Devotees of D.C.’s up-and-up hip-hop scene may be unfamiliar with the region’s underground funk, dance, and reggae outfits. But this town that George Clinton once dubbed Chocolate City has always been an epicenter of funk music that’s challenged authority and stuck it to the man, even if its messages haven’t always made it to national airwaves. If soulful acts like GODISHEUS, W. Ellington Felton, and Tamika Love Jones have gone unnoticed in recent years, that’ll be OK this weekend, when they’re the center of the Mustock music festival in Lignum, Va. Besides, in this most resilient—if not stubborn—of musical regions, even acts you’ve never heard of are probably doing something noteworthy. If not, that won’t stop them from shrugging off the haters and moving forward.

MUSTOCK 2010 BEGINS AT 5 P.M FRIDAY AND CONTINUES TO SUNDAY AT 23078 BATNA ROAD, LIGNUM, VA. $25-$65. (800) 594-8499.