Doc’s Thumbs Up: Five Artists on Frequency’s Ripple Effect DMV Playlist Not from Baltimore

Spotify’s Frequency Playlist highlights the music of artists from the DC, Maryland, and Virginia regions. Some of the DMV’s well-known hip-hop artists Rico Nasty, Pusha T, and Ari Lennox come together on Spotify’s Frequency Sunday Dinner podcast to discuss the Ripple Effect: DMV Playlist. I had the time to listen in and wanted to further give a Doc’s Thumbs Up to the artists in the DMV who made this dope hip-hop playlist. So I list five artists to listen to on Ripple Effect: DMV Playlist who do not live in Baltimore city.

The DMV is finally getting its well-deserved flowers from major folks in the music industry. I always knew our region had a spark about it. Too many of my talented friends were going unnoticed in the last decade. But I believe major industry folks are seeing how DMV artists are able to hold their own without traditional media backing. In the new area of social media, everyone has a platform and most of these artists have a loyal following that they work hard for.

[Read about Who’s Behind Spotify’s Frequency’s Playlist on Spotify Newsroom]

Spotify’s Frequency consists of 4 playlists that were ”created in response to a climate in which Black voices in music, fashion, business, and more continue to be left out of the narrative, their contributions left underappreciated and underrepresented.” The Ripple Effect playlists’ mission is to uplift artists who are unknown, unsigned, and from underserved genres. So this playlist was specifically tailored to serve our people!

As savvy underground listeners, we have uplifted these artists through online streaming services. We added their songs to our playlists on services like Spotify and YouTube Music. Supporters followed their Soundclouds. Fans attended their local shows. I’m so proud to see Spotify highlighting dope artists from the DMV, and it’s because of the buzz that’s created by supporters of these talented individuals. It’s a great thing to see, especially coming from where we come from. When we work hard, we elevate to new levels. Some of the Baltimore artists to make the lists, I watched constantly at work for years. Now they’re getting recognition past the borders of the city.

[Read: Busting Out of The Crab Barrel: How to Support Baltimore Artists on Doc’s Castle Media]

I woke up to expressive Instagram posts from Baltimore artist and last month’s Doc’s Thumb’s Up feature Miss Kam and Baltimore MC Deetranada excited about being featured on Spotify’s Frequency Ripple Effect: DMV Playlist. Rico Nasty also gave shoutouts on The Frequency Sunday Dinner podcast released on July 29th to Miss Kam and Baby Kahlo. Such awesome talent emerging from the DMV area. Other Baltimore artists to grace the ears of listeners of the playlist are DDm, Kotic Couture, CalvoMusic, YG Teck, Ernest Third, and Mighty Mark.

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Artists of Baltimore definitely get the top pick of the litter here on Doc’s Castle Media when it comes to highlighting talent. It’s because of my Bmore pride, I want to give my hometown its well-deserved recognition. There’s over 40% of our views coming from Baltimore readers. So I give people what they’re used to seeing and what they like to see represented in the city. But today, I decided to check out a few more artists from The Ripple Effect: DMV Playlist because everyone on it deserves a good listen.

I’m pointing out five artists whose songs feature on the Ripple Effect playlist that I heard for the first time thanks to Spotify. Take note of these artists’ names and tracks as we may hear more from them in the years to come.

Five artists to listen to in the Ripple Effect: DMV Playlist who don’t live in Baltimore:

Dreamcastmoe – Washington, D.C.

Soul Belongs 2 U is a cool love song by Dreamcastmoe that puts you in a new atmosphere. It might sound a little creepy, but I can Digg it. Just think of speaking to the love of your life than telling them that their soul is now yours. That’s the type of effect I want on my man. “You’re mine,” said like Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat. Yeeeeeeeah, that’s the vibe I got when I heard it. Haha! Dreamcastmoe got a dope song there.

Leeto – Woodbridge, VA

Broken reminds me of songs by Juice World and what’s funny is in Leeto’s YouTube bio, it’s said that’s who he grasps musical inspiration from. He’s only 16 years old and I can already pick up on musical influences in his tracks. That’s a skill that many artists at that age aren’t able to hown. Good job! You’ve got my attention, young grasshopper.

Kelow Latesha – Prince George’s County, MD

Let’s add some girl power to this list. Charizard made the Ripple Effect Playlist and it came on with a punch. Let me tell you I did not put this list on any particular shuffle so I wasn’t expecting Charizard to come on after hearing IDK and Young Thug’s PradadaBang. This is something fast-paced that I’ll consider adding to my workout playlist while I’m getting this Thirsty 30 Body right. Kelow is also one of the two female rap artists to make the playlist that does not live in Baltimore. Rico Nasty is the other.

Shaolinn – Virginia Beach, VA

It’s very rare that I find an r&b/hip-hop artist that I like. So it feels good to come across Heavy Heart on the playlist. It gives off an R&B/alternative kind of vibe. Very calming to my ear after hearing so much rap at the start of the playlist. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not the entire list. Shaolinn is one of those soothing voices to subscribe to because we aren’t all hard here in the DMV area. There are some dope vocalists here, too.

Shy Lennox – Richmond, VA

Shy Lennox is another smooth-sounding alternative R&B artist coming with his song Poolside. He’s an actual vocalist who studied vocal performance at Virginia Commonwealth University. But his song Poolside projects for me “audiovisuals,” similar to if I closed my eyes and started seeing what is being sung vibrantly. It’s relaxing.

There are 58 tracks on the Ripple Effect: DMV Playlist. Nearly three hours of original content from unsign and unheard-of talent from the Washington metropolitan area. These five artists shared today are only a snippet of the full list.

Listen to Ripple Effect on Spotify:

Other mentions on the playlist that we head nod:

Mya -Worth It

GoldLink – White Walls

Baby Sosa – Money Shower

Jabb – Fvck Dat

Shy Glizzy – Ridiculous

Share what songs you like from the playlist in the comments below.

8 Baltimore Independent Media to Watch for Artist News in 2021

Where do you find information about artists and entrepreneurs in Baltimore, MD? A question I get from my friends who aren’t truly into the things that I’m into. I have groups of friends that differ in taking many interests such as the medical field, the military, and even family life. I get questions often about where I find out news for local entertainment. It doesn’t cross my mind how it can be hard for people to find exhibitions and performances from local talent if they aren’t frequently visiting areas creatives roam.

I must keep track of where I get my art news just like how I get a high from keeping abreast of regular news updates. Every so often I refresh my feed for who to look out for information because social media algorithms can be a pain. But as an artist myself, I’m submerged in all things artistically that interests me in this city. So it comes naturally when finding what’s good art I enjoy.

[Read Today’s Issue and Subscribe to the Doc’s Castle Digital News Paper]

In addition to following artists directly on their social media, these are the platforms that keep me tuned to everything that is Art in Baltimore and DMV. This is a list of 8 Baltimore Independent Media where anyone who doesn’t know about art from Baltimore and DMV could find out about local talent.

BmoreArt

Platform: Website

BmoreArt is the only outlet on this list that may give the most variety of the kinds of art highlighting mediums from photography, paintings, music, and more. They’re diverse. But if an artist were to be considered reaching “mainstream” status, I’d say we’d find them being highlighted on BmoreArt because they don’t play around about who they feature. I’ve discovered some very dexterous creators and designers simply being subscribed to the BmoreArt newsletter. Out of the box originator of all sorts, exhibitions are promoted through their events calendar.

The Orange Pop Show

Platform: YouTube- Visual interviews

Countdown to their 50th episode is one of The Orange Pop Show’s most recent campaigns published on their Instagram. A very eye-opening campaign, at that, because The Orange Pop Show definitely introduced some new faces on my radar. They conduct visual interviews via their YouTube channel. Interviews of artists from across Baltimore and DMV. A few Baltimore artists that have blessed The Orange Pop Show’s mic is Shwaze Collins, Elle Cook, and Jasmin Manning.

The Demo Tape

Platform: YouTube – Visual interviews

The Demo Tape interviews of hip-hop group The Creek Boyz and MC Detranada were brought to my attention and place this Baltimore underground media on the map. Both interviews grew a combined viewership of over 7k views. The Demo Tape has the most reach out of all podcasts included in this media list, and why they are someone to watch for more content in 2021.

Liquor with Friends Podcast

Platform: YouTube – Visual interviews

Baltimore Hip-Hop artist Rickie Jacobs uses his camera, charisma, and care to give us a put merely podcast Liquor with Friends. Authentic conversations with artists sipping spirits in his car. His style of podcasting is pretty “chill.” I often picture myself pulling out my bottle of spirits to relax alongside him and the guests each time I listen to the car conversations. (I’ll settle for making Tipsy Decor.) Rickie also brings us Carcerts, a short series of concerts in his car featuring live performances straight from Baltimore artists. Watch Carcerts featuring Al Rogers Jr., Zadia, and Mike C via the Liquor with Friends channel.

The Working Title Podcast

Platform- Apple Podcast | Spotify

What I like most about The Working Title Podcast is that it is always expected to be sweet and straight to the point with their conversations and consistency. The hosts bring consistent content since 2018, episodes are always expected to be between 30 minutes to an hour and a half show. Podcasts are published almost 2 to 3 times a week and maybe the most binge-worthy on this list because of the amount of content archived. Episodes have topics from society, culture, and music. They are THE talk radio of this 2021 Baltimore media to watch on this list.

Breaking Through Glass Ceilings by Brian H.

Platform – Apple Podcast | Spotify

Breaking Through Glass Ceilings gives us a broader range of topics from medical advances in science, highlights of influential entrepreneurs, and sports talk radio. Brian’s gives us Sunday Morning show vibes for the yearning professional’s ear. His podcast is my more newsy channel to gain content other than arts and entertainment. So I seek his podcast when I need to level myself out. My favorite interview on Breaking Through Glass Ceilings is Baltimore’s own news journalist Ashlee Banks, who is also featured as our most recent YouTube Video Alert on Doc’s Castle Media. Read Protect Your Mental Health During Covid with Ashlee Banks and Brandon Johnson.

True Laurels

Platform – Magazine | Website

Shout out to True Laurels for their magazine and website highlighting artists in Baltimore and DMV. But I suck at keeping up with music like I used to. Lawrence got me, no doubt. Other than the very rare occasion that I get to see platforms sharing playlists, I just knew I could count on getting an update of the 2020 Tracklist from True Laurels. If you know nothing about Baltimore Hip-hop artists, finding them featured in True Laurels’ playlists A Decade in Baltimore Music is a good place to start. See True Laurels’ 2020 Tracklist below.

Untitled Interviews by Ryan Chance

Platform – Apple Podcast | Spotify

Chance, the man with the roses. I love Ryan Chance’s latest promo for DreamsFindYou delivering roses to a bunch of deserving ladies at the beginning of the pandemic, and the massive DreamsFindYou hat and hoodie wave promoting DreamsFindYou Radio, another talk radio podcast hosted on the ZenoFM App. But his podcast Untitled Interviews, though matured and sophisticated, brings me back to vibes of what was formerly Vivid Vision, a blog Ryan hosted highlighting local talent in 2014. Untitled Interview features interviews with artists in Baltimore, naming two; Zadia and John Wells.

There are numerous other podcasts, websites, and media platforms emerging in Baltimore and DMV that deserve recognition on this list. But these are who I subscribe to that I enjoyed in the year 2020. I look forward to following these platforms for more about local talent.

Let’s work better to support local and follow these platforms. Have you heard about Doc’s Castle Media’s Best of 2020? Read now!

Art from A New Perspective (The Incredible Creation Art Gallery Grand Opening)

This Saturday, December 19, 2015, there’s a new attraction opening for people seeking to quench their “eye” thirsts. Those who appreciate admiring the beauty of an exquisite painting can now see what Baltimore’s most underrated visual artists have to share with the world.

In October, I had the opportunity to take a sneak peek of what I assume should be expected, along with a lot more admirable pieces, at this up and coming art gallery with my attendance at the Jerrell Gibbs art exhibit.

Jerrell Gibbs is one of the many artist who submitted to Doc’s Castle Media in 2014. Art has always been a passion of his, whether it was drawing sketches of his favorite cartoon characters or his favorite athletes. He adopted a lot of his influences from his dearly departed cousin Carlos Batts, “Tatman D”, Ron Bass, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Voka along with many others. While creating pieces stimulating the audience by exuding positive under tones through his work, he aspires to become a well- known freelance artist. I assume beginning with the Incredible Creation behind him during his cultivated, artistic exertion.

It wasn’t until three months ago, I’ve made the connection with my DCM submission box. I’ve finally seen with my own eyes the artwork of such a talented artist.

(I honestly stress that all artist get out there, talk about your work, and never give up! It’s the only way you’ll get the attention you’re seeking.)

Gibbs work is remarkable and I believe he has what it takes to pull the support of a new generation of eyes. He even has a documentary named “Got Gibbs?!” releasing this month, which follows him on a journey towards achieving his freelance arts aspiration. I know there is so much more to expect from Gibbs. I can’t wait to see what more he has to offer.

The Incredible Creation is a brand I started following at the closing of Fall 2013 beginning with the Incredible Creation Blog. Since its emergence, they have expanded in providing a broad band of products and services with a mission created by its founder Milly Vanderwood as an outlet “that artists from all mediums should be able to display their talents, regardless of traditional standards of the “art spectrum.” The latest addition to their extended list of products is the divinely scrumptious Incredible Little Cupcakes.

With exhibits inspired by today’s pop culture, there’s lots to look forward to from this gallery. From exhibits honoring the late Tupac Shakur & Aaliyah, to displays commemorating the artist themselves, the Incredible Creations is providing the leisure for the artist to tell us a beautiful story visually.

“Got Gibbs?!” Trailer

http://youtu.be/rEKAbaENNxA

Come out this Saturday to see more art from Jerrell Gibbs and other Incredible Creation artists at the Grand Opening of the Incredible Creations Art Gallery.

Have you seen photos from the Incredible Creation fashion show? Read The Incredible Creation Art Meets the Runway Recap by Tony Bonez Sinatra on Doc’s Castle Media.

Doc’s Thumbs Up: 4TAE’s “Right Where I Wanna Be”

Today’s musician I’d like to highlight is Baltimore’s own R&B/ Soul artist 4TAE.

4TAE launched his professional career in 2005 playing with the Eubie Blake legacy jazz band and Marcell and the Truth. He has opened up for various artists, such as Anthony David, Anthony Hamilton, Algebra Blessett, and Lupe Fiasco.

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He also played alongside artists, such as jazz violinist Regina Carter and Raheem Devaughn. Along with the Trombone, 4TAE plays piano, bass guitar, and is a producer. He is currently working on his debut EP “Blue hart”.

Stated via 4TAE’s press kit:

“His music is described as a smooth explosion of hip-hop and R&B. Music lovers will enjoy listening to the sexy smooth sounds of this new artist.”

Well, I’ve had the chance to be the judge of that as I was tagged in a recent music video of him on Facebook. Check out, “Right Where I Wanna Be” below.

The video and song were quite cool. It very well did pass off a smooth kind of vibe. I think the video complimented the theme of the song very well, too.

What did you like about the song? Leave your comments below.

Listen to Duck Myers “Like Stars” Feat Sha-D on Doc’s Castle Media.

Doc Talks About Supporting Artists In Baltimore With @BaltimoreFlavaRadio

Last Friday, I was on Baltimore Flava Radio’s as a guest speakers to talk about the infamous topic that’s been stirring up quite a controversy; what’s wrong with these Baltimore artist’s that have this crabs-in-a-barrel mentality and why is it a lack for support for other artists here?

What did you do this past Friday? Did you tune into Baltimore Flava Radio, syndicated on Baltimore Internet radio station WPB Radio?

Antwon, one of the show’s hosts, came across my article, “#NewBaltimore or #OldBaltimore, We’re All Crabs,” while surfing the web, one day, and apparently loved it. I’m flattered, haha. But really, I’m glad he enjoyed reading it and offered the opportunity to come talk about it on his show.

I thought about all of you and made sure to have it recorded so I could share it with some of my readers who were out partying Friday night, instead of doing what my article says. It’s okay and I forgive you for missing it, haha. You may still have a listen, here.

Thanks for watching. I can’t tell you how much it means to have such a wonderful group of supporters supporting me talk about supporting one another.

This is a start to changing this city’s reputation. You choosing to do this is showing that you’re defying my theories of being crabs. This is exactly what I want you to do, show the rest of the world that we aren’t crabs. We care about our city’s talent reaching new levels of success. We want to see them do better. We want to show the rest of the world what we’re capable of. Let’s keep it up!

Let’s start by supporting Baltimore Flava Radio! Follow them on Twitter at @BatimoreFlavaRadio and Instagram at @BaltimoreFlavaRadio. Join their group on Facebook and get active. Share the love!

What resources do you think Baltimore needs to help artist here progress to the next level of success? Leave your comments below.

Do you think this city’s hip-hop scene is too worried about supporting who they know and not the art itself? Read Baltimore is Too “Cliqued” Up To Have Supporters on Doc’s Castle Media.

Mixtape Review: Young Wild & Reckless The Movement

Hop in my car and cruise to something that has hard base. The base has to be hard enough for my windows to look like they’re shaking. That’s the type of music the world should be driving to because it wakes you up and gets pumped to tackle your day. I mean, that’s why I listen to rap when I drive. Ha-ha! If you’re the type of music listener who likes a club banger kind of sound, you’ll be missing out if you haven’t heard about Young Wild & Reckless.

Last August, they submitted a video that was featured on Doc’s Castle Media. “Like Us” now holds a position of over two thousand views, which is way more than when it was first seen on Doc’s Castle Media. Tells us that they’ve been on their grind since we’ve last heard from them. They also dropped a mixtape last year, July 26th, named Young Wild & Reckless The Movement. The tape has over a thousand views so I had to do a review as a follow-up for my viewers.

Young Wild & Reckless The Movement is a tape meant for “turning up.” Similar to “Like Us,” the tape places you into a party scene that anyone could dream of being. You’ll be ready to grab your bottles and partake in other various recreational activities as you bob you heads to the base beat I mentioned above that you’ll love. My favorite song is “Like Us,” of course, with the addition of “What I Gotta Do,” a song highlighting that getting money is something these guys have to do to keep them fly. I’m sure many people can relate to that. I also like “Hood Rich Anthem” because it gives me that image of being a “boss.” The beat does that alone but with addition of these talented artist featured on the track, they reassure that they’re coming from all over the country, and different neighborhoods, to let us know about their movement. They’re taking over with extreme BOSS behavior.

With that being said, are you ready to live Young Wild & Reckless? Make sure you download Young Wild & Reckless The Movement from Datpiff.com. It’s something worth playing at your house parties.