The Baltimore city’s music scene is getting bigger and bigger by the day. I’m not saying this because everyone seems to want to be a rapper these days, but because if you really indulge in the hip-hop scene, you’ll learn that there are some really gifted individuals taking apart in something worth sharing about. Two of those very gifted individuals are this week’s Music Highlight.
The Mighty Third Eye are two sibling rappers, who are freshly new to the Baltimore hip-hop scene. They caught my attention sometime last month when I attended an open mic night and was granted a T-Shirt from one of the members, Divine King, during their performance. He definitely gave his shirt to the right person because it wasn’t too far after I approached The Mighty Third Eye about being today’s feature.
I met with the two at Terra Cafe, which was also my first time dining in the local restaurant. (I’ll talk about my dining experience another day because the food was good y’all.) But once I met up with them, we kicked it and I learned a lot about these Milwaukee natives. We chatted about their start as a duo rap group, the type of music they consider themselves to make, Love Truth’s view on women in the industry, and much, much more.
I started my interview by asking the two how they began. It came to be that the both of them already were writers growing up. But Divine King, while inspired by NWA, began rapping in high school with his friends. He often made beats as a hobby, as well. It wasn’t until 3 years ago; he would faithfully send beats he made to his sister Love Truth for review. At the time, Love Truth was into writing poetry rather than the art of rap. But she expressed that from life’s obstacles and tribulations, she was inspired to begin writing over beats her brother orchestrated. After a while, it became a thing they loved to do, or as they say “it kind of happened organically,” it wasn’t planned at all.
If you were to hear a Mighty Third Eye track, you’d be reminded of “soul-hop,” hip-hop music with a hint of conscious meaning that reaches the inner soul. Artists whom I would consider in this category of music would be Lauren Hill, Mos Def, or the Roots. They have a sound of which I believe has run scarce in the industry, today. As I’ve mentioned to them that their music reminds me of music from the 90s, they’ve expressed that many others have placed them in the same genre. Divine King wouldn’t want to say they focus on a specific era of music though many compare their music to artist from the 90s. Their aim is to deliver a certain message and to add value to the culture. Both aren’t too fond of the “turn up” music that’s so often promoted in the music industry, so they see the 90s comments from others as compliments because it’s an era of music they enjoy, and an era of music they take pride in listening to.
Female MCs are hard to come by in the Baltimore Hip-Hop Scene? Males dominate the culture but women still find ways to form a presence. As I went on expressing how I rarely see female rappers at open mics in Baltimore, the conversation led into a discussion about females and how they carry themselves in the industry. I asked Love Truth if there was reason for why she chooses to represent herself the way she does; in a conservative-simple manner. She went on to say “I don’t feel compelled to sell sex through my music. I feel like I’m going to shine no matter what. I don’t feel I have to use my body to get somebody’s attention because my intelligence and other things are going to be able to carry that.” She’s aware that she’s entering into a male dominated industry and believes there are choices people make to represent themselves the way they do. Every choice has a consequence. She chooses the path that won’t exploit herself in ways that will make her feel uncomfortable living with those consequences. I believe that’s always the way to go!
I asked the Mighty Third Eye’s about the idea behind their logo. Love Truth explained it represents their name. I didn’t realize how obvious it was until they elaborated on the design. The logo is composed of three gold letter “I’s” and a black crescent moon. The colors represent the gods and the earth. The logo is both simple and thought-provoking, which I believe is the best way to go about having a logo because a person who’s viewing the design doesn’t have to dig any deeper into figuring it out; as if it’s a puzzle. Divine King and Love Truth just thought it was cool to have a something to represent them because Wu-Tang Clan did it. Why not?
The Mighty Third Eye set the pedestal as one of the most unique groups I’ve found to be active in the local hip-hop scene. How often is it that you see a rap duo who are twins? They deserve a lot of the support that’s given, if not more. I encourage anyone who’s looking for some new soul-hop to speak into their inner conscious, or rather anything worth listening to as they go about their day, to consider downloading The Mighty Third Eye’s album Let Em See. Add it to your hip-hop collection. Also, if you’d like to see them perform live, attend one of their shows held every Tuesday at St. Mary’s Restaurant’s for Love and Hip-hop Open Mic Night.
In the meantime, visit themightythirdeye.com for more goodies from the two.
Have you read the last Music Highlight? Read about TonyBonez Sinatra “Mask Writter” Music Video on Doc’s Castle Media.
