Doc’s Thumbs Up: Eze Jackson “Goals” Official Music Video

Baltimore rapper Eze Jackson released the visuals for his single to Goals mid-August, and I’ve finally gotten around to seeing it! Eze gets in our face about taking ownership of his crafts and surpassing all those people who “bluff” about what they do. Baltimore rapper and president of arts and entertainment brand Epic Fam tells us what he means when he envisions goals.

Watch the official video for Goals.

The first time I caught wind of Eze was in 2014 attending open mics around Baltimore City. But it was after I volunteered at Baltimore’s 2018 Artscape festival when I saw him perform Unapologetically Black, that I knew I was a fan of Eze’s music. His content has the ability for movement in people that not many artists can’t capture in their art. It’s also a rare commodity in “Baltimore Rappers,” and more generally, the crab artists of Baltimore City, as mentioned before in my blog series Quality vs. Quantity (Part 1): The Saturation of Wanna Be Artists In Baltimore’s Art Culture.

I wanted to share this video because it’s a humbling message to inspire moving in silence when working towards your goals.

The visuals in Goals look chaotic which brings my attention forward and alert. Words swarm across the screen. Silhouettes and images pop up in weird places. The video is everywhere. But as you listen to the lyrics and watch the video, all the same, you start comprehending Eze’s message. Everything is blah blah blah (means nothing) unless you’re really out here making things happen. This dude has tunnel vision for the chaos and “work” that other artists broadcast. He’s a veteran in his field with receipts to back up his accomplishments. The message is to hold what’s important to you, like your goals, at close range so that people who prey on your downfall won’t bring ill-will.

We all know that person who’s always blasting to the masses their next move. Or we know someone who gets way ahead of themselves blasting what they plan to do but never gets around to it. These people leave no room for mystery when it comes to what they have coming next, then ponder thoughts of why bad things happen or don’t happen at all. They leave room for their competition to plot and enemies to prey on their demise. It’s a rookie mistake. Honestly, do you see rap and hip-hop moguls like Diddy and Jay-z blasting their next business venture? Eze is making it known that that type of person isn’t allowed in his circle.

If you like the title track Goals, there is definitely more to come. Early October is the awaited release of the EP Goals; a masterful production brought to you by some of Baltimore’s great audio enhancers, one of the many who brought us the Baltimore Open Mic series event Baltimore Beat Club, Line-Up Room Production, Station North Sound and Mobtown Studios.

Do you have your calendars marked? Do you like this song? Leave if you’ll bump or pass this in the comments below.


Have you watched the video for the last Doc’s Thumb’s Up? Watch Doc’s Thumbs Up: Jai Ivy “I Know” ft. Luki Music Video Premiere on Doc’s Castle Media.

#BmoreBeatClub Celebrates 2nd Anniversary Outdoors In Front of Hundreds at Annual Festival (A #DocsCastle Recap)

The Bmore Beat Club lit the corner of Charles Street and North Avenue over the weekend with their 2nd Annual Celebration at The Ynot Lot. Hundreds gathered at the lot participating in festival activities by watching producers, rappers, and MC’s collaborate in a hip-hop experience unique to Baltimore’s Art Scene.

Bmore Beat Club is an open mic organized by The Lineup Room with a purpose of bridging relationships between MCs and producers. It’s not your commonly found Open Mic in Baltimore, either. At BBC, producers bring their best compositions to the forefront while rappers reveal their true lyricism in collaboration with producer’s beats. Everything is done on stage in front hip-hop fans. This unique experience takes you back to a time when hip-hop was first birthed in New York City, but BBC delivers with its own Bmore twist.

Over the weekend, locals made cameo appearances in celebration of BBC’s second year running. Baltimore artists such as DDM, Icon Tha God, Chase Ultra, Doowy Lloh, Donnie Breeze, and many more graced Ynot’s corner with a fiery presence and lots of thriving energy. The night’s turnout was beyond what was expected, and the crowd welcomed the raw talent with love and respect.

It was just a tiny hump during the show, but The Lineup Room continued to prevail. There were miniature electrical malfunctions that may have stolen 10 minutes of the festival’s time. But evening’s innovators turned downtime into time travel, as rappers quickly formed a circle center of the crowd sparking an old school cypher. It was a spectacular save, and the night was at hip-hop’s original state, once again.

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At that moment, the turn-up became real and electrifying performances of talent from different corners of the city showed everyone what they had to offer. In seeing all the positivity, there was no doubt the open mic was a success.

The Lineup Room awarded the winner of the open mic with an EP record deal, 100 CDs, music video, and public relations services. A great package for the determined and goal-driven recording artist.

The open mic ended promptly at 11 PM, but the celebration was far from over. Bmore Beat Club after party was held at The Crown, just 3 doors down from The Ynot Lot. So event-goers could mingle some more and not make huge commutes outside of the Station North art grounds.

Bmore Beat Club is an ongoing open mic held every second Thursday of the month. If you’d like to feel what an original hip-hop experience in Baltimore is like, be sure to stop by Maryland Art Place in downtown Baltimore for Episode 25 on September 8th. Stay updated with other opportunities by The Lineup Room by following their Facebook and Instagram page at @lineuproomstudio.

Did you know Bmore Beat Club Open Mic was not the first of event of its kind? Read about my experience attending Beat Trip on Doc’s Castle Media.