0Z0h wS1 // 1

RAW, UNCENSORED WEST COAST RAP SHIT

SAN
QUINN
GROWING
PAINS
6th
ANNUAL
PATIENTLY
WAITING
EDITION
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W
hen we think of a dope fend, a lot
of things come to mind. We think of
the grimy, wigged out people on the
streets, but little do you know it could be the person
sitting next to you. Weed is one thing, but when
people start abusing man-made drugs, thats another
thing. People who know that Im the Thizz Entertain-
ment photographer assume that I pop thizz pills. I do
not pop at all. Never have, never will, and to set the
record straight, everyone on THIZZ is not on THIZZ!
I dont know why people cant seem to get that
willpower they need to help themselves, especially
if they are talented and have a career ahead of them.
Thats not saying that people without those same
talents or goals should be on dope; all people doing
dope should slow down. You should really refect on
the diference you see in yourself when youre on
dope and of. I believe everyone should watch video
footage of themselves high! It may be a shock to see
how ignorant they act! Trust me, if they dont want to
let the reality of their ignorance afect them, seeing
themselves on camera will help!
I believe people make the best decisions they can
with the info they have. Most people that do dope
tend to think they are doing the dope; thats the way
it starts. But when the dope starts doing them thats
when the real problems start. To become sober is
very, very challenging! If you dont have the willpower
or the support, or you just dont want to stop, you
honestly wont be able to stop. Youll continue to
relapse. Detox is something you have to want. Its not
for your family or friends; its for you!
DOPE FIENDS
OZONE WEST //
editors note
Pitbull, me, & Baby Bash in
Sacramento for Mexican
Independence Day
PuBlIsHEr
Julia Beverly
EDITor-AT-lArGE
D-ray
GrAPHIC DEsIGNEr
David KA
MusIC EDITors
randy roper
Maurice G. Garland
ADVErTIsING sAlEs
Che Johnson
Gary Archer
Isiah Campbell
richard spoon
CoNTrIBuTors
Camilo smith, DJ Back-
side, DJ E-Z Cutt, Gary Ar-
cher, Jelani Harper, Jessica
Essien, Jessica Mz Jae
Hagmaier, Joey Colombo,
Kay Newell, Keita Jones,
luvva J, Portia Jackson,
Tamara Palmer, Ty Watkins
sTrEET rEPs
Ant Wright, Anthony
Deavers, Baydilla, Bigg
P-Wee, Big Thangs, Big
Will, Dee1, Demolition
Men, DJ Jam-X, DJ Juice,
DJ KTone, DJ Nik Bean, DJ
Quote, DJ skee, DJ strong
& Warrior, Gary Archer, J
Hype, Jasmine Crowe, Jes-
sica Essien, John Costen,
Juice, Kewan lewis, luvva
J, Maroy, rob J ofcial,
rob reyes, shauntae Hill,
sherita saulsberry, sly
Boogy, syd robertson,
Tonio, Twin, William
Major, Zack Cimini
CoVEr CrEDITs
san Quinn photo by
D-ray; K-Boy photo by
retonephotography.
Ive been through the oddest things with people
on dope and watched them apologize after they
sobered up. You have to remind yourself sometimes
that an apology isnt good enough. You need help.
Burning bridges, hurting feelings, and maybe even
physically harming yourself or another person is seri-
ous! People on dope really arent themselves. Ive sur-
rounded myself with people, not knowing that they
do dope. Then there are the surprises: wow! They do
dope? I used to be shocked when I found out that
someone I knew did dope. Now Im not shocked at all,
and that is sad. I want better things for my family and
friends. Just say no! Make a change. surprise yourself!
Help yourself and your relationships!
This is a little of the subject, or maybe not. After an
experience I had with the same people using the
same excuses for acting a donkey, I sat back and
refected on how people change when theyre on
dope or coming down of it. I personally hate to hear
another person making an excuse for a drunk or a
dope head. Youre really not helping them by making
excuses for them, youre hurting them. If youre a true
friend, they need you to tell them what a donkey
they made out of themselves! Its a made-up vision in
their addicted mind. This kind of nonsense is getting
the best of a lot of people right now. Please take
the time to look in the yellow pages and get help.
smoking weed is one thing, but when you start doing
man-made dope, thats when it kills. You dont have a
clue of the poison youre putting your body through.
Please understand that poisoning your body and
mind is so toxic! Youre on borrowed time already.
Why speed your expiration date up with that shit?
And not only that, but you may
be burning a bridge you cant
ever mend! sorry is just a
word. Ignorance is an action!
- D-ray
Editor-At-large
dray@ozonemag.com
OZONE WEST //
Me and Maya @ Haji
Springers video shoot in
San Jose
Me & Diggs in Vegas for
Magic
Bishop lamont Grow up
The Jacka All over Me
E-40 f/ Akon Wake It up
DJ BACKSIDES
toP 10 sLAPs
strong Arm steady Cant let It Go
Problem Wherever You like
Jay rock f/ lil Wayne All My life
Mistah FAB Dipped In Butter
Glasses Malone f/ lil Wayne Haterz
Dem Hoodstarz f/ Gucci Mane Got A Problem
san Quinn, Big rich, & Boo Banga sF Anthem
8 // 0Z0h wS1
//Production credits
THE PACK VANS, MiSTAH FAB GOiN CRAZY
THE PACK iM SHiNiN, TOO $HORT LOSE iT,
s
erving as both a rapper and the in-
house producer of The Pack, Young
l cant aford to take any ls when it
comes to making music. The man behind their
2006 hit Vans has to put in double-duty everyday
to make sure his group is putting out the best music possible. Hard work
and perfection might have been inherited from his parents, who both spent
time as pieces in respective bands. His mother was a guitar player on the 14-
piece ensemble Kotoja while his father played drums for popular Nigerian
star sonny okosun.
Gearing up for his solo mixtape debut Cutty row/Based sensation, which
will feature him rapping and singing equally, Young l is looking to prove that
at just 21 years old, he is musically wise beyond his years.
Aside from your parents being involved in music, how and why did you
start making music yourself?
I liked rapping when I was younger, but I was more into skateboarding. It
actually started as a joke. Me and some friends had Cool Edit Pro and were
using the early version of Fruity loops. We would make little beats and rap
over them. It started taking up a lot of my time and the people I hung with
got interested too.
What kind of beats were you making? Were they at all similar to the music
your parents were making?
My dad did upbeat African music. My mom played jazz, but Im not really
into jazz like that. I think the patterns in the music could be similar. I fnd
comfort in patterns.
How did your parent react to you choosing to make Hip Hop music as op-
posed to what they were doing?
They welcomed it 100%, from when I frst started to when I got my frst hit
record. My mom was proud, bragging about me to her friends. After I came
in the industry, just doing the day to day recording I still like to show my
parents what Im doing. My mom used to actually manage The Pack, and she
was very instrumental in getting Vans out there.
Have you worked with you parents at all musically?
I did make a beat with my mom on reason 4. It has good guitar sounds so
when I was playing it on the keyboard I was imagining someone strumming
a guitar, but it wasnt the same on a keyboard. My mom played guitar, and
even though she hadnt played in years, I fgured she still had it. I showed her
what I wanted, and she played it on a regular acoustic guitar. The name of the
song is Meant That Much and its gonna come out on my mixtape. lil B from
The Pack is singing on it too. Its gonna be funny to people, because it shows
a side they dont see from us.
Describe The Packs creative process.
I make the beat and have them hop on it. But I think the best songs come
about when at least one other group member is in the studio with me. right
now its mainly me and lil B in the studio working. Thats where I get my
motivation from. He really has that love for music.
Are you out trying to work with artists outside of The Pack, and if so, does
your youth help or hurt your chances?
I still go through being a youngster. If I reach out to people who are on, they
just look at me like Im young. I have a couple hits, a couple albums and a
video on MTV Jams, but I dont have a huge discography. But now I have a
lot of people who want to work with me. I was ahead of my time when I was
younger, sampling songs. Everybody gets doubted sometimes.
Youve told us that you use Reason 4, G4 Mac Computer, and an Oxygen 49
Keyboard. Do you prefer software over hardware?
Im very visual with my production. I prefer software; thats what Ive been
using since I started. I like to see the patterns and melodies and Ive always
been into computers.
Do you mix your own beats or you have a favorite engineer to work with?
I mix my own stuf for the mixtapes, but for an album, my favorite engineer is
leslie from Patchwerk studios in ATl. I had the chance to sit down with him
for the frst EP and the Based Boys album and I like how he works.
Do you compose your music mostly with samples or original sounds?
Mostly original sounds but a lot of people dont know how good my sample
beats are because they just hear what I do with The Pack. Im a really diverse
producer. When I frst started all I did was sample because I didnt like the
sounds Fruity loops had, they sounded cheap. When I was younger I was a
big roc-A-Fella head. Hearing what Just Blaze and Kanye were doing made
me want to sample. I used to sample r&B but now I moved on from that and
now. I look into rock and acoustics. rock had a lot of energy in the 70s and
80s. I think so many rockers was experimenting with drugs and so much was
going on in society, it had an efect on the music back then. The stuf with
electric guitars was great. They had drum patterns that arent really used any-
more. It was musically intense. Its like youre in an action scene in a movie.
How can artist get a slap from you?
Hit me on myspace.com/YounglMusicPage or myspace.com/ThePack but
dont hit me if you aint got no guap. //
0Z0h wS1 // 9
01 // Mistah FAB & lil Evil @ The record House studio (Fremont, CA) 02 // Jacky & King Yella @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 03 // Cellski & Big Tuck @ Club Moon in The Palms (las
Vegas, NV) 04 // Dem Hoodstarz & Pops on the set of Dem Hoodstarz video shoot (East Palo Alto, CA) 05 // Maroy, Green up Crew, roccett, & rob G @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV)
06 // Julia Bond @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 07 // Hurricane Chris, Glasses Malone, & Mistah FAB @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 08 // Too short meets the devil @ The Palms (las Vegas,
NV) 09 // Haji springer & J Diggs @ Club Moon in The Palms (las Vegas, NV) 10 // DJ KTone & DJ stupac @ Blue Ice (Denver, Co) 11 // steph Jones & The Paco Brothers @
Caesars Palace for When I Move You Move (las Vegas, NV) 12 // Dummy Juice & crew @ Cali Expo Mexican Independence Day (sacramento, CA) 13 // Chuy Gomez & ladies @
1015 Folsom (san Francisco, CA) 14 // Pleasure P & Cooda love @ Caesars Palace for When I Move You Move (las Vegas, NV) 15 // K-loc, Chingo Bling, & Haji springer on the set
of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose, CA) 16 // The Jacka, PK, & Cellski @ Grand Ballroom for Hip Hop sony live Tour (san Francisco, CA) 17 // Mistah FAB,
Glasses Malone, & Boo Ya Tribe @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 18 // roccett, Paul Wall, & K-Boy @ Magic (las Vegas, NV)
Photo Credits: Adam Van Vranken (10); D-ray (01,02,03,04,05,07,09,12,13,15,16,17,18); Julia Beverly (08,11,14); King Yella (06)
(above L-R): Christian Audigier & TI @ Caesars Palace for When I Move You Move in las Vegas, NV (Photo: Julia Beverly); The Game and Bow Wow @ their Madden challenge in
los Angeles, CA (Photo: DJ Jam-X); DJ Franzen & Jay Jay @ Club Moon in The Palms in las Vegas, NV (Photo: D-ray)
0Z0h wS1 // 9
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bAND AIDE OF
DEM HOODSTARZ
LAwLess reCords Lets you know theyre eAtin
T
his is a lawless piece, which means that all of us
mean everything or nothing. Thats what we learned
from my nigga, Big skinny. r.I.P. Big skinny. He helped
started this shit. He got killed in his apartment com-
plex, about four or fve years ago. He was shot in the head. Thats
what the l stands for.
We are not going by any of these industry rules, we are going by
our own rules. We pay for our own. Its everything or nothing. law-
less, thats us!
Carl at Highline Jewelers in southland Mall in Hayward, CA, did this
piece. I cashed out a nice piece of change for this piece. It compli-
ments the brightness of the lil Boosie bracelet and the Brightin
Watch.
Its got red, white, and yellow diamonds. The red ones are blood
diamonds. The white diamonds defnes the clarity, the clenaness.
Its all placed on a white gold medallion, and its heavy, like a dinner
plate. Were letting you know that were eating. //
myspace.com/demhoodstarz
As told to D-ray
Photo by D-ray
0Z0h wS1 // 11
01 // AP9 & Big Mike on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose, CA) 02 // Guest, Jayo Felony, & Mistah FAB @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 03 // roccett &
osirus @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 04 // Gary Archer & J Diggs @ Time out for J Diggs birthday party (Concord, CA) 05 // TJ Chapman & Beeda Weeda @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV)
06 // Mistah FAB & Jay rock @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 07 // one Block radius @ 1015 Folsom (san Francisco, CA) 08 // Don Cannon, Jeanise Chaplin, & Cellski @ Magic (las Vegas,
NV) 09 // Kimbo slice, Kimora lee, & Djimon Hounsou @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 10 // lil Evil, Baby Bash, & Goldie on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san
Jose, CA) 11 // Haji springer, one Block radius, Gary Archer, & rhythm X @ 1015 Folsom (san Francisco, CA) 12 // Dee sonoram & shorty @ Club Zokku for Playaz Club (san
Francisco, CA) 13 // Chingo Bling & scweez on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose, CA) 14 // sloan & Hurricane Chris @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV)
15 // Joe & rydah J Klyde @ Time out for J Diggs birthday party (Concord, CA) 16 // J Diggs, T-Banks, & Dre Dae @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 17 // DJ Eque & Talib Kweli @ Grand
Ballroom for Hip Hop sony live Tour (san Francisco, CA) 18 // T-Banks, Maroy, & T @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV)
Photo Credits: D-ray (01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17); Julia Beverly (18)
(above L-R): Mistah FAB, Julia Beverly, & roccett @ Magic in las Vegas, NV; Pitbull & Baby Bash @ Cali Expo Mexican Independence Day in sacramento, CA (Photos: D-ray); Teairra
Mari & Pleasure P @ Caesars Palace for When I Move You Move in las Vegas, NV (Photo: Julia Beverly)
0Z0h wS1 // 11
12 // 0Z0h wS1
S
ometimes labeled as the forgotten West Coast state, Arizona is
often overshadowed by l.A., the Bay, and las Vegas. Willy North-
pole is helping to slowly change that. 2008 has been a good year
for the Phoenix son, and bringing home the award for Patiently Waiting
Arizona at the oZoNE Awards shed light on both himself and his peers.
We wanted to give you a chance to speak on your win at the OZONE
Awards. What would you like to say to everyone?
First of all, of course, thank the Man above Jesus Christ, my lord and sav-
ior. I want to thank my moms, the whole crew, my little girl seraya. I wanna
thank my record label Disturbing Tha Peace for believing in me Chaka,
Def Jam, everybody down there, all the radio stations, all the DJs who
keep it funky with you, all of the internet sites, oZoNE for giving me a little
shine, of course the neighborhood, southside Phoenix, all the emcees from
the hometown. last but not least, the whole personal squad, my people
who keep me and the movement going, which is my management team. It
would be disrespectful to come up here and not recognize them. Big up to
Tifany J and DJ Quote.
Were you expecting to win?
Im not gonna say I was expecting to win. I knew I had a good chance. out
of the four guys it was stif competition. For whatever reason, everyone
deserved the award obviously, so, I think my chances were just a bit better.
I worked hard for it, so I can understand why I won the award.
Explain to people what you mean when you say you worked hard. What
all have you had to do to get where youre at right now?
Nothing but live it, thats it. Wake up and do it. With anything you do every
day for months at a time, youre gonna get better at it. Everything I do has
something to do with my career, whether its hitting the gym or working
on my craft, working on speeches, taking pictures, whatever. Its just to
make me a star and make me a better all-around entertainer. I do this every
single day.
I know youre in Atlanta a lot working with DTP. How often do you get to
go back home?
If Im lucky, maybe once a month. I live in Arizona but I set up my business
in Atlanta. I have to be where my business is. I can work anywhere else and
still live in Arizona. But I basically live in Atlanta because Im here 95% of
the time.
Has anyone back home reached out to you about the award? I know
youre the man out there.
Yeah, I get a lot of support. A lot of local emcees are real proud of me. A lot
of fans hit me on Myspace. The radio stations, everybody knows about it.
I dont know how big of a deal it is to everyone else, but its big for us, for
Arizona, to fnally be getting recognized for something.
Whats going on with the Body Marked Up single?
Its walking on its own legs right now. We put it out there and got some
nationwide airplay. It made it to BET and MTV Jams. It shocked me because
we didnt really push to get it on the TV screen like that, but MTV jumped
on it and they liked it. shout out to MTV and all the hosts showing love
and playing the video. But its still out there. Weve got a remix coming out
featuring Jim Jones, lil scrappy, spider loc, Paul Wall and Cashis. Now were
moving on to another song called Hood Dreamer with B.o.B. It should be
out sometime in November or December.
Is there anything else you want people to be looking out for?
I wanna give a shout out to all the people that won an oZoNE Award and
all the people that were nominated for Patiently Waiting Arizona. You can
watch my show on Kyte TV at Myspace.com/WillyNorthpole. My phone
number is 602-903-5325, if anyone wants to holla at me about some busi-
ness. Ive got the DuB Magazine cover coming out. Im on a song with The
Game and ludacris for my album. Its gonna be crazy. The Disturbing Tha
Peace compilation is coming out, and dont forget my album Tha Connect.
Words by Ms Rivercity
Photo by Hannibal Matthews
12 // 0Z0h wS1
0Z0h wS1 // 13
01 // Matt Daniels, Gary Archer, TJ Chapman, & TV Johnny @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 02 // Baby Bash & ladies on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose,
CA) 03 // Glasses Malone, Mistah FAB, & Dre Dae @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 04 // Guest & Cino @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 05 // Jay Jay & Asher roth @ Club Moon in The Palms (las
Vegas, NV) 06 // lil Duval & steph Jones @ Caesars Palace for When I Move You Move (las Vegas, NV) 07 // E-40 & Dem Hoodstarz on the set of Dem Hoodstarz video shoot
(East Palo Alto, CA) 08 // Talib Kweli @ leverde lounge for his birthday party (san Francisco, CA) 09 // TI & TJ Chapman @ Caesars Palace for When I Move You Move (las Vegas,
NV) 10 // K-Boy & ladies @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 11 // rumaldo, Jennifer, & Mitchy slick @ Grand Ballroom for Hip Hop sony live Tour (san Francisco, CA) 12 // Chuck, Patty,
& Dee sonoram @ Club Zokku for Playaz Club (san Francisco, CA) 13 // Cellski, guest, & The Jacka @ New Territory Apparel (Hayward, CA) 14 // relly rel & Jesse James @ New
Territory Apparel (Hayward, CA) 15 // Biaje, J Diggs, suge Knight, & guest @ Palms (las Vegas, NV) 16 // Demolition Men & K-loc @ street symphony studio (Fremont, CA) 17 //
Chingo Bling & Tito Bell on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose, CA) 18 // Big Mike & Gary Archer on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video
shoot (san Jose, CA) 19 // Boss Hog @ The Crest Theater for Mac Dre Dae (Fresno, CA)
Photo Credits: D-ray (02,03,04,05,07,08,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19); Julia Beverly (06,09); King Yella (01)
(above L-R): E-40 on the set of Dem Hoodstarz video shoot in East Palo Alto, CA (Photo: D-ray); DJ KTone & roccett @ Hip Hop Heaven for roccetts in-store in Denver, Co (Photo:
Adam Van Vranken); Angela & Vanessa simmons @ Magic in las Vegas, NV (Photo: King Yella)
0Z0h wS1 // 13
14 // 0Z0h wS1
N
ew artists emerge on the rap scene every day, all with the
same hopes, dreams, and aspirations. some want in the
game to get rich, some want in the game to make a better
life for their family, and, some just want in the game to bag bitches.
But due to the overall lack of quality music thats being blasted on the
airwaves nowadays, it seems that it is now easier to get into the industry
than ever before. However, due to extreme oversaturation, an artists
success once in the industry now depends less on talent and more on
the grind of the individual and the respect he establishes for himself.
There have been many artists featured in the Patiently Waiting section
of oZoNE over the years, and lets face it, some are still content to wait,
patiently, for success to come to them. However, there a few such as
rocko, 2 Pistols, Plies, and, of course, The Jacka, who have capitalized
of the opportunity and exposure ofered by coverage in oZoNE, and
continued to grind to create even more success on their own.
Not only has The Jacka, one ffth of legendary West Coast rap group,
Mob Figaz, been featured countless times in oZoNE, as well as other
major publications and internet sites, he also won the Patiently Wait-
ing: California award at this years oZoNE Awards. He is working on
countless mixtapes, including one with Freeway. His single and video,
All over Me, has been blazing the airwaves and over his almost
decade in the game he has established himself as one of the most
respected West Coast artists in the game.
respect is, in fact, one of the hardest feats to accomplish in the
industry, given that commercial and mainstream success is by far
not a guarantee for outright respect from your peers. The now overly
easy access into a once unbelievably talented pool of individuals has
created a black hole in the genre. There are major artists in the game
fguring that fact out at this very moment. It doesnt matter how much
money you make or how many videos you have out at one time. It
doesnt matter who you are if you dont have the respect artists such
as The Jacka have earned. Its simple: out-of-towners, tuck your chains
when youre in the Golden state! You can buy that shit back, but you
can never buy respect!
What have you been doing since you were recognized at the OZONE
Awards as the Patiently Waiting Artist of the Year for California?
Man, Ive just been running round this bitch like a politician trying to
get elected. Winning the award was a big thing to me. It wasnt just
winning, it was the fact that everybody came out to Houston to sup-
port. That was one of the biggest things Ive ever achieved, so it was
really an honor to win, especially going up against some real, tough
competition. It was cool.
What has winning the award done for your career?
Its really helped out. Its such a big magazine. Im pretty sure that every
artist who comes out wants to get an article in oZoNE, you know? Its a
really big deal. Its been a short time since it happened, but people are
reaching out, wanting to do business. Its always a good thing to pick
up a magazine and see yourself in it. For any artist, when other people
see you in the oZoNE its always a good thing. oZoNE is really on its
way to the top. All the other magazines have really fallen of because
they werent keeping it real. oZoNE is already up there with XXl.
Words by Mz. Jae
14 // 0Z0h wS1
0Z0h wS1 // 15
01 // Pitbull @ Cali Expo Mexican Independence Day (sacramento, CA) 02 // Jay rock @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 03 // J Nash & Mistah FAB @ Washington Park (Alameda, CA)
04 // Kutt Calhoun @ Grand Ball room (san Francisco, CA) 05 // Kardinal ofshal @ DuB Car show (los Angeles, CA) 06 // AP9 on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy
video shoot (san Jose, CA) 07 // roccett @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 08 // rick Edwards @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 09 // DJ Amen & Fingerz @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 10 // Tito Bell
on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose, CA) 11 // David Banner & the NVus Twins @ Club Zokku for Playaz Club (san Francisco, CA) 12 // omeezy @
Cali Expo Mexican Independence Day (sacramento, CA) 13 // sauce @ Club Zokku for Playaz Club (san Francisco, CA) 14 // Cellski @ New Territory Apparel (Hayward, CA)
15 // Bueno @ Club Zokku for Playaz Club (san Francisco, CA) 16 // lil Evil @ The record House studio (Fremont, CA) 17 // roccett & rick Edwards @ Hip Hop Heaven for
roccetts in-store (Denver, Co) 18 // Krondon @ Grand Ball room (san Francisco, CA) 19 // Krizz Kalico @ Grand Ball room (san Francisco, CA) 20 // rise & Grinch on the set
of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose, CA) 21 // Tattoo, liz, & Big Boy @ Cali Expo Mexican Independence Day (sacramento, CA) 22 // Haji springer @ the
Dragon studio (san leandro, CA) 23 // XsF @ The record House (Fremont, CA) 24 // shorty @ Cali Expo Mexican Independence Day (sacramento, CA) 25 // lee Majors @ Grand
Ballroom for Hip Hop sony live Tour (san Francisco, CA) 26 // YB @ Magic (las Vegas, NV) 27 // spark Dawg @ Poetry (las Vegas, NV) 28 // Bavgate & Kilo @ Time out for J Diggs
birthday party (Concord, CA) 29 // Barber & rat @ The Crest Theater (Fresno, CA) 30 // Boo Banger @ the record House studio (Fremont, CA) 31 // Tito B @ The record House
(Fremont, CA) 32 // Nump on the set of Haji springers Hurry up & Buy video shoot (san Jose, CA) 33 // The Jacka @ Grand Ballroom for Hip Hop sony live Tour (san Francisco,
CA) 34 // sleep Dank @ The Crest Theater (Fresno, CA) 35 // Coolio Da unda Dog @ The Crest Theater (Fresno, CA)
Photo Credits: Adam Van Vranken (17); Chris B (05); D-ray (01,02,03,04,06,07,08,09,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35)
(above L-R): J Diggs @ The Crest Theater for Mac Dre Dae in Fresno, CA (Photo: D-ray); David Banner @ DuB Car show in los Angeles, CA (Photo: Chris B); Tech N9ne @ Grand Ball
room in san Francisco, CA (Photo: D-ray)
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NO ONE REPREsENTs sAN FRANCIsCO RAP qUITE lIKE
sAN qUINN. AT AGE 30, qUINCY BROOKs IV Is A 15-
YEAR VETERAN OF THE sCENE WHO HAs TRANsCENDED
TRENDs (FROM THE lOW-END RUMBlE OF MOBB MUsIC
TO THE UPTEMPO RAVE OF HYPHY) AND sTAYED A REl-
EVANT AND POWERFUl VOICE.
CEO of his own Done Deal Entertainment, hes also been
infuencing independent hustlers nationwide since the early
90s (he and JT The Bigga Figga famously dabbled with Prior-
ity Records just as Master P and his No limit empire was rising
to fame in the same stable).
2008 has been a good year musically for san quinn; his All City
41Feva album with Boo Banga and Big Rich yielded a break-
through tune, The sF Anthem. However, its been a rough year
personally, as he readily admits.
In an interview conducted a few weeks before the release of his sev-
enth solo album From a Boy to a Man, san quinn was very open about
many of his current issues, yet declined to comment on a volatile situ-
ation involving his cousin and former collaborator Messy Marv that
ignited in late september. Each has released scathing battle songs
that have been volleyed around the Internet and basically broken Bay
Area rap fans heartsone even went as far as to construct a loving
tribute to the two in happier times, backed by their street classics.
There are defnitely growing pains, but this is far from a sitcom. Its a
sad reality that encompasses drug addiction, violence, and accusa-
tions of snitching; a reality that has dangerously divided a family and
friends.
Youve had a good year so far with The sF Anthem; I recently saw
you when B.O.B. brought you guys on stage at the Rock The Bells
concert to perform it not once, but twice!
Yeah, shout out to B.o.B. The Anthem is doing good for me. I fnally
touched MTV and let the world know that theres real homeboys from
san Francisco thats pushing the line about san Francisco from Fillmore
to Hunters Point and lakeview and everywhere else.
Our city is so pretty. Do you think that people who dont live in san
Francisco dont understand that it really isnt all prettiness here?
right, because the rich and the poor live hand in hand in san Francisco.
I live on a block where its all million-dollar houses, and we done sold
crack of the porches of the million-dollar houses. Muthafuckers have
been killed and the property value aint dropped, its going up. People
dont know about the Fillmore and Hunters Point and about James Bea-
sley and Charles Tatum and ronnie Newt. These real gangsters put real
shit down and transferred it over to people like JT The Bigga Figga, who
was 19 years old and started up a crew and got a record deal.
We lost our deal at Priority, so I feel like I lost $375 million, because
thats how much [Master] P made. Thats why people cant understand
my drive. some of these niggas are doing this for a chain or a car, or
to say theyre the nigga. Im doing it because Im trying to change san
Francisco fnancially and make it an economic power in the Hip Hop
community. Because in Frisco, I have great white patnas and I love them.
I have great Filipino patnas, good samoan friends, a lot of latino friends.
We all hang together; they represent san Quinn and I represent them.
Whats the story behind your new album From a Boy to a Man?
My album is the album of my career so far. I put a lot of heart into it. I put
out my frst album when I was 15, in the 9th grade. I wrote the whole
album. And Ive been doing this for 15 years. Im only 30 years old now. I
grew up in the music, and thats what the title means.
What marks this passage to manhood besides turning the landmark
age of 30? Whats happening musically thats transforming you?
I have better company around me and I think I have a way better selec-
tion of beats. When I did The rock [in 2006], I had marital problems. I
was on cocaine real tough. I didnt know I was an addict, I thought I was
just partying and shit. The rock was a great record, it had [local hit] Hell
Yeah. But on this record From a Boy to a Man, I confgured all in the
daytime, I didnt have to stay gone from my house and my family. But
now, me and my wife are kinda getting separated because I never really
regained my trust with her. so its all just a part of being from a boy to a
man and thats what san Quinn is.
When you hear me, you hear my life. Im not lying about nothing, Im not
glamorizing nothing. I aint never knocked nobodys head of. When you
hear me on this album youre just going to hear me shooting it from the
heart, from a grown mans perspective?
If you had gone through just an addiction or just a separation, that
would be a lot to deal with, but youre dealing with the consequences
of two very traumatic things. Is it stressful?
Yeah, well, right now Im riding around with all my clothes in the car. But
Im waiting for my album to come out and Im going to work hard to take
care of my sons. Thats my number one thing to do. And I havent been
around them lately in the last three or four weeks but Im preparing to
tour Americatour the worldso they can hear san Quinn and see
who I really am. Im a brother from the Fillmore District that represents
rap music, man. Hip Hop is alive in san Francisco, and hopefully I can
make the world know that, respect it, and get these people out here
to go buy some records and pay for the downloads. stop bootlegging,
because my album is worth it!
I have a song on the album with PsD called reinforced steel. shout out
to PsD, hes in prison right now. sometimes we go through shit and we
get frustrated, but we bounce back. Cosmo is on that record with me.
Ive got my song Do Ya Thizzle on there, my tribute to Mac Dre and the
hyphy movement. Thizz, theyre real geeked and a lot of suckers hated
on them, but they can keep the thing going. For instance, in Atlanta and
places like that, theyre keeping the shit going.
I have a song with my son lil Quinn called Billionaire. The hook is,
College education for your children, thats what I call living. This is shit
that niggas aint saying, but we should be saying. Im not preaching or
nothing like that, but I am positive. But its also real.
I was reading the interview with your son lil quinn in OZONE West a
few months ago, and he sounded like he was 20 rather than 11. Is he
like a little man already?
He is! Quincy is going to be one of the best rappers to come out of
California and the world. He reads the thesaurus. He likes synonyms and
antonyms and has an infatuation with big words. When you put that in
rapping, you couldnt ask for nothing better, man. He is the light of my
life and what keeps me going. I just want to show him a good example
of a man. I want to be a good father and also a serious artist.
I gained a family when I was 18. It saved my life. I raised a 23-year-old
stepdaughter and an 18-year-old stepson from [ages] six and 11, and I
have an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old now thats mine with that woman. I
raised that family. I cant say I was perfect, but I grew up raising a family.
I never got a chance to really be on my own and open up my own doors
to my own house and fuck with three, four bitches. I aint never even did
that. I had two, three girlfriends then Ive been dedicated to rap music.
so youve been through a lot for age 30.
Yeah, so people who rap and talk about, He aint got no chain, well, I
got a luxury whip, nigga. I have a family, and nobody has dirty tennis
shoes or an empty refrigerator. Ive been doing this since I was 18. It aint
16 // 0Z0h wS1
WORDs BY TAMARA PAlMER
PHOTOs BY D-RAY
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too many men that even hold that responsibility, let alone someone who is
a public fgure. some might say that held me back, but for me it made me
go from a boy to a man, you hear me?
Maybe you could have done other things with your career if you hadnt
had the family, but that wasnt your reality, was it?
You can lose your life out here being dedicated to niggas, turning to the
streets with your friends without fnding some substance in life. I already
had my calling when I was in high school. Im blessed to be blessed with
rap. We all are. But yeah, if they want to hear a real, real san Francisco G,
theyve gotta check this out. The album is of the hook from front to back.
Over the last few years theyve been building the new jazz center and
plaza and more expensive housing and businesses in the Fillmore Dis-
trict. What do you think of all of this gentrifcation in your hood?
Im going to tell you a story, and people can also refer to the [public televi-
sion station] KQED [documentary] on the Western Addition/Fillmore. My
mothers name is sharon Hamilton and my grandfathers name is Wilbur
Hamilton. My grandfather helped start the re-gentrifcation. [late urban
planner] Justin Hermann, you know Justin Hermann Plaza? That was my
grandfathers best friend. My grandfather went around and helped the
black people move out of Fillmore. They hated him, Wilbur Hamilton;
he even tore down my great-grandfathers church on sutter street.
They had 45-year plan of re-gentrifcation in san Francisco that started
in 1964. Theyve been meaning to get us out of there. They knew a
messiah would be born out of there that was going to change that
community and they didnt know how to stop it so they started sepa-
rating us and getting us out of there.
You still can lose your life in Fillmore. There just isnt that sense of pride
here no more. Its not that its a slum, but everybody done crossed
everybody to the point where we lost sense of who we really were. so
my family partook in the re-gentrifcation and I feel like its my duty to
come back and clean up my familys mistakes, because he didnt know
what he was doing. Its on me. The shit is so real, its already been writ-
ten. Its already been pre-history. People can look on the Internet for
KQED and the Western Addition and they can see all this information
on Wilbur Hamilton. And guess what? This shit isnt even over, because
it doesnt stop until 2009. Theyve still got one more year of shit to do.
Whats your assessment of the Bay Area music scene and whats
happened over the last couple of years?
Well, we defnitely havent seen anybody be successful. In oakland,
theyve got plenty of basketball players and Too $hort, Im going to
call him the Godfather. Godfather $hort, he done did it all. Everybody
knows him all over the world, hes a Hip Hop legend. Thats something
for them kids to hold on to aint nobody really succeeded from
Frisco on no level except for criminal activity. so the kids begin to
embrace criminal activity because people like us got record deals, but
they fell through. Do you hear what Im saying? The record deals fell
through, and we still can be seen on the corner, so it caused a lot of
humility. We didnt take our shit to another level, so why should they
believe in us?
They wanna listen to other fake rappers that arent out there with
the community. so the sucka who be having everybody listening is
pushing the bullshit line and he aint helping the community. And
aint nobody made it to the point where they can [help]. I mean,
somebody like meIm just going to say me, I wont mention nobody
elses namesIve only sold 30,000 units as the most records Ive sold
by myself at once. so I really believe [thats why] the children embrace
ignorance and violence.
They [envy], You know he killed whats his name? so now theres nig-
gas outside trying to get a body. [People say] Well, I killed fve niggas.
[And others say] Well, you know he knocked down 10, nigga. You
know what I mean? like he just got a diploma or a scholarship. No,
you just killed a human! And thats whats happened, theyre embrac-
ing death instead of embracing life and living a lifestyle. like my boy
who made [HBo documentary] Bastards of the Party said, Gangbang-
ing isnt a lifestyle, its a death style.
I really feel like theyre grabbing death, and Im partially responsible.
Thats why my sons are where theyre at and Im out here on my own
with a real team getting money so I can do it for them. Because even
staying at my house with my family is selfsh, to a certain extent.
Theres more people that need help, theres more people that need
love. It could be me around a conversation where a niggas talking
about going to get a body, and it aint for nothing. Hes emotionally
distraught. I need to let him know that when he whacks somebody,
hes gonna end up getting whacked or hes going to get one of his
cousins or his friends whacked while they looking for him, and thats
just bullshit.
Now that youve explained your family history and how much you
are rooted to the community, I dont have to ask why you didnt
move to lA or New York to have an easier time with your music
career, do I?
I cant abandon the city. Ive got to do it for that soil. Ive gotta do it for
the little kids that havent even been born yet that will eventually run
my company. Its a multi-million dollar, billion dollar thing. Thats what
Im trying to set up, I promise you. And with timing and with God, its
going to happen for me.
I put out my own album too this time; frst time in all my years. Finally,
after 15 years of getting fronted money and all that other shit, I am my
own boss. And its beautiful. //
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M
ost rappers quit their day jobs to chase the rap life, be-
cause usually their day job leaves them with broken spirit
and wallet. But in the case of roscoe umali, his day job
paid pretty well.
I was in the mortgage industry and had my own business. I wasnt no little
dude either, says the Philippines-born MC. But I woke up one day and I
wasnt happy. When youre trying to get paid it seems like money is the
only goal, but if youre not getting fulfllment, its not worth it.
With this epiphany umali decided to get back to his frst love, Hip Hop.
Prior to working in real estate, roscoe was in the streets, rapping and
eventually becoming a member Drunken Tiger, the frst Korean rap group
do go multi-platinum. But in 2001 he decided to fnish school and explore
some business opportunities. Even though he was raking in money and
buying the kinds of cars and houses that rappers love to brag about, he
wasnt happy.
Granted, hopping back on the microphone gave umali a new found ap-
preciation for life. It wasnt the easiest task in the world as he had to brush
of a little rust. But now, he is developing a golden touch.
His DJ Warrior-hosted mixtape ofering I love My DJs Vol. 1 was well
received on the West Coast, laced with features from Talib Kweli, Pitbull and
smif-N-Wessun. umalis hit single from that mixtape live It up featuring
Bobby V and E-40 propelled him above being just a local phenomenon.
our success overseas has been attractive and helped us out with the col-
laborations that have taken place, says umali about his universal appeal.
other artists see working with me as tapping into a new fanbase. I have a
fanbase that stretches beyond a region. Ive got a culture that rides for me.
The Artisan records founder adds, But its important to me to be looked at
as a dope rapper who just happens to be Filipino. Not a just a good Filipino
rapper.
still riding of the success of live It up, umali is gearing up to release the
second installment of I love My DJs which promises to have just as much,
if not more, of an impact. sounds like quitting your day job has worked
out fne for roscoe.
I do Hip Hop because Im nice, not because I need the bread, says the
entrepreneur, who also owns his own line of sneakers. If we signed to a
[major] label, they would have to bring something were not [able to do]
independently.
Words by Maurice G. Garland
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ith Barry Bonds out of baseball and the 49ers defense look-
ing suspect as ever, the city of san Francisco is yearning for
some hits. Hopefully newjack duo MA (Money Always) and
D.E.o., collectively known as Even odds, can bring some of
those back to the town.
We want to bring authenticity back to music, bluntly says MA. Music that
will stand the test of time like Marvin Gaye, Duke Ellington and can go
against any genre.
Friends since they met in middle school, Even odds both hail from the
same Fillmore district thats birthed names like JT Tha Bigga Figga, Andre
Nickatina and san Quinn. obviously a far cry from the names they dropped
as their inspirations, the contrast is blatantly heard in their music.
log on to their myspace page and youre greeted by their top back cruiser
Feels Good featuring former Christion crooner Allen Anthony. Youll also
see a video for their equally club and radio ready single That swagg. But
youll also come across more aggressive cuts like Boss In the Bay and their
next video single Get Money All Day, featuring Big rich. Their debut EP
Been ofcial displays more of their diversity in both production and lyrical
content, a quality they feel separates them from their peers.
Theyve been doing that since 1999 when they founded their label ofcial
Business. Their 2002 debut The ofcials V.1 caused a stir with features from
san Quinn as well as other artists on their label. Their follow up The laxa-
tive built on that buzz, moving 5,000 units in the Bay and 1,000 in Japan.
But us being so young at the time was a gift and a curse, says D.E.o. The
group was in high school when they frst started. People were impressed
with the package we put together, but we were too young to get in the
club and do shows.
since then, the group has recorded a catalog that boasts 25,000 units
moved independently. Going into 2009, they are poised to make sure that
their debut album The revision becomes the Bays next favorite.
We touch on a lot of hood politics, says D.E.o., ofering a sneak peak into
the album that will feature The Jacka, Big rich and san Quinn, to name a
few. We touch on the election a little bit and how our mayor is trying to
gentrify the city and the schools. The party stuf, we dont go head frst in
but we do it because its needed. We were never hyphy, and thats probably
why you didnt hear about us in 2006.
Interview by Saba G
Words by Maurice G. Garland
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0Z0h wS1 // 21
S
outh Central los Angeles. Youve seen it in movies and heard
about it on records. But whats been simply entertainment for you
has been K-Boys reality. The youngest artist signed to Cash Money
recording artist Glasses Malones Blu Division imprint, K-Boy was
born into the world under the realities of the gang afliations through his
family relations, and was not able to escape the temptations early on in his
life. But these days, hes attempting to pull a 180. K-Boys new mission as a
rapper is one of street unity.
I think I brought everything on myself, I think I made my life hard, K-Boy
says of joining a gang at the early age of 12. My mother did the best for
me the way she could, but I chose the street route. A lot of these people
out here dont even know why they are gangbangin. I got into it because I
wanted to get the dudes who killed my uncle.
After going to Juvenile Hall twice, K-Boy realized that bangin wasnt his
lifes calling. so after fulflling his promise to his grandmother to fnish high
school, he decided to try his hand at rapping. When a mutual friend intro-
duced him to Malone around the time he was linked with The Games Black
Wall street, Boy saw an opportunity to impress him. After hearing him spit,
Malone ofered a spot on his team. seeing Game and Malones joining of
red and blue as a step in the right direction, K signed up on the spot.
After spending a couple years as a member of Block Boyz, a group he
co-founded with close friend Ace, K-Boy stepped out solo in 2007. since
then hes dropped four projects. His frst, Jackin For Beats, was intended to
only be available for internet download, but the demand forced K-Boy to
press up hard copies for the streets. Though the content wasnt necessarily
representative of the peacemaker of the streets title he strives for, K-Boy
insists that his transformation is a work in progress.
Im still part of the problem right now, so Im tryin to become a part of the
solution, say K. His upcoming The Green Tape project will attempt to fuse
red and blue together. I went to everybody who is poppin in the streets
right now in lA and who were [gang] afliated and got them on the mix-
tape together. There are hoods that are actually enemies comin together
on this tape.
With plans to put out collaborative projects with fellow los Angeles rap-
pers Joe Moses, Nipsey Hussle, and Jay rock, as well as his Blu Division
brethren, K-Boys unity mission should be accomplished in no time.
Words by DJ Backside
Photo by retOnephotography
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ost artists are considered blessed when they have one
exceptional talent. Krizz Kaliko has several. As Tech N9nes
right-hand man, the Kansas City native excelled as a
songwriter, singer, rapper, stage performer, and all-around
entertainer. Now, as a solo artist, Krizz has taken each one of these gifts to
a higher level.
With his 2008 debut release titled Tech N9ne Presents: Krizz Kaliko Vitiligo,
Krizz exposed a new genre of music he calls Funkra. on strange Music,
weve got all of the elements: hood, rock, [and] East Coast, Krizz says.
Myself, I try to make my own lane. The lane I made for myself is called The
Funkra, which means Funk, rock, rap, r&B, and opera. Blending these
infuences together, Krizz originated a strong soulful sound that is easily
recognized as one-of-a-kind. It is a sound that complements both his
larger-than-life persona and his out-of-the-ordinary appearance.
I always stood out, he remembers. I have a skin disorder called Vitiligo,
which is basically white, patchy skin where your pigmentation cells break
down. Most cats probably look at me crazy. I stuck out anyway so I was just
like, Ima do whatever to make sure you see me. People started making
comments about my hair, so I just went wilder with it. Im really a rock
[star] trapped in a rappers body.
Growing up on the southside of KC, Krizz often felt like an outcast
amongst his peers, but with time he embraced his physical diferences and
used them to his advantage as a musician. After catching the attention of
Tech N9ne in the late 90s, Krizz worked with him on several projects and
soon became a fundamental element of Tech N9nes stage show, eventu-
ally signing to the label co-owned by Tech.
Through his afliation with strange Music, Krizz has co-starred in sold-out
shows with countless heavyweights like Jay-Z, T.I., Keyshia Cole, Busta
rhymes, DMX, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Twista, DJ Quik, the Ying Yang
Twins and Yukmouth. Barely recovered from the Fire and Ice Tour with Paul
Wall, Krizz and his labelmates are already on the road again for the 2008
strictly strange Tour.
After years of playing a sideline position, Krizz has fnally taken the center
stage with his own identity. Excited about the completion of his frst lP,
Krizz says, If you listen to Techs music over the years, youll hear me doing
all of the hooks, singing on his albums. Thats what people mostly knew me
for. But on my new album, I rap a lot more and sing. Its a rollercoaster ride.
With virtually no major radio play and the absence of a music video, Vitiligo
(distributed through Fontana/universal) has sold over 20,000 copies inde-
pendently. According to charts on Billboard.com, the record impressively
peaked at #20 Top rap Albums, #19 Top Indie Albums, #50 Top r&B/
Hip Hop Albums, and #167 on The Billboard 200. It is an achievement Krizz
hopes to surpass with his forthcoming album, appropriately titled Genius.
Words by Ms. Rivercity
Photo by D-Ray
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nown for putting out compilations with titles like 17 reasons,
18 Wit A Bullet, 34 reasons and 17 Wit A Thizz, Thizz latin/
Black N Brown Ents CEo Julio sanchez a.k.a. Goldtoes lets you
know what hes about before he even opens his mouth. But
the san Francisco-based hustler insist that hes much more.
I know how it is to be let down because of the lifestyle I chose, says Gold-
toes, whose company boasts a catalog of nearly 30 mixtapes and albums.
A lot of opportunities have been blocked for me in this music game [since
Im] a latino from the West Coast.
Putting his power, money and infuence to positive use, Goldtoes is hoping
to balance his musical content with community activism. Through his
Black N Brown initiative, Toes not only aspires to calm tensions between
African and latin Americans, but amongst latinos themselves. His 2007
release The Gold rush serves as an audio bridge, featuring a wide range of
artists from diferent backgrounds including Beeda Weeda, Haji springer
and Jimmy roses.
I strive even more to work with those who people feel are the root of the
problem and make them part of the solution, says Toes. I show them a le-
gitimate way to earn an income through the music industry. He joined the
united Playaz non-proft organization in 2005 after himself being targeted
by Bay Area police and labeled gang-related. By doing this, Im helping
to guide individuals into taking a more positive avenue in life, he says.
Im working with a group of latin individuals that identify with a certain
lifestyle to begin the process of social change.
Grounded in reality, Goldtoes knows what keeps the lights on and what
will fund his community eforts. so expect to see the Thizz latin brand to
continue to grow and expand. Topping all of the companys projects is the
flm 17 reasons: A Northern California Crime story. This is the follow-up to
other recently released projects like 18 reasons, 18 reasons Wit A Thizz,
Thizzed up N Dranked out, The return of the West, and The rise of the
south.
Known for his hard work ethic and the ability to bring the best out of other
artists, Goldtoes is looking to broaden his reach from the West to the rest
of the country. From the looks of it, hes about to build a pretty impressive
pipeline.
Interview by D-Ray
Words by Maurice G. Garland
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oure in rap group with this guy whos clearly a better business-
man than emcee. You want to trust his business vision, but hes
taking a little too long to put your music out. As much as you
enjoy working with the guy, you just cant quell that hunger to
go out and get your own. so, you leave. You put out a few well-received
records, your former group member moves away and does the same, only
with a new set of co-workers. You continue to put out some well-received
records, but your former partner winds up blowing up and becoming a
millionaire and an infamous icon in the music industry. Would you regret
you decision? Bay Area vet Chilee Powdah made that choice, and he hasnt
looked back since.
Back then I was real hungry, so I wasnt as patient as I am now, says
Powdah, an original member of Master Ps group Tru who left the group
before it became the fagship of No limit records. It was a good experi-
ence because I got a lot of game on the business. I was with P walking into
In-A-Minute records when it was just us, rBl Posse, rappin 4-Tay and Too
$hort. I dont have any regrets, though.
Nor should he. A decade and some change later Powdah is still putting out
albums and being accepted as a veteran artist who can still keep up with
the youngsters. since releasing his frst album late Night Gafin in 1992
featuring the breakout single Dank and Drank, Powdah has built a musical
catalog that include over 30 releases, including albums, mixtapes, and
compilations.
Ive been able to stay afoat because I stay in the streets, says Powdah,
crediting his ability to still relate to the Bays younger rappers to his staying
power. Even though Im on some grown man shit, they see that and re-
spect it. They look at the long line of records Ive put out. It doesnt matter
how much they sold; they see the consistency and they know I dont hold
onto game. I share it.
Powdah is adding to his catalog with his upcoming real rich/Koch-dis-
tributed release stunnas on My Face. Powered by the singles lil Mama
featuring Mistah F.A.B. and V.I.P. featuring his artist Don P, Powdah insists
that the record will become an instant favorite.
People are going to hear some of my most focused work this time around,
says Powdah, who spends a lot of time jetting back and forth between
his richmond, California roots and Arizona, which he has adopted as his
second home. With this album, I wasnt trying to appeal to everybody, but
I think I got something thats appealing to everybody.
Interview by N.A.
Words by Maurice G. Garland
24 // 0Z0h wS1
0Z0h wS1 // 25
E
very new artist says theyre com-
ing to change the game, but few
live up to the lofty goal. so when
Panamanian duo los rakas claims
theyre going to change the way you listen to
music, you cant help but be skeptical. How-
ever, within seconds of your frst listen to one
of their songs, youll be convinced that these
guys are actually diferent.
Comprised of Filthy rich and Dun Dun, the
duo blends spanish with English, Hip Hop
and reggaeton, creating a brand theyve
labeled Panabay.
The reason we decided to try something
diferent was because we felt the industry
was saturated with the same kind of music,
says Filthy rich. The group dropped their frst
project The spanglish Experiment in 2006,
featuring the single Panabay Twist.
originally operating as two solo entities,
the duo shared a common background.
Filthy rich was born in the Bay and raised
in Panama City, while the reverse applied to
Dun Dun. Mutual friends helped them unite
to push a bigger agenda.
The story we are telling is the one of an
Afro-latin minority, urges Dun Dun. our
story contains chapters that American Afro-
latinos experience on a day to day basis.
Experiences such as immigration, relation-
ships, and poverty.
Infuenced by a bevy of artists including
Celia Cruz, Nas, Buju Banton, and Yukmouth,
los rakas unique style has aforded them
the opportunity to grace stages with the
likes of Krs-oNE, dead prez, Goapele and
Zion I, truly a testament to their diverse
content and lyricism.
In raising our bar with subject matter and
themes, that give us the inspiration to write
our lyrics, says rich. Were incorporating
English and the spanish vocabulary. That
brings two diferent cultures together.
That ideal is most evident on songs like No
Me Digas No (I Dont say No). The lyrics are
rapped entirely in spanish, but the beat is all-
American, easily comparable to the current
club banger.
We are artists that were formed in the bar-
rio, meaning the hood, says Dun. We will
never leave our hood behind as we evolve
onto a national level.
Filthy rich adds, The plan for our career
is to always bring something original and
continue to evolve. We want to do diferent
genres of music, never sell out, and represent
the Panabay for life.
Interview by Saba G
Words by Maurice G. Garland

P
a
tie
n
tly
Waiting
0Z0h wS1 // 25
26 // 0Z0h wS1
barack Obama rally
location: Metro Park
City: Jacksonville, Fl
Date: september 20th, 2008
Photo: Terrence Tyson
end zone

0Z0h wS1 // 27
DJ Burn One & Ms. WilliaMs/Perfect 10/Drift city
In 2008 any new female rapper is either going to get
compared to lauryn Hill or lil Kim. Fortunately, Ms. Williams
sounds like shes on her way to carving her own niche down
the middle. Williams wastes no time establishing herself on
the mic fnding a balance between wordplay and fourplay,
leaning more towards the former. Backed by appropriate
production that matches both her baritone braggadocio and
melodic falsettos, the only setback to Perfect 10 is that fact
that its 21 tracks long and has too many features, which al-
lows some of Williams male counterparts to actually dampen
her presence. - Maurice G. Garland
DeMOlitiOn Men & Mistah f.a.B./Play tiMe is Over
on Play Time Is over Mistah F.A.B. and the Demolition Men
quit the fun and games and take an uncut Hip Hop approach
to this mixtape. Fab goes in lyrically on Welcome To Town,
trades verses with Glasses Malone on Blowin up, and sips
lean with Bun B, Paul Wall and Chamillionaire on 2 MPH.
Production and concept-wise, a couple tracks like swag (let
Me show You),umm Hmm and Dipped In Butter still sound
somewhat playful, but more often than not on this project,
Fabby Davis Jr. leaves the ghostriding and yellow bus games
behind and lets the rhymes speak for themselves. - randy
roper
crOOkeD i/the BlOck OBaMa
Crooked Is idea of change is slightly diferent from presiden-
tial candidate Barack obamas, but on The Block obama, the
left Coast rapper takes his campaign through the streets of
l.A. Crook makes his issues with rappers clear as he covers
M.I.A.s Paper Planes, fips lil Waynes A Milli, vents on
Hard on da Blvd and reintroduces the city of long Beach
on Welcome To My City.Tracks like Freaks and Ws Down
dont do much for Crooks hood politics, but there are more
than enough moments throughout this mixtapes 20 cuts that
announce his time for change philosophies to West Coast
rap politics. - randy roper
DJ haze & the GaMe/Black Wall street raDiO 5
The Games latest album l.A.X. was released a few months ago,
but that didnt stop the l.A. emcee and his Black Wall street gang
from fooding the streets with more new music. Baggage Claim,
Nightmares equipped with a Jay-Z diss, and Compton story
(Games rendition of slick ricks Childrens story), are all Chuck
Taylor solo tracks that make this mixtape a must-listen. But Juice,
Clyde Carson, X.o. and Nu Jersey Devil prove that Black Wall is
far from a one man gang on tracks like In These streets,Im so
Hood, and refection In The Mirror. - randy roper
Blu & MainfraMe are: JOhnsOn & JOhnsOn
Clearly, Blu works best when hes working backwards. Though
this collab with producer Mainframe is his third nationally re-
ceived project, this is actually his debut that was recorded prior
to Beneath the Heavens. Just like his other projects, Blu works
comfortably in the one rapper/one producer mode, making
each song sound custom made instead of A&rranged. New ears
will be easily excited by the basic but funky looped beats and
nimble rapping, while familiar ears may walk away wishing for
more. - Maurice G. Garland
DJ WarriOr & Planet asia/Pain lanGuaGe
Dont let anybody tell you that lyrics dont matter or arent alive
anymore in Hip Hop, because Planet Asia has them for days. Asia
doesnt do much to disappoint lyrically, but at the same time,
he doesnt do a lot to excite either. Many times he takes you on
a verbal roller coaster that leaves you more bewildered than
thrilled. organic production serves as the proper backdrop for
his words, but doesnt serve much purpose outside of listening
at your desk or getting you amped for a cypher of your own.
- Maurice G. Garland