Kneel Knaris and his partner-in-rhyme Jurawd Simpson have been destined to make music together ever since meeting in the sandbox. The Baltimore natives began as solo artists, but after coming together to hit the studio with a case of Guinness, the two emcees joined forces to create the group Parts Unknown. After independently releasing their album, Hood Therapy, the two lyrical giants have again chosen solo projects as a way of bringing their own unique brand of imagination to Baltimore hip-hop. Kneel Knaris talks about his plans for solo and mutual success.
Read the rest of this entry »

Kessino {thanks, LIEZEL 127}

Like many of us, hip-hop impresario Kessino was captivated by music while listening to the radio early in his life. While growing up on the west side of Baltimore, Justin Kess not only paid attention to the emcees, but studied the DJs, carefully listened to production and memorized the components that would structure his fondness for any genre of music. Kessino created Triumphant Music Group, a label featuring talent on the mic and behind the boards. Having come full circle, Kessino is a producer for WBAL 1090AM, a position that allows him to understand the music business inside and out, all while feeding his tuneful appetite. Click to read my interview with the Baltimore rapper.
Read the rest of this entry »

Hotspitta and L.J.

From today’s b, the paper

You can call it a hip-hop traveling road show of sorts. Andre “Hotspitta” Allen and George “L.J.” Gray have formulated the YoTrakz Mobile Recording Studio as a means to gain the street’s ear to their distinctive sound. After putting out cassette mixtapes in the late ’90s, Hotspitta has moved on to form his own label, Infinite Green Records. Their hard work has paid off, with numerous media outlets curious about their progressing climb, including getting a feature in The Baltimore Sun this spring. With their mobile studio continuing to flourish, Hotspitta and LJ are determined to flood every neighborhood with their thunderous food for thought.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

Amotion working with the Changz program {Isabell Triemer, special to b}

From today’s b, the paper

A record company, TV, film, radio and the Internet: Sometimes, it seems as if the South Baltimore-based entrepreneur named Amotion has found success in every facet of Baltimore entertainment.
But for a dynamo who has risen from juvenile detention to acclaim in Rolling Stone, what she cherishes most at this moment is her new studio space.

“My new location is perfect,” the 27-year-old mogul says, proud of moving from a Brooklyn storefront to a new spot on Patapsco Avenue. “It’s actually been two years of trying to get out of the old location because it was small. … We now produce bands as well as hip-hop and every other genre. We also added a new retail store to the front so we can become even more of a one-stop shop.”

Hardly a second goes by without Amotion pushing her brand. It’s this kind of drive that has made her a force in Baltimore music for nearly a decade.

Read the rest of this entry »

Unreal {thanks, Unreal}

From today’s b, the paper

On Nov. 4, Vernon Harris III, along with the rest of the world, witnessed history; a history he had been eagerly chronicling in his music for months.

“[Barack] Obama becoming president-elect blew me away because I was concerned if people would see past his name and the color of his skin,” the rapper known as UnReal said. “This election just showed me America knows it needs a drastic change and only a leader totally left of the norm can bring that.”

A part of the Baltimore hip-hop scene for 13 years, the emcee saw a prime opportunity to inject a message in his ryhme book — the result was his song “Politics as Usual.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jamma*Wun {thanks, Jamma*Wun}

From today’s b, the paper

J.W. Hudson is lovesick. He has yearned for hip-hop since that day he couldn’t get the song “Stop the Violence” out of his head on the bus stop. His enchantment with that message led to a raiding of his older brother’s tape collection later that evening after school; there he would find Golden Era kings like KRS-One and Just Ice calling out to him from the radio speakers to preserve the true culture of their music. Not much has changed since that fateful dusk for the West Baltimore-bred emcee known today as Jamma *Wun. After learning that dope rhymes can get you attention from the girls, the musical mastermind has gone on to become one of the most gifted musicians in the city, one who hopefully will soon have a major platform to show his talent. With his album “The Odd 7″ now available on CDbaby.com and the LP “Oddly Romantic” coming in January, Jamma took some time to talk about his history, his technique and his undying love.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

V Valentine {V Valentine}

Toao {V Valentine}

Now more than ever, it’s critical for every artist to be just as equally creative with their business sense as they are with their cadenced ingenuity during this reconstruction era of the music business. Valencia “V Valentine” Wood and Joseph “Toao” Murray have truly valued this concept, as they created a licensing business to spread their music worldwide. “In 2004, we contacted a few publishing and independent film companies in California and sent our music to them,” says V Valentine, one half of the Baltimore-based duo of maestros, SOILSOUND. “From there, our music started to appear on The Discovery Channel, TLC and NBC.” Since every company has a certain sound they are looking for, V Valentine stresses that those looking to break into the licensing business thoroughly execute their research before sending off their music. “This shouldn’t discourage artists who want to license their music because there are lots of publishers, ad agencies and the like that need music and content.” She and Toao created SOILSOUND in 2003 as a boutique production company whose main goals were to bring an organic-infused melodic palette to Baltimore.

Read the rest of this entry »

Obama’s Victory {ABC News}

I write this piece on the eve of my beautiful grandmother’s birthday. My grandmother, who tomorrow-God Willing- will turn 77 years young, still walks the streets of Harlem on her daily outings as vigorously as she did the day she migrated to the Big Apple from her hometown of Goldsboro, North Carolina more that 50 years ago. I thought of her as I watched Senator Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. accept his victory as the 44th President of these United Sates of America last night around the hour of 11:00.  Addressing this nation with his new world order at task, he spoke of a woman named Ann Nixon Cooper; a 106 year old former homemaker and socialite from Atlanta who for the first time in her life was able to cast her vote for an African-American nominee. For more than a century on this earth, this extraordinary woman has witnessed America evolve before her eyes. I wonder if Mrs. Nixon Cooper or my grandmother ever thought, in their wildest dreams, that they would see a black man being prepared to take the helm of this country. I think of my maternal grandmother who passed way in 2004, the same year that Barack Obama was just making his mark in the national political arena by giving maybe the most important speech of his career at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I think of my mother, as all she could say was “Oh My Goodness,” in between her sobs of joy as she watched the nation erupt in jubilee on her television. I think of my father, who was an award-winning journalist at the Village Voice during the 1980’s, when young black people were being killed at an alarming rate by a bigoted NYPD and the devastating crack epidemic. I think of my grandfather, who fell limp across his bed crying when he received the news that Malcolm X was killed at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kane Mayfield, Rapman Ron G and Dappa!!! Dan Midas {thanks, David Barreiro}

“The combined efforts of musical misfits.”

This is how Mania Music Group CEO Dwayne Lawson describes his Baltimore record label. Along with his partner, Brandon Lackey, Lawson created the independent brand to bring a different type of musical feel to a city waiting for its big break. After deciding to bring in artists Kane Mayfield, Rapman Ron G and Dappa!!! Dan Midas, the label soon realized it had an avant-garde hip-hop force to be reckoned with. Gaining some reverence from the local media and a following from those who respect an alternative view of the microphone, the imprint is finishing up “The Month of Mania,” a month-long bombardment of free downloadable projects. With performances coming up for The Baltimore Crown at The 5 Seasons on Friday and a re-release of a sampler with music from each artist, Mania Music Group obviously took heed when Fleetwood Mac said you can go your own way.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Read the rest of this entry »

W.O.N.D.A. {thanks, C. Lewis}

Corey Lewis is a student of hip-hop…..literally. As an alumnus of Howard University, and after graduating from The Sheffield School of Recording Arts as a certified engineer; this Producer/MC from Baltimore decided to not only educate himself in the strategy of making music, but also it’s entities of profit. Inspired by rapping in the mirror to the backgrounds of hip-hop videos as a child, the young man known as W.O.N.D.A. (Watch One N***a Do It All) has created his own niche as a maestro behind his trusty MPC 2000XL. Wanting to bring back the natural charisma and enjoyment in hip-hop from times past, W.O.N.D.A. has studied a coalition of hip-hop greats from Dr. Dre and the Notorious B.I.G. to Kanye West and the Neptunes for direction. As he uses the influences of his hometown to paint melodic canvasses, W.O.N.D.A. wants to continue to expand his horizon of learning, enterprise and creativity. Read the rest of this entry »