Ever met a rapper that seems to have a song for every moment in a person’s life? I call those people trendy rappers because they have music for everything, even songs for when you feel the urge to smack someone. This week’s music highlight is Quinn Shabaz.
Meet Quinn Shabaz:
Quinn began rapping in 2005. That may seem relatively recent being 9 years ago, but he’s musical experiences stretches back to his elementary school days, as he began playing the saxophone in the 3rd grade. By the time he graduated from middle school, Quinn was able to play the saxophone, the drums and the guitar. Like many of other great musicians, Quinn also was apart of his church’s choir. He spent 4 years singing for his church, while he focused on his writing skills until 2012 where he released his first musical project “Alternative Thanksgiving” with long time friend Leon Dominick. The following year, Quinn released his first solo project “Love&Hooligans” and not too far behind dropped his 2014 mixtape “Good Heart, Bad Habits.”
With only two solo projects under his belt, Quinn is showing us a job well done. When tuning to Soundcloud to find a song to share with my readers, I chose to share the most played. “Gator” is a song about pimp slappin a bitch. I can’t put it any simpler than that. Ha-ha! So if you’re in one of those moods full of pure frustration and can’t seem to let the tension go, I’m sure “Gator” can help with that.
But that’s not what I wanted to highlight in today’s post. I wanted to share Quinn’s music video “Day One,” which includes two previously featured artist on Doc’s Castle Media, Jimmy Apoet and Leon Dominick. It’s a song about true friendship and hanging out with people who’s been around since the beginning. I’m talking about those best friends you wouldn’t trade the world for.
Did You see my cameo? Ha-ha!
I really loved what Quinn did by taking it back to those celebratory cookout days in this video. It symbolizes a moment that everyone should experience when people spent time with their loved ones. I’m sure some of you had that experience this week, spending some time with your Day One’s during this Labor Day weekend.
Quinn Shabaz is definitely worthy of this week’s Music Highlight shoutout! I enjoyed every bit of his latest album. To hear more from him, follow his soundcloud at Quinn Shabaz.
The best moment to play Quinn Shabaz’s “Gator” is when…. Fill in the blank sending your comments, below!
It’s been a long 13 years since the lost of the very talented R&B legend Aaliyah. But we continue to show our respects as we honor her in numerous ways. Often through artists current works, we send messages to close relatives and people who played huge parts in Aaliyah’s life by showing our appreciation for how much Aaliyah contributed to the hip-hop culture. We couldn’t get to where we are in hip-hop without her. We damn sure haven’t forgotten our beautiful angel.
Now we know Maryland Rivers hasn’t either. Sometime yesterday, published to James Jones YouTube was the release of Maryland Rivers and the TSU dance crew tribute to Aaliyah. Boy, did they shut it down!
Finally! I have a new YTube Vid of the Week! It’s been a minute.
This week’s video was done by local hip-hop artist Solution. He’s come with some good ole spoken word.
Hip-hop artist Solution, reappears from his music hiatus with the release of his new spoken word “Footprints of a Mother.” This new release is a dedication to all mothers who have left lasting impressions on the lives of their children. Solution is currently working on a separate project expected to release later this year.
Honestly, this video should have been posted on Doc’s Castle Media around Mother’s Day. But would it have caught your attention today if I posted this video around the time that everyone published something about their mother? Uhh, no! SO…I had to be different, of course, and post a month and some days afterwards. Ha-ha. Are you still thinking about mom? You should be.
Never forget about mom! Do you love your mom? Comment with something nice you’d like to say to your mom in the comments below.
Alright, everyone is a rapper. I know, I know. I guess you’ll throw me into the mix after you finish hearing my track that was released Friday evening May 30, 2014 (My Birthday).
When it comes to expressing myself, I sometimes need to find new ways of releasing how I feel about something. I have to let things be known creatively. I’ve always experimented with different techniques. While growing up, it can be said that I could be caught journaling, drawing, dancing, writing poetry, writing songs, creating clubs, or joining clubs. I’ve always had to stay active. As you know now, I’ve made a bucket list of tasks to complete.
These past two weeks, I’ve been dabbling in writing a song because it was a task on my bucket list. I’ve always wanted to write my own song, as if I was making a soundtrack for my life. I watch music videos on television sometimes and think that I have the skills to create something like it. So I made a song so that I could make a music video, too. Yay!
Jose (Liquor Talkin) is a page out of the diary of Taylor Walker, a song about an event in my life that I wanted to creatively express my thoughts about. There was no biting my tongue when it came to writing it. It was exactly how I felt about something I believed to be inhuman. It was my first time recording a song and I discovered talents about myself I didn’t know I had.
I have bars! That was surprising.
I may be writing more songs. I have a lot of things that I want to get off my chest that blogging won’t be able to fulfill. So, I guess, I’m making music until I find something new to experiment with. It’s fun.
One thing off of my bucket list is complete. Time to move on to the next!
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.
I’m want to start by saying I’m proud of the turn out this past Monday at The Depot for the hip-hop open mic event, Monumental Mondays, hosted by the Alumni Marketing Group. The event started at 6pm and lasted until the venue closed. I arrived at the peak of the show and was at awe because of the turnout.
If you guys don’t already know, I wrote a piece about the lack of support in Baltimore for artists. (Read here to catch up.) The turnout of this event proves the beginning of change for artists. It’s definitely something to be proud of though there are some concerns I want to discuss later in this post. At previous hip-hop shows I’ve attended in Baltimore, crowds were extremely dry. This was my first time being at Monumental Mondays and it was fun. I enjoyed that atmosphere mostly because it felt more like a party. People were dancing and singing along to performers’ music. I’d say it was a great experience for many artists and supporters. If you’re a diehard hip-hop fan who’s seeking new music to add to your collection, this is the event for you.
One of Doc’s Castle Media’s featured artist Kaseo, who’s latest mixtape is MoBetta Hip-hop, along with Park Heights natives, SMG, and numerous other rap artist performed at Monday’s show. I didn’t have too much of an opportunity to network with new artists, though I wish I had. So I’m announcing I’ll be at future Monumental Mondays as a heads up. Look out for me.
Here’s my little snippet of the show:
Though many performers had a fair opportunity to perform on at Monday’s event, others expressed frustration. Artists, whom claimed to be on the events’ list to perform but didn’t, talked of disappointment towards waiting for their time. Those who’ve performed later in the evening complained about the lack of support from peers, for once an artist performed their song; they’d leave the venue, leaving the building scarce of support of their music. To tend those concerns, Cortez, the promoter of Monumental Mondays, already proposed they’ll be addressed for future events. He wants everyone to feel they’re being heard, as they should for this is an open mic show. I look forward to the coming changes. I believe it’ll bring an even better turnout.
If you missed out on Monday’s show, you’ll have another opportunity to attend next week on Monday, March 24. Held at The Depot on 1728 N. Charles Street, come out to see another round of artists perform their best selections from their musical stash. Whether you’re an artist or an onlooker, you’ll have a good time here. If you’re an artist looking for some exposure in the Baltimore music scene, the Alumni Marketing Group accepts new artists for performances at their events. Just submit to their email, amnpage@gmail.com, for the next available opportunity.
Today, I’m posting a Music Highlight. I haven’t done so in a while. But I want to remind people my blog is not solely a music blog. Doc’s Castle Media is a commentary blog, which means I write based off of my opinions for different events and scenarios that happen throughout everyday life. I enjoy writing about Baltimore because it’s the city in which I dwell. But Doc’s Castle Media is meant to promote productivity within my city through me writing about how I feel about what’s going on around me. I talk about music but I’m not limited to it. My blog shows for it, hence why I don’t post everyday a new song or mixtape that’s being dropped by a local musician. There are other artist, like poets, graphic designers, dancers and etc.; I’d like to write about. I’d love to give recognition to talent while also writing about my thoughts and ideas with what’s going on in the world. I hope that I’ve cleared it up for some of you.
Onward to The Music Highlight…
Kaseo is today’s star! If you didn’t already know about this guy, he recently dropped a mixtape early February that I would say has a unique sound from what I commonly hear in the streets of Baltimore. I loved it. But let’s leave the best for last here. First I’ll get you familiar with who he is.
Kaseo is a Baltimore native who has embedded within him multiple talents that helps him enhance his music career to further heights. Not only is he a musical lyricist, but he’s also a producer making hip-hop beats. But of course, it didn’t all start out as rainbows and butterflies. Kaseo started his music career when he was 12 years old playing the Casio keyboard that was a gift from his father. He started with making beats and freestyling to his creations. Once he learned he had a passion for rapping, he formed a group with his friends in high school name Music Man. Later the group’s name changed to Skyebourne Music Group.
Kaseo’s motivation to make music is to receive a feeling of liberation. In the past, he battled issues with anger and music became his outlet. He believes music is peaceful and serene. So he often writes for his release and “high.” He also creates because people are fond of what he offers. I guess, I would say I’m one of those people, now, because I can vouch that his latest creation is awesome.
MoBettaHipHop, a mixtape that has a sort of A Tribe Called Quest feel, is an awesome tape that anyone who enjoys a jazzy, but yet still rhythmic type of sound, would love to have in their iTunes collection. I downloaded it the first day it dropped and burned it to a CD so that I could have something new to drive to. One of my favorite tracks on MoBettaHipHop is Black Widow, a song of resentment for a woman who unforgivably broke a man’s heart. Kaseo gives a cruel stab back at a woman who, if anyone would hear how she treated him, deserves to reap what she sows. I thought the CD was beautifully crafted, and I definitely recommend it to my readers to take a thorough listen.
To check out Kaseo’s MoBettaHipHop mixtape, be sure to download it from Bandcamp.com, or you could just CLICK THIS LINK. Also, follow him on Twitter at @Kaseus_Clay and Instagram at @Kaseo92 for announcements of shows, albums, and mixtapes from Kaseo in the future.
“If we create a group of strong individuals who’ll support each other, then we’ll create a power house of people that will exceed all expectations. We’ll change this city for the better,” says every person who forms a group full of talented people, expecting it’ll change the turn out of their shows. Womp Womp!
Too many people have this philosophy but in Baltimore it does not work. Content is key. Content is what brings people to an artist’s show! When was the last time you’ve decided to go to Kanye show because he had a power group with him there? The Jay-Z and Kanye power house was damn near three years ago. He’s currently standing alone. People go because of the content of his show.
I recently read an article from Baltimore Blogger Malika Muhummad titled “Why Baltimore Artist Can’t Make A Deal.” Malika talks of how many Baltimore artist lack originality. Why strive to be the next Lil Wayne when artists should be working to make a name for themselves? They should be striving to be unique. She also talks of how people should seek opportunities in the city that allows them to give support. There are multiple open mic events that happen throughout the city all days of the week. There are very few supporters of these events. She goes on to name a few examples. I’ve actually been to a number of 5 Seasons open mic nights, which is one of the example that she gives, and the crowd was dry each time I went, meaning there could have been more people there but it wasn’t. Majority of the crowd were artists waiting for their opportunity to have their shine on the stage.
What I see in Baltimore is a sign of doubt from the people artists hope would support them. Listeners in Baltimore doubt if an artist will bring what they enjoy so they stick to what they know. What they know is what they hear everyday, 24/7, on mainstream media. If a person was to listen to 92Q for the entire day, they’d hear the same 10-15 songs, minus the 12 O’Clock Rewind and the occasional rap songs they play on Rap Attack. Do people ever get tired of that?
When it comes to the individuals who claim they don’t listen to the radio or mainstream music, they continue to support people who have a larger followership than the artists from their hometown. Those artists are clearly closer to mainstream radio than ever. Take the Weeknd, four years ago we would have never heard him being played on the radio. Since Drake featured him on “The Crew,” the Weeknd’s spotlight has been heightened. We hear of him more because of the major support people had for him after that song, seeking his music wherever they could find it and going to his shows. Baltimore artists could have the same happen for them if their supporters became educated listeners. If they’d realized how supporting good content produced here can make talented people from Baltimore be heard on the radio, it’d be a greater selection of music to listen to.
But how I see it is it all begins with the content creators and their attitudes towards this city. Baltimore artists need an opportunity to come together in support of each other first. They need to realize they’re all thinking the same. They must show each other that the outcome doesn’t always have to be the same way. If your purpose is to create a city who supports each other, live by it. Building a crew that supports only the people in that crew, shows selective treatment for that group, not for the city. That clique way of thinking will not work for Baltimore. It may work for other places but not with the unique listeners of this city. It’s better if we seek opportunities to help one another because on-lookers will see what we’re doing and want to be apart of it.
This is a message for every artist for all genres to hear. We must seek out those who deserve support and help them because it’s the only way to gain what this city needs; Artist for artist, blogger for blogger, or poet for poet. Then it should turn into blogger for artist, artist for poet, and poet for blogger. Etc., Etc.. Each time a creator finds someone making a difference in this city, they’ll feel enlightened to be apart of it and that exact feeling will bring in more supporters and a bigger audience for everyone. It won’t be easy, but nothing is that’s worth trying.
With everything being said, let’s stop this clique mess and build upon a new Baltimore city.
To read Malika’s “Why Baltimore Artist Can’t Make A Deal,” click here. To hear great music from Baltimore artist, check out Vivid Visions or AmirahRashidah. Both blog sites take submissions.
If you’re looking to be a music highlight on Doc’s Castle Media, send me stuff. Let’s change the city for the better.
