Lor Scoota releases 'Bird Flu' video featuring Shy Glizzy
- Nov 14, 2014
- 2 min read
One of the fastest rising rappers in the city also has one of the catchiest mantras: "Scoota up next!"
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Wesley Case
In 2014, the beauty of Baltimore Club music – the city’s beloved, high-beats-per-minute breakbeat dance music – is how it has splintered in unpredictable ways.
In 2014, the beauty of Baltimore Club music – the city’s beloved, high-beats-per-minute breakbeat dance music – is how it has splintered in unpredictable ways. ( Wesley Case )
Lor Scoota's mixtape "Still N the Trenches Volume II" has been rattling car speakers and earbuds since its May release. Now, on Halloween, Scoota continues to make his case by releasing a video for the project's biggest song, "Bird Flu." It features another area star, Washington's Shy Glizzy, whose current single, "Awwsome," is a staple around Baltimore right now.
You can watch the James Jones-directed video above. (Note: The song contains explicit language, and the clip might have a blunt in it.)
If you have listened to 92Q recently — especially during the Orioles' playoff run — you likely heard two versions of "Bird Flu." Hopping on the baseball team's wave, the radio station asked Scoota to record a radio-friendly version in support of the team. Scoota, to his credit, delivered a love letter to his city without relying on awkward sports references.
But to be clear, the original and superior "Bird Flu" is a matter-of-fact ode to drug dealing. (The hard-to-forget hook goes, "We're selling scramble, coke and smack.") Some could find the song's lack of remorse troubling, but "Bird Flu" — an attitude-first song that refuses to bend to subtlety or kowtow to authority — is not for them.
Smartly, the video is performance driven. Scoota, dressed in an Adam Jones O's jersey and matching hat, fills the screen with charisma while Glizzy — on the brink of major national recognition — keeps his cool. The whole thing wastes zero time getting to the point, and that's a large part of the appeal. (The Vine-ready, hunched-over wrist-action dance doesn't hurt either.)
The "Bird Flu" video follows two other recent Baltimore hip-hop videos of note. Young Moose, another Baltimore rapper with a swelling movement, was able to post bond earlier this week after a city judge called his confinement (based on alleged drug charges) without bail "cruel and unusual." The black-and-white video for his stomping single, "Dumb Dumb," (contains explicit language) was released last month. Then, a few days ago, 92Q's DJ AngelBaby released the video for her Mighty Mark-produced Baltimore Club single, "Avenue." All three of these songs share a common characteristic in their abilities to evoke strong, uplifted and visceral reactions. Now, we have videos that capture them.
Copyright © 2014, The Baltimore Sun
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