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Like wrestling and fairy tales, hip-hop needs its villains. These days that means Gucci Mane. He raps about selling drugs, bedding women, and getting money in a slurred Southern drawl, and these indiscretions make him today’s favorite target of rap purists and conservatives. But, quiet as kept, he’s also a great rapper on record—language-obsessed, technically daring, and winkingly hilarious. He is not, by any stretch, an outstanding live performer. But in 2010, you don’t go to a celebrity rapper’s concert for a great show, but instead to bask in his presence, to hear his music loudly in a room full of people who share that desire. And fortunately, this is one of the last cities where live black music still matters, and go-go favorites Backyard, TOB, and Reaction will be sharing the bill, and no doubt cranking. Come for the crankage and stay for the idolatry.
GUCCI MANE PERFORMS WITH BACKYARD BAND, TOB, AND REACTION BAND AT 9 P.M. AT DC STAR, 2135 QUEENS CHAPEL RD. NE. $40. (202) 635-0089.