Best of D.C. 2009

The monthly Hip-Hop Cinema Café is a great way to enjoy hip-hop and film at the same time in D.C., but if you want to participate fully in these screenings, you should first familiarize yourself with a few canonical movies. Sure, you can show up, watch, and bounce, but often the best part of this event is the talk afterward, which typically includes a roundtable of D.C.-based arts luminaries. The Café, which is held in a different venue every month, is presented by the SolSource Group, the folks behind the annual Can A Sista Rock a Mic? Festival. Its stated mission is to showcase the work of hip-hop filmmakers while allowing members of the entertainment industry to rub shoulders. Past film offerings have included Counting Headz: South Africa’s Sistaz in Hip Hop and Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan. So, fill up your Netflix queue, do some homework, then come out to the next event and join the discussion.