The only New York that matters is the one you create in your head, and if you’re a hip-hop autodidact, the most useful construction material is an album like Ratking’s So It Goes. Loud by nature, socially conscious by birthright, and exquisitely anxious by default, it extends from multiple familiar traditions. Enamored with sidewalk detail, brimming with verbal juice, and engineered to be sonically of-the-moment (producer Sporting Life knows haze and thump in equal parts), it evokes a city full of pissed kids and rich-people shit. Read more >>> Ratking performs with Show Me the Body and Sir E.U at 9 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $12. (202) 483-5000. dcnine.com. (Joe Warminsky)
EAT THIS
Tonight, chef José Andrés of Think Food Group is hosting Dine n’ Dash, a culinary tour of Penn Quarter. From 6 to 10 p.m., you can walk from restaurant to restaurant to sample entrees, cocktails, and desserts. Although you might leave with a guilty conscience over gorging on delicious treats, at least you can rest assured that your money will be going to a good cause: 100 percent of the proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that focuses on alleviating hunger in developing countries. Participating restaurants include Poste Moderne Brasserie, Sei, and Andrés’ very own Jaleo. Tickets are available online and on-site. (Julia Tanaka)
OH AND ALSO
Studio Theatre begins performances of Grounded, a play about a fighter pilot who finds herself reassigned when she becomes pregnant. Read more in our Summer Entertainment Guide. 8 p.m. at 1501 14th St. NW. $20–$39.
The Black Cat shows Punk the Capital, a new documentary about the birth of D.C.’s hardcore scene. Directors Paul Bishow and James Schneider discuss the film following the screening. 8 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $10.
Los Angeles hip-hop duo People Under the Stairs perform an early show at U Street Music Hall with opening act Lushlife. 7 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. $15.
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