PATIENTLY WAITING:

SHOCK KADALLACK BOYZ PLAY-N-SKILLZ
Future Shock Records consists of solo artists Q and Goldiloxx (better known as Ms. Mississippi) and a group called Da A-Team, comprised of 212 and N-Sane. Representing Jackson, MS, the label opted to release a compilation album featuring all of their acts, Shock Muzik Vol. 1. Q is the most lyrical member of the group, focusing his rhymes on real-life experiences and everyday struggles. Da A-Team comes through with the club bangers, while Goldiloxx represents for the ladies. Goldiloxx says she got into rap during the Cash Money era. Inspired by the Hot Boyz, she began freestyling with friends and ultimately developed into a full-fledged MC who writes her own lyrics. Shock’s first single, “Jump,” which encourages women at the club to alternately “Make your right cheek jump! Make your left cheek jump!” has been picking up airplay in the region. While it might sound anatomically difficult, Da A-Team assures us that females volunteer to demonstrate the ass-shaking manuever at each of their shows. And as for Goldiloxx, the female member of the crew? “I’m only nineteen,” she laughs. “But whenever I need to express myself sexually on a song, it’s not something that I’m afraid to do.” Surely, it can be more difficult to promote an entire record label as opposed to just one artist, but Future Shock isn’t worried. “We’ve got good music, and they way Jackson has been showin’ us love, they been buying our CD and supporting us. Even Hattiesburg and Gulfport, they show us love too. As long as you’ve got good product, it’s finna sell,” says N-Sane. - Photo and words by Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com “Energetic” would be an understatement when describing a live performance by the six members of the Kadallack Boyz. Sweating profusely in their white tees or wifebeaters, dreads swinging wildly, you can usually catch them wildin’ out on stage as the crowd forms the hip-hop version of a mosh pit. Still, they resist the “crunk” label. “It’s a lot of cats jumping on stage saying they crunk. We ain’t never called ourselves crunk. We just get on the stage and entertain,” explains the group’s unofficial spokesman, Tex James. “We’ve just got that energy level. We entertain instead of rap, trying to fit everything we’ve got into one show. We make people want more, keep them on the edge.” When their single “Aaaah Boom!” started blowing up on South Georgia radio stations, it caught the ear of Collipark Records’ DJ Smurf. Through Smurf, who manages and produces for the Ying Yang Twins, the single was infused with a little star power. They’ve also had the opportunity to work with other Georgia artists who are bringin’ the “unsigned heat,” and are currently touring with Streetwize Records’ Thom James. Their song together, “Push and Shove,” is another club banger that’s guaranteed to have the crowd rowdy. Watching the group perform live, it’s hard to believe they’re sober. “We don’t feel we need to drink or smoke to get amped up,” says Tex. “This is our job. We ain’t got time to be out here drinkin’. We’ve got to make sure it’s tight, so wherever we go, people say, ‘Oh, I seen them Kadallack shows!’ Trust me. We gon’ keep it poppin’.” – Photo and words by Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com While the industry is buzzing about Houston, it’s easy to forget its big cousin to the North: Dallas. The truth is, if you’re just looking at Houston for your Texas fix, you’re missing out on some of the best artists in the state. Every region in this nation-sized republic has something to offer. Dallas has already produced a few stars (Erykah Badu and D.O.C.), and next up is Play-N-Skillz. Underground legends in the D for some time now, these two brothers – often referred to as "The Twins" – have graduated to Certified Baller Status with their production work on albums from Lil’ Flip, Petey Pablo, and Bone Thugs N Harmony. But it’s their solo album, The Process, that’s gonna smash you. "Our album’s coming out straight through Universal Records on October 26th," says Play from his $300,000 Primetime Productions studio in Dallas. "We’ve got features from Lil’ Flip, Lil’ Jon & the East Side Boyz, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Chamillionaire, Adina Howard, and Pimpin’ Ken. We come from a producing background, so we traded some beats for verses with everybody on the album." The duo has come a long way since their days DJing in high school. They started out with a simple DR-202 beat machine, working with local artists. They’re now producing for platinum artists. "Flip was a real big step for us in the rap game," Play continues, "That’s what really put us on. He came up to Dallas and was gonna do a feature with me. He wanted $10,000, though, and I was like, ‘Naw, you not gettin’ that, pimp. I got these beats though, we can swap.’ I played him some beats and the rest was history. He stayed in Dallas for three months, banged out about sixty tracks, and thirteen made his album. Now the album is platinum plus, and the whole world got a chance to hear Play-N-Skillz." – Matt Sonzala, pushermat1@aol.com (Photo: Jonathan Mannion)