Being from Florida, I’m accustomed to an entirely different underground Hip Hop scene. I’m used to artists talking about hustling or making dance music and sometimes a combination of both. I’m a self proclaimed Hip Hop junkie so upon my arrival to Baltimore I went on a mission to explore the best of what the city has to offer. I quickly grew tired of hearing about gun shots, slick cars, dirty money and women. I wanted Baltimore to show me something with substance. A little bit of truth, if you know what I mean. That being said, I intend to thoroughly explore Baltimore’s Hip Hop scene from an outsider’s perspective. If we’re lucky, maybe we can learn a thing or two.

Photo by Chris Mullen, story by Jimmie Thomas.

Nathan Ellman-Bell

Recently I had the pleasure of being introduced to a band you all know as Soul Cannon. Turns out right after I started this story they won the City Paper’s Best Live Band award so publishing my first piece locally about them either speaks to my impeccable instincts or dumb luck or quite possibly both. Either way, I’m not surprised that they won the award.

Photo by Chris Mullen, story by Jimmie Thomas.

Eze Jackson

“You’re likely to see all types of people at a Soul Cannon show from your regular hip hop head to a guy with an orange Mohawk” -Eze Jackson.

Fronted by Eze, Soul Cannon has a unique and polished sound which can be credited to the fact that three of the members are graduates from the Peabody Institute.

Photo by Chris Mullen, story by Jimmie Thomas.

Matt Frazao

I’m in the habit of obsessively dissecting music so I went to their website and made my way through several tracks. What I realized was that it wouldn’t be accurate to describe this band in terms of where Hip Hop has been. Though they’re true to the roots of Hip Hop, Soul Cannon illustrates where Hip Hop is going. Their sound is like the perfect pot of gumbo. All the ingredients are fine by themselves but it takes the mix to make the art.

Photo by Chris Mullen, story by Jimmie Thomas.

John Birkholz

As for their live shows, rather than lazily pacing the stage like so many average MC’s, Eze and the rest of Soul Cannon deliver the goods. They’re more than just musicians, they’re entertainers. I’m certain the the City Paper’s ‘Best of Baltimore’ award was only the first in several accolades to come so catch this band while you can still see them in a small venue. I have a feeling it might not be long until they take the show global. Currently you can catch them in Baltimore, Philly and NYC as well as other East Coast cities from time to time. Check their website for the details.

Photo by Chris Mullen, story by Jimmie Thomas.

Soul Cannon

Photo by Chris Mullen, story by Jimmie Thomas.

Soul Cannon

Photo by Chris Mullen, story by Jimmie Thomas.