Ozone Magazine: Patiently Waiting


SWORDZ - Jacksonville, FL

"Rock and Rap, it's the same thing. We saying the same thing, same picture, different frame." - Swordz

Every once in a while there comes an artist who can't help but to break stereotypes. Jacksonville, Florida's SWORDZ is one of those artists.


"I'm a breath of fresh air. It may be a cliche, but as a fan I think the game is real watered down," says the superstar in the making. "You get a lot of sugar covered stories. Its fashionable to be a thug and trap nigga but at the same time when I was coming up we had people like 'Pac, UGK, and Spice 1 that would put you up on game telling you that the streets are ugly. Now you just hear niggas talking about slanging big bricks and fucking some one's baby momma."



Even though Swordz dabbles with occasional street record himself, he is sure to stress that anything that comes out of his mouth is said with responsibility. "It's my responsibility to show the consequences," says the Florida native who credits everyone from Run-DMC to Pastor Troy as an influence. "Current hip-hop is like Spike TV: people take what they want from it, but it's up to us as artists to be raw as possible so people will see the truth."

While he doesn't boast a decade's worth of experience, Swordz is still at liberty yo speak on hip-hop as if he's been around for a long time. Why? Because he can look at t he genre as an outsider as well.


His mixtapes have afforded him a strong fan base throughout the Southeast, and he's worked with everyone from BloodRaw to Wayne Wonder. But it's his shows that have set him apart from the competition.


Known to regularly perform with a live rock band rather than have the standard 100 man crew on stage, Swordz demands to be looked at differently.


"I do it because I can," he says, dismissing the claim that he is mimicking Limp Bizkit and Korn. "If you take rock and rap, it's the same thing. We saying the same thing, same picture, different frame. I wanted to use that energy. If you go to a rock show or a Pastor Troy show, it's the same thing. People are getting frustration off their chest."


One listen to Swordz's music and it becomes evident that he is frustrated with the stereotypes of the music form he is associates with. But instead of complaining, he's going to do something about it.