Baltimore's Elite / Downloads: Baltimore Essentials

Text 9 Sep 11 notes Downloads: Baltimore Essentials

As you all know Baltimore is in the middle of the East Coast. Not a bad thing, huh? Well, as great as it is in some aspects, it could suck for rappers. Just think about it, the birthplace of rap being located above and the dirty down south just below, where could Baltimore fit in? As far as I have seen, a lot of rappers here have been tugged away by either side. I mean, you would think we have our own identity(Natty Boh, Club Music, Crabs, etc), but it rarely ever translates into music like our Neighboring city DC or Virginia as evidenced by acts such as Wale, Clipse, Pharrell, Missy Elliot, Timbaland, Skillz, Etc. Sure, these artist may not be your cup of tea, but they all bring something original as artist. I remember the song, “Pretty Girls” by Wale, which most people thought was a reach(features ATL rapper, Gucci Mane) for still possessing elements of its hometown music, GO-GO. Well, infusing Baltimore club music may be the least of our problems here, we may not be able to get past big name features from outside artist and radio hit remakes. However just when things seemed hopeless, the light arose. Through it all, there were Baltimore artist making strides on the internet and college radio; I am lucky to have worked with a few of them and thought I could suggest some Baltimore Essentials for the family to download. Of course, I couldn’t leave myself out but I really dig these guys, not just for being skilled but being great people as well

1. Al Great - Summer Nights(Mixtape)