When this story hits stands, it will mark exactly one decade since Rolling Stone dubbed Baltimore’s music scene the best in the country.

At the time, in 2008, DIY spaces spread across the city like kudzu, and Dan Deacon was the rabble-rousing ringleader of the underground arts community, with his eclectic Wham City collective propagating wild festivals like Whartscape, where a fledgling Future Islands—fresh off the bus from North Carolina—performed some of their very first shows. Local indie music was on fire, as Wye Oak inked their first record deal and Beach House finished their first world tour. Meanwhile, Baltimore Club music had made a comeback, with young producers like Blaqstarr and K-Swift carrying on the frenetic dance legacy of legends like Miss Tony and Scottie B. And even the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, with its new leader, Marin Alsop—the first female head of a major American symphony—was looking toward the future.

All of that to say, Baltimore was the epitome of cool.

Then, as now, it was the artists—working, creating, breaking boundaries (or never letting them get in their way in the first place)—who transformed this city into a nexus of ferocious creative energy. Then, it was a bunch of ’80s kids, raised on punk rock and hip-hop, who channeled their youthful angst into art. Now, it is a genre-blurring blend of veterans and rookies, from rappers to rock bands, who are upholding and evolving things, even finding inspiration through some of our city’s darkest hours following the Baltimore Uprising in 2015.

Today, Deacon is still here, expanding his repertoire and supporting the local scene. As is Future Islands, when they’re not starring on late-night television shows or gallivanting across the globe. The rap scene is at full tilt, with fiery talents like JPEGMAFIA and Lor Choc leading the pack, and Bmore Club is back, again, blossoming outward with the help of TT The Artist and Abdu Ali. Even Baltimore’s bluegrass music might be the most popular it’s been since the 1950s.

Biggest of all, “the scene” is no longer seen as just a bunch of hip, young, white dudes; it is a cornucopia of ages, races, genders, and orientations, culling together their distinctive stories and styles into the musical petri dish of Baltimore.

In the same vein as the past decade’s era of unruly experimentation, these days, it seems like some new talent or original sound is born every time we blink. On any given night, you can find a dozen acts of all genres performing their hearts out across the city, now with the help of legitimate venues like The Crown. And at each of these shows, there is a muster of other musicians, either playing on the same bill or dancing with abandon at the foot of the stage.

It’s that sense of community that will sustain the music scene’s momentum this year, and next year, and for the foreseeable years after that. The scrappy, fearless heart of things is as strong as it was a decade ago, but with all walks of Baltimore life exchanging ideas and letting their freak flags fly, we would argue it’s even stronger.

Of course, always, it also comes back to Baltimore—our underdog city, which, for better or worse, has long been unafraid of its own reputation, let alone anyone’s outside opinion. Like the local music scene, this town prides itself on its unapologetic authenticity—one that hotspots like New York City, Nashville, Austin, or Los Angeles could never touch.

As Matmos’ M.C. Schmidt once told us, “In places like New York or San Francisco, there are a lot of folded arms, like, is this really cool enough? There’s very little of that in Baltimore. People here don’t care if it’s ‘cool enough.’ It’s like, I’m deciding for myself. I came here to enjoy myself, or be illuminated, so I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt, which is very fertile ground to be in as an artist.”

In short, Baltimore isn’t trying to be the next Brooklyn; it is totally and uniquely itself.

For that, we’d like to celebrate the local music scene—right now, in this very moment. We’ve rounded up 50 artists who are demonstrating the kind of raw talent that keeps us on our toes. There are singers who are soaring to new heights, bands on the precipice of stardom, and a few who have already made it but never forget that Baltimore is the place where it all started. And this list is just the beginning. We encourage you to get out there. Go see a show, even if you’ve never heard of a single soul on the lineup. Try out a new genre, even if you’re intimidated or afraid of being bored. Open yourself up to the amazing sounds of this city, and we guarantee, you’ll surprise yourself. Most importantly, though, we urge you to support this remarkable group of musicians who continue to keep music alive and well in Baltimore. Thanks to them, the country’s best music scene is only getting better.