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The term “DMV,” brought to you by the hard work of local rappers. And phone cards.
Rapper 20 Bello; Photograph by Darrow Montgomery
Thanks to the hard work of both hip-hop pioneers and young upstarts throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, the DMV is now officially on the map. It’s also in the dictionary. The Urban Dictionary—but still.
Most regions with thriving hip-hop scenes have catchy nicknames, but before the whole DMV acronym caught on in the mid-aughts, the greater nation’s capital lacked one. Chocolate City, popularized decades ago, was starting to get a little moldy, and it ignores both the all-important suburbs and the fact that D.C. is becoming more cream-filled by the day. There have been valiant efforts to make “The Middle East” (for middle East Coast, get it?) stick, but it didn’t happen. Ditto for “Tri-State,” which failed not only because it’s already taken but because, technically, only two states are involved.
So where’d the acronym come from? In an informal poll of area hip-hop luminaries—from Judah to Kokayi, Head-Roc to Overok—the same three names came up over and over: Wale, DJ Rob AKA Mista DMV, and 20Bello.
Wale: Please Stay Away From Jay-Z
We at Arts Desk have mentioned before that the DMV’s own Wale is maybe probably kind of dating Beyonce’s little sister Solange. Now, the gossip site Mediatakeout.com, (say what you want about ‘em, but they very often get these things right) is reporting that Solange and Wale are house-hunting in Brooklyn. Or at least that Solange is house-hunting and Wale is tagging along. Or he’s been spotted in the general area of her house hunt or something. Whatever—the couple has been seen together in Brooklyn and apparently some kind of real estate is involved, and it sounds like things between them are getting serious.
This is a very troubling turn of events.
Solange is a nice enough woman, and we’re sure Wale would feel at home in Brooklyn, a borough awash in tight jeans and nerd raps. But as he gets closer to Solange, it’s almost inevitable that he’ll become chummy with Jay-Z and, as many young rappers on the cusp of stardom know, that is not the move.
So, Wale, if you’re reading this, here are a few reasons why you should stay far, far away from one Shawn Carter. (Hanging out with Bun B is still perfectly acceptable, though).
Kato Hammond to Sell TMOTTGOGO.com
Kevin “Kato” Hammond is in the process of selling his Take Me Out to the Go-Go Website.
Since 1997, Hammond has shared his encyclopedic knowledge of go-go via TMOTTGOGO.com, which at various times has included a monthly online magazine, a blog, an active message board, and a weekly online radio show that allowed Kato to share music from his deep go-go archives. Typically, any go-go news—everything from D Floyd leaving Rare Essence to Big G joining the cast of The Wire—was broken on the site, either by Hammond himself or members of the boards.
Hammond tells CP that he’s selling the site because he is “looking to do something new,” but adds that he’s currently negotiating a deal that will involve him continuing to have a hand in TMOTT’s content.
The Best Maxwell Song You Won’t Hear At Tonight’s Maxwell’s Show
Maxwell’s BLACKsummers’night tour hits the Verizon Center tonight, and if you’re attending, you’re almost guaranteed to hear all of your favorite Maxwell hits: “Fortunate” and “Til We Become the Sun” from the old albums; “Bad Habits” and “Pretty Wings” from his comeback disc. In fact, you may even get an extended version of “Pretty Wings!” And don’t worry—if it looks like the show is over and you haven’t yet heard “Pretty Wings,” odds are that Maxwell is just faking you out, so don’t get all agitated, because he’s totally going to sing it. And in the highly unlikely event that Maxwell doesn’t sing “Pretty Wings,” you can hear it on the radio on the car ride home at least 15 times.
But, there is one song that you probably won’t hear tonight, as it rarely, if ever, gets play at a Maxwell show:
“Eachhoureachsecondeachminuteeachday: Of My Life” from 1998’s Embrya. Yes, the title is deeply obnoxious, but it’s one of Maxwell’s best tracks ever.
Read More “The Best Maxwell Song You Won’t Hear At Tonight’s Maxwell’s Show” »
Ghostface Lyric or Porno Snippet?
You probably know that Ghostface’s new album, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City dropped today. You probably also know that, as rap albums go, it’s pretty sexually explicit. But just how seedy is it?
It’s so filthy that many of Ghostface’s lines are indistinguishable from the dialogue spoken by some of today’s finest porn stars. In fact, if porn actors ever start rhyming, Ghost is in trouble.
To really nail (haha—nail!) the point, here’s a little quiz: Below are four XXX-rated phrases—you decide whether they are quotes from Ghost’s “Stapleton Sex” or a porno flick. Think you can tell the difference between the words of Ironman and Lex Steele? It’s harder than you think.
Questions and answers after the jump:
The Tao of Wu
Yesterday I received a preview copy of The Tao of Wu, a “spiritual memoir” in which Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA offers up pearls of wisdom. Actually, since we’re talking about an icon of ‘90s hip-hop here, I should probably say he is dropping gem or blessing us with jewelz or some such thing.
The press materials call the book a “nonfiction Siddhartha for the hip-hop generation.” And if Siddhartha had been into kung-fu flicks and the Five Percent Nation and his trusty companion Govinda had been a small-time weed dealer, that comparison would be spot on.
If you’re seeking a little bit of enlightenment Wu-Tang style, the book holds plenty of lessons and what RZA calls his “pillars of wisdom.” There’s actually some really touching stuff about RZA’s mother, and his time in jail, and his friendships.
But if you’re just looking for scoop on everyone’s favorite hip-hop supergroup, there’s plenty of that, too. The book is slated for an Oct. 20 15 release, but here are a few nuggets to tide you over.
Nu’ The Mayor on Being a “Dollartician”
Nu’ The Mayor is a pretty proactive rapper. Instead of just claiming to run D.C., he decided to take the title of “mayor.” When media outlets don’t cover him, he interviews himself. And rather than merely rhyming about his financial fitness, Nu’ has pronounced himself a “dollartician” and named his latest album Now or Never: Diary of a Dollartician.
“A dollartician is someone who is focused on their money, but won’t sell out,” the rapper explains. “I’m not going to just do or say anything to make a hit.”
Nu says that sonically the new album is a mix of hard-core beats and funk that he calls ” soul-hop.” Lyrically, it’s “a little more adult—I’ve stepped into the adult box,” he says. “The younger crowd can get into it, but it’s more for [ages] 25 and up.”
Naturally, Nu’Man isn’t waiting around to hear what the public has to say about Now or Never: Diary of a Dollartician—he says it’s a classic.
But exactly how good is it? For a bit of context, Washington City Paper decided to ask Nu’ how his latest project stacks up against some other hip-hop albums that are about getting, making, and taking money.
1) 50 Cent, Power of the Dollar
“This was his first album, sort of the culmination of his entire life story—I approached this album the same way, even though it’s not my first album, because it’s my first album with national distribution” Nu says. “He’s on some gangsta shit, and I’m not doing that, but the vibe and the passion are the same. Even though my album is better.”
50 Does H.U.
50 Cent has been forcing interviewers to listen to him yammer on about Robert Greene’s book, The 48 Laws of Power, for years. Now, he has taken his obsession with Greene’s guide to crushing foes and annihilating people one step further.
50 has written a book with Greene called The 50th Law, and he’s just announced that he’ll stop off at Howard University on September 9 to plug it.
City Paper Cover Inspires Mixtape
Looks like Dave Nuttycombe wasn’t the only DJ inspired by the cover of last week’s City Paper.
DJ Torkaveli claims to produce “the most controversial mixtape series in the Washington D.C. area,” so it makes sense that he’d take inspiration from the now infamous issue.
The work features the Marion Barry voicemail clips interspersed with “some new underground tracks from some of the DMV’s hottest rappers!”
Whitefolkz, Cal Cutta, Landova Dappa, and many other DMV all-stars appear.
Check it out here.
The Circus @ Expo
There will be no shortage of entertainment options for rap fans this weekend, with both the D.C. Hip-Hop Theater Festival and Rock the Bells happening. But, if you want to avoid big-venue crows and still get your fix, check out the Circus at Expo on Saturday night. Rosetta Stoned’s Tyrone Norris organizes the bi-monthly showcase of MCs, poets, bands, and DJs. This week, Bomani Armah of Read A Book fame performs, and with a 9 p.m. start, you can still be home in plenty of time to get a full night’s rest before heading out to Merriweather the next day.
