OK. Late last week, Slate published a piece on African-American rappers and musicians obsessed with Space. Author Jonah Weiner begins in the late ’20s and carries on to Sun Ra, P-Funk’s Mothership, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West. In other words, all the usual far-out notes were hit.

I’m wondering what are the great songs about space? Who would be considered the Neil Armstrong of the genre?

George Clinton gets my vote.

Get your calendar sync on—turns out the weekend of July 26-27 is going to be pretty packed with hip hop events in the DMV. Rock the Bells at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sunday the 27th and The Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest on Saturday July 26 at Marvin Gaye Park in D.C. Hosted by Liberated Muse Productions, a Washington DC community-based arts event-planning group, the latter event seeks to help connect grown folks and their families the good music missing from the radio.

A local-heavy lineup featuring Mello D & the Rados, Substantial, Jamma Wun, Christylez, Afi Soul, Dee Stone, Rogiers, Mycah Chevalier, and Jua Howard will be rocking Marvin Gaye park in Northeast.

Liberated Muse Productions is the brainchild of Maceo Thomas and Khadijah Ali-Coleman. They’re working out a lil social network experiment over at LiberatedMuse.com—here’s to helping them organize a network for positive culture in the District.

Also: Today, Liberated Muse Productions, along with vocalists Mycah Chevalier and Dee Stone, will be interviewed by Keanna Faircloth on the Midday Jazz show @ 2 p.m. on WPFW 89.3.

I was really looking forward to this Saturday’s show at Club Five featuring Dilated Peoples, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, 88 Keys, TAMU, Flex Mathews and TEFLON. Needless to say, I was bummed when I saw this in my inbox:

From: Tamu
To: undisclosed-recipients
Sent: Mon Jun 09 12:07:24 2008
Subject: CLUB FIVE VIOLENCE CAUSES US ALL TO SUFFER

Good afternoon,

I regret to inform you because of wanna-be thugs the Dilated Peoples show at Club Five has been canceled until further notice. I am not sure of most of the details but from what I understand there was some violence that took place there last Tuesday night, and Thursday the venue was ordered to close for two weeks. I will bring you further details as they become available. My apologies to all who were anticipating this event as much as I was.

No word on a reschedule.

Update 3:36 p.m.: John Jackson, Chief of Enforcement at the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, confirms that Club Five’s licenses has been suspended until Wednesday, June 18th due to the recent incident of violence inside the club.

I was looking for info about an upcoming show at The State Theatre when this one particularly event listing jumped out at me:

Tuesday July 8 ODB’s Brooklyn Zu

A cover band, an ODB tribute? What could it be…?

Turns out ODB’s Brooklyn Zu is the the continuation of the late Dirty Bastard’s side project Brooklyn Zu which now features Buddha Monk and four of ODB’s younger brothers: 12 O’Clock, Shorty Shitstain, Murdoc, and The Zoo Keeper. A family affair indeed: The group’s debut record, Chapter #9, Verse 32, features Wu headliners The RZA, The Gza, Masta Killa, and Killa Priest.

Wu junior varsity squads have been hit or miss over the years, and even with a few RZA beats, I’m not sure what to expect from the Zu. Moreover, I wonder how this show—which features a rock/pop/alternative rocker named Topher Mohr and New Rochelle’s Nysis—a street/pop hip-hop MC—will go over with fans at the State Theatre. Am I missing something here? Or is there a booking agent I can call for an explanation…

“D. Dot” - Dimensions (Produced by Theory)
Free MP3 Download courtesy of the artist.

Dimensions (aka One2, aka Dimes) is a veteran D.C. hip-hop artist best known for his work with the Infinite Loop—a powerhouse collective that defined D.C. hip-hop in the mid to late ’90s. Currently on his grind with The Package—a hip hop trio featuring himself, Noyeek The Grizzly Bear and Theory—Dimes also has a wealth of solo material for his forthcoming album, Slanguage, including this standout track, “D.Dot,” his ode to the Diamond District, Washington D.C., Chocolate City USA.

Rhyming over a sparse, eerie beat that is equal parts boom-bap and swinging in-the-pocket drums, Dimes articulates a unique perspective on life in the District. Don’t get it twisted young’n, this is not the work of some fresh-to-the-scene hip-hopper waving the stars and bars now that the local scene is in the spotlight. This cautionary tale of life in D.C. is based upon a lifetime of experience and the insight of a true veteran. His rhymes illuminate the traps and tricks waiting in back alleys and around corners all while giving fair warning (and a even few tips) to the transients and tourists who find themselves in the D.

D. Dot is certainly a strong candidate for all-city hip hop anthem, although Dimes defers to the people to eventually make that call. Asked about the current state of D.C. hip hop, he replies “it’s a buried jewel, and over time, me and my brethren have been forced to turn our hands into shovels to bring it to the surface. We are one of its many facets, that’s why it is a diamond.”

More info and additional music from Dimensions can be found on his MySpace page and at NewGoldenEra.com

There was a time when the phrase “hip-hop generation” actually meant something. Journalists and scholars could sprinkle the phrase liberally and conjure up a theoretical monolith of rebellious ghetto-blasting teens and twenty-somethings. These days, talking about the hip-hop generation requires you get specific—are you talking about the old school or the new school? ’70s babies or ’90s babies? LL Cool J or Lil Wayne? Big Daddy Kane or Kanye? Vinyl, tape, CD or MP3? Are you really talking ’bout my generation?

Old-school hip-hoppers with a taste for when the music was pure and the party was about the dance floor will certainly appreciate the upcoming FreshFest at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro. An all star line up including Naughty By Nature, Rob Base, Doug E. Fresh, Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow and DC’s own DJ Kool will turn out the Show Place Arena on June 14th. The party kicks off at 8PM and should wrap up by midnight. Book a babysitter and break out your Cross Colors short set - doors open at 7PM. Tickets available from TicketMaster.

Well, what can I say? Last weekend’s D2D Hip-Hop Summit was fun: It was pure pleasure to see so many of our city’s youth gather in one place to celebrate each other’s talents and hip-hop skills. Speaking for myself, coming form the ’90s to ’00s hip-hop generation, it wasn’t quite up to those back-in-the-day’ skills, but there were still many talented individuals onstage. This was the fourth year of the event, created to celebrate the youth of Wards 7 and 8 who have made a difference and who (as defined in the event brochure) “epitomize ‘Voicing Our Teen Experiences’.” This was definitely a great setting for recognizing while still establishing a platform for youth.

The program was held at Friendship Public Charter School Collegiate Academy, hosted by 93.9 WKYS and run and operated by East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, among other partners. The adults there were surprisingly friendly (and how I wish I could run into these people everyday while riding the crowded and boring metro ride into work). Everyone there seemed to know what was going on and if they didn’t, they knew someone who did. How often does that happen? Professionalism was the key here, and it really showed.

The performers were on point, too. There were rappers—a duo, Harlem X, surprisingly grabbed a lot of attention. There were also R&B artists; with the fine and divine Robyn Janelle putting various vocal styles on display. I wasn’t too impressed with Main Girl, though. It seemed like these very talented ladies were just short of enough talent, and enough humility—calm down ladies, you’re almost there, but not quite. They also had some go-go—and these guys were on stage as soon as I came in, so that made the day nice on dat norf-east side. It was all very good–sorry guys, didn’t catch your names but I’ll try next time.

As for the audience: Though these kids were positive to back their peers up on their musical performances, I think I’ve had my fill of hearing sh*t and f*ck for a while. A lot of young people, but also many parents and adult support so it was a chillin’ scene. There were many fellas there and about three times as many young ladies. This was an event worth attending and I’d go again—to get some of my youth back!

City Paper music contributor Sarah Godfrey, I’m thrilled to report, is a finalist in the music-criticism category in the 2008 AltWeekly Awards. Take a look at the three pieces that earned her the nomination:

“Half the Man He Used to Be,” July 19, 2007 (On T.I.’s T.I. vs. T.I.P.)

“People, People, Why Are They Fighting?” Sept. 19, 2007 (On Kanye West’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Curtis)

“Hug Life,” Oct. 24, 2007 (On Trey Songz‘ Trey Day and J. Holiday’s Back of My Lac’)

A friend just pointed out this post from Jessica Hopper’s blog, in which the blacklist-happy music writer goes after Chicago black-metal band Nachtmystium. The problem? Well, Hopper thinks they’re racist and homophobic.

Now, I loved Nachtmystium’s last album from 2006, an arty slab of psychedelic metal called Instinct: Decay. But I don’t go around doing due diligence on every band I like, so I’d never read any interviews in which frontman Blake Judd uses questionable language, or expresses questionable ideas.

But I decided to Google Nachtmystium and “Zionist conspiracy” and got nothing but Hopper’s blog. (Googling “Nachtmystium” and “Zionist” gets you here.) I didn’t bother with the f-word, because it seems clear enough that the guy is upset with message board lurkers, not, um, gay people.

Now, I’m not going to condone what Judd said, but, if Hopper’s going to call out poor Stephin Merritt for not liking rap, then perhaps she will understand that–as Faulkner once said about the South–some of us like despite, not because of.

The folks at Red Bull and XM are bringing back the Sub-session—a local version of the Red Bull Music Academy. Thursday at XM, DJ Spinna will be talking about his work and art while sharing some of his tips and tricks. RSVP required, if you can’t make it into the XM session, Spinna will be at Jin on Thursday night. Definately check him out, he’s a great DJ.

Press release below:

Every year, the Red Bull Music Academy selects 60 musicians, DJs and producers from diverse musical and cultural backgrounds to exchange their ideas about music through discussion, collaboration and inspiring dialog with musical revolutionists like Just Blaze, ?uestlove, Bob Moog, Bernard Purdie, and Giles Peterson. The Red Bull Music Academy Sub-Session is a glimpse into the Academy experience.

On Thursday, April 24th, The Red Bull Music Academy and XM Satellite Radio’s Subsoniq continues the Sub-Session series with an intimate look into the genius mind of producer and remix extraordinaire DJ Spinna. Spinna’s versatility is what truly sets him apart - his work spans the entire spectrum of music from hip-hop to house, having worked with everyone from De La Soul to George Michael to the Jungle Brothers.

Thursday, April 24th, 2008
XM Satellite Radio
1500 Eckington Place NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
7:00pm - 10:00pm

Very limited space. RSVP only.

Please RSVP to munch@redbullmusicacademy.com with your name, your particular music skill/talent, and your genre of music.

Apply to be a part of this year’s Academy in Barcelona from now until May 19th at http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com

If we are unable to accomodate your RSVP, please join us at the after party at Jin Lounge with DJ Bee (XM’s Subsoniq and The Rhyme) and for a special set by DJ Spinna himself.

Jin Lounge
2017 14th St NW
Washington, 20009
9:00pm - 2:00am