Ice Cube ‘Drink the Kool-Aid’

OZONE MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES HOST AND LIST OF NOMINEES FOR THE 3RD ANNUAL OZONE AWARDS

OZONE Magazine today announced actor/comedian, DeRay Davis [MTV’s Wild ‘n’ Out, BET’s Comic View] as host for its 3^rd Annual OZONE Awards show in Houston, Texas, Monday August 11^th, at the George R Brown Convention Center. Topping the list of nominees for this year’s award ceremony is Lil Wayne, with 8 nominations in more than 5 categories including TJ’s DJ’s Hustler Award, Club Banger of the Year and Best Lyricist. Other Nominees include T-Pain, Rick Ross, Plies, Kanye West, Killer Mike, Trick Daddy, Shawty Lo, Bun B, Trey Songz, Flo Rida, Usher, Young Jeezy, DJ Khaled, Greg Street, Akon, Ice Cube, Snoop and The Game.

 

Honoring the memory of the late UGK rapper, Pimp C, OZONE will dedicate a new category, the “PIMP C AWARD (TRILLEST ARTIST)”, to a list of nominees who have expressed personal views and been outspoken about controversial topics in and outside of music. Nominees included Kanye West, David Banner, Killer Mike, Lil Wayne, Trae and Trick Daddy.

 

“We wanted to dedicate a category this year for the Trillest Artist Award,” explains OZONE Founder and producer of the OZONE Awards, Julia Beverly. “Since Pimp C was one of the most vocal members of our community we felt it was appropriate to name the award after him. While we are guests in Houston, we hope to do as much as we can to represent the city’s unique culture, which includes remembering Pimp C and other Texas legends who have passed, like DJ Screw, Big Hawk, Fat Pat and Big Moe.”

 

A complete list of nominees across more than 25 categories including “Best Rap Album”; “Breakthrough Artist”; “Best Rap Group”; Best Video”; and “DJ of The Year” are in the attached release.

To vote for this year’s nominees please log onto www.ozonemag.com/toa_voting/

 

 

About OZONE Magazine

Founded by Julia Beverly in 2002, OZONE Magazine represents the best in Southern rap music and is now internationally distributed at many major retail outlets and newsstands. The OZONE Awards are OZONE Magazine’s annual star studded award ceremony honoring the biggest names in Southern Hip Hop. The event honors Southern artists in over 20 different categories. Past participants include Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, UGK, Pitbull, David Banner, Trina, DJ Khaled, and DJ Drama. For more information, please visit www.ozonemag.com

 

 

About TJ’s DJ’s Tastemakers Only Music Conference

TJ’s DJ’s was established in 1994 as an opportunity for thirsty DJs in North Florida and Southern Georgia to receive the best music first while providing powerful feedback that fuels the crucial decisions made by labels.  Over the years, TJ’s DJ’s has evolved to an organization that builds bridges with the quarterly Tastemakers Only/DJ Music Conferences including the annual partnership with OZONE Magazine’s OZONE Awards, takes advantage of technology by being the first urban pool to service CDs, incorporating mp3s to break music, utilizing the music traders on the message boards at http://www.TJsDJs.com to generate over 20 million hits per month, and provide first class promotions and consulting on how to navigate the dangerous waters of the music industry. For more information, please visit www.tjsdjs.com

Ice Cube Announces New Album Date, Video & Tour

Multi-Platinum and Award Winning Hip-Hop Superstar Ice Cube makes his highly anticipated return to the mic with the debut of his eighth solo LP, titled Raw Footage. Following the 2006 release of the critically acclaimed, Laugh Now, Cry Later, which debuted at #2 on the R&B/Hip Hop sales chart and #4 on the Top 200 sales chart, making it the years highest selling independent release in hip hop, the West Coast’s Greatest Rap Lyrist is back again.  Raw Footage which will be released by Ice Cube’s independently owned label, Lench Mob Records, will hit shelves and online on August 19th. 

 

Boasting production from producers such as Maestro, Emile, DJ Crazy Toones, Teak “Da Beatsmith” Underdue and Dee Underdue and featuring guests Musiq Soulchild, Young Jeezy, The Game and WC, Cube looks to continue his reign as rap’s heavy weight champion, showcasing his creative and lyrical genius throughout 17 solid tracks.   With the streets already talking about the earlier released buzz single & video “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” which MTV boasted as the first great song and video of 2008, Cube follows up with the album’s first official single and video, “Do Ya Thang.” Following its debut as at the #1 most added record at rhythmic radio recently, the certified banger produced by Palumbo Beats makes its video debut today on www.icecube.com. Directed by Dale “Rage” Resteghini, the video perfectly paints Cube’s message about “doing your thing and not worrying about who’s looking,” blending cool summer scenes with new sports cars and signature West Coast low riders.

 

As he readies for the highly anticipated release of Raw Footage, Cube will kick off an International tour on July 11th in Leipzig, Germany for 11 dates which will lead into his US tour starting on August 21st in Seattle and ending on September 21st in New York City.

 

Ice Cube Tour Dates are as follows:

 

July 2008

11 – Leipzig, Germany – Splash Festival

12 – Frauenfeld, Switzerland – Openair Frauenfeld

14 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom

15 – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013

16 – Amsterdam, Holland – Melkweg

18 – Dour, Belgium – Dour Music Festival

19 – Stuttgart, Germany – MTV Hip Hop Open

21 – Stockholm, Sweden – Kagelbanan

23 – Helsinki, Finland – Helsinki Icehall

25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – KB Hallen

26 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller Music Hall

 

August 2008
21 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
22 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
24 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
26 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
27 – Bakersfield, CA – The Fox
29 – Anaheim, CA – The Grove
30 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues

September 2008
1 – West Hollywood, CA – House of Blues
2 – San Diego, CA – 4th and B
3 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
5 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre
6 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
7 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
9 – North Kansas City, MO – Harrah’s North Kansas City/Voodoo Lounge
10 – St. Paul, MN – Myth
12 – Fort Wayne, IN – Piere’s
13 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
14 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
16 – Mt. Clemens, MI – Emerald Theatre
17 – Johnson City, NY – Magic City Music Hall
19 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore at Theater of Living Arts
21 – New York, NY – The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza

ABOUT ICE CUBE

Known to be one of the most important figures in rap history, Ice Cube began his career with the Notorious West Coast Gangsta Rap Group N.W.A two decades ago. At the height of the group’s success, Ice Cube broke away to start his own solo career. His initial release, “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted” (Priority, 1990) sold over a million copies. His sophomore solo effort, “Death Certificate” (Priority, 1991), a concept album about the fall and rise of the black man, debuted at #1 on the R&B Album chart, #2 on the Top 200 album chart and went on to sell over two million copies. His impressive musical career also includes the multi-platinum success of both his double album “War and Peace,” and hit albums “Lethal Injection,” “Bootlegs & B-Sides,” “The Predator,” and the gold certified, independently released “Laugh Now, Cry Later.” Ice Cube has sold over 10 million albums to date.