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SUPERBOWL<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
As I’m writing this with my eyes half<br />
open, it’s 4:30 am in Atlanta and I’m<br />
day-dreaming - well, night-dreaming<br />
actually - of sunny Miami. It’s rained here<br />
for 5 days straight, and it’s too cold for any<br />
Floridian to endure, making this mag difficult<br />
to complete because I want to grab a blanket<br />
and hibernate. *sips Red Bull and continues<br />
typing*<br />
But this issue is nearly done, and despite the<br />
depressing weather and sleep starvation, I’m<br />
really vibing on the inside. There’s no greater<br />
feeling than finishing a major project. The way<br />
I feel right now is probably how a musician<br />
feels when they turn in an album to their label.<br />
Relief. Pride. Excited to see the final outcome.<br />
Anxious for the world to share in my work. And<br />
even though an artist has months to record<br />
an album, and I only had a week to interview<br />
Florida’s finest, it’s still the same level of satisfaction.<br />
It takes the same level of dedication<br />
to come up with a direction, a list of goals,<br />
execute them within a deadline, and turnout a<br />
quality, creative product. Not to mention overcoming<br />
unforeseen setbacks (like how I lost<br />
my voice for 3 days<br />
and couldn’t interview<br />
anyone). But we<br />
at OZONE do this numerous<br />
times a year,<br />
and still keep variety<br />
in the content.<br />
Florida artists have staying power, there’s not<br />
much turn around as far as rappers falling off<br />
and new ones taking their place. Pretty much<br />
everyone gets on top and stays there. So I<br />
thought about what we were missing, what<br />
the music listeners are missing in general, and<br />
it was obvious – female representation.<br />
You’ll notice a few more female artist features<br />
than usual. And that’s kind of a reflection of<br />
the game in general right now. Newcomers<br />
like Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj have made<br />
such a huge impact recently, and vets like<br />
Trina and Lil Kim are staying active. I predict<br />
this trend will strengthen. As you flip through<br />
these pages, when you stop to stare at the<br />
chick pics, make sure you take a few minutes<br />
to read their stories too. In this business, it<br />
takes twice as much effort for a woman to be<br />
noticed outside of her looks. They deserve<br />
props.<br />
And I deserve a few hours of sleep. [Turning off<br />
phone, logging off Twitter, tuning out haters]<br />
See you Super Bowl Weekend.<br />
- Ms. Rivercity (below, center)<br />
Variety in mind, I<br />
really struggled for<br />
ideas this Super<br />
Bowl edition. Not<br />
because there’s a<br />
lack of talent in Miami,<br />
but because<br />
we’ve interviewed<br />
everyone in the<br />
city already. And<br />
because South<br />
14 // OZONE MAG
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