A June public swim in the Inner Harbor sold out in 10 minutes. A local artist and ultramarathon swimmer plans to swim from the Chesapeake Bay to the harbor in a few weeks’ time. A mayoral candidate even jumped into the chilly water in March to promote his campaign.

After years of concern about the harbor’s cleanliness, it seems everyone now wants to take a swim. A Baltimore rapper is hoping his own harbor plunges could boost his music career.

Logan Reich says he won’t stop jumping into the Inner Harbor until his new single, “Get Rich or Die Trying,” goes viral.

Reich has taken 10 dunks into the water so far, per his Instagram page. He started out visibly nervous on May 24 — Day 1 — pacing around before plunging in with a running start and a flip. He emerged from the harbor spitting, with a grimace on his face: “Please stream my song; we don’t have to make me do this s—t again,” he pleads to the camera.

Reich, who has 16,300 monthly listeners on Spotify according to the music streaming platform, told The Sun he wants to hit at least a million streams before ending the challenge. His debut single “Pretty Boy,” released in 2022, has been played more than 1.7 million times on the app.

So far he’s been true to his pledge, jumping in despite a thunderstorm and tornado watch on Day 4, and then battling a cold on Days 8 and 9. Along the way, he’s been taking requests from commenters on social media, attempting a backflip into the water and swimming with a weighted vest. Monday, Reich said he would be jumping into the harbor with goggles to see what he can observe underwater.

The 22-year-old rapper said he grew up in Baltimore and is pursuing music as a full-time career. Reich is an independent artist, working with friends to make music as well as to film the videos he posts to social media.

He said he chose to jump into the harbor because most Baltimoreans are familiar with the body of water — and its reputation for being less than pristine.

“I’ve been trying to get more reach in the city,” Reich said, “so I thought: what’s something everybody in the city agrees on?”

The water off of Pier V, where Reich has been plunging, did not pass a recent water quality test by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, which posted a “water contact advisory” for the area after taking a sample on May 30. The area near the Mr. Trash Wheel trash interceptor had a sample bacteria count of 327 MPN/100 mL, according to a map on the Waterfront Partnership’s website.

“I opened my eyes and I didn’t see nothing but green,” Reich said.

But the health of the harbor has been improving, thanks to efforts like Mr. Trash Wheel and a $1 billion investment in sewer infrastructure repairs.

That’s why officials planned “Harbor Splash,” likely the first organized public swim in decades.

“We know our work is far from over, but we must start swimming,” Michael Hankin, president and CEO of Brown Advisory and chairman of Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative, said in a recent news release.

However, some elements of pollution remain, especially after a heavy rainfall, which is why the Waterfront Partnership recommends that swimming in the harbor “only take place during scheduled events.”