I wrote about Kane Mayfield's new three-part song "A3C" on the Baltimore City Paper site.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Kane, magazines/newspapers, Mania Music Group, Noise

I put a post on the Baltimore City Paper's Noise blog about Kane Mayfield's Rhymes By Kane: Thievery Corporation Edition.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, Kane, Mania Music Group, Noise

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

Kane Mayfield f/ Jahiti - "F.I.S.H. Bowl (live at Mobtown Studios)" (mp3)
My friends at Mobtown Studios have been doing monthly 'microshows' for the past couple years where they have a local artist come into the studio and perform a special set for a small audience, and the studio records the performance and makes it available for free online. The latest one was the Kane Mayfield Microshow, for which the Mania Music Group rapper assembled a live band and did new arrangements of a whole bunch of his songs. The performance culminates in an epic rendition of Brown F.I.S.H.'s "F.I.S.H. Bowl" with Jahiti himself sitting in with the band, which I thought was really cool since last summer when I wrote an article for the City Paper about Baltimore summer jams, that was the song Kane picked to talk about.

Labels: Brown F.I.S.H., Kane, Mania Music Group, Mobtown Studios, mp3

Labels: Al Great, flyer, Greenspan, Gypsy Soul, Kane, Mania Music Group, Ottobar

It's been an annual tradition that at every December, I do a post here listing my favorite Baltimore hip hop albums and mixtapes of the year. But I never got around to it before the end of 2010, and here we are at the end of January and I feel bad about slacking and just want to get it out there, better late than never. I'll be posting each entry one at a time, and you can follow me on Twitter for updates when I add a new one:



1. Dirt Platoon - Deeper Than Dirt (Brake Fast Records)
So many underground rappers, especially in Baltimore, talk a good game about real hip hop, keeping it grimy, bringing the ‘90s back, all that shit, but when you really listen to their music they’re as eager to keep up with trends or be on some pop shit as anybody they’re complaining about. So that’s why it’s so refreshing to hear Dirt Platoon just not fuck around at all and make some nasty gritty old fashioned hip hop, but still have enough production values, attention to detail and content in their lyrics that it all holds together as a real dope album.
purchase Deeper Than Dirt on Band Camp
Dirt Platoon - "D.P. Shit" (mp3)



2. Los - Shooter (After Platinum/DJ Ill Will/DJ Rockstar)
As a pure MC Los is one of the rare people in Baltimore who I can sincerely say has inspired awe in me at times, just how fast his mind works and how the words pour out of him. I don’t love every creative decision he makes on this, really his first album-style project of all original production, but it’s a consistently engaging listen and probably the only record on this list I’ve seen on any year-end lists outside of Baltimore, even XXL’s, so I’m really happy that dude is kind of becoming a breakout star around here.
download Shooter on DatPiff
Los - "Freedom Of Speech" (mp3)



3. Rome Cee - Tunnel Vision (FreEP)
This may be billed as a “FreEP,” but at just under 40 minutes with barely a second wasted, it’s closer to what rap albums used to be like and probably should still aspire to. Rome Cee was easily the best new Baltimore MC (or new to me, anyway) to grab my attention in 2010 with such a concise, no-nonsense record.
download Tunnel Vision on Band Camp
Rome Cee f/ Kneel Knaris - "Rock My Style (mp3)



4. Backland - Block Work: None Better (DJ Jabril/Block Boy Music)
Backland’s been on the scene forever, and has always been one of the most talented rappers in Baltimore, but his projects have been fewer and further between since an accident and resulting health problems put him on the sidelines for a while. So every new mixtape is an event, especially this one, which he kept trickling out dope songs from throughout 2010 before finally dropping the whole thing on us.
download Block Work: None Better on AllBmoreHipHop.com
Backland - "Goin' In" (mp3)



5. Mickey Free - Last Of The Tight Wiggers
Sometimes white rappers give me some bullshit about how I'm biased against them, but really I just wish more of them were as dope as Mickey Free or were able to navigate their way through hip hop with the same kind of wit and creativity, letting race factor into his identity but not dictate it, playing with white rapper archetypes while transcending them. Last Of The Tight Wiggers is a fun, funny record with some great rapping and the kind of goofy-ass skits people don't make anymore.
purchase Last Of The Tight Wiggers on Band Camp
Mickey Free - "The Unnies" (mp3)



6. Mania Music Group - Welcome To The Audience (Mania Music Group)
I'm a big fan of Mania and have always enjoyed their plethora of free online releases, although no single one of them completely lived up to the crew's overall potential. And that extended to their first official retail album, but they got close enough with a nice collection of jams where all 4 of the group's MCs got a good solo showcase or a standout verse on a posse cut.
purchase Welcome To The Audience on Band Camp
Mania Music Group f/ Dappa!!! Dan Midas - "U Might Think" (mp3)



7. Mullyman - Harder Than Baltimore (Major League Unlimited)
Mully's second album was a total improvement over 2005's Mullymania and really found him tightening his circle up to 2 great producers that both cover a lot of territory, DJ Booman and MBAHlievable, and just focusing on collecting the best of his various singles and leaks over the past year or two plus some dope new songs.
download Harder Than Baltimore on DatPiff
Mullyman - "MULLY!" (mp3)



8. Greenspan - Got Green 2 (Federal Reserve/IllVibes-DMV.com/DJBooth.net)
Greenspan is one of the few rappers in Baltimore that seems to make every move carefully and thoughtfully, his rhymes are always well written, his tracks are always crisp, his live show is always entertaining, just an all-around solid artist.
download Got Green 2 on DJBooth.net
Greenspan - "Never Done" (mp3)



9. Skarr Akbar - The Pursuit Of Happyness (Akbar Enterprize)
Skarr Akbar is one of those artists that keeps dropping new mixtapes year in, year out, and always makes this list, usually somewhere lower, because honestly although he's a huge talent and every record has some dope songs, a lot of times they end up feeling like just another mixtape. But The Pursuit Of Happyness and to a lesser extent its sequel really broke that pattern and felt like cohesive album statements.
download The Pursuit Of Happyness on AllBmoreHipHop.com
Skarr Akbar - “Unbreakable” (mp3)



10. Rapdragons - Featuring Baltimore (Ltd Comp)
I'm really kind of jealous of Rapdragons that they got the brilliant idea to build an entire rap album out of samples from Baltimore rock and indie bands and that they executed it so well.
download Featuring Baltimore on Ltd Comp
Rapdragons - “Come Harvest” (mp3)



11. The Boy Blesst - Show-N-Prove (Reign Music)
I was a huge fan of Blesst's 2009 album Charmicidal, and while this one doesn't have as many memorable songs to keep me coming back, it's still another solid record from one of Baltimore's most underrated rappers, who just has a completely unique voice, an interesting lyrical perspective and a great ear for beats.
download Show-N-Prove on AllBmoreHipHop.com
The Boy Blesst f/ Barnes - “Homeboy” (mp3)



12. Al Great - The Take
After a few freestyle-heavy mixtapes that didn't particularly grab me, Al Great came hard with a couple of records full of original production in 2010, The Heist and a few months later this great follow-up, The Take.
download The Take on DatPiff
Al Great f/ Jet Noise Cardi - “Blinders” (mp3)



13. Si-Notes - Cash On Delivery (Gritty Gang/ARS Productions)
There were other female MCs from Baltimore that made a lot more noise in 2010, but Si-Notes made a mixtape I can really bump front to back last year and they didn't, so I'm still pretty happy with having given her the Best of Baltimore award.
download Cash On Delivery on AllBmoreHipHop.com.
Si-Notes f/ Hunnit Proof - “C’mon Baby” (mp3)



14. Rickie Jacobs - Air Jacobs (BuckMarleyXXX.com/The Good Life Reviews)
After a couple years of enjoying the tracks I'd heard from Rickie Jacobs here and there, it was cool to finally hear a full-length project from him. His voice and his presence on the mic are still a little lacking, in my opinion, but I like where his head's at and what he's trying to say with his music.
download Air Jacobs on Tha Good Life
Rickie Jacobs - “The End” (mp3)



15. Spita - The Fire
This is one of those kinds of odd records that isn't on anybody else's radar that ended up in my e-mail inbox that I really dug, exists very far outside current trends while still being kind of contemporary and radio-friendly, unique voice and some great production.
purchase The Fire on iTunes
Spita - “Spita” (mp3)



16. Bossman - The Re-Up (1Up Entertainment)
Almost immediately after this album was released, Bossman began a campaign of desperate publicity stunts like "Fuck Radio" song and the one-sided Wale 'beef' that, to be honest, were just bizarre and sad to me, and really made me wonder if the dude has just lost his way completely and isn't worth paying any attention to anymore. But the best part of his uneven 2nd official album at least affirmed that he's still got some of that spark that made the Law & Order album so great way back in 2004.
purchase The Re-UP on Amazon MP3
Bossman - “Pain” (mp3)



17. NOE - Gone Till Noevember (DJ 4Five / G14)
NOE has more of a 'biter' stigma than anyone else in Baltimore, but honestly at this point most of the comparisons to Jay-Z is purely from the voice he was born with and he's really got his own rhyme style and ear for beats that doesn't feel especially derivative of anyone in particular.
download Gone Till Noevember on AllBmoreHipHop.com
NOE f/ Jim Jones - "Tangerine Fisker" (mp3)



18. TestMe - In A Lane By Myself (Power Hitter Records)
TestMe is still copping Lil Wayne's rhyme style, delivery and vocal mannerisms so much that the title In A Lane By Myself is pretty inaccurate, but he's still one of the most talented biters in Baltimore and has gotten better and better at putting together consistent mixtapes.
download In A Lane By Myself on AllBmoreHipHop.com
TestMe - "No Hooks" (mp3)



19. Height With Friends - Bed Of Seeds (Friends Records)
Height is kind of the de facto ringleader of a weird, mostly white crew of rappers in Baltimore that gets overlooked or ignored in most conversations about Baltimore hip hop, and the Height With Friends records in particular go a little beyond hip hop with rock instrumentation and vocals that are sometimes more chanted than rapped. But they're in a great groove right now with the records they've been doing and really making a case for why their eccentric vision of rap is exciting and valid.
purchase Bed Of Seeds on Band Camp
Height With Friends - “Link Wray” (mp3)



20. Ogun - In My Spare Time (Architects Studio/Real On Purpose)
There's so much passion and honesty in Ogun's music at his very best that sometimes I just get a little disinterested when emphasizes swag more and kinda lets go of that earnestness that defined his early albums. And the fact that this mixtape is called In My Spare Time only kind of reminds me how much I'd rather him go hard on making the best possible album he can, but there's still some joints on here.
download In My Spare Time on AllBmoreHipHop.com
Ogun f/ Goon - “Why You Acting” (mp3)

Labels: Dirt Platoon, lists, Los, Mania Music Group, Mickey Free, mp3, Ogun, Rapdragons, Rome Cee, Skarr Akbar, The Boy Blesst

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: Eden's Lounge, flyer, Kane, Mania Music Group, Ron G.

Labels: flyer, Mania Music Group, Midas

Dappa!!! Dan Midas - "Jump" (mp3)
Kane Mayfield - "Poor Georgie" (mp3)
In the last few months since Mania Music Group dropped their first official album, Welcome To The Audience, the crew's been back to work on the first round of full-length solo albums from the label's four MCs, and it's looking like in 2011 Kane's coming with his album first, with Midas up next with his album American Graffiti. Kane's lead single is actually one of his solo cuts from Welcome To The Audience that I guess he wants more people to hear or take a second look at, and Midas just recently leaked out his first new song, "Jump," which is real high energy and vaguely familiar, I think he might've performed it last time I saw Mania live.

Labels: Kane, Mania Music Group, Midas, mp3

Here is a "short film starring DDm," which in hip hop terms translates to a video for Dappa!!! Dan Midas's freestyle over The Lox's "Money, Power, Respect" that happens to be kind of artsy and goes on for a minute after the music stops.

Labels: Mania Music Group, Midas, video

Labels: flyer, Mania Music Group

Mania Music Group - Welcome To The Audience (Mania Music Group)

I was thinking when I reviewed Mania's show at the Windup Space recently that I haven't really listened to this album much since the release date, when I finished writing my piece on it for Splice Today. So I had to really come back to it a few weeks later and see how it's aging for me. I'd say it's definitely missing some of the elements I loved on Mania's earlier mixtapes and EPs, all the weird genre exercises and more humorous moments may not have necessarily made for their best music, but it contributed to an overall loose, spontaneous feel that this album is missing a little bit. Plus the really good material makes the lesser songs pale in comparison; for instance Midas's "U Might Think" is such a revelation that it makes his more upbeat solo tracks feel kinda lightweight and less interesting. So at this point, I'm kinda more interested to see how these guys do with their solo albums, and wish there were more collabs on this. But this still has some pretty dope songs, easily one of the best Baltimore releases I've heard this year, guest appearances by Eze from Soul Cannon and Greenspan, and you can check it out on Band Camp.

Rapman Ron G - "Rock n Roll" (mp3)
This track is just crazy, Ron tends to come off kinda mellow and in control and do pretty chill midtempo songs, so it's great to hear him just rip into probably the hardest beat that Headphones and BeaLack have ever made, this is the kind of song that might win over some people that haven't really gotten into Mania yet.

Labels: Greenspan, Kane, Mania Music Group, Midas, Milly July, mixtape/album review, mp3, Ron G., Soul Cannon

This month on the Baltimore City Paper's Noise blog, I wrote live reviews of Soul Cannon/The Get Em Mamis/Mania Music Group @ the Windup Space, the Nels Cline Singers @ the Black Cat, Smashing Pumpkins @ Rams Head Live, and Tortoise/Jason Urick @ Sonar.

Labels: Baltimore City Paper, G.E.M./Tha Plague, Kane, Mania Music Group, Midas, Noise, Ron G., Soul Cannon

Labels: flyer, G.E.M./Tha Plague, Kane, Mania Music Group, Midas, Ron G., Soul Cannon

Mania Music Group, a Baltimore hip hop label I've spent the last couple years following and writing about a lot, released their first official album, Welcome To The Audience, yesterday, and since they'd given me an advance copy I got to write an extensive preview of the album for Splice Today.

Labels: Mania Music Group, Splice Today

Mania Music Group f/ Dappa​!​!​! Dan Midas, Greenspan​,​And Rapman Ron G - "Study My Dreams" (mp3)
After some delays, the Mania Music Group album Welcome To The Audience is finally dropping on June 15th, and the second single that you can download and stream over on their Band Camp page features Greenspan and is really dope, looking forward to hearing the rest of the record.

Labels: Greenspan, Mania Music Group, Midas, mp3, Ron G.

Correction: show date has been moved to July 3rd.

Labels: flyer, G.E.M./Tha Plague, Kane, Mania Music Group, Midas, Ron G., Soul Cannon

Mania Music Group - Welcome To The Sound Check EP (Mania Music Group)

Originally, Mania Music Group was set to release their new album, Welcome To The Audience, in March, but they decided to push it back a few weeks, and instead issue this 8-track preview EP, with a few songs from the album along with some bonus remixes. As with most Mania releases, it tries to showcase all the MCs on the label evenly, with Midas and Kane and Ron G. and new signing Milly July each getting a solo cut and most of them appearing together on posse cuts. The "Stevie's Wife" joint I posted a while back is on here, and it's generally more on that tip than soft stuff like the "Love Thang" single. I was already looking forward to the album but this is a nice little primer, should be interesting to hear how the whole thing shapes up. However, I wouldn't blame you for just waiting for the full LP, since the bonus freestyles aren't super essential. Lately a lot of the chatter around Mania has been regarding rumors about Midas, and if you really want to talk about or follow that, Chin-Yer's My Baltimore Diary blog recently had a post including her interview with Midas on the topic, along with footage of his battle with A-Class that fueled a lot of that talk. I'm not really into gossip, though, so I'm just gonna keep talking about the music. You can download this EP at Mania's Band Camp page.

Mania Music Group - "Beamer Benz or Bentley" Freestyle (mp3)
It's kinda cool to hear these guys all on the beat from a current mainstream hit, since they don't do that real often. It's kind of depressing to hear Midas and Kane spitting fake Drake lyrics on their verses, though (you know, that Young Money style where they just say something, then pause, then say a related phrase, instead of stringing it together as a metaphor or simile -- I call them 'grocery bag lines' because of that one part on "BedRock"). Midas's line in that style made me laugh, but still, it's a pretty terrible trend.

Labels: Kane, Mania Music Group, Midas, mixtape/album review, mp3, Ron G.