I wrote about the new Height With Friends track "Roxanne Returns (The War Continues)" on WAMU's Bandwidth site.

Labels: Bandwidth, Height

The Baltimore City Paper's annual Big Music Issue is out this week, and I haven't read all the stories yet but it looks like a good one. I didn't do much for it besides my usual Short List concert calender and a Rap Sheet column, with news about Height With Friends, Street Scott, Wordsmith and Mic Life Magazine.

One cool thing that the City Paper crew did for this year's issue was the Big Baltimore Playlist, with unreleased tracks from over 100 local artists. They ended with so many submissions that they went ahead and threw a track from my band Western Blot on there. All the way at the end of side 4 of the Soundcloud playlist is our new song, "As Friends, As Lovers, As Co-Defendants," along with a lot of other great acts. Our next show is on Tuesday!

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Height, Mic Life Magazine, Rap Sheet, Street Heat, Wordsmith

In this week's Baltimore City Paper I spoke to Height about the new Height With Friends album, Rock And Roll.

Also did The Short List as usual.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Height, magazines/newspapers

I wrote a City Paper Noise blog post about the new Height With Friends video for “I Can’t Stand To Be Refused."

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Height, Noise, video

Labels: flyer, Height, Windup Space

This week the Baltimore City Paper publishes its annual Big Music Issue, and my story in it, Knights of the Round Robin, is about the 5th annual All Rap Round Robin that will be taking place on August 19th at Floristree. I attended the show the last two years and am really excited about the additions to this year's lineup, could be their best yet. For the story I spoke to Height, OOH, Jones, Mickey Free, The Plural MC, King Rhythm and members of Soul Cannon, Mania Music Group, Disturbed Individuals and AK Slaughter (and the concert will also feature PT Burnem, Rapdragons and Secret Weapon Dave).

(photo by Frank Hamilton)

Labels: AK Slaughter, Baltimore City Paper, Brown F.I.S.H., Height, Kane, magazines/newspapers, Mania Music Group, Mickey Free, P.T. Burnem, Rapdragons, Soul Cannon

I wrote a post on the City Paper's Noise blog about the exciting lineup that was just announced for the 5th Annual All Rap Round Robin happening in Baltimore in August.

Labels: AK Slaughter, Brown F.I.S.H., flyer, Height, Mania Music Group, Mickey Free, P.T. Burnem, Rapdragons, Soul Cannon

Labels: flyer, Height, Soul Cannon

I interviewed Height on the City Paper's Noise blog about the Height With Friends tour that's kicking off at the Golden West on Friday.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, flyer, Height, Noise

I wrote a post on the City Paper Noise blog about the "Don't Shoot" video by Shark Tank, the new rap group featuring Baltimore's Height and Mickey Free, Pittsburgh's Lord Grunge of Grand Buffet, and Canada's Brendan Richmond, who goes by B.Rich but obviously has nothing to do with the Baltimore B.Rich. Their album release party is at the Windup Space this Friday.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Height, Mickey Free, Noise, video

Labels: flyer, Height, Mickey Free, Windup Space

On my other blog, Narrowcast, I posted a list of The Top 25 Concerts I Saw In 2010, and it included 3 very different Baltimore hip hop shows that I reviewed for the Baltimore City Paper's Noise blog in the top 10:

* Bossman, Mullyman, Skarr Akbar, 100 Grandman, TestMe & Smash @ the Black Hole Rock Club, March 17
* Soul Cannon, Mania Music Group & The Get Em Mamis @ the Windup Space, July 3
* Rap Round Robin with Mickey Free, PT Burnem, Rapdragons, Height With Friends & AK Slaughter @ Floristree, August 7

I'm way late on finishing my list of favorite Baltimore hip hop albums & mixtapes of 2010, but hopefully I'll get that up in another week or two.

Labels: AK Slaughter, Black Hole Rock Club, Bossman, G.E.M./Tha Plague, Height, lists, Mania Music Group, Mickey Free, Mullyman, Noise, P.T. Burnem, Rapdragons, Skarr Akbar, Soul Cannon

Labels: flyer, Height, Trace Blam

Mickey Free - Last Of The Tight Wiggers

Mickey Freeland is part of the whole indie rap scene in Baltimore that I've been posting about here more and more in the past year or two, the Rap Round Robin shows and groups like Height With Friends and Rapdragons. He's been rapping in Baltimore for a pretty long time, though, in the group Wounds in the late '90s and solo records as Bow 'N Arrow and later Mickey Free over the past decade, the first time I heard him was on records with Cex and Height like 8 years ago. I never really met dude or talked to him in person until last week, though, him and his brother Chris have been producing a lot of great records lately, mostly for Baltimore rock bands like Wye Oak, both really interesting talented dues.

Mickey's always stuck out to me as one of the more compelling MCs and all-around artists in the scene he's in, and that's really been cemented with his new album, which he hasn't hooked with a label to officially release yet but is streaming on Band Camp right now. I love how ballsy the title Last Of The Tight Wiggers is, even though it feels like kind of standard for every white rapper to discuss his race in analytical or blunt or self-deprecating ways, I feel like wigger is an interesting word to use or reclaim, both because it's kind of politically incorrect and is a twist on the N word and because it's pretty antiquated slang and I almost feel like most white rap fans or even white rappers these days aren't the type to get called that anymore. But it also kind of reflects the fun, cocky vibe of the album, Mickey has sex jams and goofy skits and is kind of a throwback to a more laid back '90s style of hip hop even when there are some pretty contemporary sounds and influences on here. Emily Slaughter from AK Slaughter and Height and Wye Oak make guest appearances.

Mickey Free - "Shock" (mp3)
I remember this song being a standout at the last Rap Round Robin show, really dope.

Labels: AK Slaughter, Height, Mickey Free, mixtape/album review, mp3

Labels: flyer, Height

Some recent live reviews I've written for the Baltimore City Paper's Noise blog: the Rap Round Robin with Mickey Free/Rapdragons/Height With Friends/AK Slaughter/PT Burnem/etc. @ Floristree, J Roddy Walston & The Business/Tommy Tucker & The Supernaturals @ The Ottobar and Casual Curious/Andrew Weathers Ensemble/Us And Only Us @ the Hexagon and Tears For Fears @ Rams Head Live.

(PT Burnem photo by Al Shipley)

Labels: AK Slaughter, Baltimore City Paper, Height, Mickey Free, Noise, Ottobar, P.T. Burnem, Rapdragons

Height With Friends "Bed of Seeds" from Team G on Vimeo.

Labels: Height, video

Labels: flyer, Height, Soul Cannon

Labels: AK Slaughter, flyer, Height, Mickey Free, P.T. Burnem, Rapdragons

Labels: AK Slaughter, flyer, Height