That nigga look like Moose," a man with a Black & Mild cigar hanging out of his mouth and a skully on his head said on the phone, walking by the Stitch and Press embroidery shop in Baltimore's Eastpoint Mall. A rough five seconds passed, and he crept backwards. He entered the store and uttered in pure amazement into the phone, "That is Moose. I know my nigga when I see him!"
Moose was already occupied, subtly letting his gold fronts shine through a half-cracked grin as he took pictures with fans lined up at the store. He gave the man a nod of acknowledgment, which seemed to be more than enough to satisfy the gawker and send him on his way.
Mall appearances aren't too uncommon for well-known Baltimore rappers like Young Moose, a bona fide local celebrity who can barely walk the city's streets without similar reactions. In Baltimore, artists with buzz tend to drop their mixtapes in physical form in partnership with apparel stores or popular music booths a few weeks before they're uploaded to the internet. But that wouldn't explain why Moose was in Stitch and Press snapping photos with fans. Despite his role as one of the most revered street storytellers in the city, Moose was required to work behind the store's counter as an extension of his halfway house program, where he ended up after the eight months jail time he served for a misdemeanor gun charge last year.Continue reading on Noisey
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