Posts Tagged ‘Head Roc’
Area Code
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.
Head-Roc’s Mouth
An occasional feature in which esteemed D.C. rapper Head-Roc shares what’s on his mind.
Some months ago at my man Peace Justice Universal’s crib, I had bit of an Alpha male moment with a brother named Mental Stamina of the D.C. hip-hop group Rosetta Stoned. Rather than tell you the details of how it got started, or even how it ended, I’m gonna tell you about how much I fucks with this rising star and brilliant D.C. music and arts community organizer.
Having had the extreme pleasure of hanging out with Brother Tyrone Norris (A.K.A. Mental Stamina) last week, I was excited to learn more about the philosophies surrounding the music and party events he promotes— all of which are well attended by a fresh, young, attractive, receptive, and energetic crowd.
The first one I heard about on the scene was Cakes and Kisses, a monthly jam session at Asylum which takes place the first Thursday of every month.
Head-Roc’s Mouth
An occasional feature in which esteemed D.C. rapper Head-Roc shares what’s on his mind.
On Saturday, August 22, Mustafa Akbar (Riddems Crew ,Thievery Corporation, Fort Knox Five, Nappy), hosts the 7th annual MuStock, a D.C. indie music festival held on his ancestral farmland down in Lignum, Va.
This Friday: Chopteeth at the Strathmore
I headed to Chesapeake Beach last weekend equipped with the essentials: sunscreen, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and Chopteeth’s self-titled debut. Sunscreen was unnecessary (the day, though steamy, was overcast), the pillars a bit heavy (WWI Turkish politics ≠ beach reading). But man, the Chopteeth was right on the money. Whether funky-murky (”Dog Days”), feel-good-shimmery (”Upendo”), rappy (”No Condition Is Permanent,” feat. Head-Roc), or pseudo-political (”Struggle”), the disc’s ten tracks never fail to deliver blood-pumping, Afrofunking goodness.
And how ’bout onstage? From our last write-up:
Chopteeth is a fearsome live act, especially when Anna Mwalagho steps up to the mic to add a gradual, shimmering Swahili lyric to “Upendo.” Maybe the band’s decided that there’s no percentage in edge (it bleeps guest MC Head-Roc, who lends a verse to “No Condition Is Permanent”), but it’s hard not to get swept up in its urgent beat. And if you still need more grit in your groove, Justine Miller’s snarling trumpet pits Maynard Ferguson acrobatics with the deep syncopation of Fela’s great bands.
Catch ‘em this Friday at the Strathmore; deets below the jump.
Head-Roc’s Mouth
A regular feature in which esteemed D.C. rapper Head-Roc shares what’s on his mind.
Have you ever been Robert Foore? I know what you’re saying: “Who the hairy peach is Robert Foore?”
Well, “Robert Foore” is the hypothetical construct that my band GODISHEUS has assigned to the experience of actually having been ‘robbed before’ as professional indie musicians struggling to earn a living here in our beloved Chocolate City. And that’s right–we wrote a song about it!
Free D.C. Statehood Concert
Political rallies rarely feature really top-notch music. Even if a political event attracts big names, the performances can be kinda boring.
Not true of tonight’s statehood event on the Capitol steps.
