“I created a playlist highlighting several artists from the DMV area who speak to the importance of peace, community, and the beauty of Blackness through song.”

Kayla Boone, Summer Intern

Local Singer-Songwriter Art Auré Speaks About Her Uplifting Music and Its Influences

Her recent song "Keep On" has struck a chord with listeners.

Soulful rising star and D.C. native Art Auré has a voice and energy that are unmatched. A singer-songwriter who attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, she recently released her motivational single “Keep On.” She spoke with City Paper about the message behind the song, and provided a glimpse into her musical influences.  Washington […]

by Kayla Boone

How a Big Collaboration Between Rare Essence and Snoop Dogg Came Together

New single "Hit the Floor" premieres this Saturday.

It all started with an Instagram post. Back in the summer of 2018, Snoop Dogg shared a brief video of himself seated in a car, blunt blazing as he cranks to Rare Essence’s go-go classic, “Hey Buddy Buddy.”  Bicoastal discussions ensued, and months later, when Snoop brought his stage play, Redemption of a Dogg, to […]

by Alona Wartofsky

How Trouble Funk Ended Up Recording Music for SportsCenter

“So many people watching this show all over the world, and the fact that he wanted to brand his new show in D.C., that’s a big up," says bandleader Big Tony.

In the recent documentary Basketball County: In the Water, Suitland’s own Kevin Durant talks about how go-go’s distinctive beat shaped the way that he and other basketball stars from Prince George’s County move through the game. “Go-go is the music that played before games in the summertime, and it’s a rhythm and tempo we play […]

by Alona Wartofsky

Revolution DMV: A City Paper Playlist

City Paper engagement intern Kayla Boone put together a playlist she says makes her feel seen as a Black woman.

Music has always spoken words that sometimes our own mouths could not utter. As the world protests the ongoing injustices against Black people, we need some healing. So, I have curated a playlist that focuses on this moment in time while simultaneously celebrating the beauty of Blackness and showcasing talented local artists. When finding the songs […]

by Kayla Boone

How a 5-year-old Rapper Became One of the Newest Faces in Go-Go

“He’s super ready,” Big G says. “He’s gonna be somebody’s superstar.”

Rapper Pinky Killacorn has performed with top go-go group Backyard Band dozens of times, so when someone started echoing her lines during the band’s recent show at Geno’s Ball Park, she assumed it was one of the band members, most likely BYB rapper Carlos “Los” Chavels. Then she looked down. Holding down the mic was […]

by Alona Wartofsky

The Go-Go Community Honors and Celebrates Pioneering Artist Maiesha Rashad

The beloved vocalist died last month.

Maiesha Rashad was celebrated across the D.C. area as the First Lady of Go-Go, and her impact as the leader of the late ’90s funk/R&B/go-go band Maiesha and the Hip Huggers lasted for decades and continues even now. But she never set out to become a go-go artist. Rashad, who died last month after a long […]

by Alona Wartofsky

A Writer Reflects on the Last Concert He Saw Before Coronavirus Shut Down Live Music

A meditation on Destroyer at Black Cat in early March

March 9th, Black Cat, Destroyer. I wish I had a ticket stub. The cascading cancelations, postponements, and reschedulings of the COVID-19 era have quieted the music world, and the silence is off-putting. With arenas, theaters, and clubs shuttered under health mandates, and live music hubs like Los Angeles and New York City considering putting off […]

by Richard Barry

Why Drew Dave Made Sure His New Project Solitude Would Be Out on Juneteenth

"Hopefully it can be a tool to uplift," says the Alexandria, Virginia, native. "Because we need that at this moment."

When Drew Dave conceptualized his latest collection of hip-hop instrumentals, Solitude, back in April, he wanted to release it during the first week of June. At that point in the spring, the biggest news was still the pandemic, and not the Minneapolis police’s killing of George Floyd. By the time June arrived, the 31-year-old Clinton, Maryland, beatmaker […]

by Joe Warminsky

Tony Redz, 1974–2020

The go-go community remembers the radio personality and rapper.

Antonio “Tony Redz” Lovett was best known as a radio personality on WPGC 95.5 FM and as a rapper, both with and without the highly popular bounce beat band TCB. He was best loved for his tireless work on behalf of his community. He died last month at age 45 due to a heart attack. That […]

by Alona Wartofsky

Take Away From Me The Noise Of Your Songs is a Return to Br’er’s Roots

But the album "lacks the sense of urgency that’s defined so much of the group’s work."

“There’s dread inside of the air now / We can’t stop breathing it in,” Benjamin Schurr croons in the opening lines of “Dread,” the first track on Take Away From Me The Noise Of Your Songs, the fifth full-length album from D.C. quartet Br’er. It’s a statement so absurdly poignant, so outrageously “of the times,” […]

by Keith Mathias

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.