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Baltimore Commercial Break: From Juke Joints to Greatness

by Speed on the Beat

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["Hello Baltimore (Baltimore Supplier Mix)" introduction with booming voiceover] [Intro: Voiceover] From up da hill, down da hill, and EVERYWHERE in between...this is WSOTBof Baltimore Street, This is WSOTB!!! News 17...at 7 with your host, John Speed [Speech: John Speed] Good Morning, I'm John Speed. If you are hearing my voice, the world hasn't ended and we've reached the conclusion of Speed on the Beat!!!'s Baltimore Commercial Break project. We at WSOTB!!! have just received some breaking news regarding SOTB!!!'s condition. For that, we go to Edward Turner, live at the news desk. [Speech: Edward Turner] Hi, John! It appears that SOTB!!! has finished working on his From Juke Joints to Greatness project. He's informed me that, come hell or high water, it is his last as SOTB!!!. Whether or not that proves to be 100% accurate remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain. Ish is about to get real. [Verse One: Speed on the Beat, a la HAL singing "Daisy Bell"] It makes no difference where I go... You're the best hometown I know... Hello Baltimore... SOTB!!! loves you... [Reprise of news theme, in the style of a music box]
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about

NOW FREE ON BANDCAMP (unless you want to pay)

So, this project was something that I've wanted to do for years (as evident by the remakes of two tracks I did YEARS ago) and ended up combining two separate projects to do so.

This is a project that's pretty near and dear to me, since growing up in Baltimore, I'd always come in contact with some crazy (or at the least, memorable) commercials, news themes, etc. The Gotta Get Gebco commercials, Mr. Ray's, Standard Carpet, Saiontz and Kirk--the list goes on and on and on. So, the idea behind BCB is just me taking some of those commercials, news themes, etc. and rhyming over them to accomplish two things. Also, as I grew up, I went from that guy at UMD who was afraid to drop bars at a Juke Joint to someone who actually has made his own name.

First, I want to pay homage to the city that birthed me and its eccentricities in a way that's fun and educational (YAY KNOWLEDGE!) Yes, Baltimore is kind of a hellhole in some ways, with its murder rates being some of the highest in the nation. I'll own that. However, there are so many other bright spots among the muck that get covered up when people focus on the negatives (or are told the negatives are the only things that exist). So, I hope that, through this collection, I can help shine some positive light onto my hometown and show the world we "B'more" than crack, Fox 45 reporting gaffes, The Wire, and Ray Rice. On the side of UMD, I wanted to showcase that Terp artists are awesome and UMD is more than Bentley's and C-Stone.

Secondly, this album is pretty much my autobiography, even more so than, like, a Death of the King. It's not focused on one aspect of me, more so everything that makes up SOTB!!!.

One of the fun memories from early childhood I have, for whatever reason, is visiting WBAL and WJZ studios with my mom for some sort of canned food drive. I guess she thought I could use my childish charms to work some sort of screen time deal out with the stations (these sorts of things happened in the '70s and '80s, from what I've heard. Maybe not in Baltimore that much, but they happened). But, going up TV Hill, to that place where the Candelabra (and its less-remarkable but still important sister antenna) resided? It's something that I won't forget, as it was one of the happiest times I had growing up.

Some of the fun memories I have during my later years include performing at the Juke Joint, a regular UMD event put on by the Black Student Union (usually). It was a way to hone my skills rap-wise, and figure out what worked and what didn't.

So, this project is a thank you to the newscasters, the news directors, the commercial creators, the news theme composers, those quirky DMV commercial spots, the friends I made at UMD and all those sort of things that kept me from completely saying "Eff life. It's too hard" at an early age.

This project is, in some ways, the antithesis to a Death of the King, as it's more positively uplifting than a lot of my previous works. It also features artists who I've wanted to work with for YEARS (or have, but want to do so in less of a "no-fi" situation)! Finally, it also lacks most of the profanities I'm usually known for. So maybe everyone can check this one out and read/hear my love letter to Baltimore and my ascent from Juke Joints to Greatness through this...

credits

released August 17, 2015

Produced by Speed on the Beat
Mixed and Recorded by Speed on the Beat
Mastered by Speed on the Beat, through conventional means and with LANDR.com

No Copyright Infringement Intended as used portions of material was done so in both an educational and parodic nature to illustrate life in Baltimore from the 1980s and 1990s as seen through the eyes of Baltimoreans during the 1980s and 1990s. By utilizing this in a educational matter, versus attempting to full-on profit from this endeavor, this project should fall within the confines of "fair use."

Additionally, I love Baltimore and I'm a news nerd, so I figured I'd put those two things together and try to create an educational homage to the days where news, even when it was crazy and violent, still showed a bit of optimism and an educational homage to the city which raised me. So, again, no copyright infringement is intended through the portions of these airings that are used in the making of Baltimore Commercial Break. I repeat: they are used in a fair use manner to educate those unfamiliar with Baltimore and Baltimore news broadcasts and commercials between the 1980s and 1990s in the ways that Baltimore news broadcasts, Baltimore-centric commercials and more presented themselves. The additional instrumentation is done so in a way to reach out to younger people who may be fans of hip-hop to (hopefully) help them and educate them in other art forms, even if it's just jingles or image songs for local television stations. Also, and I'm being frank as possible here, it probably won't be worth the time, money, space, energy, and lawyer fees to pursue suing me for this project.

However, a huge thank you must be given to composers such as Frank Gari (who's done an INSANE amount of Baltimore news themes, if you really look back. I think the only station he HASN'T had a theme on would be WJZ-TV a/k/a "Channel 13"). Without your genius, I'd never watch the news. I'm serious. If it weren't for these older themes, I wouldn't have been as educated on worldly matters as I was growing up. Music was one of the constants in my life growing up, so I figured if something like the news has a good vibe musically, I can at least check it out and maybe learn something along the way. So, while my lyrics may not be that all-inclusive, please consider this my thank you letter to you all as well.

Other thank yous:

Thank you to my parents. You both made a hellraiser and I'm going to raise hell until it's heaven. May you both rest in peace.

Thank you Al Sanders, Ron Smith, Jerry Turner and more for being that voice of reason in this crazy world. Also, thank you Al Sanders for, albeit a bit early and morbidly, educating me on lung cancer at an early age. My mom stopped smoking (as much) when you died. I know that lung cancer doesn't HAVE to be from smoking, but any more time I'm given with my family, as wild as they can be, I'm thankful for.

Thank you to all the newscasters, everywhere, who looked like, look like, and will look like me.

Thank you Don Scott and Marty Bass for waking my butt up in the morning when my folks didn't, so I wouldn't end up missing class.

Thank you Lori Pinson for being my grade school meteorologist crush

Thank you to my family for being supportive of my dreams, even when they seemed as impossible as a toddler going to space.

Thank you to my children (my son and my soon-to-be-born child) for keeping my from offing myself. Know that, even if Daddy gets a bit wound up and a little "manic" in his voice, know that I love you unconditionally and with all my heart.

Thank you to True, Apollo, AX, Jelly, EZ, Joe, and the rest of the TEAMDAR family (all you mu'f**kas, as I said on "Glide") for taking a chance on a nutcase like myself.

Thank you to Dre for teaching me to just be awesome, regardless of how ridiculous the world can be.

Thank you to Raquel.

I give thanks to The Almighty, even though I don't always live "right" or practice within the confines of "conventional" religion.

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Speed on the Beat Baltimore, Maryland

Independent artist/writer/activist. Mr. “Support Dope Music in All Its Forms.” Baltimore-born who never forgets his roots, neither for his sound or his home. And yes, I was serious. I don’t do crap just for giggles. Also, I rarely post on TwXtter. I mostly post stories on IG. So, don’t expect millions of messages—unless y’all want some memes or something. ... more

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