M-Dot's Seventh Album Went to Budapest and Providence for Its Videos. Boston Should Be Paying Closer Attention

Some Boston rappers chase a moment. M-Dot has been building a catalog. "A Notebook With No Light" is his seventh album, and this month he's been putting out the videos.

The latest is "All the Same," with Kore, his partner in the Boston crew EMS. It's produced by Rawmatik and directed by David Nagy of Illreal Presents, and it was shot on tour in Budapest, Hungary, according to SpitFire Hip Hop. That's two longtime voices from the Boston scene on one record, and the gritty look of the video matches the song.

Before that came "Hold On," directed by SandoFilms and shot in Providence. Pilze Beats produced it. SpitFire described it as pairing "heartfelt lyricism with cinematic visuals," built around perseverance and looking inward, which fits the album title.

The guest list says something about where M-Dot sits in independent hip-hop. According to the release, the album has rhymes and production from 38 Spesh, Method Man, Big Shug (Gang Starr), Che Noir, ElCamino and EMS. You don't get Method Man and 38 Spesh on a Boston indie record by accident. That's relationships built over years.

The business side is interesting too. The album is on all streaming platforms, but the vinyl is exclusive to Bandcamp through SoulChain Records, an Austrian label, with support from Own Lane Music. A Boston rapper with a European vinyl label and a tour stop in Budapest is a model a lot of local artists could study. My read: in this lane, physical product and overseas shows matter as much as streams.

Dez's take: Boston keeps asking why it doesn't have a hip-hop scene that travels. M-Dot has been traveling. He's shooting videos in Hungary and pressing records in Austria. The local radio and the big outlets haven't caught up to that. Put this album on and judge it yourself.

What we still don't know: whether M-Dot has a Boston release show planned, and how many vinyl copies SoulChain pressed.