Baltimore's Best 27 Songs of 2015

1. Tate Kobang- Bank Rolls

Tate Kobang is not a new rapper in Baltimore. He's actively been dropping tapes over the past couple years -- some stuck and some didn't. He went back to the drawing board and revisited his roots this year, though. Following a tradition he's developed over the past two years to drop music in honor of his late mother's birthday, Tate dropped a remake of Tim Trees' Rod Lee-produced "Bank Rolls", a Baltimore hit in the early 2000's that never grew beyond the city. Coincidentally, Kobang's mom was born on April 19th, the same day Freddie Gray died from complications related to his arrest by the Baltimore City Police Department. 

"Bank Rolls" is far from a politically conscious track but its rise to becoming a national hit simultaneously grew with Baltimore's uprising against police injustice and brutality, making its shouting out of different neighborhoods and streets throughout Baltimore City, simple production and accompanying dances more unifying that Tate may have intended it to be.  -Lawrence Burney

2. President Davo- I Just Be

President Davo made his name in Baltimore for jacking beats last summer when he dropped his own version of Big Pun’s “I Don’t Wanna Be A Player”, which became a local hit and has racked up over 2 million views on YouTube. The stakes for that remake were arguably low considering the original is already a feel-good, party track but deep into Davo’s Underrated 3.0 tape lies “I Just Be”, an epic tale of everything Davo-related over Eminem's "Cleanin' Out My Closet." When the beat dropped on my first listen, there was this "What the fuck?" moment where I questioned why anyone would try rapping over this in 2015 but Davo took the opportunity to spill out everything brewing inside.

"I Just Be" goes from Davo questioning the friends around him, to people thinking he was soft for singing in his tracks, not being able to help his stressed-out little sister, to the fucked up prison system and his penthouse dreams. All the rambling gets a periodical break whenever he says, "I just be," in a way, breaking the story down into chapters. It truly succeeds because once Davo gets into a pocket, pulling you into the complexities of his brain, the fact that the track was originally a smash hit by Eminem becomes secondary, or completely irrelevant.  -Lawrence Burney

3. Al Rogers Jr. - Oodlesnoodles

Through his many transformations and vocal progressions, Al Rogers Jr. has always maintained keeping a personal narrative in his music, bringing the listener closer to what makes him tick. This year, Rogers Jr. dropped his second mixtape, an alternate universe where love trumps all the world's ills, called Luvadocious. On "oodlesnoodles" Rogers looks back at his childhood where he watched his brothers cook crack and go to the market with an EBT card just to grab a pack of noodles for dinner. On the surface, it sounds like a hard luck story but its flipped during the hook where Al assures, "some days you smile, some days you frown," through light drums rolls and crashes before the Drew Scott-produced track breaks down to a "Thriller"-like fadeout. - Lawrence Burney

4. Lor Scoota- King Me

Quiet for most of 2015, Lor Scoota delivered another chapter of his Still In The Trenches series at the end of the year, building on his catalog of street stories and gunning for national stardom. Since his "Bird Flu" track and dance had the city in a stronghold last year, Scoota hasn't deliver a track even close to being as impactful but he's been low-key improving with every release. "King Me" is a hook-less, self-congratulating marathon that looks back on where he was a year ago, his hometown hero status and where he's headed. With Scoota, what he's saying probably won't change much but how he delivers it is what will either separate him from the pack or keep him where he is. But for "King Me", his zone spans for the full three minutes. - Lawrence Burney

5. Abdu Ali- Keep Movin (Negro Kai)

Abdu Ali has made his name over the years as a voice of the unheard and muted, usually over Baltimore club-influenced instrumentation. He kept the lyrical content in tact but stripped away from the frantic production for the only track he released in 2015. "Keep Movin' (Negro Kai)" is a minimal, tribal chant-like record with stellar imagery ("every time I step outside, Nina Simone starts to sing.") and detailing of what it's like to deal with constant oppression and fighting off attempts to silence your passion. If you need a pick-me-up, this could be the one. -Lawrence Burney

6. Young Moose- OTM

The influence and gravitational pull of Young Moose’s music have never been dependent on how polished his raps are. There aren’t any clever metaphors or double entendres waiting for your “Ooooh’s” at the end of each line, just the harsh reality of what Moose has gone through and what he’s facing at the moment. Every once in awhile, though, East Baltimore’s hero gets into pockets like he does with his triplet flow on “#OTM”. Like the bulk of his music, the track details how he’s going to whack the opposition but does so in a way that most haven’t heard over his short career, where staying on beat usually plays second to the storytelling. Here, Moose gets both down tightly. -Lawrence Burney

7. Damond Blue- Godzilla

Damond Blue is quietly one of Baltimore's sharpest rappers with a delivery that cuts deep and a rolodex of flows to choose from. That skill set was best showcased in his "Godzilla" track where he weaves through, bigging himself up and listing off what his raps remind you of: smoking a zip, grabbing a brick, flipping on pissy mattresses in the alley.  -Lawrence Burney

8. JPEGMAFIA- Beautiful Pussy

Moving to Baltimore just before The Uprising and thinking back to all the racial tension (both direct and passive) he's faced throughout his life in America and many stops around the world during a stint in the military, JPEGMAFIA had all the fuel he needed to drop his Darkskin Manson project, a straight jab at liberal racism and white supremacy. He took a couple (great) left turns on the tape, though, including the drowned-out lullaby that is "Beautiful Pussy." On the track, JPEG runs through his alchemist abilities, (making a mountain from a rainbow, turning a woman into a God, etc.) surrounded by glitchy snares in a voice that sounds like its fading away. And although Darkskin Manson is a reclaiming of the name from Charles Manson, JPEG's actual voice sounds closer to a black Marilyn Manson here. -Lawrence Burney

9. GMG Tadoe- One Call

At this time last year, GMG Tadoe wasn't on the minds of most of the 20,000 people who've downloaded his The Slick One mixtape on Spinrilla. To his defense (and a celebration of his quick rise), he didn't even have music out at that point. Tadoe has placed himself as one of the most adored rappers in Baltimore since he dropped his "YSN" video which jacked the beat from iLoveMakonnen's "I Don't Sell Molly No More" back in April. 

"One Call", like "YSN", puts Tadoe's monotone drawl at the forefront which, in most cases, would seem dry and disengaging, but there's a hypnotizing quality to his dragged-out delivery. The hook's premise ("When you out here gettin' bread, these niggas, they want your head") could be chalked up as the routine "niggas hating on me" rhetoric that pops up in countless rap songs but with the speed of his local rise and Baltimore's murder rate reaching its highest point in over 20 years, there's more validity to why Tadoe may need to make that phone call. -Lawrence Burney

10. Quilez Fargo- Money Bags

Given the deity-like status that the Gucci Mane & Zaytoven super duo has established across hoods and blogs over the past decade, grabbing a beat out of their catalog to rack up some listens is hard to argue against. West Baltimore's Quilez Fargo borrowed the production for Gucci's "I Don't Love Her" for his "Money Bags" freestyle where he rides the beat effortlessly, listing off trap laws and his drink preferences. -Lawrence Burney

11. Joy Postell- Hands Up, Don't Shoot

As portions of Baltimore burned in protest this past April and the city erupted in response to a century's worth of systematic racism and oppression, Baltimore native Joy Postell watched sensationalized news feeds from her then-home in L.A. Not being able to physically contribute to the city's uprising, she took to the mic for "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" -- a timely anecdotal response to police brutality that transcends just Baltimore, and America, for that matter.- Lawrence Burney

12. Butch Dawson & :3lon- Record

Individually, Butch Dawson and :3lon are two of the most active artists in Baltimore's downtown music scene, dropping tracks, collaborative projects and performing seemingly every week. Both also produce the bulk of their own tracks so their joining of heads for their Pvrvllels EP not only showcased what could be done when they weren't at the handles, but also how their content would compliment each other. "Record" is one of their most interesting pieces as, instead of a general narrative being carried throughout, it's both a signature :3lon track and Butch track all at once. "Frequencies on a screen programming every thought," is what :3lon sings on the hook, upholding his futuristic, Anime-influenced subject matter while Butch carries out the verse, bigging up his rap skills and looking back at people who've overlooked him. -Lawrence Burney

13. Beya Likhari- Bad Dream

Beya Likhari's brand of dark, imagery-filled fantasy world R&B, at times, sounds like it could have backed a few Odd Future tracks in the collective's earlier days. That stands true in "Bad Dream" where, in a nightmare, she gets a visit from Edward Scissorhands, sees owls and pterodactyls only to wake up to a lover who isn't there to console her. Her still, unchanging register helps translate the creepy story even more. -Lawrence Burney

14. Lor Chris- #JusticeForFreddie

As it usually goes with similar stories, the bulk of Freddie Gray reactions and tributes over the year have come from people (black and white) who have not lived in his circumstances, consequently revealing their lack of understanding of what obstacles he faced before passing. Lor Chris, on the other hand, comes from Gray's Sandtown section of West Baltimore and routinely speaks on the ills of his environment, making it fitting that he'd make a song paying his respects to Freddie, sharing personal accounts of negligence by neighborhood police in times of crisis and shouting a plain "Fuck You" to Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The video only adds to the song's potency as it was shot in the thick of April's uprising. -Lawrence Burney

15. Grey Dolf & Blaqstarr-D’usse Blunts

Grey Dolf's early career is filled with random acts of impulse: EP's recorded in a day's time, abruptly deleted her SoundCloud account, random covers of Lil Wayne's "Fire Man" The same went for a project she and Baltimore club legend Blaqstarr teamed up for called D'usse Blunts, after a day of indulging in them. The project's title track gets unexpected triplet flow verses from Blaqstarr while Grey Dolf whales throughout to create unexpected, beautiful chaos. -Lawrence Burney

16. Black Zheep DZ- Globetrotter

Wordplay isn't new for Basement Rap's Black Zheep DZ but he hasn't been quite as sharp as he is here on "Globetrotter." Dodging through a flurry of flutes, DZ's lone verse doesn't falter from open to close, making me hope that there's an unreleased second one floating around somewhere. -Lawrence Burney

17. GMG Tadoe- YSN

At nearly 1 million views on Youtube, GMG Tadoe's debut track "YSN" (Young Slick Nigga) quietly went head-to-head with Tate Kobang's "Bank Rolls" for local favorite since both were released in late April. A jack of iLoveMakonnen's "I Don't Sell Molly No More", the track is an introduction to Tadoe's infectious, deep, harmonizing raps where he never stops for a breather. -Lawrence Burney

18. YGG Tay- Money

YGG Tay started rapping in 2015; not bad for an artist who's already grabbed the attention of Future and gotten at least 12,000 downloads on each of the three tapes he's dropped over the year. Barely able to catch a beat in his January-released Rich Before Rap, Tay has improved significantly with both flow and ear for production on his most recent tape, August 13th. A tape full of bangers highlighting his flashy lifestyle and money being blown, "Money" is one of the project's best which is a three-minute-long cash love song. -Lawrence Burney

19. James Nasty- Games (Feat. Abdu Ali)

James Nasty lives up to his personal mantra to influence people to "fuck on the dancefloor." His latest offering "Games" is a no-nonsense ode to sexual invitation with a chopped-up vocals of "games ain't my thing, I wanna fuck." The song retains Baltimore club groove while adding percussive and melodic elements reminiscent of tropical bass. -Antonio Hernandez

20. Dakidd Moo- Narcoticz

Dakidd Moo's harsh, raspy voice and delivery alone could save a track from being a complete fail, but luckily, he has the rap skills to bring it all together. "Narcoticz", the title track of his October-released mixtape, runs down Moo's long, complicated relationship with drugs: selling them, consuming them and avoiding being arrested for it all. -Lawrence Burney

21. Juwan ft. Matic808, Jay Verze, Mike-Mike ZOME - Represent

The DJ Juwan-produced posse cut "Represent" is as familiar as it is refreshing. Juwan has gained local notoriety for his club tracks and remixes after being largely unidentifiable for years, both for flipping classic breaks and samples, and giving some of the hottest songs the Baltimore club treatment, such as Hotline Bling. "Represent" features a chant-based hook, driven by a simple synth melody, with impressive showings from Matic, Verze and ZOME. This track in particular showcases the timelessness of Baltimore club and the artists still working to cultivate the sound. -Antonio Hernandez

22. A Mirror and the Reflections- Outta My Bed

"Outta My Bed" is a standout from Amirror and the Reflection's eponymous mixtape released early last month. Lead vocalist Amirror asserts that she's the "queen of the jungle," over the grungey, lo-fi track, backed by the Reflections. I am eagerly to see what's next from the "bangy soul" trio. -Antonio Hernandez

23. Icey Mike- Icey Avalanche

While his music is extremely unpolished, Icey Mike gets by just with upholding the blueprint that Gucci Mane laid out for us all: to get stupid high and to shine at all times. If there isn't one in existence somewhere on the internet, Icey Mike is forging a subgenre based solely on Gucci Mane's zany lyricism and it works well here on "Icey Avalanche" where he says: "You know I' bent behind tint, smelling like a pound of kush and Reggie Bush is your scent/ I'm 'bout to be major, Bitch I'm balling just like I'm Peja/ Stojakovic, I gotta get rich so I can ball on my haters." -Lawrence Burney

24. TT the Artist - "Gimme Yo Love"

TT the Artist shows her more light-hearted side on the infectious "Gimme Yo Love." The Schwarz-produced track combines ubiquitous Baltimore club breaks with bright synths, in a crossover track that is the perfect counter-balance to her anthems such as "Thug It Out" and "Pussy Ate." -Antonio Hernandez

25.  Normaling - "Full Metal (Seclusiasis)

Normaling duo .rar Kelly and Lemz really know how to shake things up in the world of club music. When it comes to Normaling, everything you think you know and understand about the native sound of Baltimore is completely irrelevant as they straddle a fine line of club music and techno that sounds like it was made in a creepy sweatshop somewhere. Case in point - "Full Metal".  It's a raucous take on club music in which they channel the aggressive machismo of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Matthew Modine's terrifying screams complement the pounding bass while R. Lee Ermy's orders let us know who's boss. -Casey Embert

26.  Histo - "Yung Spvce Cadet" (Space Is The Place)

Baltimore-based label, Space Is the Place, is the perfect launching pad for a future-inspired club track like this.  On "Yung Spvce Cadet", Histo skips the typical Baltimore club sound in favor of glitchy bleep-bloops and deep space twinkles for that ultimate extraterrestrial vibe.  Now we wait for the rest of the world to catch up with us. -Casey Embert

27. 7uca- "...beaches // los angels (Feat. Rickie Jacobs & Jordxn Bryant

7uca's ode to women and vices "Pink City Motel," shows a growth and focus that was hinted on his "Most Violent Year EP," which was released this past Feburary. Baltimore lyricists Rickie Jacobs and Jordxn Bryant assist in the track's first song "...beaches," and each artist brings their own tale of balancing love and ambition. 7uca goes solo on "los angels," wrestling with his goals and his inner demons, with a sense of urgency. -Antonio Hernandez

Black Zheep DZ Links With Yung Gutted & Czarquan For "Globetrotter" + "90 Degree"

Late last night, Basement Rap member, Black Zheep DZ, released two new songs "Globetrotter" and "90 Degree" which are both produced by Brooklyn beat-makers Yung Gutted and Czarquan.The latter, slurred and heavy, is more of what's become the rapper's expected sound while "Globetrotter", filled with airy flutes, pulsating base and some of Zheep's sharpest wordplay, to date, premiered as an unnamed track on last month's Basement Rap Radio. The tracks serve as momentum starters as Zheep's preparing to release a collaborative EP with fellow Northeast Baltimore rapper Soduh next month titled Days In The East. Stream "Globetrotter" and "90 Degree" below:

Follow Black Zheep DZ on Twitter and SoundCloud

Listen To Basement Rap's December "Basement Rap Radio" Mix

Baltimore's Basement Rap crew is back with a new installment of their monthly "Basement Rap Radio" mix. December's mix includes unreleased tracks from Buffa7o, Butch Dawson, Black Zheep DZ and a hilarious JPEGMAFIA song that comes across as a love letter to late-night Baltimore carryout, Jerry's where he details his favorite things to order "wings with mumbo sauce and a half & half). There's also beats from EU-IV, Jacob Marley and Llamadon musicians, Freaky and Michel. Stream "Basement Rap Radio" below:

Basement Rap Radio recorded, mix, and arranged at Llama Studios by Jujuan Allen.

Follow Basement Rap on Twitter & Soundcloud

Meet Grey Dolf, The "It Girl" Of Baltimore's Downtown Rap Scene

At this point, there's rarely a passing week where Grey Dolf isn't playing a show in Baltimore's downtown music scene. Active for almost an exact year, the 20-year-old who was born Brayaira Simms took on the challenge to finally pursue a career in music after playing around with the form since childhood, moving to New York at 18 for personal growth and coming back home to a continuously growing DIY scene fronted by black and brown kids. Dolf's music doesn't fit into any box, not even ones made for what "alt rap" is supposed to be. At times, she raps conventionally and even fits in a bit of comedy like performing a full tape worth of Chief Keef covers. Wailing uncontrollably over lo-fi production isn't out of the norm for her and neither is creating an impromptu mixtape with Blaqstarr called D'usse Blunts in a matter of four hours. No matter the classification for what Grey Dolf's music and overall aesthetic is, she's been attracting a growing level of support and attention since mustering up the courage to rap at local collective Llamadon's open-mic series, Beet Trip, last summer. We recently caught up with Grey Dolf and learned about some pivotal points in her growth as an artist and where she wants to move, going forward:

Musical Beginnings:

Grey Dolf: I started getting into music in middle school after people started to tell me my voice sounded like a boy. That actually made me sad and I became more conscious of my voice. It made me hate my voice and sometimes I still do. But my early music came to me when I was in the shower or in the mirror looking at myself, making up songs. In high school, I used to take academic things and take them to another level or more relatable through music. If I would be thinking about something that I was having a hard time with, and then start listening to myself to figure it out, it would turn into these ballads I’d be singing to myself. I have so much of that material from voice memos. It's actually ridiculous.

When Pursuing A Career In Music Became Real

I attempted to try college in Baltimore then I just had to leave because it was too much. I moved to New York when I was 18 and stayed for like 7 or 8 months before I came back last summer. I worked at Banana Republic in Soho (laughs) and lived in Lower East Side.

I came down to Baltimore like two times one month in the summer while I was living in there and I went to Llamadon's Beet Trip one night. I was drinking a lot of Patron and cooling it with people I hadn’t seen in a while and I was just really feeling it. I was really turning up and got on the mic and it felt really good. A lot of people were like, “Oh my gosh, I wanna work with you.” I was just listening like, “That’s what’s up.” But when I told some people that I was really about to do this, like really be Grey Dolf and perform and put on shows, some people were like, “You not gonna be able to build it up that fast.” It was funny when I look back. It was actually November 14th when I did put on my first show and performed last year.

Influences

I interned at this shop downtown called Agio when I was in high school and that’s where I met Jacob Marley, Butch Dawson, Black Zheep DZ and some other people. Seeing all them make music was a big influence. Even like being in studios with random hood rappers when I was younger was an influence to me. But I always thought Baltimore was super chill. I think everybody could work more collectively but like 2Pac went to Baltimore School for the Arts and it’s a lot of cool factories for manufacturing here. It’s just a lot of cool and inspiring things going on here.

How To Release Music

I’m strategizing from an energy perspective but I’m trying not to be too forceful. It’s all these different things. Like, I just deleted my whole SoundCloud just because I wanna release music in a better way. I can do better than that. I’d rather post all my songs visually. I was on YouTube and typed in my name and saw so much shit that I didn’t even post. Audio is great but I don’t think people will get me without a visual. It’s really fun. I’m still figuring how I want people to receive my work, though. At first I was just making things for me but the fact that other people are involved in that process now is interesting.

What Could Be Better

I could definitely sharpen my organization because it’s crucial to how people receive my stuff. I need to work on production too. I just got rid of my computer because the beats I was making on there weren’t quality. I wanna start incorporating more instruments in my work beyond digital sounds like piano, maybe clarinet and guitar.

Basement Rap Shares "Basement Rap Radio" November Mix + Announce Collective Artshow

Baltimore's Basement Rap collective, which is made up of rappers Butch Dawson, Black Zheep DZ, Ryan P and a host of other artists, photographers, videographers and graphic designers just released the newest installment of their monthly Basement Rap Radio mix. Each mix is comprised of unreleased tracks by the crew and friends, instrumentals and comedic drops by whoever is around for the process (think Radio Los Santos). November's offering features a trap cut by Butch Dawson, guest verses from :3lon and DIY scene newcomer JPEG Mafia, and tracks by Black Zheep DZ and Ryan P. It also ends with an announcement of the collective's Basement Rap Artshow which goes down this Sunday from 2-8 p.m at Pipe Dreamz Clothing (879 N. Howard St) featuring photography and paintings by Ms3, video installations by Shido and Curtis Yuille and new merch. Stream November's mix below:

Welcome to Basement Rap Radio the November mix hosted by Jujuan Allen. All songs are owned by Basement Rap Records & Llamadon Mixed by Jujuan Allen

Black Zheep DZ: On His 8th World Album, Transparency As An Artist & Joining Club Music With Rap

Something is brewing in Baltimore. I know I'm probably the millionth person to say that and I'm not even sure what is actually brewing but, there is something. I can feel it...? Before the past few years, there were two things you were getting from black artists in the city: club music and street rap. That's not a complaint, though; both are still my favorite kinds of music but now there is some form of variety. We badly needed that. Artists like Lor Scoota, Young Moose and Greedy are holding the streets down with their music. TT The Artist, Matic808, DJ Dizzy, Mighty Mark and Angel Baby are doing right by club music. Abdu Ali is doing his best to fuse all of those energies. And with Llamadon and 7th Floor Villains—interchangeable collectives forging a scene with experimental shoot-offs of rap—Butch Dawson, Dylijens, Buffa7o and Black Zheep DZ have a concrete following. 

Zheep has proven to be the most ambitious of Llamadon's camp. He's dropped four projects in the past three years and while his artistic progression didn't seem so evident to me most of those times, his latest effort, 8th World, shows him in a more authoritative role when it comes to developing a sound and stringing together tangible narratives. Recently, I had the chance to chat with him about the making of 8th World, where he sees himself as an artist and if he's sharing enough of himself with his audience. Read up!

Right off, I noticed that 8th World is much more melodic in its production than any of your previous work. Is that indicative of the style you wanna go forward with or was it specific to this project?

That’s kind of what I was going for with progressing my sound and the sound for the project. I have more shit that sounds soulful now but that was my aim.

What was the concept behind 8th World when you named the project?

It was kind of an idea behind the seven wonders of the world. It was always a question about what the eighth wonder is and as a standout figure from Baltimore, which is a standout city, I felt like making that my eighth wonder. It's a place that a lot of people don’t get to see. They're on the outside looking in. I just wanted to show people a different perspective of it--even people who're from here. I know it's a different sound than what other people make. That's why it's called 8th World. 

How do you know when you've heard the right beat to rap over? Are you in the studio with producers or are you less hands-on with it?

A couple people sent me their beats but 80% of the project was me sitting down with producers and creating with them. I was telling a lot of producers what I wanted. Like Radical the Kid was hands-on, Teklun was hands-on, Eu-IV hands-on. They knew how to  sync their signature sounds with mine.

On "Mine" with D.R.A.M., you go over your hustle and desire to keep pushing through. Being on the local scene for the past few years, how do you feel about your own progression and the scene's?

I feel like it’s been moving. Just like the song says, “Ain’t nothing stopping me.” A lot of people on the local scene might not know about me and some people do but it's coming back around because other cities starting to show more love now so they're starting to see what it is.

With the scene, you got people that are in different lanes. That's hard. Everybody gets to focus on a different sound and they're not going for the same thing. It's definitely diverse and I'm happy for this shit. Everybody has their own keys to open the door, you know?

http://www.blackzheepdz.com/

A lot of people don't know that Tim Trees--one of the few locally big rappers we had in Baltimore growing up--is your brother-in-law. Has he given you any useful advice that you've been able to apply to how you're moving?

Yeah he gives me a lot of advice and helps me a lot. Like every time I talk to him he'll help out. He just keeps my head on straight and lets me know that it’s a lot of fuck shit out here so just watch out for it. He helps me with distribution. But it's a lot of personal advice and music advice. Basically just "stay doing you" and don't let nobody stop that.

On "6th Sense" you mentioned that waiting too late to realize that you're not seeing life clear is a fear of yours. Can you elaborate on that. What's cloudy for you right now?

I feel like I’m seeing clear but sometimes when you’re so focused on something, it's still people looking from the outside. I've had this happen to me before. Like I’ve had my mother and father look at me when I first started rapping like, “This nigga crazy. Everybody raps." They looked at me like I wasn't seeing life clearly and in the song I was saying, "what if I wait too late to realize that?" But I feel like I’m not though. I feel like I'm gonna accomplish what I'm going for. I was just saying “what if” because that's how it's always been with that. 

If you had to pinpoint one thing you need improvement on, what would that be?

I don't think it's lyrics. I definitely  need to keep progressing on my sound. It's no so much about lyrics now because I think I'm a good lyricist. I'm not at my best--nobody is. It's always room for improvement. 

As a listener, I always long for more transparency from rappers. Do you feel like you're as revealing as you could be about who you are?

Yeah. I feel like I’m revealing enough for the time. I do that on purpose because you gotta leave some mystery behind it. We progressing everyday so I don't wanna lay everything on the table. It's definitely more shit to be heard, trust me. I'm far from where I wanna be and I'm revealing just enough so as the time goes, my story gonna unravel. I'm writing my book, you know? 

http://www.blackzheepdz.com/

One of 8th World's bonuses, "Mr. Slick", is a collaboration between you and Matic808. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Even Tim Trees had a whole album produced by Rod Lee. Why do you think there isn't more exchanging between club artists and rappers in Baltimore?

It’s crazy. I think it’s so hard for Baltimore rappers to work with club producers because we so used to the sound. We always heard it at parties so it's hard to embrace it. We really grew up on it and I fuck with club music so I like to embrace it. I'm not one of the people running away from it just because it's from my city or it's old. You can always mix old with the new. 

Do you think if more club producers and rappers worked together more, it would help develop a more-defined sound for Baltimore rap? Because there still isn’t one.

Hell yeah. I think that shit would definitely help a lot because a lot of people love club music, hands down. And some club producers know how to make hip-hop shit too. If they work together it would definitely help blow the spot up. 

What do you want people to get out of your music?

I wanna make people feel good, for real. That soulful shit that you can just take in. I don’t want it to be just one message. I wanna be the messenger and tell people shit that they can listen to when they need to get through something. 

You’re one of the best local artists when it comes to branching out and working with people outside of the city. Do you think that’s something that Baltimore artists are hesitant to do and what do you take away from branching out?

I think a lot of artists lack the reaching out thing because of where we’re from; that’s kind of how it is. Niggas don’t like to talk and people be anti-social. I learned skills like that from traveling and from my peoples. It’s nothing wrong with connecting; shit happens like that. You can't walk around being anti-social all day. Being social helped me a lot. It helped me make connections I never that I would make. All I can say is that I'll keep on doing that. It's not like I try; it's just instilled in me. Everywhere I go I'm gonna be a people-person. 

How is being a part of Llamadon and 7th Floor Villains helping you as an artist at this point?

As an artist, it’s helping me stay grounded. We talk about shit and plan shit. We're pretty much running it more like a label than a collective. We got these individual artists and we all have plans so we try helping each other execute. So it's definitely helping me as an artist and helping us build a brand--as a whole and separately. So aside from 7th Floor Villains the brand name, niggas are actually my homeboys. It's just a genuine feeling and we get to build with each other, progress and make each other better everyday. 

http://www.blackzheepdz.com/

Hear 8th World on Black Zheep DZ's Sound Cloud.