1st Annual Ozone Magazine Awards

Ozone Magazine, a voice of Southern rap, is holding its first award show alongside the 2006 TJ’s DJ’s Tastemaker DJ/Music Conference. The 2006 Ozone Magazine Awards Show will be hosted by non-other than Jackson, Mississippi’s own David Banner. Ozone Editor and Publisher Julia Beverly is the founder who created this print platform (Ozone Magazine) for Southern hip-hop and recently formed a partnership with Cam’ron to form another magazine entitled Platinum Entrepreneur which in Cam’Ron’s own words is a break down of the best of the best in the business. “At the end of the day, business is business,” says Cam’ron in the premiere issue of Platinum Entrepreneur. “Ozone, of course, is all things Southern.. But like Cam’ron says, business is business. Money is money. East, West, North, South, doesn’t matter-if you’ve got a do-it-yourself attitude like The Diplomats clearly do, I’m down with you,” says Julia Beverly.

The 1st Annual Ozone Magazine award show will be at the Bob Carr auditorium in Orlando, Fla., at 7 p.m. Aug. 6 and will feature peformances by Lil Wayne, Pimp C, Too Short, T-Pain, Pitbull, Rick Ross, and others. The TJ’s DJ’s Tastemaster Music Conference will be on Aug. 4-5 and features a host of official after parties throughout panels on topics of Technology, Producers, Indie CEO’s, DJs, Women in the Industry, A & R’s, Media Outlets, and more.

The Ozone Magazine award show will feature the usual award categories including Best Album (R&B and Rap), Best Group and Best Artist, Best Video plus some more unique categories such as Best Lyricist, Club Banger, and Patiently Waiting featuring Southern states Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia.

Some nominees for major categories are: Bun B, Lil Wayne, Paul Wall, T.I., and Young Jeezy for “Best Male Rap Artist”; Crime Mob (Diamond & Princess), Jacki-O, Khia, Rasheeda, Shawnna, and Trina for “Best Female Rap Artist”; DJ Khaled (Miami, FL), Freddy Hydro (Memphis, TN), Greg Street (Atlanta, GA), DJ Nasty (Orlando, FL), and Michael Watts (Houston, TX) for “Best Radio DJ”; Bun B – Trill (Rap-A-Lot/Asylum), Juvenile – Reality Check (Atlantic), Lil Wayne – The Carter 2 (Cash Money/Universal), T.I. – King (Grand Hustle/Atlantic), and Young Jeezy – Thug Motivation: Let’s Get It (Def Jam) for “Best Album”; and Boyz N Da Hood, D4L, Dem Franchize Boyz, Little Brother, Three 6 Mafia, and Ying Yang Twins for “Best Rap Group”.

Up for Best Video are Chamillionaire f/ Krayzie Bone “Ridin’ Dirty,” Da BackWudz “I Don’t Like The Look of It,” Juvenile “Get Ya Hustle On,” Rick Ross “Hustlin’,” Three 6 Mafia f/ Young Buck and 8Ball & MJG “Stay Fly,” and Ozone Awards show host David Banner “Play”. Banner is also nominated for the No Escape Award and TJ’s DJ’s Hustler Award. Award show tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com, www.ozonemag.com or tjsdjs.com. Visit http://www.ozonemag.com/tj_voting/ to vote for your favorite artists.