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There’s a difference between being supremely in love with your D.C. neighborhood and just being a good neighbor. In the case of one crop of high schoolers, true neighborhood know-how can lead to an onstage gig at the Kennedy Center. “Rep Ya Hood” is a battle of the words that gets creative hopefuls to spit out rhymes for a chance to earn college scholarships. Poets and rappers from Tenleytown to Trinidad tell the stories of where they come from, who they are, and how their lives are shaped by D.C.’s neighborhoods. The talented teens come together through the work of Words Beats & Life, a 15-year-old hip-hop education and activism collective. Whether you rep Bloomingdale or Congress Heights, get to know D.C. a little bit better through the words of this city’s actual brightest young things. The performance begins at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. Free. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org.