JB’s 2cents
When I started publishing OZONE Magazine in 2002, I was
a college dropout just trying to figure out where I fit in and
make a few dollars to pay the rent. Due to both endless curiousity
and lack of resources, over time, I learned how to run
every aspect of the business myself. I never considered myself to
be the best photographer, the best writer, the best graphic designer,
or the best ad salesperson. I was just a hustler, willing to
put in the work. So I understood Jeezy’s ethos from day one.
I met Jeezy on the set of Ciara’s first video shoot and interviewed
him on the spot. You can learn a lot about someone from the way
other people treat them, and I’ve always found this to be a more
reliable barometer for discovering talent than just listening to an
artist’s music. Judging from the way fans reacted to Jeezy that
day, it was clear he was building an authentic movement.
In those early days of OZONE, I roamed the Southeast with a Nikon
and rarely encountered other photographers or mainstream media
reps. At times I felt like an explorer discovering a whole new
world. (I’m so old that my directions were hand-drawn maps on
index cards, pre-GPS and smartphones.)
Guys like Jeezy, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Slim Thug, Mike Jones, Paul Wall,
Young Buck, Lil Boosie, Plies, and so many more were all grinding
under the radar then, but they were building real fanbases,
and when I saw it for myself I couldn’t believe nobody else was
capturing these moments. And my timing couldn’t have been any
better. I was front-and-center for a real cultural movement, and
looking back, it feels good to know that I was a part of history.
Southern rap is mainstream now: DJ Khaled is doing TurboTax
commercials and Jeezy is running the Peachtree Road Race with
the mayor of Atlanta. It’s a whole new world, and Southern artists
are overlooked no more. Rappers today can rack up a bunch of
YouTube views or Soundcloud listens and get snatched up in a
360 deal, assigned to an agent, and plopped on a bunch of festivals
at astronomical prices, skipping over the nightclub grind
where the stars of the 2000s were born. But watching Jeezy run
through his entire catalog to a packed house at the TM104 release
concert (see page 42) reminded me that a few things will never
change: the hustle never dies, and good music lives on forever.
People ask me all the time when I’m bringing back OZONE. I think
OZONE served its purpose. It played a role in the South’s struggle
for respect in the Hip Hop world and we all, collectively, achieved
our goal. It’s always about growth, moving forward, on to bigger
and better things.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these selections from the archives.
Digging through all this old material has me inspired, so
who knows what the future may hold? (Ha Ha! in my Jeezy voice)
OZONE MAG // 5
- Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com
RE’Splaylist
Boyz N Da Hood “Dem Boyz”
Jeezy f/ Kanye West “Put On”
YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan “My N*gga”
Drake f/ Jeezy “Unforgettable”
Shawty Lo f/ Jeezy, Ludacris, Lil Wayne & Plies “Dey Know (Remix)”
Jeezy f/ Jay-Z & Andre 3000 “I Do”
Jeezy f/ 2 Chainz “SupaFreak”
Jeezy f/ Meek Mill “MLK BLVD”
JEEZY CLASSICS
Jeezy “Air Forces”
Jeezy f/ Bun B “Trap or Die”
Jeezy f/ Nas “My President”
Jeezy f/ Jay-Z “Go Crazy”
10 THINGS JEEZY IS
HATIN’ ON
by Eric Perrin
1. DAY JOBS
My PO telling me I need a 9 to 5
But I already got a job, and that’s stayin’ alive
- “I Luv It”
2. DISLOYAL WOMEN
So all the ladies repeat after me cause it’s
the G-Code
Promise if I get locked, you’ll come and pay
my bond
If you near some niggas plotting on me,
you’ll ring the alarm
And everytime you give it to me it’s gon’ be
the bomb
- “I Do”
3. SMALL PURCHASE ORDERS
I got real clientele
We ain’t breakin’ shit down, we don’t need
no scales
- “Dem Boyz” (Boyz N Da Hood)
4. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Standing at the podium
I’m tryna watch my sodium
- “Amazing”
5. THE GOVERNMENT
I really ain’t buyin’ all that bullshit they sellin’ me
When the government throwing more
curves than the letter C
- “Crazy World”
6. UTILITY BILLS
It’s kinda hard to be drug free
When Georgia Power won’t give a n*gga
lights free
- “Go Crazy”
7. SQUARE WOMEN
The good die young so I’ma need a thug
wife
Yeah, I’m talkin’ his and her firearms
- “Unforgettable” (Drake & Jeezy)
8. BODYGUARDS
Wear a lot of jewelry
Young don’t do security
- “Put On”
9. FORMAL ATTIRE
The .45 make my pants sag
Catch me bouncing through the club with
my Crip flag
“Bang”
10. THE BULLSHIT
Minus the bullshit, life’s great!
- “Get Ya Mind Right”
THADDAEUS MCADAMS
Jeezy was always pleased
about everything we printed
in OZONE, and he never mock
punched me in the face ...
... over the years he always
posed and smiled cheerfully
for my camera every time I
saw him!
It’s all good though. Under
the thug exterior we know
he really loves OZONE!
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