The DMVthe acronym for the region comprising Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, boasts some of the strongest Hip-Hop talent in the nation and across the globe. e Words, Beats & Life Inc. (WBL), the longest-running Hip-Hop educational nonprofit organization, is hosting the DMV HIP HOP 50 concert featuring homegrown acts such as Oddisee, Crown, Nonchalantand more.
The DMV’s Hip-Hop history is a rich one, dating back to the 1980s and exploding in the 1990s with the likes of Opus Akoben, the AMPHBNS crew, graffiti crew EBO, the Soul Controllers mix show at the University of Maryland College Park campus and venues such as State of The Union and Kaffa House, and more.
Acts such as Questionmark Asylum, D.C. Scorpio, Stinky Dink, and the aforementioned Nonchalant helped to expand much of the region’s sound beyond its familiar Go-Go sound and introduced the nation and the world to another side of the Nation’s Capital and its bordering lands.
This Saturday (August 12) at the Lincoln Theater, WBL will kick off its DMV HIP HOP show with the globe-trotting Oddisee, now based in Brooklyn, N.Y. but never losing sight of his roots. He’ll be rocking with his band Good Company, and his Diamond District cohorts, yU, and Uptown XO are also on the bill. Adé, formerly known as Phil Adé, is still crafting music at the major label level and Nonchalant is keeping her feet in the game working both as an artist and DJ.
The stacked lineup includes the likes of the talented Dior Ashley Brown, longtime crew Meridian with Dimes, Noyeek, Theory, El Beta, ane BenOfficial, Prowess The Testament, Asheru, Substantial, Priest Da Nomad, and the legendary DJ Kool. On the wheels will be area mainstay DJ RBI, and attendees can expect performances from Enoch, Flex Matthews, Odd Mojo, Sub Z, and a homecoming for Freestyle Union founder, Toni Blackman.
In other WBL area happenings, WHINO, a dazzling art and dining space in Arlington, Va., is hosting a Hip-Hop Karaoke event TONIGHT (August 11) on Hip-Hop’s 50th and invites attendees to show off their rapping skills with all of the heavy lyrical lifting done for you. All you have to do is read along and spit those bars with conviction. Find out more about the event here.
If you can’t make either event, WBL has its Fine Lines Graffiti and Paint Jam on Sunday (August 13) for a live session of graffiti art and the like. Learn more here.
To get your tickets for WBL’s DMV HIP HOP 50 concert, click here.
Learn more about WBL here.
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Photo: WBL
