Crunk Certified Premiere Issue

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Founder/Publisher Desmick Perkins Senior Editor Anne-Laure “Tai” Saint-Louis Art Director Mark Lupo Online Content Editor AJ Woodson Associate Editor Christopher Daniel Crunk Certified Staff aka The Committee mas, Primo Tillman Melissa Stewart, Max-El Safford, Neenah Tho istian Cipollini, Contributing Writers Rodric Bradford, Chr Kyria Michele, Travis Pollock

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ince everyone has his or her theory on what’s wrong with Hip-Hop today, I’d like to offer one for your consideration. Do you remember the law of supply and demand? I know for some of y’all, this means thinking all the way back to high school, and honestly it’s a little hazy to me too… but ride with me on this one.

When too much of a good is available, it often leads to a decline in quality and demand.

Something to do with inflation… I would try to explain it a little better, but Economics was my third period nap time ten years ago. In any case, what I’m getting at is that the Hip-Hop market is oversaturated. Think about it: how many artists, producers, CEOs, designers, etc. do you know personally? I’m not saying that none of those people that you or I know is legitimately doing what they claim to be doing… But seriously: everybody CAN’T be doing the same thing. Free market economies don’t function so well that way. Somebody HAS to JUST be working at Kinko’s. Period.

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Two groups of people suffer from this HipHop Inflation and the decline in quality. First are the fans who unfortunately either a) start believing that they have to put up with the current state of Hip-Hop or b) stop listening, buying or caring. Then, there are those individuals who dedicate their blood, sweat and tears to this Hip-Hop thing, only to be cast among the posers. Crunk Certified is here to bring those individuals to the fans.

They are the ones keeping this Hip-Hop thing alive by taking what their predecessors have created and putting a fresh spin on it. We’re talking artists like our cover boy Plies, who is simultaneously changing the crispy clean image of South West Florida’s beach towns and how Florida Hip-Hop is perceived. Or Hurricane Chris, one of the artists at the very forefront of the needed change in how the music business operates. Or Kinfolk Kia Shine, who through perseverance and hard work is showing the world that the New American Dream does exist. Or even

singer Deemi, who by bearing her soul to her listeners, is creating her own lane in R&B. Crunk Certified was created to celebrate the future pioneers of the worlds of music, fashion and business, who are tied together by the common thread of Hip-Hop. With each issue, readers will meet the brightest up and coming artists, producers, athletes, actors, clothing designers, and labels. While anyone can claim to be next to blow and any magazine can swear to have discovered the next best thing, Crunk Certified encompasses the most buzz worthy in their field, united through their common foundation in Hip-Hop. And of course their ability to Keep It Crunk!

Check out the inaugural class!

Anne-Laure “Tai” Saint-Louis Senior Editor

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BLAZED: THE NEW FACE OF GARY, INDIANA? By: Neenah Thomas ime and again it has been proven that music has the ability to bring people together and to make difficult situations better. For three young Gary, Indiana natives, it has done both, uniting them throughout their adolescence as they developed their passion into a career.

The three members of R&B group Blazed met while attending the Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts. The trio meshed and began playing talent shows at school and local churches, honing their skills and perfecting the dynamic of the group. Each member of Blazed brings his own flavor and distinct personality to the fold. Josh brings a keen, strong sound that grabs the listener’s attention.

Wayne brings a smoothed-out, sensual sound. Nate brings old school flavor with a spiritual feel. Blended together, their voices perfectly complement each other to create one of the most complete groups in R&B music today. “Whatever “it” is, they’ve got it in droves.” Blazed is a three-time winner at the world famous “Show Time at the Apollo”.

Crunk: What was growing up in Gary, Indiana like?

Blazed: It was rough, but it brought out the best in all of us. We were blessed enough to attend Emerson School of Performing Arts. It is the only performing arts school in the state of Indiana. That’s where we met.

Crunk: You guys have been performing together for almost 10 years and you started at a very young age. What were some of your early performances like?

Blazed: We started out singing together to impress girls. Then we started doing talent shows. We didn’t always win, but we kept perfecting our craft.

Crunk: Having been together for so long, what is your personal relationship like?

Blazed: We’re like brothers. There are no egos, and we know and respect each other.

That vibe comes across in music and our performances.

Crunk: You guys write and arrange your own music. When did you start doing that?

Blazed: That was part of our early development. We started around 15 or 16. A friend of ours, Chris Styles, had a studio and we used to go over there and play around with beats and arrangements. It just grew from there.

Crunk: Are you thinking about writing for other artists?

Blazed: Definitely, that is something we want to do. We would like to share our music with our peers.

Crunk: What is going on with your career?

Blazed: Right now we are in a 45-day program organized by Hiram Hicks at the Artist Factory. It’s an artist development program set up to get new artists ready for the music business in its entirety.

Crunk: You’re busy in the studio. Who are you working with?

Blazed: We are working with some up and coming producers from Chicago and Atlanta.

We are willing to work with anyone who wants to work with us.

Crunk: What can we expect from your music?

Blazed: You can expect singing, old school R & B singing, about real things we have experienced in our lives.

As lifelong students of the game, these passionate y oung men are poised to the change the face of today’s R&B music. Today, Blazed anxiously await the opportunity to impact the world with their

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KIA SHINE

By Christian Cipollini

Intelligent Design

No matter what you’ve heard or seen, believe there is more to Kia Shine’s story than meets the eye. His highly anticipated debut album, Due Season, charted on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, as well as both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and the Top Rap album, thanks in part to his first foray into MTV consciousness via the hit “Krispy.” Yes, Kia Shine definitely got the chance to reap the rewards of his hard work and tenacity in 2007. So if it seems like he’s bragging, it’s not because he’s conceited: he’s happy. And it’s a happiness well earned.

Long before the masses knew his name or were bouncing to his music, Kia Shine endured poverty, was struck with viral meningitis, went on to enjoy corporate success, nose-dived back into destitution state, and again forged beyond the setbacks to meet success in this unforgiving business known as the music industry.

According to this proactive seeker of progress, everything that has happened to him was “God’s plan.” So while society debates the theories of evolution versus intelligent design in the realm of science and religion, Kinfolk Kia Shine seems to be living proof that a good existence, at least in the music business, requires a little of both – faith and personal evolution alike.

“All things work together for the good,” he says paraphrasing a biblical verse. “If you continue to work and grind, then those setbacks end up being comebacks.” He can raise a glass to that perseverance.

Kia makes clear that his album isn’t onedimensional, rather serving as art that tells a story too. “As a recording artist, as a CEO, as a producer, and as a man of God,“ he declares, “it walks you through that - from my childhood to where I am now.”

“I THINK ANY CLASSIC ALBUM, FROM A FIRST TIME ARTIST, WILL SHOW YOU WHERE THAT ARTIST IS FROM, WHERE THEY’VE BEEN AND WHERE THEY’RE GOING.” “I was raised like any other kid, but my neighborhood environment had the whole dope-selling thing,” he recalls of the early days. He opted to avoid the temptations. “When my cousins and other individuals around me were doing that I just stayed clear because I knew it wasn’t for me,” he adds. Paired with the positive influence his mother and grandmother had on him, Kia’s stepfather played an important, yet sadly ironic role in the young man’s future musical exploration. “My stepfather, the person who inspired me to do music, was addicted to the substance, so I’ve seen both sides of it.”

Kia claims he never lost sight of the plan God had in mind, and makes no apologies for not being a “thug” rapper today. He felt the future would unfold for the better if he kept at it in an intelligent manner. “I wanted to be respected a businessman,” he says of his first big move in the real world, a clothing store which he operated in Memphis for about five years. Though not involved in the music industry, having this type of establishment also lent to the developing character traits he now carries in a rap career. “A lot of my swagger,” he shares, “came from that – working in a clothing store having fresh clothes every day.”

Actually trumping the swagger trait for a moment, Kia Shine ventured yet another road, this time based prominently on his smarts, going to work for Harrah’s Casino’s main offices. It was there, at corporate headquarters in Memphis, that he would again begin to shine in a new capacity. I was then offered a position to go work in Las Vegas, he remembers proudly. But thankfully for future fans, he declined a promotion that would have effectively ended his career in music before it had even started. As it were, Kia Shine had actively been investing a good portion of his earnings into his brother’s group, using their music as his portal into the entertainment industry.

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“I turned down the corporate job and I was releasing my own records through SelectO-Hits,” he continues. “It was run by Johnny and Sam Phillips, and it was a way for me to learn a lot about how distribution works.”

But his deal with the historic label credited for discovering Elvis Presley didn’t mean he was set. “I was running into some brick walls with getting my records played on radio,” he says “so I went to New York.” It was there he met up with then Universal Records VP of A&R Dino Delvaille and, literally, sold him a beat by accident. “I was going to do a rap right in front of him, but he ended up wanting the beat,” Kia relates. “He bought it for like five-thousand. That’s how I got into the whole selling beats and producing. “

That success motivated Kia to create a movement that would allow him to expose producers and artists from all corners of Memphis. He partnered with budding entrepreneur Jack Frost to form Rap Hustlers Entertainment. Funds rolled in from the sale of some of the hottest beats to come out of Memphis. Those funds were invested in a roster of their own artists, including Yo Gotti, La Chat and Kingpin Skinny Pimp. This led to a deal with TVT records, which didn’t end on such a great note. “I put out the records, and what happened is TVT didn’t pay me,” he says matter-of-factly. “So all my artists left and went their separate ways.”

Kia lost everything he owned. “My house, my car, my business partner went to jail. The only one with me was my wifey and my brother,” he soberly remembers. With good people behind him, he made a promise aloud: “I am going to be an artist.” That decision led Kia Shine to where he is today – a full-time artist in the Universal Motown family.

“Some will look at me like a new artist, so I have to still grind my way up,” he admits. He doesn’t take it for granted, and he’s not about to become stagnant in his art either. “In the Bible it basically says you will reap in due season,” he says, paraphrasing Galatians 6:9, “meaning if you don’t give up in what God has blessed you to be able to do, and believe in yourself, then eventually you be able to get what he has for you. This is my due season, everything that is due to me. There’s a real story behind the music, and that’s what it is.”

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The Knights of the Ratchet Table F

rom the days of the No Limit tanks, to the do-rags of the Hot Boys and even in the wake of what Cash Money used to be, Louisiana has consistently provided us with some of the hottest club and summer bangers rap music has heard.

But preconceived notions and precedent aside, there is a crew rising out of The Boot that not only goes into combat mode in the booth, but is more than equip with the necessary armor to shut down any club scene. They’ve followed the blueprint used by many of their predecessors, creating a viral fan base and sustaining the demand for their music through hand-to-hand sales in the streets of northern Louisiana. But don’t get it twisted: Ratchet City’s movement is way deeper than a couple of dance moves.

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Formed in 2000, Ratchet City consists of Angie Locc, Untame Mayne, Big Poppa, Mandigo, and “A Bay Bay” producer Phunk Dawg. If social networking sites are any indication, this regional act is regional no more. Ratchet City has collectively reached over 500,000 friends on MySpace alone, not to mention the several hundred thousand hits that their new single “Pass Me Sum Wata” has received. From fan sites dedicated to the Ratchet way of life, to YouTube videos of fans doing the Ratchet, and showing just a glimpse of what the Ratchet Movement is really about, it’s obvious their message is being well received.

This newly discovered movement didn’t just pop up out of thin air though. The Ratchet Movement has been brewing for ten years within the city limits of Shreveport, Louisiana, or Ratched City as it’s been rechristened by the locals.

The group of the same name has been putting in work, with three previously released mixtapes under their belt - all released under their indie label Lava House Records, headed by Ratchet City frontman Mandigo.

Two of those releases sold a combined 60,000 copies independently, launching the Ratchet era and sending the southern club scene into a frenzy with the single “Do the Ratchet” featuring Lil Boosie, an avid representative of the Ratchet Movement. Another product of the Ratchet Movement, Hurricane Chris has the honor of introducing the world to his city’s rich culture, breaking the door down for a campaign that goes way beyond just music.

Some say that there hasn’t been a movement this big in rap music in a while and it is much needed. With Shreveport on their shoulders and a legion of fans in tow, the next level for this movement is close at hand. With the support of the Bryan Leach-helmed J Records imprint Polo Grounds Records, Ratchet City shows no sign of slowing down. Looks like Hurricane was just a warning shot.

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“

PEOPLE ARE SO DISAPPOINTED IN RAP. I’M TRYING TO RESTORE THE HIP-HOP FAN’S FAITH IN MUSIC. I’M SETTING A NEW PRECEDENT WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC. He holds the distinction of being the most celebrated and anticipated MC on Shady Records since the label’s founder. As a product of the Thomasville Heights projects of ATL’s infamous Zone 3, he also holds the distinction of being the only Southern bred recruit on Shady/ Aftermath’s roster. Recently, you may have heard him trade verses with Slim Shady’s crew on Eminem Presents The Re-Up. Still, when his debut disc, Statlanta finally drops, it will likely be an introduction for a lot of listeners.

But, while the name Stat Quo may not yet be a household name, be clear: he is no overnight sensation.

Stat is a throwback to the early days of hip-hop when artists had to pay dues before receiving the honor of making a record. The days when it was more important to rock a crowd than a Rolex, and you had to build your own buzz. That lesson’s definitely not lost on Stat. “If you want something done you have to do it yourself, you can’t depend on anyone else,” advises the man born Stanley Benton. “You got to get people to love your music and then people will deal with you.” It was just that attitude and drive that caught the attention of Slim Shady and The D.R.E.

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”

Almost as important as lyrical ability, an emcee’s name is everything and should be chosen wisely. “It derives from the word Status Quo,” explains the University of Florida grad.

That’s right: Stat earned a double major in International Business and Economics.

“I’m trying to restore the hip hop fan’s faith in music,” he continues.

“People are so disappointed in Rap. Just like Nas said, Hip-Hop is dead and everyone’s tryna sound like the hardest artist and carbon copies of what’s hot now.” With a rhyme flow reflecting a touch of West Coast flavor and East Coast lyricism just as heavily as the influences of his home town, Stat is far from the norm his moniker implies. His melodic style and smooth cadence guide you through tracks, keeping you digging for more. You might be wondering if this freshman is worthy of all the hype surrounding his name? Just check out the singles ‘Here we Go’ and ‘GRITS’ and you will be a believer. Stat Quo may suggest “the average,” but this rhymeslayer anything but.

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She’s hailed as the “Queen of Crunk,” a title Rasheeda is quite honored to hold. And she certainly doesn’t take her regal title for granted, as she continues to hold the crown down using a strong work ethic and a no-nonsense approach to the brutal music industry. Even with a scarcity of women in Hip-Hop these days, Rasheeda sits alongside the best emcees, male or female, more than ready to take them all on with the release of Dat Type Of Gurl.

Crunk Royalty

By Christian Cipollini

CRUNK: You’ve been immersed in this business for almost a decade now. How did you originally get involved in hip-hop?

RASHEEDA: I originally started in a three girl rap group called Da Kaperz. We dropped an independent album in 1998. After that happened, we went our separate ways, and I decided to become a solo artist. In 2001 I came with my first solo record called Dirty South and that got me a deal with Motown. I just been grinding hard ever since.

CRUNK: When were you dubbed “The Queen of Crunk”?

RASHEEDA: Ya know what, it happened a couple years ago and people just started calling me that. I would go on radio shows and people would say, ‘the queen of Crunk is in the building.’ I kind of got it from the performances because I would give [the audience] so much, definitely entertaining people. So, people started calling me that like, ‘Wow, you the queen of Crunk!’

CRUNK: Is it difficult as a female to keep pace in a male-dominated industry?

RASHEEDA: You count the female rappers on one hand, and it’s a fine line to walk as a female to gain both female fans and male fans. It’s not an easy industry, so I commend all the female emcees… you’ve got to have a thick skin.

CRUNK: Do you feel you have to find a balance between your talent and how your image is perceived?

RASHEEDA: To me, it’s just being me. I don’t concentrate on trying to appeal to everybody.

If that’s the case, I’d be damn crazy. My artist name is Rasheeda, and that’s my real name. I go out there and just be me, what I’m comfortable with. I don’t have to deal with image.

CRUNK: Your latest album Dat Type Of Gurl features a lot of guest artists: Akon, Kandi, Diamond and Princess of Crime Mob, to name a few. Was it difficult to bring everyone on board?

RASHEEDA: It’s actually not bad. Most of the people on the album are friends. It’s a matter of me calling, and someone coming through. Kandi I’ve known for years. In fact, we’re doing an album together called Peach Candy. As far as the girls from Crime Mob, we’re friends and talk on the phone all the time.

CRUNK: Now that the record has dropped, are the promotion and touring plans in full effect?

RASHEEDA: Oh hell yeah! That’s how you get close to fans, and I take a lot to my performing and doing shows.

CRUNK: What do you think are the best and worst elements of the hip-hop game?

RASHEEDA: The good is… it’s a lucrative business. The bad is you can quickly be forgotten. You constantly have to reinvent yourself. It’s a very unforgiving business, and that’s the really ugly part about it.

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any of today’s artists speak of things that they have never experienced personally, choosing instead to draw upon of their imagination or simply what they’ve witnessed in the lives of those around them. While this has become just as true of singers as it is of rappers, for R&B’s newest sensation, Deemi, it’s just not the case.

The Bed-Stuy songstress discovered her gift during a neighborhood talent show, where she won first place for her rendition of Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” at the tender age of seven. Although her early years weren’t picture perfect, it was the violent relationship with the father of her two children that became her inspiration.

She found an escape from the pain through song, cultivating an unrivaled talent in the process. Deemi’s soulful vocal talents caught the attention of Dangerous, LLC executive producer, Chris Styles. He, in turn, introduced her to Bruce Waynne, half of New York production duo Midi Mafia. They quickly began to work on her demo, encouraging her to sing about her many life experiences.

In 2004, she released her first single, “So Hood.” Sidestepping the formulaic style used by most of today’s songstresses, Deemi delivered a soulful grittiness that authenticated the words she sang. She gave listeners her unadulterated truth, unafraid to put herself out there for the sake of better connecting with future fans. “So Hood” became an instant hit, earning a position on mixtapes by veteran DJs Envy and Famous. That same year, she signed to Atlantic Records through Midi Mafia’s Family Ties imprint.

With her debut album Soundtrack of My Life, Deemi reveals a type of rawness that can only be told by someone who has really lived.

From the title track and lead single to gems like “How Do I” and “Hussler,” Deemi proves that she is a force to be reckoned with. Since the release of “Soundtrack of My Life” as a single, Deemi has seen her fan base grow not only in size, but in texture as well, thanks to numerous high profile appearances, which have allowed her to introduce he brand of Soul to diverse audiences across the globe.

While some of the newest names in R&B fail to establish themselves as more than pretty faces, Deemi remains in a class of her own.

She focuses on presenting a true tale of urban drama and survival, she delivers each note with passion, leaving no taboo untouched.

How many of her peers could convincingly share their experiences with Medicaid and abuse from a survivor’s perspective? Listen and learn.

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By Kyria Michele

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CHAD WES On Track

By Neenah Thomas

There are beat makers and then there are producers.

The difference, most people in the know would say, is that a producer is a true musician, someone who has as much a vested interest in his craft as any artist. Sadly, not every producer is blessed to see their hard work repaid with recognition. Chad “Wes” Hamilton is one of those talented, but lesser know producers. His music speaks volumes – just check tracks like Young Gunnz “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” or Beanie Siegel’s “Gotta Have It.” But who better than the man himself to tell you why you should pay attention to his brand of Philly funk?

Crunk: How long have you been in the business?

Chad: Well I have been rapping, writing, and playing around with production since I was 12, but I got my break in 2001 after college. I worked on a project for an artist called The Journalist on Motown. Then I worked on a lot of other projects that, for whatever reason, the labels decided not to put out. By 2003, I was one of the producers on the State Property 2 Album.

Crunk: Where did you go to school?

Chad: I attended Howard University on a Tennis Scholarship.

Crunk: Tennis? So you wanted to be the next Arthur Ashe?

Chad: I don’t know, but I loved the sport.

I remember growing up, seven of us practiced on a tennis court – Memorial Hall in West Philadelphia – that was surrounded by a concrete wall one foot outside the base line and we had to all

squeeze in there. I only had one hour, three times a week to practice, but I was determined to make it happen. I can only wonder how things would be different if I had access to better facilities with more time. That work ethic [is what] has gotten me this far.

Crunk: After State Property 2 came out, did things changed for you?

Chad: People started hearing my stuff and they liked it. The Philly market accepted me and they backed me, so I feel confident to go do what I do. I think when you are good at what you do it comes naturally.

I have my foot in the door, now my only problem is dealing with the fickle people in the industry.

Crunk: What is going on with you now?

Chad: I have my own production company called Day 1 and I’m working with a singer named Jeremy. I’m working with Chris from the Young Gunz, he has a solo

project about to come out. I’m working on Beanie Siegel’s new project. I have seven tracks on Peedi Crack’s new album. I’m working with Marsha of Floetry on her solo project, she is signed to Aftermath.

Crunk: Where do you want to go with your music career?

Chad: I just want to work and be able to put my music out. I’m not one of those people that have to be rich; I just want to be comfortable doing what I love to do.

I feel like if I’m allowed to do that, I can take it from there and branch off into other things.

Crunk: Are you pursuing any other business ventures outside of music?

Chad: I have a catering company called Bay Leaf Catering. And I am coming out with a tennis clothing line for children and juniors.

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The Real Testament

by Melissa A. Stewart

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he small town of Fort Myers, Florida is mostly known for its laid-back atmosphere and family beaches. It’s a Friday Night Lights kind of town, where heralded high school athletes grow up to be the likes of Deion Sanders and Jevon Kearse.

But like most similar small towns, this city has a dark side. The citizens who live on that side of town, amid the rampant drug trade and flourishing gang violence have a different name for “Thomas Edison’s Winter Home.” They call it Pakistan, accurately evoking exactly the type of bleak landscape one would imagine.

The city’s new blighted claim to fame is not quite one it asked for. Yet in the process, the gutters of the Dunbar projects, Michigan projects, Cuba Street and every hood hidden inside of Lee County, gave rise to a storyteller prepared to be the voice of those streets.

To man, it was hard to replace the image of Algernod Washington – star athlete, good student and all around good kid – with Plies, the unapologetic, brash, mannish rhyme spitter he has become.

Music was never his thing. But thanks to his older brother Big Gates, owner of a local indie label, it became only natural

for Plies to be around artists doing their thing. One day he picked up a mic in an effort to help one of those artists master a hook. “He never could get the hook down,” recalls Plies, “so the next day I let my brother hear the hook [I did], and he told me to stay on.” The resulting song, “Tell Dem Krackers Dat,” became a certified hit in the streets of South Florida and eventually fell upon the ears of Miamibased indie powerhouse label Slip-NSlide Records. And there it is.

On Father’s Day 2007, Plies sits in a conference room at the Twelve Hotel in Atlanta’s posh Atlantic Station. In all honesty, he would prefer not to have to work on this day, especially so as not to have those around him working either. When he walks into the room and realizes the interviewer in this instance is his old high school homie, he partners a shining full grill with a set of open arms. “Oh y’all can leave,” he announces to his entourage, “this is family right here! Ya’ll ain’t got to stay.” And with that the staff is dismissed. “I woke up this morning with a heavy heart cuz it’s a lot of ni**as that work with me that got kids,” he explains.

“I don’t like cats that work with me to be working on Father’s Day. I’m willing to suck this one up and take one for the team.”

Playing the role of benevolent crew leader has resulted, on occasion, in woes larger then the ones at hand on this day. In July of 2006 Plies was preparing for a performance in Gainesville, Florida when he was informed that his set would be cut by 15 minutes to accommodate Lil’ Boosie, who was also on the bill for the night. His entourage chose no better way to demonstrate their displeasure than by opening fire in the crowded venue. Though the five individuals hit were left with non life-threatening injuries, members of his clique were charged with attempted murder. Plies was also arrested. His case is still pending. Sadly, he’s not the first rapper to suffer for the actions of misguided street friends they tried to rescue from the hood with legit jobs.

“At some point you gone be placed in circumstances and situations to where you gone have to make a decision that could either cost you your freedom or help you get out a jam,” he says reflecting on the situation. “So now I just got n**as around me that is paid to do whatever it is they get paid to do. I’m not gon’ have my homeboys around me now toting guns and shit. I’ve figured that out now.

That ain’t in my best interest. At the end of the day I have to abide to a system that I didn’t create.”

I wanted to make what I call ‘reality music’ Today, though, Plies has several reasons to entertain a celebratory mood. His name is on the lips of nearly everyone involved in Southern Hip-Hop thanks in no small part to his collaboration with fellow Florida sensation T-Pain on his first single “Shawty,” far from the only radio-worthy track on Plies’ debut The Real Testament. The success of the song is not a fluke. Plies creates what he describes as “reality music,” songs that are relatable to his target audience.

“I didn’t really allow this album to be too much club music,” says the rising star.

“I wanted to talk about issues that people are going through on a day-to-day basis.

The beauty of what I do is staying true to who I am. It’s easy when you know who you are as a person. When you go to talking about half million dollar cars and the sixty thousand dollar watches and all that shit, you lose people because [they] can’t relate. Why should you buy a ni**a album for him to tell you how good he living?”

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Crunk: Your debut offers listerners fifteen slices of your own brand of reality. What is your favorite cut off the album?

Plies: I got this song called “Running My Momma Crazy.” It just talks about waking your mama up at 3 o’clock in the morning, calling her collect cuz you locked up. Now she gotta call off from work just to come bond you outta jail. For me it’s a personal favorite. I feel it’s so many people that can relate to that…I don’t think none of us really sit down and realize what we put our old girl through. That’s the most personal valuable song I ever did. I did a song called “I Am the Club.” I’m on some stuntin shit, like [how] most ni**as feel like it’s all about them.

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Crunk: We know that music wasn’t your first choice, but now that your career in music is taking off, what do you think about where it’s leading you now?

Plies: This music shit is just a small part of my life. I’ll never let this shit mold me and pull me outside of the lanes that I totally believe in. It’s sad for me to go and do a radio interview and for a program director to tell me I’m different. I used to hear that shit so much that it made me ask ‘What you mean I’m different?’ And they tell me, ‘You way smarter than I thought you was.” Most of these people expect the average rap ni**a to come in here and just be stupid. So for me it’s bittersweet.

Crunk: Is who you are today a result of your upbringing and the life you saw around you as a child?

Plies: I was gonna be different from a lot of people around me. Ain’t too many people around me had money. So I always wanted money. Ain’t too many people around me was educated and smart. I wanted to be educated and smart. Being from where I’m from, you try the athletic side of it first and if it work out for you that’s the path you take.

And if it don’t work out for you then you resort to the next best thang and most of the time it’s the street.

Crunk: After all the years of grinding it out as an independent, you landed on Slip-NSlide Records. That had to be major!

Plies: It was good for me cuz it allowed me to work with a brand that I was familiar with in terms of being from Florida. They was the face of Florida music. It was a real blessing, but at the same time, I took it as a challenge.

With this game, this shit worse than the streets. You and some ni**as can be beefing in the streets and ya’ll go through it that’s just kinda what it is. You got motherfuckers that play with you on this corporate side and it ain’t really nothing you can do.

Crunk: Usually when one person gets on, they usually reach back for the home team.

Is there anyone you look forward to bringing on with you?

Plies: First and foremost is getting myself in a situation where I’m comfortable in terms of what I’m doing. I’ll never have four or five ni**as signed to me and then I’m holding them up for two years until I get my shit where I want it to be. A lot of people got ni**as signed to them just to be a part of something. I’ll never devalue a dude like that.

What I want to do is allow this music thing to pave a way for me and get people to do business with me that I woulda never had the chance to do business with.

Crunk: So who gets Plies Crunk?

Plies: I feel like it’s a phase in this R&B shit right now. This is really reality music right now. You can listen to some of the R&B songs and they have substance right now.

It’s some rap shit of substance that I fuck with too. But one thing I don’t do is free promote none of these artists.

Crunk: What else are fans going to see from you that they may not necessarily have expected?

Plies: I got a prison tour that I’m doing.

And I’m going around to Coleman Federal Correctional Facility in Florida. It’s like 15 different facilities that I’m going to. I’m going up to New York to do Rikers Island and some others.

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2/25/08 9:20:27 PM

By Rodric Bradford

THESE YOUNG PLAYERS ARE READY TO BECOME BASEBALL’S NEXT SUPERSTARS Like almost every major sport in the U.S., Baseball has become so plagued with scandals that it’s hard to catch a game, much less follow one, without having to deal with the soap opera talk. But if you’re a die hard fan, or if you’re just willing to overlook the drama, there are young players in the MLB who are putting in their best efforts to bring glory and excitement back to the game.

You should get familiar, and maybe even catch these young athletes the next time their team comes to your city.

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B.J. Upton Second Base • D Delmon Young Right Field

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS If the Devil Rays ever played on national television you would know that Upton, 22, and Young, 21, are possibly the most talented young duo in the major leagues.

“They are both tremendous athletes, and help the Devil Rays in a number of ways,” says Marc Topkin, who covers the team for the St. Petersburg Times. “Upton has developed into the dynamic offensive player people expected, a true rare mix of tremendous speed and power. Young has power in his bat and a cannon for an arm.”

Upton first arrived on baseball’s national scene in 2002 when he was selected as the top 17-year old prospect in the nation

by Baseball America. Two years later he and Young were rated the #1 and #2 overall prospects in minor league baseball.

On Aug. 1 of that year, Upton became the youngest player in the major leagues, becoming the first teenager to hit a home

run in a major league game in over five years.

After spending a year in the minor league, Upton returned to the major leagues in 2006, starting in 48 of Tampa Bay’s remaining 56 games, all at third base. Upton has since made the change in position to second base.

The change in position has not affected Upton’s strong start in 2007, and by mid-May he was batting .333 with seven home runs and 23 runs batted in with a .593 slugging percentage.

“Upton came to spring training with no assurances of a job and was asked to change positions,” says Topkin. “Through an extensive amount of extra work, before and after regular team pre-game sessions, he learned to play second base. He was not only been the best hitter on the team, but he led the American League for nearly a week, with an impressive amount of clutch hits.”

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Young was the first player selected in the June 2003 Amateur draft and hasn’t looked back since. He made is home debut for the major league Devil Rays in September 2006, and still had rookie status for the 2007 season.

In his brief call-up at the end of the 2006 season he had 31 hits in his first 20 major league games. He also became the first player since Hall-of-Famer Willie McCovey in 1959 to get eight hits in his first three games, and ran off a 12-game hitting streak. For Young, 2007 started a little slow, with him batting .226 with four home runs and 14 runs batted in. Still, it is only a matter of time before Young finds his stroke at the plate.

“When the Rays drafted Upton and Young they envisioned them being the cornerstones of their franchise, and it looks like that could be the case,” says Topkin. “Whatever position Upton ends up and with Young in right field, you are looking at two players who should be in the middle of the Devil Rays batting order and at the top of their hit charts for a long time.”

Rickie Weeks Second Base

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have emerged as the surprise team of the National League in 2007. And their potential playoff run in the fall will be helped by second baseman Weeks, 24, who finished seventh in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2005 after only three months with the Brewers.

Weeks made his major league debut in 2003, the same year in which he began as a junior at Southern University. Weeks returned to the majors in 2005, making an instant impact with 13 home runs and 42 runs batted in. After a slight drop off in 2006, Weeks did settle into batting leadoff for the Brewers and made just two errors in his last 43 games.

2007 has seen Weeks start off a little slow with the Brewers, batting .237 with five home runs and 13 runs batted in during his team’s early run as National League contenders.

So if the Brew Crew from Wisconsin shocks the world and wins the World Series this fall, look for Weeks’ play up the middle to be a large part of their success.

WITH HIS TALENT AND WORK ETHIC, HE CAN BE A STAR. WHETHER H E W I L L B E O R N OT, R E MAI N S TO B E S E E N. B UT BAS E D ON WHAT WE HAVE SEEN SO FAR, I WOULDN’T BET AGAINST HIM.

Brandon Phillips Second Base

Cincinnati Reds Phillips, 25, has spent his whole major league career in the state of Ohio, first with the Cleveland Indians, and since 2006 as second baseman with the Cincinnati Reds.

After being acquired in the 2002 trade that sent pitcher Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos, Phillips became the Indians’ regular”

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second baseman for 2003, playing in a career-high 112 games with six home runs and 33 runs batted in. Phillips spent 2004 and 2005 in the minor leagues before being traded to the Reds for the 2006 season.

“He’s been very good since the Reds got him,” says John Fay, Reds beat writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He is very athletic with great speed and great range. He has good power for a guy his size and a good throwing arm. He works hard at the game, so there is nothing he doesn’t do well.”

As the Reds starting second baseman in 2006, he led his teams in hits and led all National League second baseman with 25 stolen bases, beginning the season with 19 straight stolen bases.

2007 has been another year of improvement on the way to superstar status for Phillips, batting .282 with six home runs and 19 runs batted in through his first 39 games. “This year he is making the routine plays in the field more consistently, and he is really turning double plays well,” says Fay. Like Phillips’ childhood idol, former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, Phillips looks like he can be a fixture in the middle of the Reds infield for years.

“Brandon plays the game with great enthusiasm and flair,” says Fay. “With his talent and work ethic, he can be a star. Whether he will be or not, remains to be seen. But based on what we have seen so far, I wouldn’t bet against him.”

2/25/08 9:20:59 PM

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2/25/08 9:21:22 PM

MIDIMafia You may not know their names, but you have heard their music. Midi Mafia is the deadly combination of DJ/Producer Dirty Swift and MC/Producer Bruce Waynne. Their partnership began in 2002 and has produced such hits as 50 Cents’ “21 Questions” and Fantasia’s “When I See You.” Of course Midi Mafia did not become certified hitmakers overnight.

Crunk Certified caught up with Bruce Waynne for some insight on their continuing journey.

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2/25/08 9:21:28 PM

By Neenah Thomas Crunk: How did you and Swift get together?

Bruce Waynne: We were both working with a rapper, The Bad Seed, who was signed to Warner Brothers. We were hanging out one day in the studio and he suggested we form a rap group called the Midi Mafia. We never formed the group, but the name stuck. At the time Swift and I were both looking for management and the manager [we found] thought we would work well together. We tried it and our first song together, “21 Questions,” was a hit.

Crunk: Now you have a label called “Family Ties” under Atlantic. How did that come about?

Bruce Waynne: We did a lot of work with Sylvia Rhone when she was running Elektra. So when “21 Questions” hit, she wanted to get us onboard. In the past she had signed Missy, but not Timbaland; and The Clipse, but not the Neptunes. So she didn’t want to make that mistake again. She wanted to have a business situation with the producers as well. So we got a label deal, an artist deal, and a song deal. We were also made A&R’s. But when the merger of Atlantic, Elektra, and Warner Brothers went down, business slowed up.

Crunk: Who have you signed to Family Ties?

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Bruce Waynne: [We have] an R&B singer from NY, Deemi; Balance, a rapper from the Bay Area; two rappers from NY: ATM and a female rapper named Precious Paris; a pop act, Nirvana Savoury; and two more female R&B singers: Shire and Changi.

Deemi was the first released. Now we are focused on Shire.

Crunk: All your artists are new talent. Are you considering working with any with any veterans?

Bruce Waynne: Everyone we work with is a case-by-case basis. It depends on the situation and the story. If it fits with us, then yes.

Crunk: Your most recent chart topper was “When I See You.” What was the concept behind that song?

Bruce Waynne: It was originally written for a 14-year-old girl. When I wrote it I wanted it to be a song about love that a 14-year-old could sing, but I wanted her to still be able to perform it when she was 25 and have the same connection with her audience. So I was happy, but not surprised, when Fantasia loved it. Swift and I are both producers, he is an engineer and I’m a songwriter as well.

That was actually my first commercial release of a song I primarily wrote and produced. So I am very proud of that!

Crunk: Are you looking to branch out into more than music?

Bruce Waynne: I have a passion for film and TV. But I feel like whatever else I do, I will be on the production side of it, whether it is movie scores, films, plays, or launching a publishing company.

Crunk: Is there anyone that you’re dying to work with?

Bruce Waynne: I want to work with everybody from Country to Spanish to Rock.

They have a roster full of potential, heads full of ideas, and hearts full of big dreams. With “When I See” you becoming Grammy nominated, a new studio in LA and production opportunities opening up in Europe, these two have their hands full.

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