Huli Shallone f/ Mannie Fresh - "Makin' Moves
OK, I've been throwing some dirt on Fresh's name lately, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna get excited when he collaborates with someone from Baltimore! He talks on the intro and says Huli's name and shouts out Hit Em Hard Records and everything! I have no idea what the title is, I put off writing about it when I first heard it a couple weeks ago hoping I'd find it out but fuck it, I won't bother to guess what it is based on the hook ("hey ma, i know you wanna see me shine, I been lookin' for a soldier I can hold, ma, got some drink, got some dro" etc) or anything, so if someone knows what it is lemme know (EDIT: the title is there now, obviously). I'm kinda surprised something like this is out so soon after Huli's album, which still has a single on the radio. It's nice, though, one of those bright/busy beats that reminds me of early 00's CMR, with an awesome noodly keyboard figure that creeps up in the second half of every verse followed by descending synth brass whole notes. On the blocks of Bmore, witnessin' firsthand, gettin' a hundred grand, standin' tall like Yao Ming, you know how we do things.

Paula Campbell - "Caught Up"
New single! Breezy jam with an early 90's vibe, heard it for the first time in my car on the first really warm day of the year, perfect springtime/early summer vibe for that. That title is kinda tired though since Usher and Ja Rule just had singles called "Caught Up".

Labtekwon - "Uhnnn Huhnnn"
Baltimore dude that's been rapping forever and gets a lot of respect and puts out 2 albums a year, but I've never really heard much of his stuff. Sometimes in the press he comes across as one of those high and mighty humorless KRS types who's trying to protect hip hop as an art form from all the people that want to make money off it and be famous. But here he is w/ a video in rotation on BET Uncut with camcorder quality footage of hanging out with stripper chicks for a song with a weird funny hook and a clunky goofy beat, so maybe there's more to him. Or less, or something.

Brooke Valentine f/ Bossman - "Long As You Come Home" Remix
Probably not official, just a couple new verses tacked onto her song, and the 2nd one is pretty good. Not really one of my favorite songs on Brooke's album, but the beat's a good fit for Bossman.

Ray Lugar - "MTA"
My first guess was Maryland Transit Administration but it stands for "message to adults", sweet conscious joint with kids singing with thick Baltimore accents on the chorus, "stop sleeping on the youngstas".

Lil Mo - "Dem Boys" / Mullyman - "Problems"
New official single from Syndicated! OK, technically Mo isn't from Baltimore but she still lives in Maryland (Odenton, I think, which is out in the sticks/burbs) and will be shooting the video for this in Bmore soon. Dunno if I got the title right, could be "them boys" or "dem boyz" or something, but it's hot as hell, nastiest drums on an R&B record since "1 Thing". / Mully jumping on the beat and making his own song from it with a new hook and everything, kinda hot.

Labels: Bossman, Huli Shallone, Labtekwon, Mullyman, Paula Campbell, Ray Lugar