Ozone Magazine

Blame Dave Chappelle for taking Lil Jon away from “us.” Ever since he started making his “A Day In the Life of Lil Jon” skits on his sketch comedy show, Lil Jon was taken from nightclubs in the South to living rooms all over America.

“That Dave Chappelle skit was funny, and it was good for business,” says Jon. “I thank him in every interview and every time I talk to him. Those skits made me a pop and cultural icon that will be recognized forever.”

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Having been incarcerated since 2004, the former No Limit soldier has plenty to catch up on – like Twitter, mp3s, and email. Although he declined to discuss the charges for which he was incarcerated (extortion and sexual battery), he did detail his plans to recapture the rap game in 2010 with his new album and new label, Big Truck Records.

You’ve been gone for over six years. What are you doing to update your sound?
Man, production. It has changed so much in only six years. I listen to the boy Plies; I listened to his shit. I listened to a lot of Lil Wayne shit, and the boy Drake when he first hit the scene.

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Despite what new fans might think, Bobby Ray Simmons is far from an overnight celebrity. In fact, it’s been nearly a year since B.o.B. joined Asher Roth, Kid Kudi and Pac Div on the Great Hangover Tour. It’s been two years since he graced the cover of your favorite rapper’s favorite magazine, long before most people even knew who he was.

It’s been roughly three years since his underground hit “Haterz” made its way onto radio station playlists and into nightclubs throughout the Southeast. And it’s been almost four years since this Atlanta, GA rapper/producer signed a major label deal with Rebel Rock/Atlantic Records at the tender age of 17.

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Being “alone” can be looked at the same way as that “half-full/half-empty” argument. On one hand you have perks like going where you want to, when you want to and leaving when you feel like it. On the other hand, you’re talking to yourself because no one else is around. Life can be cheap because you’re only looking out for self, but it can also get costly trying to compensate for lack of company.

Big Boi is figuring out where he stands on being “alone.” As a member of Outkast with his rhyme partner Andre 3000, Big Boi has made history, blazed trails and helped build the entity that is “Southern Hip Hop.” Even as the group began to show noticeable splits in personality, dress and musical direction, the pair was still just that – a pair. But in 2003 when Outkast released their most successful album to date, Speakerboxx/The Love Below, the split started becoming even more apparent. Not only did they release two different albums, but Dre also elected to stop touring after its release. Three years later when they put out the soundtrack to their movie Idlewild, rumors and rumblings said Outkast had broken up as a group. To this day, neither Big or Dre has confirmed any break up, but that hasn’t stopped the people from forming their own opinions.

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Production Credits: J Futuristic “First Name, Last Name,” F.L.Y. “Swag Surfin’,” Roscoe Dash f/ Soulja Boy ”All The Way Turnt Up”

K.E. On The Track, the producer that turnt parties all the way up and incited clubs to rock right to left in a swag surfin’ motion, fills us in on how his beats turned into club bangers.

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The name Curren$y suggests one dedicated purpose: getting to the money. And yes, that’s a large benefit OF impending fame and a new partnership with Dame Dash’s BluRoc imprint – but monetary gains do not directly drive Curren$y.

“I’ma just be happy,” he expresses in a New Orleans accent that’s slightly worn off from his travels. “I can’t say I’ma have a Scarface house and I can’t say I’ma live under the interstate – but I’m pretty sure that with me doing what I want to do, I’ma end up with the Scarface house.”
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CORE DJs CEO TONY NEAL

You just had the most recent CORE DJs event this past weekend in Orlando. Tell us a little about that.
It was the best one. It was more about the independent artists, which is what we wanted to do in the first place, especially with the climate of the industry now. We’re not like them. Other people throw their conference while other things are going on, but we don’t do that shit. We don’t just latch onto other shit. How are you going to focus on an artist when there’s another big event going on that same weekend? It just doesn’t make sense, so we went back to how it was in the beginning and that shit was beautiful. We broadcasted it more to independent artists this time around. We didn’t go at the majors, we just left it up to them. Interscope came in and participated but other than that, if they came, they came.

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When his initial plans for Munki Boi Entertainment didn’t develop quite as expected, CEO G Fresh did what he’s always done: take charge and do it himself. Now boasting one of the hottest indie records in the Midwest, he plans to use all his resources to bring Indianapolis to the forefront of the Hip Hop scene. On his momma!

So you’re both the CEO and the lead artist on Munki Boi Entertainment, right? Is that how you’d describe yourself?
G Fresh is the CEO and now is the artist too, yes. I started out doing more of the business side of things. I had four other artists on my label: [the group] Nappyville, Young Tone, Gold E. Patron, and Riddles. They’re all still on my label.

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Ask a rapper when he was introduced to rap, and he’s probably going to say since he was born or when he was little. But that’s not the case with Konvict/Def Jam recording artist Cy Hi Da Prynce.

“I didn’t grow up on rap,” he admits. “I was so bad as a little boy, so my mom would only let my hear gospel music. I only got into rap because I ran out of things to do after playing football, running track and singing in the school chorus.”
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In the rural city of Atlanta, Texas – population 5,475 – the chances of becoming a Hip Hop chart topper are slim, but the odds didn’t deter Bone, who’s record “Homegurl” landed him a deal with Def Jam last year. A small-town kid with big dreams, Bone was chasing a rap career before he was even old enough to hit the stage.
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With Nashville, Tennessee being home to both Elvis Presley and Young Buck, musical diversity is easily one of the city’s strong suits. So it comes as no surprise that when rapper/producer/songwriter Spree Wilson was growing up there, he heard a little bit of everything.

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Kedrian “Iyaz” Jones always knew he wanted to be involved in music. Born in the British Virgin Islands, Iyaz grew up singing in the choir, and years later, studied recording and engineering in college. “I always [wanted to work in music], I didn’t care what it was,” he says. “I was just getting prepared for any field they would put me in.”

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Belting out harmonious choruses between rap verses, Chalie Boy’s fusion of R&B and Hip Hop have made him well-known in the Lone Star State. Since aligning with Dirty 3rd Records in 2000, the artist from Hearne/Calvert has been professionally preparing himself for the mainstream. The breakthrough eventually came with his single “I Look Good.”

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Shyne: Yo Khaled.
DJ Khaled: Who this? WE THE BEST!
Shyne: What you mean who this? It’s Po…. (more…)

Sasha. Seductive, classy and simply charming. Having the chance to sit down and chat it up with this sexy shoe model and stripper was a complete honor.

Like most strippers, since Sasha couldn’t take out financial aid for college, she decided to take her Coke-bottle frame and hit the clubs for some easy money. She started dancing on the weekends, and before she knew it, she was getting showered with $1,500 in tips on a nightly basis.

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