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D.C. Hip-Hop: Can it Break the Hold of Go-Go?
Loading ...Washington’s hip-hop community couldn’t have given itself a more Freudian nickname. “The DMV” stands for the District, Maryland and Virginia, but it feels like a big fat metaphor for a city that’s been waiting . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . for a national rap star to emerge.
That wait officially ends on Nov. 10 with the release of Wale’s “Attention Deficit” — the oft-delayed debut album from a local rhymesmith whose degree of success could decide the future of Washington’s ready-to-burst rap scene.
“I think every man has his own path,” Wale says by phone (from his tour bus as he zig-zags the country opening for Jay-Z). “But if D.C. comes out and supports the album heavy, I think that within 365 days at least two [local] rappers will get a major deal.”
It’s been more than 25 years since hip-hop exploded onto America’s popscape, but majority-black Washington has never launched a nationally recognized rapper. That’s because star-launching starts at home, and go-go, Washington’s indigenous funk music, has enjoyed an airtight grip on the ears of young Washington since Chuck Brown invented the sound in the ’70s.
“D.C. is go-go,” says local rapper Tabi Bonney. “But I really believe that it’s finally changing. This is a changing of the guard right now. It’s the beginning of hip-hop in D.C.”
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