People pour into a one room warehouse full of astounding art on a beautiful Saturday evening. The Fridge, a place where artists from DC gather to spread their inner creative abilities, whether it be through painting, poetry, singing, dancing, and any other art form a person can think of. It’s on this particular day, we all gathered to listen to spoken-word and a group of talented local hip-hop artists performs in celebration of DC blogger Whiskey Girl, owner of the Whiskey and Poetry Brand and also the host of the Embrace The Crazy Podcast, birthday celebration.

I don’t know what to make of the start of the event on whether it was good luck or bad luck. Outside of the venue, there was a fire that occurred at Capital Hill Tandoor & Grill, directly across the street from The Fridge. People crowded the streets to sneak a peak of the damage inside the restaurant. It’s uncertain whether there were any injuries during the time.

I have tunnel vision for the arts, I guess. Haha.

Otherwise, the evening was nothing but love once I entered the showcase. The host Rich Rocket opened the night telling peers to “give an energy that can be reflected by the audience.” So whenever an artist performed, they needed to give an energy that the audience could mirror. If the performance was worth a standing ovation, it’s what the artist got. That was what made the evening lit. Everyone was respectful to everyone’s art. Artist worked with what they deserved.

A few artists to name that were in attendance were Donnie Breeze, Rello, Starve Marv, Mike Evann, Young Mally, and DC Kash. Each artist came with their own individual swag representing where they come from. Some of these artists even came long distances to share their unique flair; Starve Marv from Florida, and Donnie Breeze and Rello from Baltimore city.

I was so proud to see Baltimore recording artists Donnie Breeze and Rello perform at the Fridge. I put on my proud parent smile as I watched them perform. Whenever I see people from Baltimore out of their element, I get super hyped to support them. It’s the idea that they don’t get that type of love in Baltimore. The love was abundantly overwhelming from DC event goers because, like the Rich Rocket told them to do, they came with an energy that demanded an equal response.

Again I found myself asking why can’t it always be like this?! Every time I leave Baltimore City hip-hop scene to experience another city’s hip-hop atmosphere I ponder what could it be that my city is doing wrong which is preventing artists from getting the recognition they deserve? First, it happened as I went to Rockview Entertainment’s hip-hop showcase in Queens, NY while I was in attendance for support of DMV artist Jae Ducketts. Now I’m in DC, and the love that their peers showed was phenomenal.

I want to bring the attention back to the promoter of the event, always. The power of support is always in the event thrower. In this case, it was Whiskey who’s birthday may have been the cause of such a great turn out. But such a turnout was worthy of being mentioned when comparing to the turnouts of open mic and showcases in my hometown.

What I notice about attending both the events in Washington, DC and Queens, NY is the hosts for each event reminded their audience the importance of showing others respect when they have the floor. It’s appalling that the majority of the audience were old enough to understand modest mannerisms. But maybe that’s what it is needed in Baltimore. Promoters in Baltimore should often push more participation from the audience at the start of their events? It’s something worth pondering.

Here are some moments captured during the show by Doc’s Castle Media.

What are some ways to show support for independent artists? Leave your feedback in the comments below.

Ever heard the difference between the #NewBaltimore and #OldBaltimore music beaf back in 2014? Read “#NewBaltimore vs. #OldBaltimore. We’re All Crabs” on Doc’s Castle Media.