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.

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The term “DMV,” brought to you by the hard work of local rappers. And phone cards.” »

It’s sometimes hard to believe that the music industry, with its obsession with big stars and bigger sales, is capable of recognizing independent artists in any formal way.

Hard to believe, but definitely not impossible: D.C.’s own Kokayi and soul singer Wayna are nominated in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category of the 51st Annual Grammy Awards for “Lovin’ You,” a remake of the Minnie Ripperton classic. The song appears on Wayna’s album Higher Ground; Kokayi both produced the track and contributed vocals.

Kokayi, a Southeast native who is both a solo artist and member of Opus Akoben, says this nomination is a milestone in his career that has only motivated him to want more. City Paper got a chance to catch up with the artist the as he touched down in L.A., two days before this Sunday’s Grammy awards.

Washington City Paper: You got nominated man!

Kokayi: Yeah!

Read More “Q&A: Kokayi on Going to the Grammys” »