I like underground hip-hop, and nothing is more underground than a concert in a basement. Although the basement is the Maryland Art Place and the concert wasnโt really a concert per se, just let the hyperbole work. This was Bmore BeatClubโs Four-Year Anniversary, a celebration of an event that brings Baltimoreโs hip-hop scene out of the underground and into the mosaic stage light.
BeatClub is built around producers; some are featured artists but many are novices looking to connect with other musicians. While producers play beats, rappers are called on stage two at a time. Without any prior arrangements between the musicians, the performances are entirely organic.
Producer SocialxN3rd, a mainstay in the BeatClub lineup, wrote in an email that thereโs a naturalness to the collaboration and creation.
โI love bouncing ideas around with others. Weโre all unique in this world and dope shit can happen at any time.
โAlso,โ he added, โseeing how much people love my music is one of the greatest, [most] indescribable feelings Iโve ever felt in my life.โ
The set-up of the event creates unlikely pairings. Because there is no monolithic sound, artists range from backpack rappers to veteran old-school acts to trap and drill. As such, the audience is treated to mixes of genres and styles, which often produce something great.
โWe try to get all the crowds in there; your Station North crowd, your more traditional hip-hop crowd, and the more street stuff,โ said BeatClub founder Brandon Lackey, the owner of the Lineup Room recording studio.
Adds SocialxN3rd: โThe best thing about BeatClub is how the vibe is always great whatever plays. We go from boom bap, to trap, to something smooth, etc. MCs think on the spot to go with how spontaneous the vibe changes.โ
Lackey, one of several engineers at Lineup Room, started BeatClub in 2014 as what he called a โshow-and-tell for producers.โ In this early iteration, Lackey had not actually planned on featuring rappers.
โEmcees were coming more and more to meet producers and listen to beats and stuff, and we couldnโt stop them from breaking out into a cypher,โ Lackey said. He didnโt see much of a point in trying to stop them either, since the spontaneity of the event produced interesting collaborations.
Those early events were held at Shockwave Records, a now-closed record store on Harford Road in Parkville. After a short time, the event moved from the county into the city.
It was at the new host venue, Terra Cafe on E. 25th Street, that Eze Jacksonโfrontman for Soul Cannon, journalist and Baltimore hip-hop mainstayโfirst got involved in hosting. After a year or more at Terra Cafe, BeatClub moved again to the Maryland Art Place on W. Saratoga Street. The event now alternates between the art gallery and the Windup Space in Station North.
With the growth of its profile over time, the organizers have managed to arrange sponsorships and commercial relationships, including co-signs by Red Bull and Jack Daniels.
Lackey said BeatClub is not about turning a profit, but about celebrating a local music scene in its many forms, and any commercial associations or ticket prices serve only to keep the event alive.
The connections artists make at BeatClub can be both creative and mentoring, Lackey said. The event is a place for firstsโespecially first performancesโwhere young artists can interact with one another and with scene veterans. Those relationships, and more generally the opportunity to network, are essential.
Rapper Ea$๏ฟฅ Pr0phyt credits BeatClub with a large part of his success in the Baltimore scene.
โWhen I got out of the Marines, I stayed in Jacksonville, NC until 2013 when I came back to Baltimore,โ the rapper wrote in an email. โI was rapping the whole time; I even opened for big names, etc. but I didnโt start popping in my own city until Bmore BeatClub.โ
Another rapper, IconThaGod, took on something of a mentor role at the four-year anniversary. Paired with a younger rapper, Icon coached his counterpart on his delivery and flow.
โI definitely try to encourage and keep the guys on stage rapping; I want them to be great,โ Icon wrote in an email. โThere are a few veterans from BeatClub; Iโm probably the youngest, but we all should be passing on any knowledge we have to the guys coming up.โ
Part of BeatClubโs evolution was the establishment of the BeatMarket, which Lackey called a flea market for beats. Producers have tables set up with computers and headphones, making the venue like a tasting room for hip-hop.
SocialxN3rd said that much like BeatClub, BeatMarket is a valuable networking opportunity.
โBeatMarket is a really dope event. We as artists can benefit immensely from collaborating with local talent,โ the producer wrote. โOther states have very tight-knit communities when it comes to up and coming artists and I feel we can do the same, or even better.โ
Bmore BeatClub is also looking to hit the road. Lackey said this wouldnโt mean transplanting the event into new cities as much as it would be spreading Baltimoreโs hip-hop scene to more places.
The growth of BeatClub coincides with with an ongoing emergence of the Baltimore hip-hop scene on a national level. Lackey argues that while Baltimore may never be a hub, the city might offer something special that the music industry will seek out. He likened it to a famous recording studio in Alabama whose house band recorded hits with Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and the Staple Singers.
โI donโt think itโs ever going to be like Atlanta, where itโs like a gigantic industry,โ he said, โbut I think it could be like a Muscle Shoals for rap.โ
The next Bmore BeatMarket is Saturday, Jan. 26, at Maryland Art Place at noon.
