Historically, Baltimore is not a rap town. From the late ‘80s until the mid 2000s, the city’s musical language was still spoken through the thumps of Baltimore club. But as the city lost iconic DJ, K-Swift, and venues that centered the genre started to gradually close, club music largely lost its grip of local youth. Some rappers still found a way to thrive, though, even just for abbreviated periods: Los inked deals with Bad Boy and consistently wowed rap fans with his exceptional skill at freestyling; Rapper B Rich scored a national hit with “Whoa Now” in the early 2000s; Keys had a short taste of viral fame when she dissed Nicki Minaj back in 2009. But none of those short-lived success stories ignited a flame under young artists in the city to create a true scene.
It wasn’t until 2014 that a real wave started to flow through Baltimore. The two artists most responsible for that shift are East Baltimore’s Young Moose and the late, West Baltimore rapper Lor Scoota. Together, the two spearheaded an excitement for local talent that the city never experienced. Most importantly, their arrival finally gave Baltimore's youth relatable voices to listen to on a regular basis. Scoota and Moose’s ability to touch already-established artists outside of Baltimore played a huge role in their local influence as well. Boosie Bad Azz fittingly took the rough-around-the-edges, street narrator Moose under his wing and Meek Mill was attracted to Scoota’s flashy style and rise-from-nothing narrative.
Now, the city has developed a scene that has a healthy variety of styles and stories. JPEGMAFIA rose out of the eclectic, Central Baltimore DIY scene. YBS Skola regularly collaborates with some of the country’s biggest street artists. Lor Choc’s heartfelt stories of pain and love are gaining her a following outside city limits. But there are other artists that have a strong chance of taking the next step to national acclaim. Here’s five.