Last time I did a Doc’s Thumbs Up was for 4tae’s “Right Where I Wanna Be” Official Music video in 2015. I definitely need to catch up because there is so much content I’ve seen over the years. I’ve watched so many artists flourish in their crafts. I’m just long overdue to share what dope work I come across. It’s when someone really makes me feel they put in the effort to make a creative piece, it deserves its praises from me. That’s why Jai Ivy’s “I Know” ft. Luki makes Doc’s Thumbs Up.
Ivy dropped her music video for “I know” August 11th via her YouTube Channel. It’s a simple music video that tells a story of heartbreak, something almost every girl can relate to. Honestly, during the generations full of entanglements, hook-ups, and situationships, Jai Ivy’s style is a hammer to nail when it comes to the many woes in the emotional roller coaster we call a toxic love.
The video follows Ivy as she deals with some doubt about the guy she’s dating. They get into an argument, and we watch and get frustrated along with her in the many inaudible cut scenes of her in a debate with the male actor of the video. This scene isn’t unfamiliar. In fact I think this is how Ivy pays homage to many R&B divas before her.
Check Out Jai Ivy’s “I Know” Official Music Video Below:
Jai Ivy is a Baltimore Native artist who is often spotted attending local shows throughout the city. Her album Bleu can be found on all music streaming services. Take a listen to Bleu on Spotify. Follow her on Instagram at @lovee.ivy.
What do you think about this song? Leave your comments below.
From arts and culture to small business successes and housing developments, the entire country is looking at Baltimore, MD with a microscope wondering what defines who we are and how we compared to other metropolitan areas.
I’m proud of my city being a leading example of peaceful protests after the death of George Floyd because sometimes a painted narrative that Baltimore is bad and vastly promoted negative visuals of violence and crime in a 3rd-world-looking neighborhood does not help create an optimistic view for potential. It’s good people of Baltimore that can prove to doubters the positivity that comes out of here.
Since the world had it an eye on Baltimore during the 2015 Uprising, outsiders discovered it to be a visually neglected community which faced years of increasing neighborhood blight. National and international media caught images of an area that had many in disbelief in the conditions of the neighborhoods in Baltimore. But what people were seeing was how the population declined rapidly for decades and the city’s inability to keep up with the costs of these growing vacant communities appeared.
Multiple Baltimore creatives step to the forefront being the activists for the perception of Baltimore. Many are creators who live, breathe, and eat everything that is the Baltimore city lifestyle. The creatives who take pride in Baltimore continue to bring everyone back to the message and show onlookers what needs to be done to make a difference.
Outsiders to Baltimore are intrigued by how people still have pride in neighborhoods that look like this. They wonder what possesses someone to stay in these neighborhoods or get involved with sharing the history of Baltimore. But these creatives become activists to share a message that people see what is only surface level and a result of years of neglect in broken promises, not the proper resources being put into the communities, and a simple disinterest in preserving these neighborhoods. There are people who take pride in where they come from and how it’s shaped their life experiences. These people are working to improve and create new origins for emerging generations.
Vacants Tour
Cheyanne Zadia created a project coined from Baltimore’s housing crisis called “Vacants” with a group of other Baltimore artists to “spread the message which is really to spread love, to seek self and to spread community.” Starting Juneteenth, they performed six pop-up styled concerts on street corners from East to West Baltimore. The project has now evolved into a tour featuring Zadia, Al Rogers Jr, Josh Stokes, Brandon Woody, Bobbi Rush, Mike C, TAli, Prettiman and AyeFinney; all accompanied by live instrumentation.
I went to The People United exhibiton to support some photographer friends who are advocates of documenting the changes in Baltimore city’s neighborhood developments.
Each photo exemplifies life in Baltimore. Each image possesses the in your face message that can never go ignored if you’re a resident of the city. These artists document history, a story of how Baltimore was and its current status. They do it in hopes of a bringing attention to these neighborhoods for an optimistic future because these streets and blocks are home.
Check out the work of some of these awesome artists at their Instagrams below:
Wine and beer festivals and tastings scattered all around this country. A person could probably find over 25+ festivals in the DMV alone. When it comes to heavier liquor and spirits tastings, one would need to pay for the excursion on an exclusive vacation to attend one that’s worth experiencing. It’d simply be a waste of time, money, and gas to go to any local liquor store for a tasting. I know this so I decided to throw a tasting many of my friends would enjoy in a safe and comfortable environment.
Few people know that they can find tastings at their local liquor stores. They tend to be lackluster events. A tasting hosted in the average neighborhood spirits store would usually host a 2 hour tasting of a bottle sold in their store. They invite customers to taste small swigs of drinks housed on the shelves of their store as they shop. So most times these tastings aren’t formal or advertise for the public to attend. This could be due to Maryland liquor laws that prohibit many businesses from serving based on the type and class of a business.
Three stores you can visit for weekly tastings in Baltimore, MD:
HoneyGo Wine and Spirits located in Perry Hall, MD, has weekly tastings in their tasting room on Friday’s from 4pm to 7pm.
Quarry Wine and Spirits, located in Baltimore, MD, often hosts wine tastings in their liquor store on Fridays from 3pm to 6pm.
Wine Loft in Pikesville, MD does tastings if their wine collections on Saturdays from 1pm to 6pm.
These tastings are slim in their pickings of alcohol as they make the choice of beverage for you per the tasting. But if you are someone looking to buy a drink for later, such satisfaction is suitable in attending a tasting as such. But wouldn’t you want to really experience your drink? How will you know you really like it from just a sip? Why wait for later? Honestly the taste isn’t something great in any alcoholic drink, either. A spirits or wine tasting should let the drinker know what they’re getting themselves into.
That’s how it was for me at least. Wine tastings are best when you have them on cruise ships like how I’ve experienced when cruising to Mexico over the summer.
Doc and her dad in the Blue Agave fields in Mexico.
During my vacation cruising to Mexico, I did three tastings of my favorite drink, tequila. All the tastings educated its attendees about how tequilas are made, how many different types there are, and how to tell what brands are authentic tequila brands. I visited a field of Blue Agave Cactuses with my family and enjoyed exploring tequilas distilled into many different delicious flavors such as mango, coffee, and cream.
This experience was so fun to have I wondered if there were any tasting for Tequila in Maryland. It wasn’t a surprise to find the kind of tasting I would come across is the usual Wine and Spirit Store sample tasting. Really, where are the tequila tastings?! Not in Baltimore. The closest someone might find a tequila tasting is in a restaurant in Washington, DC.
So I threw my own tequila tasting during the holidays and I had a blast!
I spent hours and days prepping to grant my friends and family an experience worth sharing with others. I wanted this tasting to be talked about for weeks, or maybe even months. I wanted people to experience something they’ve never done before. So I studied, studied, and studied long to really educate my guests on what they’d be consuming. I became Catadora, someone who specializes in tasting tequila, for the night pairing my holiday chocolates with a kick of tequila. Bien de salud (in sound health, of course.)
Simply having people taste tiny sips of tequila wasn’t enough. I needed to know that my guests were gaining knowledge from me lecturing them about my favorite drink. So I threw a pop-quiz using a spinning wheel that ultimately turned my tasting into the most exciting Tequila trivia game known to man.
The night was so lit, I slightly beat myself for not preparing to have people in my house until 4 am. But no worries, I enjoyed the company and knowing everyone was safe. They had fun learning about Tequila and I loved being the teacher. I’ll definitely throw more tastings in the future.
What’s your favorite drink? Have you gone to a wine or spirits tasting for your favorite beverage? Share your experience in the comments below.
What better way to bask in my return to blogging for Doc’s Castle than to talk about one of my favorite times of the year to be creative: Halloween.
For the last few years, I have dressed up to participate in the festivities of Halloween off whim because I think it’s exciting to get in the spirit of any holiday. It gives me something to do and its conversation starter with a lot of people who also enjoy doing things around this time of the year. So let’s talk about it!
I’m not an avid cosplayer so I don’t go all out for my costumes. You probably won’t ever see me super decked out dressed like I’m Catwoman or Wonder Woman. But when I catch the spirit of Halloween, my creativity takes over and I let my originality seep through. Because I’m not an avid cosplay, found someone you can ooh and ahh over. You can see previously feature hairstylist Shanae Thomas in all her awesomeness by visiting her Facebook page.
Check out some of these costumes I’ve worn over the decade.
2012 Ratchet Girl
In 2012 there was the invasion of the Ratchet Girl. Not to be confused with the Hot Girl, a term originated by rapper Megan the Stallion generally meaning- in very layman’s terms- women who feel confident in who they are—and having fun and looking good while doing it. Boisterous, or very confident women, would be mislabeled as Ratchet Girl, which is defined on Wikipedia as a loud ghetto, real, gutter, or nasty female. But over time this term has evolved into a more positive connotative meaning due to its use in modern pop culture. Some African-American women have reappropriated the word and embraced the meaning. Which is why I believe society’s hot girl was originally society’s former ratchet girl, but now evolved.
Shoutouts to Megan the Stallion for the name change, though!
2014 Annabelle
It was my first year working on Halloween for Baltimore’s alternative rock station 104.9 HFS Radio for Ballyhoo’s Halloween Party hosted at Soundstage in Downtown Baltimore City. I didn’t have time to prepare for the night with a better costume. But the station provided me with my outfit for the night. We were promoting the release of Annabelle and there were extra masks laying in the company’s promotions bin. With the extra motivation of a $3 Chipotle burrito bowl waiting for me just blocks from the venue, I was quick on my feet to figure out a plan to dress up to eat a discounted meal from one of my favorite restaurants.
*Side note: I never saw Annabelle The Movie.
2015 Tyler The Champion of Courage
Welcome the era of Caitlyn Jenner, winner of the 2015 Champion of Courage Award for her infamous gender change from Olympian star Bruce Jenner. She was labeled “woman of the year” for her courage to do the ultimate change in front of the whole world and it sparked many debates on the inter-web of whether she truly deserved to be honored with the title. I mean, after all, was Caitlyn truly a woman?
I wanted my costume to spark conversation because 2015 was full of lots of controversial topics. Bruce Jenner’s sex change was one of the events being talked about. So much so I felt it was the reason Caitlyn received such endowment. My costume to become Tyler and carrying a Champion of Courage certificate was an idea to poke some fun at the topic. I just wanted to reward myself for the decision to be confident enough to become a man for a day.
2016 Tina Belcher Bob’s Burger
Obsessed with watching Bob’s Burgers, I took more of a cosplay approach to dressing for Halloween this year. In 2016, I started embracing celebrating Halloween with attempting to dress as anything I felt stood out the most about pop culture to me during the year. Bob Burgers was it!
Bob’s Burgers was all around me. Every time I watch TV and saw that Bob’s Burgers was on, I tuned in. If I saw it streaming live on YouTube, streamed it too. I wore socks that replicated Louise’s rabbit ears. I purchase coloring books with all the characters. I became a Bob’s Burgers fan. I still am.
People get recognition for some of the simplest things on the Internet. Memes are no exception to crowning our very next sensation. Literally, anyone can steal our attention with their charm, wit, and even stupidity.
Last year, I chose to highlight a basic meme I saw being shared numerous times throughout 2018. I chose to be this lovely young lady in the picture above. I don’t know her personally but I’ve seen her associated in plenty of hilarious memes across social media. I wanted to be something I knew anyone who’s on social media as much as I would understand. People go it because my photo was shared multiple times with laughs.
My Halloweens are “lit” with a creative desire to just be in the spirit of it. I know I’m not the only person who does it just for this reason. So many others come up with awesome costumes. I loved scrolling my timelines on this day.
Did you see any costumes you enjoyed? Let us know about it in the comments below.
Has Baltimore found it’s new Wire series? It’s possible to say after viewing the premiere of the Lost Kings Series this week at the Charles Theater July 24th.
Terrence Smalls, director at 89 Crowns and writer of the independent film, may be onto something with his new series because it’s been a long time coming since Baltimore had such rich production embedded with its culture. In Lost Kings, Smalls shares his perspective of the city trenches, finally giving a glimpse of the inside from an insider of Baltimore City.
Any Baltimorean can tell the world is ready for more insight into how we live our lives whenever our radar flashes anytime tourists compare the lifestyle of the residents in Baltimore City to actors in the phenomenal HBO Series The Wire. Watching the Lost Kings at its premier made me realize it could have the same potential. From people’s accents to the infamous dirt bike riding in Baltimore streets, this fictional story portrays our city life artistically instead of, in recent years, the common factual documentary.
Through Smalls’ enactment of Max, played by Baltimore’s dirt bike Wheelie Queen, we watch her journey to avenge her brother’s death and thrive in an arena full of corrupt men. According to the premiere’s Facebook e-vite, Lost Kings’ purpose is to “bring Baltimore Culture to the forefront, while also highlighting and examining factors that contribute to psychological trauma.”
The film did great in portraying its purpose. Many artists throughout Baltimore’s art scene had a part in the production of the film. So it was easy to pick up on the city’s culture naturally as we watch the native actors. The film also highlighted characters having Post Traumatic Stress in situations highly aggravating and aggressive.
The series premiere is broken into 3 chapters in a total length of 30 minutes. It didn’t feel like 30 minutes at all with its many break in-between scenes acting as identifiers for the audience to refresh their attention on a new direction the story will take lead. We can see Smalls create a signature of his artistry while implementing this playwright style into the first episode. It also sets the series apart from independent “hood films” of its time, labeling a little more cinematic than that of what I can find “googling” indie hood films or come across on YouTube. So let’s say in three chapters Baltimore’s rawness is indeed depicted authentically and successfully in a swift 30 minutes.
I also did my part as I was a production assistant for the film, which is always great. Woo! I enjoyed having met many of the cast a crew since last year in 2017 at the start of shooting. Other participants in the production took to social media to share that they felt the same.
Terrence Smalls shares his appreciation for the turnout of the Lost Kings Premiere:
Does the Lost Kings series look like a series that you’d tune into? Leave your comments below.
If you missed out on the Lost Kings Series first premier, you have the opportunity to check it out really soon. The producers are expecting for the Lost Kings Series second premier to be held this August 2018.
Light City Baltimore came back bigger and better for 2018. I’m so glad to say that I decided to be apart of everything, too.
I volunteered my free time to be a social media volunteer for Light City and it was quite an experience. Instead of spending one night looking at the exhibits, I spent four nights seeing how different people interacted with each crevice and corner of the popular light festival.
My job along with numerous other volunteers was to capture the evenings’ glory moments. Whenever we saw people enjoying the night, we’d snap photos to share on the Light City social media channel to encourage people who weren’t in attendance to come down. I believed it was a strategy that worked because the outcome was phenomenal. Opening night attendance was so overwhelming, there were rumors of physical altercations swarming the Internet before the night was over.
A long line for Funnel Cake
Last year’s Light City was rainy for me so a lot of pictures were hit and misses. But this year, I had enough practice and sunlight to get a little bit of everything going on.
My favorite spot to shoot was Club Light City, which was the designated area for House, EDM, and Hip-hop artist and dancers to perform throughout the night. So many talented people showed up at this stage sporadically and unannounced. The idea of it being majority freestyle acts made me more intrigued by the area. The section was a party. I spent a lot of my time in the area.
Local DJs, like DJ Who and Kariz Marcel, had the party started. I posted via my Instagram a video of Baltimore dancers performing to music producers Kariz Marcel. I also got some great photos of DJ Who jamming to his own mixes.
My favorite exhibit would have to be awarded to As of Now.
I loved the message behind this art piece because it pays its respects to the history of Baltimore’s black urban community and what it’s like being black owning a row home. In As of Now, Elissa Blount Morehead screenplays a three-generation Black Owned household in a sum of 3 acts. We see a black father, a black mother, and a black son live throughout multiple decades and giving us an idea of an average day-to-day living.
Other exhibits at Light City 2018 were eye-catching, but those that can provoke a deep resignation feeling were big in their presentation like Kelley Bell’s The Herd. A community of inflatable floaties in the not so healthy Baltimore Inner Harbor aims to represent the harbor being a no-swim zone because of its toxic state. What’s supposed to bring folks attention is the fact that the floaties are empty. Nobody is swimming in them.
I took photos of other pieces from artists. View the gallery below.
Did you get a chance to visit Light City this year? Share some of your experiences and photos in comments!
Thanks to one of my nine-to-five jobs, I was able to attend the 2018 American Art Craft Show held at the Baltimore Convention the last weekend in February. It was amazing and very inspirational being in the presence of “real” artists.
I work as a promotions assistant at Entercom radio for the 80s, 90s, and today’s pop hits station Today’s 101.9. My job had the pleasure of being press at the craft show on Saturday morning. We did our usual at the show; assist our radio personality Fran Lane with the spinning wheel and gift giveaways. So I didn’t do anything that was out of the norm workwise. But I’m grateful, to say the least, that I was working in surroundings in which capacity I’m not familiar. When I go to these events with my job, we have only a few moments where the promotion staff can walk away to take a look at what’s happening throughout the show. But this time our press appearance was only for 2 hours. So I didn’t have the time to see what the featured artists had to offer until later in the afternoon when I came back to walk the show off the clock.
Artist Cred: Kimmy Cantrell
The American Art Craft Show is a popular traveling art convention sponsored by Visit Baltimore, where emerging artists from all different crafty backgrounds come to one mutual space to sell their work. Like a traditional merchant’s market or flea market, the American Art Craft Show is a high-class version of original arts and goods show made available for any shopper who’s into scavenging for unique pieces not found anywhere else.
I snuck into the exhibit using the American Art Craft Show press pass given to me earlier for my work shift because I felt it necessary for me to have a deeper look into what was at the show. I needed to know what drew me to what I saw while there. Why did it feel like my spirit was suddenly lit seeing all the unique things? It was like a strong magnetic force between my eyes and the artwork, just something about it that made me fall in love with that moment. I wanted to know what made these artists work so hard and achieve such success to be placed in such a popular arts convention.
Artist Cred: Liz Cummings
The American Art Craft Show is quite a pricey show as the quality of the artifacts in the show exhibits each artist passion through sincere detail in the craftsmanship. I saw sculptures of every medium from stone, metal, glass, and traditional clay. I saw clothing designers use unique and expensive fabrics from basic cotton to rich leathers. The jewelry pieces were to die for as I literally choked off my drink of water when told what the price tag said on a pair of stunning earrings. There were immaculate paintings of mixed media forms utilizing fabric embroidery and infused clay on large canvases. Any observer could tell the artists put their everything into their work, and each piece was argumentatively worth what each price tag listed.
These artists were seasoned with their expertise. I witnessed only techniques I see online when I watch art videos on YouTube for inspiration for my own crafting. The techniques were those that people dig for when yearning to add that extra oomph to their “art baby.” The techniques were ways of the art world that makes the observer ponder how did something turn out a particular way. Ways that I could not resist having mini-interviews with the artists on how they achieved such beautiful masterpieces.
I went into journalists mode interviewing the artists from my favorite booths. One particular artist that I had the pleasure of speaking to, Natalya Aikens, creates architectural structures using fabrics and threaded stitching. She references photographs from her own collections and experiments with replicating her images by following traditional shading and coloring techniques.Her work comes off as abstract because of all the vibrant colors being used that aren’t naturally present in the original photos. Mihira Karra, who’s another artist similar to Aikens utilizes the same technique but instead recreates portraits of celebrities, landscapes, and influential figures.
Artist Cred: Mihira Karra
Artist Kathleen Scranton shares her creativity quite uniquely as her booth was unlike any other during the craft show. She takes her favorite novels and children’s books and turns them into small purses or wallets. Her station was one of the booths that had the most traffic because her idea was the most unique. She ran with the theme “Everyone reads.” The booth had to be the most recognizable because most books she used were classic American literature. The interior walls were draped with Dr. Seus, Star Wars, and The Great Gatsby. What made it even better was the buyer got to take home a copy of the novels, as well, after their purchase.
Artist Cred: Kathleen Scranton
I met many ambitious artists whose main focus while working on their art was to enjoy it. None of the artists I spoke to envisioned themselves as experts. Most didn’t think they’d be selling their art when they started. I bring this up to talk about my usual theme for Baltimore artists. With examples as those spotted at the American Art Craft Show, artists in this city could visualize true talent with purpose. It’s not about the social climb like mentioned in my blog series Quality vs. Quantity (Part 1). These artists monetize using pure passions where the love or their work comes first and everything that precedes it comes afterward. At showcases and in the work done here, we only see this reflection of that in prestigious art shows. I write about it to awaken the people who want it to more prevalent in Baltimore’s Art culture.
View more photos from the 2018 American Art Craft Show.
The biggest take away from this event was that it made me feel inspired. That’s what an artsy event suppose to do. They spark the creative soul within and changes the atmosphere around you. The American Art Craft Show did just that. It was due for my soul to feel that awakening.
What artist do you think should have attended or exhibited at the 2018 American Art Craft Show? Leave your comments or tag an artist below. Have you read any of the Quality vs. Quantity Blog Series? Catch up on it on Doc’s Castle Media.
As we should all know, the media helps shapes the perspectives and minds of many that stay abreast of current events. There are millions and millions of people in the know of what’s happening around them. They take what they read and watch on news outlets as fact. It shapes the way each individual chooses to live their life. Most importantly, it’s extremely influential in molding the opinions of people participating in buying and selling. More recently we’ve found it’s one of the leading factors as to why America is in so much turmoil in politics and policy with our current president. So this is why I cannot overlook critiquing Baltimore Media in my second post of Quality vs. Quantity because, with or without media, it continues to be influential to Baltimore’s art culture.
Indie Media has the ability to mold the careers of inspiring artists by helping them move from 0 to 100 through merely talking about an artist’s successes and downfalls. From covering an artist’s success when they have a breakthrough project to talking about movements that aren’t too favorable to the progression of an artist’s career, the media has the power to make or break whether an artist will make it to legendary status.
Having this knowledge that the media has this much an impact in shaping an artist’s career should be the leading factor for why artists should be involved with getting to know their local underground media like the bloggers, podcasters, and many other commentators who are fans of the city’s art culture.
Artists and media need to work hand-and-hand in the progression of the industry of Baltimore’s art culture. But somehow the light bulb hasn’t powered on with that idea and there’s is a big gap in linking the two.
Photo from Facebook
Why is Baltimore Indie Media not helping the Baltimore Art Culture Progress into an Industry?
Traditional media is falling by the wayside as more journalists are left without work. There are fewer printed newspapers and more online news sites. But passionate journalists work hard to continue to do what they love; by recording the history of which they currently live through. They do this on more accessible platforms that some of these journalists invest in on their own.
Underground media has little to no funding to push its indie brands. This leads them to depend heavily on instant gratification online. No longer are they going to work for large media companies aiding them with story leads and money to put food on the table. They report where most people spend their time in order to get recognition, which means social media is where the majority of these outlets can be found excelling.
But if they all can be found on the same platforms, it means most media has the same story leads. They all report about the same things. One great example is knowing about Baltimore’s own comedian Monique’s recent battle with Netflix. Everyone knows she’s called out the black community to a boycott. But, I can bet you that no one can remember which news sites reported the Monique story first.
Major outlets, like the Baltimore Sun, 92Q, Fox 45, and Baltimore Magazine are not the only sources for breaking and entertainment news in the city. There are a plethora of small name underground websites, blogs, podcasts, and magazines that flood social media with opinions about current events on a daily basis. If more local artists and media worked together to saturate the internet with UNIQUE stories on smaller platforms instead of focusing on what everyone else is reporting, we wouldn’t have to see recurring topics on our timelines.
How many times are we going to talk about the same stories? How many times will we only talk about Young Moose or Lor Scoota like they were Baltimore’s only rap artists? Or why aren’t local media coming up with new creative ways to highlight an artist on their websites without doing the usual “get-to-know-the-artist” interviews of creatives who nobody knows about on their podcasts or blogs? There’s a lack in the quality of content in the media that’s similar to the lack of quality in the artists. I think it’s time we stop ignoring the lack of distinction in media if we want to work towards the change I spoke about in my previous essay Quality vs Quantity Part 1: The Saturation of Wanna Be Artists In Baltimore Art Scene.
Underground media in Baltimore city are not exempt from the numbers of individuals seeking to be the voice of the culture. Like many artists and entrepreneurs, inspiring journalists seek to be the “it” factor for change in Baltimore, as well. Everyone wants to be a legacy. But each platform shows proof that following the same formula doesn’t help push progression. We have multiple online radio stations in the city that follow a similar strategy for marketing and studio production, which shows there’s little research done to help each radio brand standout amongst larger successful media. We have podcasters whose production comes off parallel to the other, which shows there’s a lack of research for what’s actually working that’s helping successful podcast accelerate. It’s easy to tell who’s taking the necessary steps to push their brands and who’s not. Who’s going to be our leading TMZ of the city- breaking all the details of our industry if these brands can’t differentiate themselves?
Being similar isn’t the only thing that’s keeping Baltimore’s Underground Media from helping progress the art culture…
The rise of social media brings a wave of opinionated perspectives from every crevice and corner of the Internet. People are not afraid of sharing their thoughts online. But there comes an increase of sensitivity to the opinion that has arisen which makes me concerned about the status of Baltimore City’s urban art culture. More people are sensitive to opinions, and it’s one of the reasons Baltimore’s art scene is lacking genuine underground media outlets willing to step up when it comes to critiquing Baltimore artists. This is a problem because constructive criticism is what Baltimore artists need in order to improve their crafts.
There is a downfall of quality in even the highest-rated of underground media. I believe it’s caused by the lack of direction of each company’s branding techniques, and the additional pressure to chase lead stories. What we’re experiencing as readers and followers of pop culture is brands fearing their power being lost because they’re considering readers’ opinions of what they share. Instead, these companies should be focused on pure facts of what’s necessary to share and not what’s going to make them popular.
The integrity of emerging media is at stake alongside the quality of artwork being circulated. Both sides need to take a moment to pause when evaluating their influence in Baltimore’s Art “Industry.” To improve the stance of our industry, the questions that should be asked by both artists and underground media are “what am I doing to help the current art community,” “Am I making a positive or negative impact in this culture,” “Is what I’m doing necessary for this industry’s growth,” and “Are there any other platforms available currently doing what I do that I can collaborate with and add my input?” Once creators can answer these questions with the benefit of the city’s culture in mind and become successful in getting implementing their findings, then maybe we will see a change for the better?
What do you think? Do you believe the underground media outlets in Baltimore have an impact on the stance of Baltimore’s Art Culture? Leave your comments below.
On the weekend of Jan 19, 2018, history was made in Baltimore. For the first time, there’s a Hip-Hop museum opened in Baltimore city! As a follower of the culture in Baltimore, I speak for many when I say this is a much-needed space for aspiring artists in this city.
Located in the same building as The SAND Gallery, an art museum formerly known as the Incredible Creations Art gallery geared to showcasing the talents of the visual arts of people in the DMV and Baltimore region, the In My Lifetime: Mini Hip-Hop Museum premiered with a similar mission and to also to preserve and educate about hip-hop culture. There has never been a place in the history of hip-hop to be solely dedicated to the preservation and advancement of hip-hop culture until now.
The grand opening took place the entire weekend; from Friday to Sunday. Each day had events catered to educating and informing artists about discussions in hip-hop. The weekend at the museum was filled with book signings, workshops, and discussion panels. Each day was geared toward helping people who were seriously passionate about improving their career in hip-hop.
I decided to attend the grand opening on Friday for the Put Yourself On Discussion Panel. It was a panel that every artist in Baltimore should have made their duty to not miss because it had the right information needed to be heard for any artist who wants to take their career to the next path.
Four panelists who are participants in Hip-Hop Culture shared valuable information on how knowledge gained through fully indulging themselves in hip-hop helped push their growth in their individual fields. To name a few professions that took the floor were artists managers, producers, DJs, publicists, former rap artists, media, and brand ambassadors. Each panelist came from a seasoned background within the industry and with useful input of more than what’s in the forefront of our television screens.
These curators came with tips from avenues many artists who are eager to excel in Baltimore’s art culture are quick to omit. Some advice shared were tips on how to study people who inspire an artist’s craft, how artists should measure progression through monetization and not online attraction, the importance of staying relevant and aware of current events and entertainment news, and staying genuine to what’s desired instead focusing on being ahead of the opponent.
The material picked up at the panel could be applied to anyone pursuing a career in arts, not just people invested in hip-hop. I believe that’s why the audience was so engaged in the conversation. It was more than just about rap and the Baltimore Rap Artist. There were producers, songwriters, and even visual artists present nodding their heads in agreement with what they took in. Because the information was presented generally, I make the statement every artist should have come to the museum’s grand opening. These are resources artists in this city often complain about lacking.
As mentioned before in the first installment of my blog series Quality Vs. Quantity (Part 1), Baltimore’s art culture needs more resources to help artists improve their approach to building a legacy of brands. The In My Lifetime: Mini Hip-Hop Museum is well on its way to becoming one of those sources to help artists improve their quality. The kickoff Put Yourself On Panel was an eye-opener and extremely helpful first attempt at its premiere.
It’s looking up for the “urban” art culture in Baltimore as we see more avenues readily available to help artists. Places like Impact Hub and events like the Baltimore Beat Club help provide resources for improvement and exposure. Artists need to be aware of taking sacrifices with choosing to invest in their career progression. There are more than studio sessions and basement rap.
There has to be a way to publicize the importance of improving their quality to artists. I assume the best way is to keep talking and sharing the little things we do have and spreading what the benefits are when utilized.
But what do I know? I’m just writing myself into existence….
What do you look forward to with the opening of the In My Lifetime: Mini Hip-Hop Museum in Baltimore? What do you think it can offer to the DMV? Leave your comments below.
This blog was bound to come. For it’s been brewing for me to bring up this topic for a couple of years since my article Baltimore is Too Cliqued Up to Have Supporters. I never knew how to approach it until now after years of living as a writer, artist, and social influencer in Baltimore’s Art scene. It’s not until now that I know how to express my observations on what has changed, and what we as artists and influencers should be doing to finally let go of our crab in a barrel mentalities and work together to show the value of our city.
I decided to write a four-part blog series about the quality of the Baltimore arts scene since I’ve become a participant of the culture in 2013. When I began frequently attending open mics, showcases, and other artsy events in the city, I met a lot of talented people while writing about my experiences. I learned that this culture is constantly changing but there’s a stigma that remains were artists fight for support. Though I haven’t heard the saying “Baltimore city artists are crabs in a barrel” thrown around much this past year, this city has not overcome it. So I thought I’d reflect on some of my speculations.
It all starts as a response to my friend and blogger of Uncommonrealist Shae McCoy who discusses her sudden lifestyle change as her opinion for Baltimore’s Art scene changed in her December 2017 article “Becoming an Introverted Creative: Being Seen Ain’t Always Peaches and Cream,” I’ve found a lot of bloggers and artists, including myself, who once took a front seat in being influencers of their crafts slow down and become more reserved since the 2015 Baltimore Uprising while a plethora of newcomers stood in a line waiting for their glorious turn to have their shine in the front seat. There was a slew of folk taking larger interests in things already innovated in the present art culture, and until this day there remains a culture of creators lacking originality; very few creating a lasting impact for “real” talent represented in Baltimore.
Shae discusses her shift to becoming an introvert having sparked from observations of the social environment that surrounds Baltimore creatives. With this generation’s desire to chase instant gratification, Shae finds that she isn’t a creative that resonates with the fascination of social climb visible on social media. The temporary fame that follows instant gratitude lacks substance and becomes similar to debates contrasting quantity and quality. For people who want to be remembered for what they spend most of their lives perfecting, building a legacy is what’s most important for many artists in Baltimore. Shae doesn’t believe that a legacy can be met focusing on the attention attracted through staying abreast on social media and each amount of likes on a post does nothing but temporarily boost self-esteem.
There is more to the artists that meets the eye. Have we forgotten why we like art? Have we forgotten why we pursue these artistic dreams?
Why has the art scene in Baltimore become much more saturated with people pursuing similar passions?
As social media usage breeds more creators and self-starters, an increase of there being less unique content fills the pages across our browsers. Everyone who wants to be anyone creates startups for podcasts, blogs, vlogs, websites, and more. There are more rappers, painters, party promoters, models, producers, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, and clothing designers. The scene is lacking originality and a true understanding of good branding because everyone wants to do the same thing. It comes off as people being more ready for their big break and quick fix.
Published Book by Baltimore Photographer Devin Allen
Could these newcomers be looking for their craft to become their savior? Influencers like D. Watkins, author of memoirs The Cook Up and The Beast Side, Devin Allen, photographer and author of A Beautiful Ghetto, and Kwame Rose, activist, and public speaker during Baltimore Uprising, gained recognition and a social following for their talents after the tragedy of Freddie Gray’s death. They sparked a career in their passions that people see and admire with the help of the Uprising. People from around the world seek to hear the stories of Baltimoreans during a time of adversity and these people showed a promising perspective while using their talents. They also received support from many locals because they presented a story of our city that we could all agree upon.
I once mentioned during the Uprising artist should take this moment to share what makes Baltimore city a great place to live. We should shed light on what’s positive happening rather than focus on what national media wanted to report. But never did I think that everyone would jump the gun to use their art to grasp the attention of the world.
With the rise of these artists came the many crabs of the city still seeking the same gratification. But three years later, it’s evident these crabs were not understanding why these artists were getting genuine love and support from locals. Baltimore is known for its crab in a barrel mentality; which means whenever people see others succeeding they generally find ways to hold those reaching success back by not lending support or by offering alternatives that could ruin their positive climb.
In the case of the many crabs that have emerged, there isn’t much of a pull to hold others back lately, rather a saturation of the culture. There are too many people doing the same thing. There are too many artists providing a solution to an issue already resolved by other artists that paved the way for recognition. Everyone wants to provide a platform for artists to showcase their talents. Everyone has an open mic. Everyone believes they have the “it” factor. The list goes on.
We used to hear, “Everyone wants to be a rapper.” We would hear it so frequently that we coined the term “Baltimore rapper” and knew immediately the persona of that individual. Now everyone wants to be anything they see another person doing within the arts. The entire country was watching us at our worse, and Baltimore artists decided it was a show-and-tell for literally everyone.
It could be the number of likes a successful artist gets that crabs start snipping at their glimpse of hope. But that should not be the general mission for building a better reputation for a city that’s constantly slandered in national media.
We as influencers do not chase likes. We chase a legacy. We strive to be the change the Baltimore city needs. We are the positive images opposing HBO’s The Wire, a series that outsiders praise and uphold as what they think is a true representation of Baltimore city. We are the people that work hard to erase those negative stereotypes. We cannot reach change chasing views and likes on Instagram or Facebook because those likes are only temporary. Those are only platforms that assist in the bigger picture.
I don’t believe it’s doing the Baltimore Arts Scene much justice having so many artists doing similar things, instead, people look like they’re incapable of being authentic. Artists that come after innovators are viewed as trend followers rather than trendsetters. That isn’t what true pushers of the Baltimore Arts culture wanted. The art culture in Baltimore is unique once you stumble across true gold. But saturation pushes the talented and influencers away from being the great representation the city needs. Thus why we hear so many people believe they must move out of Baltimore in order to truly gain the recognition they desire.
Why should we need to move away to get what we deserve? It should start at home, as it did for Rose, Allen, and Watkins. An artist who has real talent must bring the spark that makes an audience adhere to a story worth hearing. It must be original. They must work hard and strive for their legacy. It won’t happen overnight or in an instant with a click or like.
The quality of our cultural scene is still thriving because there are so many people that participate. But there should be more resources available to help artists own up to a legacy they see within themselves. It’s not enough if the artist is the only one who sees their own potential. Alike does not confirm that a message has been met, and there is a desperate need for someone to force these crabs to wake up smell the coffee.
What do you think? Is it a problem that there is more artist striving to do the same thing? Do you think Baltimore is on the right path to playing in the fields with artists who come from Atlanta, LA, and New York? Leave your comments below?
Have you read about DaCornerStore’s attempt to create a #NewBaltimore for hip-hop artist in Baltimore and my opinion of how it was a drastic fail? Read NewBaltimore or OldBaltimore? We’re all Crabs on Doc’s Castle Media.
