as a ghetto
porn star. Have you actually done porn?
Nah, I never did any porn, it’s just Blak Cherry, a.k.a. the “ghetto porn star” because the
stuff I spit in my lyrics is like painting a picture of some stuff you would actually see
in a porn. I bring different things into play
when I’m rhyming, like girl-on-girl action
and dildos and little beads and kama sutra.
I’m just on some next level stuff. If I’ma do
sexy, I’ma do it all the way.
Is sex the main focus of your music?
Yeah. To be honest, a female rapper is not
gonna get looked at in any other aspect but
sexy. A lot of females come out trying to be
hard, but there’s really not a market for a
hard female in this game. I’m trying to take
the sex symbol thing as far as it’ll go.
Making a Sprite can disappear in your
mouth?
Oh, I’m worse than Lil Kim. I haven’t made
the Sprite can reference, but if you go back
and listen to the remix I did for the Ying
Yang Twins’ “Wait,” I said, “I’ve been tied,
I’ve been smacked, I’ve never been fucked
Aside from the remixes, do you have
your own songs or projects?
I’m working on two mixtapes, one with DJ
Dagwood and one with DJ Hurricane. Right
now I’m pushing my single “Spank Me,”
produced by Twig. All the females love the
song. It’s real, real raunchy.
You mentioned Lost Tribe – have you
worked with them or any other local artists?
Yeah, and I’m doing some work with Piccalo, So South, and Acafool. Just a bunch
of mixtapes and stuff, just grinding.
What sets you apart as a rapper?
I’m more sexual. And I’m more humble than
most female artists. When people meet me,
they see the realness in me. That’s why a
lot of people deal with me and try to help
me out. There’s things I’m trying to do as
far as the sex symbol thing. I wanna put out
some DVDs like the Girls Gone Wild type
of stuff, but for black girls, doing more extreme stuff. I wanna get into the production
side of it and take advantage of this sex
market, cause it’s a huge industry.
Do you rhyme about other topics?
Yeah, I talk about girls that are going
through struggles with their baby daddies.
I try to teach girls not to fall for all these
lame tricks that these guys spit out. I have
a whole bunch of subjects but my primary
thing is to be the ultimate sex symbol.
Are you going to drop an indie album?
Right now I’m gonna do it independently,
and hopefully it’ll create a buzz so a majorj
will come holla. But if I find an indie label
with the right strategy and the right budget
to put behind me, that would be cool.
Do you have a website?
Check out www.blakcherry.com and www.
myspace.com/blakcherry6801.
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31
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
34
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SUPA CINDY
In addition to holding down the morning
show on Miami’s WEDR 99 Jamz, Supa
Cindy’s extracurricular activities include
her non-profit organization Supa Friends.
Every year on Memorial Day Weekend,
Supa Friends holds the “I Know I Can”
summit, a mentoring program for teenage girls.
Tell me about your non-profit.
It took me about two years to get it going,
and this is my third year of doing it. We do
the “I Know I Can” summit every year, and
the non-profit’s main purpose is to mentor
young girls. This year I’ve got a lot of things
lined up with the city of Miami, so I’m going to be doing events quarterly instead of
just annually. It’s huge for me, and I’m very
happy about it. The summit itself is basically a gathering of young girls, and I have a
female panel that speaks to them. To me, a
lot of the programs that they have for young
girls are boring. I’m just doing a female
panel because of the politics of it – to show
them role models. But when I was younger
and I went to an event like that, a girl sitting
up on a panel telling me she’s a lawyer or
a doctor or whatever didn’t motivate me to
do shit. To me, what makes the biggest impact is the male panel. I put guys up there
like [morning show co-host] Big Lip Bandit
and Pitbull. (laughing) Last year, Pitbull’s
big ass mouth, telling the girls, “Pussy is
power.” But seriously, I think things like that
stick in the girl’s heads a lot more than a
woman saying, “Look at the struggles I
went through and now I’m a doctor” or
whatever. For some reason, these young
girls nowadays are so hot in the pants that
they’ll be quicker to absorb the information
that a guy is telling them. A woman telling
them to keep their legs closed and be a
young lady isn’t as effective as a nigga or a
rapper telling them, “Look, all I wanna do is
fuck, and I don’t give a shit about knowing
your name tomorrow.” I like that part of the
program. It shows them how it really is.
MIAMI, FL
like a month ago, so what I did was film a
lot of these rappers answering questions. I
have a video that’s going to be playing at
the summit with Ludacris, Paul Wall, T-Pain,
LeToya Luckett, Cherish, Sean Paul, and a
bunch of other artists. The craziest one was
T-Pain. He’s retarded.
Are you doing anything different at the
summit this year?
Last year I let the parents in but I really don’t
want to let the parents in this year. I just want
the young girls there. I raised the age this
year to 13-21 years old. I think that even if
you’re 21, you’re still lost at a certain point.
When I was 21 I didn’t have it all together,
and I still don’t have it all together. I don’t
want the moms or the guardians in there
because they tend to be so opinionated.
It’s like a double-edged sword. I want the
moms to be in there learning, and relating
to what their daughters are going through,
but I don’t want to scare the girls off from
talking. So this year I’m having a breakfast
for the moms next door. The moms are going to be next door discussing issues that
moms go through, and the girls will be with
me. I think the panel is a good idea. The
problem with a lot of these programs that
they have is that they’re not real...
The rest of this interview will be featured
in the July issue of OZONE Magazine at
www.OZONEMAG.com.
Who do you have lined up for this year’s
panel?
This year Slim Thug is gonna be there.
Trick Daddy’s ass better show up. I told him
I was gonna talk about him [on the radio]
if he didn’t. DJ Khaled, Dre, Toccara from
America’s Top Model, and possibly Serena
Williams and Mad Linx. A lot of local celebrities will be there also. We had Springfest
a couple weeks ago and Ludacris was here
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35
WORDS: JULIA BEVERLY
PHOTO: FWP247.COM
36
OZONE
BLOODRAW PANAMA CITY, FL
Representing Panama City, FL, Bruce
“BloodRaw” Falson spent most of his
teenage years in and out of prison and
served a six year sentence for drug trafficking. Released at age 21, he decided
to turn his life around and pursue a music career. He generated a heavy buzz on
the underground circuit with records like
“Represent,” “My Block Burn” featuring
Pastor Troy, Grandaddy Souf’s “Gameroom” with Three 6 Mafia, and Zay’s
“Pump Yo’ Brakes” featuring Lil Jon,
landing a deal with Young Jeezy’s CTE
label. In addition to his solo deal with
CTE, BloodRaw is a member of the group
USDA, which is signed to Def Jam.
BloodRaw was acquitted of Federal drug
charges on April 5th, 2006. Here’s his
story:
I
was arrested the day before I was supposed to leave to go to Europe [on tour
with Young Jeezy]. Me and my brother
Slick Pulla stopped by the passport office.
When I went to the passport office and
pulled into the parking lot, being from the
streets, I watch my environment. As I was
getting out of the car, I saw three different
strange vehicles, and all the vehicles had
four people in them. That ain’t common.
As I’m walking up the stairs to the passport
office, a lady comes outside and she’s acting all nervous. She’s like, “Are you here for
your passport?” and I told her my name. As
I’m talking to her, I see the U.S. Marshals
get out of the car. I open my phone and get
ready to call my sister. As I’m calling my
sister and walking in the door, they walk in,
grab my phone, shut the phone off, and ask
me what my name is. They took me into
custody. I went to the Atlanta penitentiary,
and they told me what I was charged with.
It was a charge in Panama City: conspiracy
to distribute five keys of cocaine and fifty
grams of crack. They had been investigating during a five year period of time, since
2000.
took the names that they wanted to take
and said them to the jury. They also tried
to use the lyrics to some of my other songs
[like “Indictment Papers”] against me, but
they couldn’t use them because it hadn’t
been presented as evidence when the trial
first started.
The names that I said in the song were
supposedly my co-conspirators. [The prosecution] said, “These guys that he named
in this song were part of this conspiracy.”
Ten dudes got on the stand [and testified against me]; some of them where the
names I said in the song. My lyrics are real;
I don’t rap about nothing that’s fake. There
was a point in my life when I really did [the
things that I rap about]. But I wasn’t guilty
of the crime they were charging me with. I
never said that I never sold drugs, but I’m
not guilty of the things they charged me
with.
I would’ve never done a song called “Indictment Papers” if I didn’t feel that in my heart.
I knew there would come a time I would
have to go through something pertaining
to my past; in the city where I’m from, they
don’t want to see you make it...
The rest of this story is featured in the
June issue of OZONE Magazine at www.
OZONEMAG.com.
I was transported to Tallahassee, where I
stayed until a week before my trial. I went
to trial on Monday [April 3rd, 2006]. They
used some of my song lyrics during the trial; they used some names I mentioned and
tried to say that they were my co-conspirators. On one song, I had named 20 names,
and they picked out three names. They just
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37
5-6-ACE Secret Weapon
Hurricane season is only a month away but there is word of a tropical depression brewing in
Palm Beach County. The Punchline Prince a.k.a Moka Blast is being tagged as the nastiest
thing to hit South Florida ever since Hurricane Andrew. He has literally taken over the streets
of West Palm Beach by storm.
His 6 ft., 195 lb. muscular frame is not what intimidates the competition. On the contrary he is
rather passive. Its his raw delivery, bar for bar, riddled with disgusting punchlines that make
even the most versed emcee unwilling to involve themselves in a cypha. “I used to battle,
but that’s a waste of time. I left that alone a long time ago. I rather make hits catered to the
streets. Don’t get it twisted, making a commercial track is a piece of cake, its just that i rather
appeal to the masses that sick and tired of the same old songs on the radio. So i decided to
bless the streets with mixtapes demonstrating versatily.”
When it comes to the mixtape scene, Blast is officially unstoppable. In the 5-6-Ace, he is
hailed as the King of the Underground, and that title is well deserved. The Punchline Prince
is no stranger to this arena as he have dropped numerous mixtapes in the Upper Northeast
and even Canada. He has easily moved well over 10,000 copies in a short period of time.
His last endeavor is by far his best as he and his District team goes bare knuckles at the
competition. “Listen man, Florida have nothing but talent, talent, and more talent so I was
forced to step my game up big time. I made sure that we covered every aspect of the rap
game on this last mixtape called BLAST OFF!” The 26 year old Prince royal army serves him
loyally as they are always behind him. The District consists of Finesse, Youth, Boog$, N-Cite
and Future a.k.a The Fab Five. “I feel so unstoppable as we can go at any squad out there
and hold our own.”
“When people ask me who is the hottest out, all i say is that you are looking at him.” I am
not trying to be cocky or anything but there is no artist out there better than me or my team.
The game will be making a mistake if they let us in because quite frankly, its skies the limit.
I have been offered deals but it seems that somebody is always trying to get over. For that
reason, I started my own record label with my boy Da-Nali XL. We go by Sho Stoppahs
Entertainment because at any given time, we will shuts it down. All I have to say is that the
5-6-Ace have a new posterboy and failure is not an option. I will make sure Palm Beach
County has its turn!!!
Ms. Jassy
ONE STEP AHEAD ENTERTAINMENT presents
This premiere model, actress, party host, and video personality for the established
talent-packed entertainment company One Step Ahead Entertainment. One Step
Ahead features new music artists, models, and a wide variety of both urban and
mainstream entertainment. To see more of Ms. Jassy, please visit her website
www.msjassy.com or call 305-528-0788 or email [email protected]