MTV's Mixtape Monday - Feb. 20th '06

Artist: DJ Smallz

Representing: Down South

Mixtapes: Jody Breeze's The Game Is a Breeze, J-Kwon's Here to Stay, Chyna Whyte's The Whyte Out #2

411: DJ Smallz is acting like a hog, dropping three new mixtapes on the heels of his Southern Smoke 24 with Kay Slay and Big Boi. Smallz, who just started revealing his face to the public (for years, he kept himself so on the low that few had pictures of him), worked with three artists who have been around for a while but could very well pop off lovely this year if their situations are correct. They are female MC Chyna Whyte, Boyz N Da Hood frontman Jody Breeze (with Young Jeezy gone, Breeze is definitely the focal point of the group) and J-Kwon (who was apparently so "Tipsy" that he disappeared for two years). "I decided to drop three tapes at the same time to invade Atlanta, New Orleans and St. Louis all at once," Smallz said. "It was extremely hard to juggle all three, but in the end the hard work paid off with three classics for the streets."

Joints To Check For

* "Back to Business" by Jody Breeze. "That record is crazy!" Smallz said. "It was the first record of several Lil Wayne recorded with Boyz N Da Hood. [Group founder] Block blessed me with the heat when they wrapped it up in Atlanta. I chose to start off the mixtape with that record because, in my opinion, it showcased Jody's delivery, wordplay and lyrics at their best. Lil Wayne is one of the most lyrical artists in the South, and for Jody to stay on top with Wayne — bar for bar, verse for verse, hook for hook — shows that Jody ain't no lightweight. Jody's gunnin' for the crown. Look out for the Lil Wayne/ Jody Breeze mixtape coming soon!"

* "Young and Paid" by J-Kwon. "That record is sick, and lyrically it shows how J-Kwon has improved from his first album," Smallz said. "People should take him real serious on his upcoming sophomore LP — his experiences have changed, lyrically he's matured, and he's taking more of a CEO approach on this one with his Hood Hop Entertainment Label situation at Jive. I hooked up with J-Kwon when the Track Boyz (producers of J-Kwon's "Tipsy" and "Hood Hop") called me on my cell three weeks ago. They needed the streets to get a glimpse of J-Kwon and leak some of his new music through the Southern Smoke movement. I don't think J-Kwon will have any problems coming back from his little break."

* "Hater Remix" by Chyna Whyte (featuring Donnie Cross and Khujo Goodie). "This is my favorite off her mixtape. Chyna discusses the hate she's dealt with in the game and gives the listener some real deep insight into her life," said the DJ. "This new Chyna Whyte mixtape is incredible. This tape is a little bit more balanced, as far as freestyles and unreleased tracks, than [the first] Whyte Out, and it's got some incredible collabos with Lil Scrappy, Bun B & Trillville."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

* Lil Wayne and Baby's The Carter 2: Like Father Like Son
* Sheek Louch's Still a Wolf
* Big Mike's The Big Boy Game 11
* Busta Rhymes The Crown
* Paul Wall, DJ Clue and Chops' National Champs
* San Quinn's The Rock
* Game G's Di Mi Nombre
* DJ Rumble's Corporate Compass
* DJ Lex & Janita Applebaum's Hugs, Kisses and Jumpoff Misses
* DJ Diggz's Best of 354's SnypLife

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

* Cam'ron - "Wet Wipes"
* DJ Drama featuring T.I. and Busta Rhymes - "Cannon"
* Red Cafe featuring Paul Wall - "Bling Blow II"
* Paul Wall featuring T.I., Kanye West and GLC - "Ride Slow" remix
* Young Zee featuring Rah Digga and Stat Quo - "Gimme Dat"

Celebrity Favs

The Pussycat Dolls love the long-haired men. They're going on tour with the Black Eyed Peas in March, and Snoop Dogg just laid a verse for their song "Buttons." "Will is the bomb, man," says lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. "His mind, he thinks creatively and it comes across in the music, and the Peas are hot, hot, hot!" As for Snoop, she says he'll add a special dimension to "Buttons." "It's Snoop Dogg, so I'm sure he's going to bring even more seductive, hot, raw, freakiness to the song."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

One of the more popular songs off T.I.'s The Leak CD is "Live in the Sky," on which he sings the hook "Life's ups and downs, they come and go." Well, on his album King, Tip will feature a reworking of the piano-driven song with Jamie Foxx singing the hook and playing the keys. "[It's dedicated to] my cousin Toot, who died right before Trap Muzik [came out]," Tip said. "And my homeboy Jay-Ru, who died right before I'm Serious came out. It's about people's misperceptions of me and my life. How I feel, it's the exact opposite. It's a lot more problems than people may realize. I had to show them my life is not all that it's cracked up to be."

Toot is the same cousin who tried to steer T.I. toward positivity and is most notably shouted out on "Rubber Band Man." Jay-Ru was a buddy Tip used to hustle with. The two had a falling out and Jay-Ru died before the two had a chance to reconcile. "Me and Jay-Ru was still close partners," Tip explained. "We lived together, we was in the streets hustling together. I had got involved with my older son's mom at the time. I moved out of the apartment into my own spot with her. Me and Jay-Ru fell out about that. ... It took a toll on me. To this day I still think about him, especially when I see his daughter."

Securing Foxx on piano wasn't too tough of a task, according to Tip. "I sent the word I wanted him to get on it and he got on it the next day," he explained. "I was thinking about everybody who could play the piano as well as sing, and Jamie was at the top of my list."

T.I. said he's just about done with his album, but he's not ruling out a last-minute guest appearance by Jay-Z. Hov was supposed to get on a record called "Why You Wanna," but due to scheduling conflicts he didn't make it and Common took his place. The two hooked up while both were in Los Angeles for the Grammys. While there, Tip also shot a video for King's first single, "What You Know." It was directed by Chris Robinson and centers on T.I. meeting up with Mike Epps for the L.A. premiere of "ATL," the film in which T.I. actually stars in real life."

Terrence Howard is up for an Oscar this year, but he says there is no way he'll actually get onstage and rap the Oscar-nominated "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." "No, no, no," he insisted. "We don't have the time in the schedule to really work that stuff out. It took me seven months to find the voice for DJay, and I don't think I can give it the full service I gave it in the film. I think Three 6 Mafia will perform the song, because they wrote it and they're the ones that's nominated. I'm waiting to see the entire room full of people sing 'It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp.' If they know the words, then we've really got a problem."

Dubs up, please. DJ Warrior just secured himself two deals. One is with a major label that he said is so major he can't really talk about it yet. But just know he'll be releasing a compilation called Ill Street Dues on the major sometime next year. In early '07 he's also going to drop Cali Untouchable Radio: The Album. That project was spawned from a deal he has through DJ Muggs' Angeles/Fontana, which is distributed through Universal.

"That'll be out in like January or February," Warrior said. "I named it after my most successful mixtape series. It's an album but it'll sound like a mixtape — the whole album is going to be mixed. All the artists are going to be West Coast. I'm trying to showcase more of the future of the West Coast as opposed to the superstars."

Specifically he mentioned Self-Scientific, Crooked I, Ras Kass, Tha Dogg Pound, E-40, Balance, Keke the Sneak, B-Legit, Bishop Lamont, Glasses Malone, Tyrese and Sly Boogie. In the third week of March, Warrior said, he's going to drop four mixtapes on the same day: Cali Untouchable Radio Parts 8-11. Scipio, E-40, B-Legit and Mitchy Slick will all be featured on the tapes.

Source: www.MTV.com