Baltimore and the DMV never have a shortage of compelling music coming out of their various cultural pockets . That’s especially true of the rap and R&B scenes, which continue to make strides on a national and local scale. To keep track of what’s going on, and help you keep your playlists up to date, The Baltimore Banner will bring you a monthly roundup of the best — and most captivating — rap and R&B from this area. Here are our picks for September.

Shordie Shordie, “One Wish”

Northeast Baltimore’s Shordie Shordie does a lot of things right musically. He’s been wildly consistent for the past five years both as a solo act and the man responsible for hooks that stick when he was part of Peso Da Mafia early in his career. And his penchant for gravelly melodies is often irresistible to anyone who comes into contact with his work. Earlier this month, Shordie pulled out a nice trick from under his sleeve when he crooned over a flip of internet joke machine (and occasional R&B standout) Ray J’s early 2000s classic “One Wish.” In the original, Ray J begged for his woman’s love back after some rocky moments. In Shordie’s update, he follows a similar formula, but the added braggadocio suggests that he’ll be OK whether things work out or not. — Lawrence Burney

OTR Chaz, “Real Luv<3″

OTR Chaz released his five-track EP and every song is enjoyable, but the highlight is “Real Luv<3.” With such hard-hitting bass in the production, listeners would normally just gloss over what the actual artist is doing, but Chaz shines brightly. He uses different cadences in his voice to ensure that the beat doesn’t overshadow him, which results in one of the better songs of the year. — Taji Burris

Lor Remix, “Let Me Tell Em”

At the tail end of August, a teenager by the name of Lor Remix made his rounds of regional social media blogs as a kid who had some real flashes of talent. Hailing from Park Heights, the song that inspired the reactions was “Let Me Tell Em,” which Remix took as an opportunity to introduce himself to the world. In it, he dreams about the life he’d like to live in the near future: being chauffeured around in a Maybach while watching movies, counting wads of money and distant from people who don’t mean him any good. Stylistically, there’s some clear influence from Atlanta superstar Lil Baby, but with some work Lor Remix could be one of Baltimore’s young shining stars. — Lawrence Burney

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Dacia Monet, “Ca$h Rules”

The smooth-sounding songstress from Baltimore opens her “Patience” EP with a minute-and-forty-two-second track of bliss. She harmonizes the Wu-Tang saying, “Cash rules everything around me,” assuring the importance of making money and dedicating time to her hustle as opposed to focusing on things like a social life. — Taji Burris

Miss Kam, “Let It Simmer”

West Baltimore rapper Miss Kam has been relatively quiet since her end-of-2020 album, “Tew Faced.” But earlier this month she released a proper end-of-summer jam with “Let It Simmer,” and it has a video to match. The song builds on the recent momentum of local rappers increased engagement with the city’s homegrown genre, Baltimore club. And the video is a huge party with friends cooking out and having a few drinks (Baltimore rapper Deetranada makes a cameo). Like she often does, Kam shows off her ability to adapt to just about any kind of production. — Lawrence Burney

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