5TH ANNUAL BALTIMORE CROWN AWARDS

On November 5th, 5 Seasons will again be the venue hosting the Baltimore Crown Awards, a show designed to recognize and honor those who are members of the burgeoning hip hop/poetry/artistic scene in this region.  Since 2007, the Baltimore Crown Awards have given light to those that may be underappreciated, from the underground, considered the underdog, but that is soon to change.  This year's crop of nominees is deep, covering a wide spectrum of talents and areas.  Yours truly is nominated for the first time for Best Baltimore Blog/Website, so I am truly honored and excited by this recognition from peers and music fans alike.  Chin-Yer, a staple on the underground scene, hence the organizational moniker The Baltimore Scene, has done an excellent job of uniting various aspects of our subterranean hip hop culture, creating a family affair not seen here in Charm City before.  Just looking at the nominee listing showcases the amount of talent that this fair city of ours holds, yet doesn't quite get the just due it deserves.  The good thing about the Baltimore Crown Awards is that each individual nominated is a winner, just because of the simple fact each nomination came with an explanation for why said individual is deserving of accolades.  That notion alone should make each and every entity proud, because your/our peers took the time and effort to recognize what our underground scene is all about.  Below you will find a complete listing of each category and nominee.  You can also go to http://thebaltimorescene.com/the-baltimore-crown/ for more information about the Baltimore Crown Awards and The Baltimore Scene movement.  To each and every nominee, I salute your efforts and congratulate you on this victory, because we are all winners!

HIP HOP ARTIST OF THE YEAR:


Skarr Akbar
Caddy da Don
Los
Dirt Platoon
Billy Lyve
Wordsmith
Mully Man

BATTLE MC OF THE YEAR:

Lil Nay
Smooth Black
Apex
Murda
Danja
Rio
Tay Roc


POET OF THE YEAR:

Femi the Dri Fish
Slangston Hughes
Hanalyn
Love The Poet
E the Poet MC
Archie the Messenger

VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:

Karron Johnson
Anonamas
Carmen Cameron
Mai Henderson
J S.O.U.L.
J. Pope

BAND OF THE YEAR:

The Bangledesh Project
Soul Cannon
Ama Chandra
Rebel Nation
Dri Fish and The Out of Water Xperience
The Rising Sun All Stars
Black Angel Down

BEST UNDERGROUND RELEASE:

“Beautiful Mind”---Skarr Akbar
“Pursuit of Happiness 1&2 ”---Skarr Akbar
“Sleep When I’m Dead 2”---Billy Lyve
“Worth The Wait”---Los

GRAPHIC DESIGNER OF THE YEAR:

Skarr Akbar
Fame
Stevie Krizz
Bmore Unique
Mike Traum
Wax Chemistry

BEST BALTIMORE MEDIA:

Strictly Hip Hop 88.9
Politic with Permiss
Shockwave Magazine
Allbmorehiphop.com
Dan Da Cameraman

BEST BALTIMORE BLOG/WEBSITE:

IAM-HIPHOP.com
Bmore’s Very Own
MerdJ.com
Citypaper.com
Wisdom40.blogspot.com
Allbmorehiphop.com

DJ OF THE YEAR:

DJ Booman
DJ 5 Star
DJ Harvey Dent
DJ Remedy
DJ Jabril
DJ Black Wizard
DJ Redz

STUDIO:

ARS
Street Legal
Wrightway Studio
II Nice Studio

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR:

Street Scott
Kariz Marcel
Sean Toure'
Beat Ryda
Inside Men
Imahj Beats

PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR:

Eyeni Photography
Clipse Photography
Lisa Stant
Fame of Street Smart Magazine
Ad Lib
Edith/Diamond Digital Photography

VIDEOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR:

Keystone Productions
GeneralbeatZ
Mike Traum
Ernest Turner/Amplified Videos
Profitt Productions
The Grench
Supa Dave

MANAGER OF THE YEAR:

Bridgette Johnson
Frank Lewis
Tim Blackman

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR:

Rah Staten
Tay Tay of Tayland Promotions
Billy Lyve/Wisdom Court Entertainment
Bridgette Johnson and Dreko
5 Starr Entertainment

BEST NEW ARTIST:

Rell
KG
BlackStaff247
Ull Neva No
Jay Dee

UNDER THE RADAR:

Last Born Child
Darryl McCready
Morese of Stinkiface Music
Si-Notes
Imahj Beats
Jamma Wun

BEST LIVE VENUE:

NowChild Soundstage
Sonar
Baltimore Soundstage
Rams Head Live
Eden’s Lounge

BEST HIP HOP VENUE:

Sonar
The 5 Seasons
NowChild Soundstage
Baltimore Soundstage
Club Reality

BEST POETRY VENUE:

The Art of Conversation
Warm Wednesdays
Organic Soul Tuesdays
Storytellers

GOLDEN MIC AWARD:
Awarded to an extraordinary Hip Hop Artists who goes above and beyond to provide the scene and/or community with a service:

Ogun (Baltimore Hip Hop Council)
OOH of Brown F.I.S.H. (mentoring youth)
Billy Lyve (Wisdom Court Kids)
Skarr Akbar (holding the scene down with his artistic services)

GOLDEN PEN:
Given to a blog writer/journalist/Poet/Author that goes beyond the call of duty and gives a special contribution to community and/or artistic scene:
Civil Jones (work with Hip Hop In Pink and media outlet Merdj.com)
Slangston Hughes (work with youth slam/youth movement)
Olu Butterfly Woods (work with youth/Poetry for the People/Organic Soul Tuesdays )

GOLDEN STAGE:
Band/Group/Company that goes above and beyond, through their services to the community and/or contributions to the scene:

Wisdom Court (Wisdom Court Kids)
Applause for a Cause Baltimore
M.A.M. Records (Back to School Drives)

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION/APPRECIATION AWARDS:
Special Appreciation:

Ahk of 88.9/Strictly Hip Hop
Permiss-being such a strong advocate fot the city
Carrie Caruso-for being a selfless adamant supporter of the scene
Chin-Yer-The Baltimore Scene/The Baltimore Crown Awards

Special Contribution Award:

Ogun-The Baltimore Hip Hop Council-
Tayland of Tay Tay Promotion –Work for the artists in the scene
Chin-Yer –The Baltimore Scene/Baltimore Crown Awards
Wisdom Court Entertainment –Wisdom Court Kids
Civil Jones-Hip Hop in Pink/DJ Merdj.com
Eric Stewart-(providing an outlet for Women to be honored through the Women of Power Awards)
Bridgett Johnson (supporting all the artists in the scene with updates and information)

THE BALTIMORE LEGEND AWARDS: 

Past Inductees-

1.Fertile Ground
2.Ogun
3.Brown F.I.S.H.
4.Labtekwon
5.Mr. Wilson (RIP)
6.Skarr Akbar
7.Lo Key
8.Sonny Brown
9.Vicious V
10.D Chase
11.Taalam Acey
12.Shaka Pitts
13.Dirt Platoon
14.K Swift (RIP)

This year additional honorees through the voting-

15. Ahk of 88.9
16. Chin-yer 

Please choose two names from this list (that came from the voting process) that you think should be added to the Baltimore Hall of Fame, along with a detailed reason why:

DJ Booman, Golden Seal, Archie the Messenger, Lil Mic, Jacki Terry, 5th L, Lamar Hill, Al Shipley, E the Poet MC, Ray Lugar, Mark Carey of Street Legal, C Love, Olu Butterfly Woods, Bishop, Tim Grins (co-founder of Element Party), P Funk, Walter M. Jones, Marc Evans, Amotion, J. S.O.U.L., Sean Toure', Shodekeh, Porkchop, Petula Caesar, Fred Locs, J5, Slangston Hughes, Che Ray, DJ Spen, Sparraw (Jamar Giddens and Andre McKnight)


Special thanks to The Baltimore Scene (@BaltimoreScene), Chin-Yer (@chinyer), and all of the personalities that contribute to this thriving underground scene that is present in Baltimore.
http://www.thebaltimorescene.com/