Listen to the Odd, Addictive Sounds of Baltimore's Baby Tears

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Nothing else out right now sounds like Baltimore artist Baby Tears, and you hear that kind of talk about a lot of acts, but I really can't think of anything else in the world on the same wavelength as "Succubus Slides." The best way I can think of to describe it is PC Music meets trap, but that will probably make very little sense until you press play.

Baby Tears is from Baltimore, lived in Seattle for a while, and is inspired by everything from Lil B to Billy Idol. Check out "Succubus Slides," and read a more about Baby Tears below.

Get Baby Tears on vinyl at ChoiceRecords.com.

Can you introduce yourself? Who are you, where are you from, and how long have you been making music?

I am Baby Tear$, which was inspired from my favorite musical filmed in Baltimore, Cry Baby, and on account of the fact that I often laugh so hard I cry. I am 23 years old, I work a regular job. I like to travel, be a sarcastic arse, and I sing in the shower. I'm a writer first and foremost. I hail from West Baltimore City and I have been making music since 2014. My mixtape The Magic Lick was my first project I ever made.

An artist named Agoff moved to Baltimore and me and my friend Dankgod, another artist, randomly met him. He was staying in a house full of artists and Dankgod was already recording. I had never done that before but being around all that music being made, I was helpless. I got beats from a friend in the house, posted some tracks on SoundCloud, and then people heard my stuff and he rest is history.

Can you tell us a little about "Succubus Slides"?

Well the beat was called "Prom" and it was made by Nedarb Nagrom. I had a song up on SoundCloud with me and Hazmat Caz. It was early work, a good start, and this guy left a rude comment on the song. I was pissed so I hit that fucker up on Twitter. Nedarb knew the guy and saw the argument and went to listen to the song and some of my music and he liked it so he DMed me and decided to send me beats. And thus "succubus slides" was born. When I first heard the beat I thought of 16 Candles. It had a real prom vibe to me with a hint of forlorn sadness. 

Do you work out of a studio?

I used to. It was right off of the Penn North subway station in Baltimore where the riots and the CVS burning took place. The dugout was everything. It was the studio, the trap, the getaway, the place where everyone could be together.

Is that a male vocalist on it too? Who is it?

Yep, that is the underground legend Wicca Phase himself. Creator of gothboiclique and former band member of Tigers Jaw.

The song reminds me a little of PC Music, only more raw with a trap influence. Are you aware of PC music?

I will admit I was not aware of PC music. I just Googled it and I feel like the song is exactly how you described it. I listen to a wide variety of things but the heavy trap influence will always remain. It's my favorite out of everything I like. My dad was a DJ though, so I got exposed to a lot. When I was young my house was always jumping and my dad recorded his mixes in the basement. Almost every day was filled with music.

What music are you inspired by? What artists are you listening to these days?

I am inspired by everything. The genres all mesh and I can go from scream to ambient. The list goes on and on man theres Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, The b2s, Thomas Dolby, No Doubt, MF Doom, Captain Murhy/FlyLo, BLACK KRAY, UDF, Keynyata, Larry June, Sucre, Imogen Heap, Lil B of course, Fly Leaf, Circa Survive, Kellin Quinn, Lapalux, Kissd Killd, Kitty Lux, Nacho Picasso, Billy idol, Pet Shop Boys, CHXPO, Chief Keef, and my absolute favorite female rapper Bootychaaain.

These days I'm bumping a lot of CHXPO, Black Kray, Martis Unruly, 21 Savage, Yung Gleesh, Kodak, Tame Impala, and anybody collabing with WOD (working on dying).

What do you want people to feel when they hear your music?

I want people to just FEEL, period. I want to make your heart beat faster, wonder what I mean by the things I say that you don't understand, and most importantly to play it for a friend. I want you to relate. I want you to picture it all happening in your head.

You were in Seattle for a while—what was the scene there like?

The Seattle scene is love. They don't always get along, but it's all love at the end of the day. Moorgang, UDF, Thraxxhouse, Title Fight, The 30, Dave B—they all played a major role in the scene during my time there. I was backstage at all the shows and it was so fun. I was family there, even Nacho who I look up to as a brother looked out still checks in on me now that I'm back in Baltimore.

What's next for you?

I honestly don't know. I got a project dropping in the fall with Forza of Working On Dying. It's called Persephone's Revenge. I'm excited—I haven't dropped anything since The Magic Lick except some singles so I'm ready to make my return. Music is just a hobby, but if it works out, great. But my true passion is writing and voice acting, so maybe it'll lead to that.