Reginald Thomas II photos

The news spread quickly throughout the city when beloved rapper Lor Scoota was murdered in broad daylight at the intersection of Harford and Moravia after leaving a “Stop The Violence” basketball game at Morgan State. Lawrence Burney, Brandon Soderberg, and I went to the scene as his fans rode by blasting his music—his blood still on the pavement with shattered glass all around. As the sun set, so did the city’s hopes for a rapper to reach national acclaim. Scoota was on the cusp of living up to his “Up Next” moniker as he started to get support from notable names in rap. His fans celebrated his life and his music in the following week, as plenty of block parties, rallies, and vigils were held in his honor with children doing the Baldamore dance made popular by his first hit song ‘Bird Flu.’ As new artists emerge and as new dances find themselves in the local catalogue, it is undeniable that Mr. Up Next was one of the driving forces behind the Baldamore rap resurgence. (Reginald Thomas II/City Paper)