Black Chakra — “HOPE HURT HALOS”
28 minutes. That’s how long it takes for award-winning spoken word and hip-hop artist Jacob Mayberry, aka Black Chakra, to exceed any expectations you might have for a spoken word album. “HOPE HURT HALOS” captures the veteran griot’s stage presence in a more intimate setting with carefully crafted production by Wendel Patrick (who, full disclosure, I have often collaborated with). Black Chakra has spent the majority of the past decade racking up awards and slam poetry competition wins across the country. The collaboration of he and Patrick was a match made in heaven for executive producer Kevin “Ogun” Beasley.
“I asked him [Chakra] to give me a dream list of producers. When I mentioned Wendel Patrick, he said yes but didn’t think we could get him. I damn near begged Wendel to do it and would not take no for an answer,” Ogun told me from his East Baltimore recording studio.
Experience and wisdom flow with ease from track to track as Black Chakra guides us through life. The opening piece, “King of Pain,” sets a cinematic tone as Mayberry and Patrick use masterful storytelling, hip-hop, and jazz to draw you in.
“I stand in a slam where you wrote poems and I wrote pain,” Black Chakra declares. The slam poetry champion places the listener in the heat of battle with less talented poets, setting himself apart by articulating the depths from which he writes and delivers.
The album covers a range of topics from the hypocrisy of religion to suicide with consistent, attention-holding wordplay. Every syllable is important as the delivery goes through flexible rhyme schemes connecting thoughts to complete messages. Black Chakra’s vocals are blended as the music changes with Chakra’s tone.
We are metaphorically taken on a journey through open mic venues to the streets and into church, where the pulpit has been taken over by a voice of the people. On “Midnight Mass,” he closes with, “Don’t mistake me for a vampire, I walk in the sun / The Father and the Holy Spirit and all the rewards that come with it are vast / I’m here for the sinners like you, me, and the midnight mass.”
Haunting chords wind down afterwards, walking us out of one scene into the next as we explore the perversion of superstardom, our narrator getting into character as the record label executive coaching Michael Jackson through his imminent demise on “Star.” The track lyrically references MJ’s classics while also painting the picture of what has happened all too often to Black artists throughout history.
“All The Music We Don’t Hear” places us at the scene of a suicide attempt, and like every other track, the music travels alongside Mayberry’s words, moving with intensity like a carefully composed score to a Victorian saga.
Nods to classic hip-hop songs pop in and out as Patrick mixes in recognizable melodies here and there, but the project feels bigger than hip-hop and spoken word, particularly during moments like “A Poor Man’s Love Poem” featuring IAHIAL, where we find ourselves in something like a modern opera.
There’s so much packed into these 28 minutes that it’s a crime to listen to it just once.
“HOPE HURT HALOS” is streaming everywhere.
Rebecca Dupas — “Not Without Black Women (The Deluxe Edition)”
Renowned veteran spoken word artist Rebecca Dupas released “Not Without Black Women” back in February of 2026. The deluxe version comes with added production from Maurice Carroll, adding to Skarr Akbar’s original scoring.
The album is a well-rounded postgraduate course about the complexities of the lives of Black women from the perspective of a Black woman. The messages are for everyone. Whether she’s schooling men on how not come half-assed with romantic interest, providing insight on the exhaustion of being Black in corporate work spaces, or simply telling the listener how to appreciate themselves, the importance of valuing a demographic we simply cannot live without is on full display on this project.
Right off the top she introduces “I Am Woman,” a piece that she’s performed on stage for over 20 years. “I use it before I really get into any feature, and just as a reminder of the power of womanhood,” she tells listeners.
The flute-driven track evenly accompanies Dupas’ firm words as a step-by-step guide on how to not only treat Black women but how to respect, understand, and cherish their presence and vital necessity.
On “Dear White Girl,” she speaks to the often intrusive presence of privileged jealousy from white women.
“She is legendary. Why would you refer to her as a female as if the word ‘woman’ ain’t already in your vocabulary? / That’s either petty or lazy. / She is more than her reproductive parts,” she intones on “Legendary.”
The collaboration of Baltimore veteran producers Skarr Akbar and Maurice Carroll are well-matched for Dupas’ smooth tone, every track tailored precisely for the subject of each poem. Carroll’s placement of instruments mixed with Skarr Akbar’s sampling and beats coalesce in a way that makes each track its own unique blend of music and poetry. The message is never lost in the music, and the music never overpowers the words.
We’re moved tranquilly through very relatable scenarios. On “How to Slay a Dragon,” we are given the front seat to a conversation with an all too familiar adversary.
“I heard Brad in the break room telling / His team the meeting would be lit,” she says on “Drippin’.”
“And I’m not the type to tell you that these bland meals are delicious / In fact, the lack of seasoning is a little suspicious,” she continues, referencing the ever-horrifying tale of the office potluck.
The vulnerability of “The Good Part” and “Offended” sheds light on the story arc of a relationship that goes from the “what are we?” stage to the family planning stage and finally to “I’m moving on.”
But if you’re wondering if a failed relationship has soured her view of Black men, she assures us it hasn’t on “A Soft Place To Land” featuring soul singer Ché Ray.
An extremely edifying offering, “Not Without Black Women” is as much a documentary as it is an album.
“Not Without Black Women” is streaming on all platforms.
Young Moose — “Look At Life” Featuring Mon Already
Young Moose is undeniably one of Baltimore’s more celebrated griots when it comes to rap. Since his 2014 anthem, “Dumb Dumb,” the Eastside rapper has become a staple on beats and in the streets. His music has always been an unfiltered, honest voice for Baltimore’s grittiest side of life.
Recently, the “Out The Mud” captain has been dropping a series of singles, a testament to his never-ending passion for his craft. A recent offering, “Look At Life,” is an introspective explanation of where he is today. He’s gone to war with the Baltimore City Police Department and won, been signed to Boosie’s label, and even worked with Kanye West. Still, his love for his city is always a prevalent theme, even through the pain.
“Look at all these scars I done got on me,” he raps. “I been in and out the islands really looking for some silence, / tryna get ’way from that violence they done poured on me.”
The track is a confession of his incorruptibility, his search for peace and a better way of living. The production by Chad Watts is a jazzy, almost ’90s-era hip-hop feel. The track, released under Luxury Music Group, appears to come from some lost or unreleased studio sessions that may be coming in the future. The cover art is a blank CD with writing around the edge that reads, “This album is for the late-night thinkers. The daydreamers in transit. The ones who save voice notes they never send. Play it on repeat until the silence feels softer. A playlist for slow mornings, golden hours and the kind of quiet you don’t want to end.”
Is this a teaser for something special to come? If you’ve followed Moose long enough, you know every year he’s gonna give you a new favorite. This one may be mine for 2026. Big respect.
Listen to “Look At Life” on all streaming platforms.