I also wanted to add another point about the DC rap scene. It was probably a lot harder to get rappers out there both because of the dominance of GoGo music plus the strong emphasis on street credibility and having a certified background. That automatically eliminated anyone from ththe surrounding areas and when you went into DC they was tryna he like Backyard or Raw Image rather than a Wu Tang or a Dogg Pound.
So it makes sense that DC hasn’t made it yet. This era is the best chance because it carries so much less emphasis on the streets and the eclectic nature of the DMV can shine through a bit more.
To me though, the key will be to retain at least some regional identity and ironically enough that hatin ass culture here if inverted can give us more of an NYC vibe where only things from the region are supported and out of town acts have a harder time gaining support. If the industry decides that DC isn’t important enough for acknowledgement that can help push the region closer together. Keeping a bit of the DC area identity is important cuz right now things are too blended which is both gift and curse. If DC nikkaz come out looking and sounding like NY or ATL nikkaz that’s not going to get the job done we’ll just be way down the totem pole of Hip Hop cities.
I’d love to see just one major local rapper rock some Madness and post up around the way for their video and show the culture of the area.
RBL is my shyt! Smfh damn shame what happened to Mr. Cee he was real talented.
You hit on a lot of points tho breh. I want DC to be more united like the Bay is. I’m sure it’s issues there too but we take more pride in ourselves and our neighborhoods than we do in the collective region.
It doesn’t help that there are bama ass nikkaz that love to pose but that shouldn’t even be a thought at this point since cards are easy to pull out here.
Lol yeah breh that’s my lil cuz I be reppin in my sig. Before the Kobe avi I had the Slizzards avi all day in the paint.
It's not so much that the Bay is more united because the Bay cities themselves are often torn apart by age old beefs between different neighborhoods.
Local rappers in the Bay get murdered all the time over turf and street bullshyt sneak dissing each other in songs and videos. If you share a Bay nikkas rap video, he might make a song about your ass on some Too $hort special request shyt
because the line between the streets and the rap game out there is hella blurry.
What makes the Bay different from DC is the fact that the Bay is about hustling and networking with people from all over. Rappers from the Bay move all throughout the Midwest and South getting money legally through the independent hustle. Kansas City is a huge market for Bay Area artists which is one of the reasons why Mac Dre got killed out there. Rappers from the Bay also connected well with Akron, Ohio underground scene. Bay rappers been going to ATL to get money since Too $hort relocated there in the 90's. It's crazy to look at Bay rappers Instagrams and see how they've moved throughout the country since the 90's. The only region Bay nikkas generally stay out of is the East Coast.
I couldn't imagine hood nikkas from DC moving state to state hustling legally getting money in that fashion.
DC dudes literally think anyone not from DC or inner beltway PG is a bama.
That is some next level hater shyt. To me, DC has the worst of East Coast provincialism, rudeness, haterism and snobbishness combined with the worst of Southern ignorance. NYC can afford to be that provincial and snobbish because NYC is over 8 million people not even including Yonkers, Mt. Vernon or any of those other Long Island and Northern NJ cities. Ironically, Wale the only DMV dude to link with major players from other regions on a real level.
