Mistah Fab Dj Strong Big Fase the Federation Bishop
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REAL, RAW, & UNCENSORED WEST COAST RAP SHIT THE FEDERATION BISHOP LAMONT MR. CARTOON MITCHY SLICK TOO MISTAH FAB $HORT DJ STRONG back in tha house BIG FASE & MORE OZONE WEST // 1 2 // OZONE WEST editor’s note Publisher Julia Beverly Editor-IN-Chief N. Ali Early Art Director Tene Gooden Music Editor Randy Roper ADVERTISING SALES Che Johnson Isaiah Campbell no id Contributors D-Ray and my ninja finally caught Tyler Perry’s men whose destiny is to go to jail? Meanwhile, their DJ BackSide latest flick Daddy’s Little Girls and I female counterparts find their way through college, Joey Colombo Memust say I was pleasantly surprised. graduate school and then the corporate world, if Regi Mentle I remember him talking on the radio about how they so choose. Wendy Day America didn’t want to accept the idea of a single Black father raising children… and wanting to do We talk about Hip Hop being grown with the button Street Reps it. So I got to thinking – because I do that – and down shirts and all the materialistic bullshit that Anthony Deavers it struck a chord. A week prior to taking in that comes with it, but it doesn’t mean anything if we Bigg P-Wee movie I watched a disturbing video on the news. don’t look out for each other. Perry addressed it in Dee1 The next day there were endless Internet streams of the movie when Gabrielle Union’s character bel- Demolition Men the same video, which I’m sure most of conscious lowed that if she saw “another 30 year old brotha DJ E-Z Cutt America has been made aware of: two babies wearing a throwback” she was going to scream… DJ Jam-X smoking weed in the presence of their uncle and and then she did (both). By no means is this an DJ K-Tone his friend. They knew how to hold it, pass it and attempt to point the finger at the dude who carries DJ Quote yes, smoke it. Subsequent reports revealed that his own bottle of hot sauce to Red Lobster (to keep DJ Strong & DJ Warrior the uncle and friend are both from “dysfunctional it all the way one hunned, I had a throwback on John Costen households,” ones where mothers sleep in the very when I was watching the movie – Jerry Rice, #88, Kewan Lewis next room while her toddlers are toking marijuana. Mississippi Valley State – you know I stay Bay’d Lisa Coleman Maybe she was high herself. Who knows? This same out!). I think Hip Hop means to keep us young and Maroy household is responsible for producing multiple vibrant, but not ignorant. We have to grow with Rob J Official family members who are either currently in jail, on our circumstances and realize that as the world Rob Reyes their way or were recently released. changes, so does our culture. Sherita Saulsberry William Major A couple weeks later I come to find out that these Take AMG and DJ Quik for instance, now known as same babies, who have since been turned over to The Fixxers (pg. 20). Their whole mission in coming the state of Texas, had cocaine in their innocent back into the Hip Hop fold (congrats on the Inter- systems as well. Judging from the way the uncle scope deal) they say, is to abandon the identity and his friend were acting it was just weed. But to that people already have of them and come anew. think that they could have had the indecency to Knowing that they’ve been in the thick of it and are lace it with ‘caine or worse, give the babies that able to identify a need for change, it makes all the shit straight up, was disheartening to say the least. more sense for their offspring extended to follow. Much the same is the case with Mr. Cartoon (pg. 18), ozone west So I mulled over growing up and how hard it has to who’s seen his fair share of struggles and poverty be in this day and age. I’m sure we had problems stricken circumstances, only to become the most 04 THE WEST IS BACKSIDE back in the ‘70’s, but we didn’t have disruptive sought after tattoo artist in the country. And then 05-09 CALIFORNIA LOVE forces like crack rock ravishing our communities there’s our cover subject, Too $hort (22). Perhaps 06 HOW THE WEST WAS WON across the country. We didn’t have the threat of AIDS the most consistent artist in Hip Hop’s illustrious 08 SXSW Review at every sexual turn and we didn’t have Hip Hop. As existence, he’s still at it. Survived five years with 10 RELEASE THERAPY: MISTAH FAB it’s become the most celebrated musical genre ever, Jive when all they wanted to promote was popcorn, 11 WHO’S READING OZONE our culture has taken its hits and deservedly so. As bubblegum bullshit like it was nothin’. Count how 13 BANGIN’ 101: BIG FASE reporters from the hoods of the United States our many albums he’s dropped and then add another 14 PATIENTLY WAITING: JUICE prophets/artists are obligated to discuss what pops one to it. Act like you know beeeyatch!! 15 PATIENTLY WAITING: MITCHY SLICK off in the streets. Be it drugs, the police force, sex 16 PATIENTLY WAITING: ROCCETT or any other matter of importance, it’s their duty to See, we may not think we have leaders because 17 DJ PROFILE: DJ STRONG report the news. It is what it is. If the news is 85% their names don’t end in King, Shabazz or Ali, but 18-19 MR. CARTOON negative, we are committed to telling it without we do. They’re in our CD collections, in studios and 20-21 THE FIXXERS reservation and/or prejudice. However, there has to in the thick of the hood holding down anonymous 22-24 TOO $HORT come a time when we begin to glorify something storefronts. And we have a duty to identify who 25 CD REVIEWS other than the same rhetoric bullshit that’s clouded they are and what message it is we are supposed to 26 END ZONE our vision for more than two decades. get from their speak. Cold thing about it is we love weed on the West Peace 2 fingers. Coast. It’s to the point where you can damn near do it legally in California. The case with the boys in *Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and Texas was rare in that they were dumb enough to friends of Johnny “Ca$h” Castaneda – a promising tape the shit, but I’m sure it happens in other parts rapper from the city of Richmond whose life was of the country. So at what point do we stop? When taken away by a gunshot wound to the head. Thizz do we start teaching our seeds instead of rearing In Peace. OZONE WEST // 3 The West is Back…Side: The Bay Area’s DJ BackSide links up with the Best of the West to see what’s really goin’ on in their heads! Bishop Lamont he Bay Area’s DJ BackSide links up with the Yeah, I love Scott Storch. He’s my Best of the West to see what’s really goin’ on white chocolate. Tin their heads! And Scotty boy dissed Timbaland. Keepin’ it lowridin’ and rather Hollywood, I kept it Yeah, it will blow over though. They in L.A. for this one. I just had to, because perhaps need to realize they are both producer Bishop Lamont might have insight on Anna Nicole rockstars and cut that shit out. It’s like Smith’s happenings, Britney Spears’ shaved head, singers - that shit that happened with this Black President thing, and even an idea of Justin and Prince. You can’t step to his Boss’ Detox album finally coming out AND not Prince, man. International lover. Scan- to mention if Dre makes his own beats! During dalous. Sexy never left, shit. I feel sexier this interview (which took place at 3 AM) I was than a muthafucka. surrounded by not only upcoming Aftermath artist Bishop Lamont, but also rappers Warren G, Ohwee, Are we ready for a black President? DJ Skee and other bystanders in a mini gym lo- We are ready for A PRESIDENT. It’s not cated in the back of their state-of-the-art studio about being black or white. in L.A. An interesting melting pot, to say the least. So we’re not ready? DJ BackSide: I read up about you, lightweight, and I don’t know. Stop callin’ shit black or everyone I talk to in the L.A. area has your name white. Does the ABC Channel call them- in their mouth. selves the white network? We keep puttin’ Bishop Lamont: It was all lies. (Warren G and color in front. If the people are just ready Ohwee laugh) to let go of these color lines and respect the man Life is fucked up a lot of times. And we pray for for the man. The President is a job. It has no color them. You’re signed to Aftermath? or ethnicity in it. It’s a position. Yeah, well, it’s actually Delicious Vinyl Records, but IPod, IPhone? yeah, Aftermath. So what’s the craziest white girl story out there? Nah, I’m a caveman, I don’t like none of that shit. We’ve got “Anna Nicole Smith: Who’s the Father” Even Bluetooth, what the fuck is that? Got shit What is that like being signed to such a legendary and “Britney Spears: Shaved.” comin’ outta your ear like a microwave and shit.