I wrote about Labtekwon's latest album, HARDCORE: Labtekwon and the Righteous Indignation/Rootzilla vs Masta Akbar, and its companion book and videos, on the Mobtown Studios website.

Labels: Labtekwon, mixtape/album review, Mobtown Studios

Labels: Ab Rock, Al Great, Club Reality, flyer, Golden Seal, Greenspan, Jade Fox, Labtekwon, Sean Toure, Smash, Soul Cannon

This week the Baltimore City Paper ran its annual Top Ten Issue and as usual I submitted a ballot for The Year In Music and The Year In Local Music lists. Nothing from my ballot made it onto the former list, but four local albums I voted for got onto the latter, and I wrote the blurbs for three of them: Dirt Platoon’s Deeper Than Dirt, Los’s Shooter and The Art Department’s Paperwork/Birdwork. I’m also happy to see Labtekwon, J Roddy Walston and the Business, and Dustin Wong on the list. Later this month I’ll be posting my full year-end albums list on Narrowcast and my Baltimore hip hop year-end list on Government Names.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Dirt Platoon, Labtekwon, lists, Los, magazines/newspapers

The Baltimore City Paper’s annual Best Of Baltimore issue hit the streets today, and as usual I helped pick some of the best-ofs for the Arts and Entertainment section and wrote a few blurbs that appear in the issue:

Best Male MC: Los
Best Female MC: Si-Notes
Best Hip-Hop DJ: DJ Jabril
Best Live Band: Soul Cannon
Best Summer Jam: CJ Hilton - “We Can Get It In”
Best Solo Artist: Reina Williams
Best Radio Show For Local Music: Strictly Hip Hop

Some of the other music winners I'm happy about included Mobtown Studios, Labtekwon, Mania Music Group's producers, Supa DJ Big L, Murder Mark, and DJ Pierre, and in the readers poll, the Best Hip-Hop Act winners included the Get 'Em Mamis, A Cool Stick (who?), Rapdragons and Height With Friends, and some other hip hop winners and runner-ups include Shodekeh and 92Q.

(Si-Notes photo by Rarah)

Labels: 92Q, Baltimore City Paper, CJ Hilton, DJ Jabril, DJ Pierre, G.E.M./Tha Plague, Labtekwon, Los, magazines/newspapers, Mobtown Studios, Shodekeh, Si-Notes, Soul Cannon, Strictly Hip Hop

Labels: 5 Seasons, A-Class, battle, flyer, Labtekwon, Sean Toure, Shaka Pitts, The Baltimore Scene

Here's Labtekwon's video for "Black Skatepunk," from the new album Baltimore Basquiat and the Future Shock out on August 3rd.

Labels: Labtekwon, video

Labtekwon - Di Na Ko Degg: Soul Power (Ankh Ba Records)

Labtekwon is such a singular force in Baltimore hip hop, the scene's longest running and most prolific recording artist with absolutely no serious competition -- this is I believe his 24th release since 1993 -- in addition to being completely on his own trip artistically, that it's always hard for me to place him in the context of the other stuff I cover around here. I'm a fan, I check out every new release, but his back catalog's so dauntingly huge that I'm a long way from catching up on all of it, and since this site is about new music, he kind of ends up being just one of many rappers who puts out one or two CDs a year that I write about here, which may unintentionally diminish his history and his stature. I don't get the impression he likes me, given the way he's grilled me the couple times I've spoken to him, and called me a cornball the one time he commented on Gov't Names, which I kind of understand given his relationship to the more recent generation of Baltimore rappers that I'm known for giving coverage to. And that's alright, he may have a point, and I don't need the musicians I listen to to like me, and I'm sure a lot more wouldn't if they knew me.

I'm late to checking out this album -- didn't know where to get it until I realized recently that it's available on eMusic.com -- so I'm not totally clear on its history. But from what I understand, a 23-track Di Na Ko Degg was released in late 2008, and then in 2009 an expanded 27-track version titled Di Na Ko Degg: Soul Power was issued, similar to the way 2006's The Ghetto Dai Lai Lama V. 777 was kind of a revision of 2005's The Ghetto Dai Lai Llama: African Rhythm American Blues. In this case, though, I haven't heard both versions of Di Na Ko Degg, so I can't speak on the differences, but at 94 minutes the Soul Power version is his longest, most epic album to date, and you really get a full helping of all the variety within the Labtekwon sound, with Professor Max Mineblo, who's produced a lot of his albums, handling most of the tracks.

Labtekwon - "Reach Out For Me" (mp3)
I like these kinds of Labtekwon songs, where he's basically bragging and talking shit, but he's doing it on his terms and using his own terminology, reflecting values that 99% of all other shit talking rappers don't share (my favorite line is "hustler of karma, a freaky monster eating vegan lasagna"). Like any other rapper, he thinks he's the best, and he's closer to being right than most of them, especially since he's essentially in a category of his own.

Labels: Labtekwon, mixtape/album review, mp3

Recently on my other blog, Narrowcast, I counted down my 100 favorite albums of the past decade, and the list included a number of entries by Baltimore artists, hip hop and club music as well as rock:

17. Lake Trout - Alone At Last: Live With DJ Who (Phoenix Media Group, 2000)
23. Wye Oak - If Children (self-released, 2007; reissued by Merge Records, 2008)
29. Blaq Starr - I’m Bangin’ (JB Starr Productions, 2006)
35. Tim Trees - Dalton Vol. 1 (Bdamore Records, 2001)
41. Cex - Being Ridden (Temporary Residence, 2003)
47. Karmella’s Game - The Art Of Distraction (Speedbump Recordings, 2006)
53. The 410 Pharaohs - 410 Funk (Strictly Rhythm/Ill Friction, 2008)
59. J Roddy Walston and the Business - Hail Mega Boys (Morphius Records, 2007)
65. Lungfish - Feral Hymns (Dischord Records, 2005)
71. Bossman - Law & Order (Double Down Entertainment/1Up Productions, 2004)
77. Avec - Lines (Civil Defense League/Doghouse, 2007)
83. Dan Deacon - Spiderman Of The Rings (Car Park Records, 2007)
89. Rod Lee - Vol. 2: Operation Not Done Yet (Club Kingz Records, 2002)

By no means do I consider that any kind of definitive list of the best Baltimore albums of the past 10 years, for what it's worth, those are just the personal favorites that I happened to want to include on there.

Labels: Baltimore club, Blaq Starr, Bossman, DJ Booman, Labtekwon, lists, One Up Entertainment, Rod Lee, Tim Trees

Here we go, WHOLE LAAAAAT:

11. Diablo - "Jail Flick" (mp3) - August 16, 2005
12. D.O.G. f/ Blaq Starr - "Ryda Gyrl" (mp3) - June 26, 2006
13. Rod Lee - "Dance My Pain Away" (mp3) - June 2, 2005
14. Comp - "Whole Lat" (mp3) - February 13, 2008
15. Mullyman - "Oh Baltimore" (mp3) - May 19, 2006
16. Ogun f/ Che'Rae - "My Life" (mp3) - December 22, 2006
17. Bossman - "Dat Night" (mp3) - February 4, 2005
18. DK - "A Part Of History" (mp3) - March 21, 2006
19. Heavy Gold - "Charm City" (mp3) - February 16, 2006
20. Labtekwon - "Uhnnn Huhnnn" (mp3) - August 29, 2005

Labels: Blaq Starr, Comp, D.O.G., Diablo, DK, Heavy Gold, Labtekwon, lists, mp3, Mullyman, Ogun, Rod Lee

And the hits just keep coming! Or really, songs that for the most part were hits in my mind only, or for a relatively small group of people. I surprised myself, though, when I looked at the whole 100 and realized that almost half the songs were things that had been played on 92Q at some point or another. Mostly club songs, but still, it's nice to think that many songs I've genuinely liked have impacted the station's airwaves, as much flak as people give the station about local artist airplay:

41. The Arabz - "Alright" (mp3) - January 15, 2006
42. C.R. - "Know You Better" (mp3) - June 16, 2006
43. K.W. Griff - "Tony Track" (mp3) - July 6, 2006
44. Golden Seal f/ Ooh of Brown F.I.S.H. - "Sistahs Pimpin'" (mp3) - July 13, 2006
45. Labtekwon - "Dr. Strangelove" (mp3) - July 20, 2006
46. Huli Shallone - "This My Hood" (mp3) - March 15, 2005
47. Davon f/ Tim Trees - "Be Ya Friend" (mp3) - July 27, 2005
48. B. Rich - "Whoa Now (Bmore Version)" (mp3) - July 25, 2006
49. Dirt Platoon - "Movin'" (mp3) - August 7, 2006
50. Mania Music Group - "Lunatic Fringe" (mp3) - November 13, 2008

Labels: B. Rich, Baltimore club, Brown F.I.S.H., Dirt Platoon, Golden Seal, Huli Shallone, KW Griff, Labtekwon, lists, Mania Music Group, mp3, Tim Trees

On this day in 2004, I threw up the first test post on this site. At the time, music was still a pretty tiny piece of the blogosphere and it seemed like you could count all the existing rap blogs on your fingers. So when I finished exams at the end of that semester and had some free time on my hands, I started up this little page with some friends and message board acquaintances whose writing I liked just to have a space to talk about new songs and stuff that interested us. It started out with no real focus, and for the first year or so Government Names was probably known mainly for the weird Canadian kid who had a ridiculous amount of knowledge about Houston hip hop more than anything I did. But I posted about some Baltimore stuff from the very beginning, and as my interest in covering this underexposed scene grew and the other contributors gradually stopped posting, I decided to make that the site's sole focus, and it's been really rewarding and fun. This site got me bank into freelancing as a music critic after being away from it for a few years and gave me a whole new passion for it, and I've met a lot of cool people and heard some great music and hopefully introduced some people to some songs they loved.

Over the past 5 years, I've posted roughly 700 songs, but I've always prided myself on the fact that I try to be selective and find the best tracks to share, or ones that I have something to say about, especially now in the age where the 'best' rap blogs are usually the ones that indiscriminately throw up every new song without writing anything about it or even listening to it first. If someone sends me a single or a leak, I usually only post it if I genuinely like the song, and when I'm writing about a full-length I try to post my favorite song from it (although sometimes even the best song off a CD isn't very good, but hey). So I feel good about a really large percentage of the music I've posted, and wanted to kind of highlight what I think was the best of the best. So to mark the anniversary, I'll be re-posting my top 100 mp3s from the site's first 5 years over the next couple weeks, 10 at a time every day or so, with links to the original posts they appeared in. All due respect to the musicians, I can't thank them enough for making songs that I want to listen to and tell people about on a daily basis. Here's the first installment:

91. Labtekwon - "Soybeans and Tofu Cheese" (mp3) - October 8, 2006
92. James Nasty - "You So Hawt" (mp3) - April 30, 2008
93. Mullyman f/ Backland, Comp and Sonny Brown - "Gangsta Wit Me" (mp3) - August 12, 2005
94. Caleb & Saleem - "We Write Blue" (mp3) - March 12, 2009
95. Mania Music Group - "Gotta Believe It" freestyle (mp3) - April 21, 2009
96. Blaq Starr - "In The Air" (mp3) - March 1, 2007
97. Bossman - "You're Wrong" (mp3) - August 24, 2006
98. Mike Malachi f/ Ron Rico, Agg and Skarr Akbar - "Super Smash Bros. Melee" (mp3) - March 21, 2009
99. Caddy Da Don f/ Tim Trees, Huli Shallone, Los, Skarr Akbar and Bossman - "Whole City Behind Me (Remix)" (mp3) - November 4, 2007
100. Scola f/ Rod Lee - "Turn It Down" (mp3) - August 3, 2006

Labels: Backland, Baltimore club, Blaq Starr, Bossman, Comp, Huli Shallone, Labtekwon, lists, Los, Mania Music Group, Mike Malachi, mp3, Mullyman, Ron Rico, Saleem, Sonny Brown, Tim Trees

Doo Dew Kidz - Greatest Hits Mix Volume 1

The Doo Dew Kidz, particularly DJ Booman, have had such a great run lately that it's really a great idea for them to do something like this, just as a little reminder of their 20 years of music before the new stuff, a primer for people that don't know and a nice trip down memory lane for those that do. They recently gave out this mix at the Winter Music Conference and put it all online as a free download and it's a really fun listen from front to back. It starts out with a lot of the classics, "Watch Out For The Big Girl" by Jimmy Jones and "You Big Dummy" by K.W. Griff, then moves onto more recent tracks and club remixes of contemporary hits like "Don't Stop The Music," and toward the end of the mix, there's some hip hop collabs like the 410 Pharaohs stuff with Labtekwon and some of Booman's recent tracks with Mullyman. 41yo.com already did a post on this mix as well as a video interview with the Doo Dew Kidz and Mullyman.

DJ Booman - "Bumpin' (Sweet Dreams Mix)" (mp3)
This has been a personal favorite for a long time, just a great example of how a simple little vocal hook and a banging beat can kind of become more than the sum of their parts in Baltimore club music, and this version with that little Eurythmics loop creeping in is dope.

Labels: Baltimore club, DJ Booman, KW Griff, Labtekwon, mixtape/album review, mp3, Mullyman

Some news and links:

- The cover story in last week's issue of the Baltimore CIty Paper, The Elements of Style by Bret McCabe, is a big piece about Baltimore hip hop and club music's first generation, particularly Labtekwon, DJ Booman and Scottie B., looking back on the scene in the '80s and '90s, and the CP site also has bonus interviews with MC Chinchilla and graffiti artists Alco and Boodamonk. It's really great, interesting stuff, although, as I was telling Bret when he first showed me the article, I wish there was more emphasis on stories and the music back then, and less, I don't know, criticism of the new generation. Of course there's a lot more rappers in Baltimore now, and a lot more wack opportunists, but to hear them tell it, that's all there is now, when I know for a fact there are a lot of young cats around that are doing it for the love of the art, and aren't all about trying to get on TV and have a major label deal. More of them should give respect to Labtekwon and his generation, absolutely, but I don't feel like anyone gets a better sense of how special that era is just by talking about how much worse the current era is. But hopefully this will open up more of a dialogue and get people wanting to learn more about that history now, I certainly wish I knew more than I do. I've been wanting to do like a month of all '90s Baltimore hip hop on this site for a long time, maybe this'll motivate me to start putting that together and getting music from everyone's vaults from back then.

- I've been meaning to link to this for the longest time, but producer Ms. Tris has a blog and it's pretty great.

- World Star Hip Hop has a video interview with Billo.

- Michael Byrne reviewed K-Swift's Greatest Hits on the City Paper website recently.

- URB Magazine currently has a 'Next 1000' feature on their website about up-and-coming artists, and Greenspan and Midas are on there, along with probably some other Baltimore artists I haven't found on there yet.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore club, Billo, DJ Booman, Greenspan, K-Swift, Labtekwon, magazines/newspapers, Midas, Ms. Tris Beats, Scottie B.

I tag posts on Gov't Names to hopefully make it easier to navigate, especially for first time or occasional readers, just to make it easier for them to find just posts about the artist or topic they're interested in. But it's also become kind of an interesting way to measure how frequently I post about a given artist or topic, so I did a review of the most common tags I did this in 2007. I thought about not doing it again this year, partly because some people started getting invested in it as some important list to be on and catch feelings about me not posting about them enough or not tagging every post like I'm trying to sabotage them (what up Excel, lol). But really I'm just a stats nerd and it's something I think is cool to mess with, so fuck it:

1. flyer (306/361/1010)
2. mp3 (120/103/346)
3. Baltimore Club (114/76/259)
4. mixtape/album review (79/80/241)
5. 5 Seasons (65/102/267)
6. DJ Booman (45/38/95)
7. Sonar (44/39/108)
8. magazines/newspapers (41/29/119)
9. Ogun (39/40/120)
10. K-Swift (36/18/79)
11. Baltimore City Paper (34/36/120)
12. Turntable Club (33/53/96)
13. Unruly Records (30/11/53)
14. Bossman (29/42/139)
15. Blaq Starr (28/21/68)
16. battle (27/2/29)
17. Skarr Akbar (26/35/107)
18./19. (tie) Mullyman (25/36/117) / B.O.M.B. (25/24/52)
20. Sonny Brown (23/60/138)
21. Rod Lee (22/19/88)
22. Team Fifty (21/34/97)
23./24./25. (tie) Labtekwon (20/17/57) / E Major (20/14/41) / The Wire (20/10/41)

So that's 8 rappers, 4 Baltimore club DJs, 3 venues, 2 labels, and a lot of other types of topics. The first number in parentheses is posts in 2008, second number is posts in 2007, third number is total posts up through the end of '08. As I noted last year, although I try to document the whole Baltimore scene faithfully on this site, ultimately it does reflect my taste, and I make no apologies for covering some artists more consistently than others. And I think this list is still a pretty useful metric of who really worked hard in '08 and played a lot of shows, put out music and guested on releases throughout the year. You can't deny the grind of guys like DJ Booman and Ogun. It's kind of a bummer to even see K-Swift mentioned here since so much of that number (nearly 2/3rds) is accounted for by my coverage following her death. There are definitely some folks that did a lot in '08 that I was slower to pick up on, like Wordsmith, and probably plenty more that just weren't on my radar and should feel free to e-mail me every time they play a show or drop new music so I don't miss it in the future. And there were some up-and-coming folks that I like but tried not to post too much that you'd get sick of them or think I was trying to force them on you. But with all those caveats in mind, you can kinda draw your own conclusions. Hopefully '09 will be just as busy for all those folks.

Labels: B.O.M.B., Blaq Starr, Bossman, DJ Booman, E Major, K-Swift, Labtekwon, lists, Mullyman, Ogun, Rod Lee, Skarr Akbar, Sonny Brown, Unruly Records

In the past month or so, my stuff on the City Paper's Noise blog has included: a Club Beat column featuring my top 10 Baltimore club tracks of 2008 (including DJ Class, King Tutt, Say Wut, Scottie B., the 410 Pharaohs, K.W. Griff, DJ Excel, Rod Lee and others), an interview with Height, and concert reviews of the Sonny Gunnz tribute show @ Sonar, the "eyes night" of the Baltimore Round Robin tour @ Sonar (with Beach House, Ed Schrader, Lexie Mountain Boys and others), E.Joseph and the Phantom Heart/FFHH/Ms. Sara and the Help/Red This Ever @ Fletcher's, and The Water/The NerfTones/Stugottz @ the Ottobar.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore club, DJ Booman, DJ Class, DJ Excel, Height, King Tutt, KW Griff, Labtekwon, Noise, NSW (Say What), Rod Lee, Scottie B.

Labels: Brakefast Records, flyer, Labtekwon, Shaka Pitts, Sonar, Sonny Brown

Y'know, it's funny. I've been running this site for over 4 years now, and hearing more and more Baltimore rap every year that I do it, and yet every year I feel less and less qualified to let my opinion be the end-all-be-all that some people treat it as. There's simply too much music, too much variety coming out of this scene for any one person to really fairly judge, but if I'm gonna be the only person that attempts to hear all or most of it, I might as well throw in my two cents, even as I encourage any and all other critics and bloggers to cover this stuff from a different perspective. So I make no claims to objective truth with this list; this is totally my taste, my opinion. I tried to do a poll a couple years ago, but that didn't really pan out and I'm kind of soured on the idea now, but if anyone wants to post their top 10, top 5, whatever in the comments, or e-mail them to me, I'd love to post those if I get enough of a response.

The last two years I did top 50 lists, but this year I decided to scale down to 20, even though I heard more stuff, just because I really wanted to emphasize the cream of the crop, and also because a lot of cats put out boring garbage this year. That's not to insult everyone that isn't on this list, because there were definitely some good releases that didn't quite make the cut, and also some great singles and tracks that didn't really fit into the list anywhere, but I felt the need to be more selective this time. Government Names will return to daily posting sometime in January, probably not for another week or two.



1. 410 Pharaohs - 410 Funk (Strictly Rhythm/Ill Friction)
This list is not really about club music, but the Labtekwon/DJ Booman/Jimmy Jones club/rap masterpiece really deserves to be at the top of this list, as well as the City Paper top 10, anyway, because it is a historic moment for Baltimore hip hop in general.
410 Pharaohs - “Big Girls” (mp3)



2. Brown F.I.S.H. - Bootleg III: F.I.S.H. & Friends... The Mixtape
This isn't really an album or a mixtape, just an odds & sods collection of remixes and collaborations that the F.I.S.H. recorded in the past few years, but it's so full of great music that it's the equal of any album, in my opinion.
Brown F.I.S.H. f/ Jeneba Suma & Jahli of Golden Seal - “Cheatin' (It Ain't Cheatin' Unless U Caught)” (mp3)



3. various artists - Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore Tracks from The Wire (Nonesuch Records)
There's a couple club tracks on this, and a couple non-hip hop tracks, but this is still more than half local hip hop, and considering how much mileage Baltimore rappers have gotten from associating themselves with The Wire over the past few years, I thought it was pretty amazing that an official soundtrack of the show came out with songs by Ogun, Bossman, Mullyman, Tyree Colion and others. It was really one of the highlights of my year that I got thanked in the liner notes for this album, and had even a small role in it coming together.
The Get ‘em Mamis feat. L. Cash - “When You See Us” (mp3)



4. The Pornstars - Dirty Work (Pornstar Productions/Bird City Entertainment)
A couple MC/producers that are nicer on the tracks than on the mic, but got enough personality and humor that you aren’t sitting around wishing they just sold the beats to someone else. These dudes could be, like, Baltimore’s answer to the Beatnuts. I can bump this album all fucking day, front to back.
The Pornstars f/ Ckrisis & Mell - “Bird City” (mp3)



5. Bear - All We Got Is Us 2008 edition (For The People Entertainment)
For The People Entertainment has really been a unique and fertile label in the past couple years, and in my opinion this is their most complete and enjoyable release to date, although this year's Cutthroat album comes in a close 2nd.
Bear - “Live Through Time” (mp3)



6. E Major - Majority Rules (Under Sound Music)
Another one that I helped get into the City Paper top 10, so I won't say much more about than I already said there, but I feel like he really did everything right with this project, from the great release party show to the videos to making the whole thing available for free online, he really was smart about how he worked this project and got his buzz up.
E Major - “Don’t Worry” (mp3)



7. PenDragon - I Got Hits 4 Cheap: Draggy Baby Edition (Team Arson)
It's funny, Drag is one of these guys that gets on my nerves for calling himself the "king" of the city and this and that, but he also gets my respect for totally watching everyone's moves and sizing up the competition (he's always sending me links to other people's videos and music before know about them). And really between his production skills, and the heart and intelligence and humor that come across in his music, he has as much of a chance at making a run at the title as anyone these days, in my opinion. Not that I think there is a title, or that there should be.
PenDragon - “How Does It Feel” (mp3)



8. Ab Rock - The Mid Midlife Crisis (Rockmics Entertainment)
Maybe it's just because they did the release party together, and guested on each other's albums, but I really mentally group this along with the E Major record, and they're both really good examples of mature 'conscious' rap albums that are actually fun and laid back.
Ab Rock - “The Incredible” (mp3)



9. Tha Profitt - Concept Art (Profitt Productions)
Bmore's #1 white boy really went in on this one, coming up with creative concepts for every song and showing improvement as an MC.
Tha Profitt - “Fast & Furious” (mp3)



10. 80'z Boys - The 80'z Made Me
Most of the time when rappers boast about being born in the ‘80s, I feel almost like they’re making excuses for their music being inferior to the generations before them. But these guys pretty much just make dope music that doesn’t feel too tied to any particular age or era. I got this early in the year and I’m pretty sure it was released before 2008, but it’s still by far one of the best things I heard in Baltimore this year.
80’z Boys - “The 80'z Made Me” (mp3)



11. Skarr Akbar - The Epidemic (DNA/Akbar Enterprize/U-Turn Ent./Round Table Music Group)
Another year, another ton of new music from Skarr, but even as he was churning out radio singles and collaborations, he put out a 'street album' that ranked up there as one of his most consistent efforts to date.
Skarr Akbar - “If I Should Die” (mp3)



12. Profound - Carpe Diem (Real On Purpose Entertainment)
After years of dwelling in Ogun's shadow, Profound came out swinging this year and established himself as one of Baltimore's punchline masters.
Profound - “What You Gonna Do!?” (mp3)



13. Greenspan - Got Green? (Federal Reserve Music Group)
I knew this guy was a serious talent from the first couple times I saw him live, and I was not disappointed by his debut full-length release.
Greenspan - “Mt. Rockmore” (mp3)



14. D.O.G. - G Pack Music (7 Entertainment/Invisible Set Entertainment)
On the same tip as the 410 Pharaohs record, a really inspired union of rapping and Baltimore club, stretched out to album length. If he put this out right after "Ryda Gyrl" it could've been huge.
D.O.G. - “Louder” (mp3)



15. Soul Cannon - Kaboom (Soul Cannon/Morphius Records)
Soul Cannon might be kinda slept on in the hip hop scene, just because they're a band and mainly play rock clubs, but they really made one of the best conscious rap albums in the city this year.
Soul Cannon - “Get Serious” (mp3)



16. various artists - The Mania Music Group Sampler (Mania Music Group)
Mania Music Group put out a pretty ridiculous amount of free music this year, including solo EPs by each of its 3 solo artsts, and while they were all pretty good, this first sampler mixtape still really stands out to me as the best demonstration of the label's range and diversity of sounds.
Ron G. - “What Ya See” (mp3)



17. Wordsmith - The Revolution Begins With a Takeover Vol.1 (DJ Furious Styles/HipHopDX.com)
Wordsmith is another guy that's been so prolific this year that it's been really hard for me to keep up with his output so far, but this mixtape was the first time I really started to get a handle on how talented he is.
Wordsmith f/ Kontact - “Hard To Forget” (mp3)



18. B.O.M.B. - Testers EP (Money In Da Bank Entertainment)
B.O.M.B. had one of the best ideas this year: make a release as long as possible (9 songs) while still being able to call it an EP, so that he could sell basically an album-length release at half price. And really, there's something to be said for making a short release where every song counts, instead of just filling the CD to its maximum running time just because you can.
B.O.M.B. - “Over Here” (mp3)



19. EJ - The Westside Hustle (Carnigie Records/DJ Radio)
I'd been waiting to hear a mixtape from EJ since I first heard him like 3 years ago, and while I thought it could've been better overall, this still had some jams on it.
EJ - “Bitch Niggaz Pt. 1” (mp3)



20. Caddy Da Don - Fixed Fight 2.5: Exclusive Edition (Harup Entertainment)
Caddy definitely gets props for being one of the most notable newcomers of the past year or two.
Caddy Da Don - “What’s Funny” (mp3)

Labels: Ab Rock, B.O.M.B., Baltimore club, Bear, Brown F.I.S.H., D.O.G., DJ Booman, E Major, Labtekwon, lists, Mania Music Group, mp3, PenDragon, Skarr Akbar, The Wire

The Baltimore City Paper's annual top ten issue is out this week, and I voted in a few of the lists. In The Year In Local Music, I wrote the blurbs for the albums by the 410 Pharaohs and E Major. I also voted in The Year In Music and The Year In Film, although I didn't blurb anything and just a few things I voted for got into the lists (Erykah Badu in the former, and The Dark Knight, Iron Man and Tropic Thunder in the latter). The album ballots are up on the website, although my 'final' top 10 albums will look different from what I voted for in November. Also over on the CP website we did a top ten of the best concerts of the year, and my 2 picks for the list were Soul Cannon/Grand Buffet/J-Roddy Walston and The Business @ The Ottobar and Teop/Comp/Mullyman/Skarr Akbar/Little Clayway/Huli Shallone/Heavy Gold/1st Family/SL Danga/Al Great @ Sonar, and there were some other good picks there (My Crew Be Unruly @ Paradox, Whartscape @ the Charles, etc.).

(illustration by Paige Shuttleworth)

Labels: 1st Family, Baltimore City Paper, Comp, DJ Booman, E Major, Labtekwon, lists, Little Clayway, magazines/newspapers, Mullyman, Ottobar, Skarr Akbar, Sonar, Soul Cannon, Teop, Unruly Records

tHe blAcK nErD cOnVenTioN
THIS SATURDAY DECEMEBER 6TH
Artmosphere Cafe
doors open at 8pm get there early!!!

featuring performances by:

W. Felton
Jamma Wun
Komplex
E The Poet Emcee
Labtekwon
Untill Then...
Bomani Armah
Lyrical Leviathan aka Slick Vic
Lamar Hill
Producer Set by: Jon Laine
Hosted By: Droopy The Broke Baller

10$

enjoy an intelligent night of beats, rhymes, song and poetry.

Artmosphere Digital Cafe
3311 Rhode Island Avenue
Mount Rainier, MD

Labels: flyer, Labtekwon, video

Labels: Brown F.I.S.H., flyer, Labtekwon, Ogun