Why do people in D.C pretend go go is good?

Laidbackman

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This is a little throwback from Rare Essence, although it was way past my clubbing days when this came out, and even further pass my go go spurt. I never thought I'd do this, but I'm gonna dedicate this song to this young brother outta SE, who worked with me at my IT job, and was a summer guard for two summers at my old guard job. He showed up about 3 months after me on the IT job. For some reason he kinda emulated me, and he would always be one of the first to show up at my fight parties, although he didn't always have enough respect, until I had to check him a few times. We lost touch about 10 years later when I moved down here to ATL. He couldn't believe I just up and left my job, without letting him know my plans, even though I didn't know them myself, since I had just gotten placed on a PIP. When I came back to town to visit for the first time, he looked at me like I was a stranger. I did have him by 10 years. He probably thought whatever my plan was, it was going to fail. To be straight from the hood, he did have a habit of taking a little too much advice from the older "go along to get along" types, who were always telling him what I was doing wrong, etc... Anyway, I haven't seen him since that first time I came back home. I did look him up on facebook off and on, but I sorta phased away from there. FF to today, I don't know how this Project 2025 affected him. He won't have 30 years until about a year from now, plus he's several years shy of his ERA. Tbh, I'm not sure if he's even still with the government, or if he's still with his wife... which I doubt. I know those IT folks got rocked with 2008, and again in 2020, and now 2025. But I didn't think that squirt would never call me again. I guess his mentors told him I was crazy, or doomed, or whatever. But still, I would hate to find out if something bad happened to him.

So why am I dedicating this song to him? Because he could dance his behind off. He loved it, and you could see it in his face when he danced. He would start with this smooth dance, then he would lean back on one leg, almost touching the floor, then bounce on it, and would never fall. I saw him do that dance a thousand times, at parties, and clubs, and he never fail once. Then he would have everybody copying his dance, like they were hypnotized. But they weren't hypnotized enough to try that part when he'd leaned back on one leg. Then I remember this one party he and his roommate had in their basement, and he asked my old a** to come. So I showed up, but those girls were way too young for me to be dancing with. So me and this other older brother, who was about my age, just sat in our seats, and rocked our heads, like we been there and done that. Then the DJ started playing "Body Snatchers" by Rare Essence. At the very beginning of the song, my young buddy outta nowhere, starting coming down the staircase, doing his dance slowly. And when he got to the basement, he continued doing his smooth dance slowly, while moving closer and closer to the center of the dance floor, like he was putting on a show. I could tell this wasn't the first time he did this. And all through the song, he didn't miss not one beat. And he kept that big bright smile, like he always did when he did that dance...even when he leaned back and bounce on one leg that night. I don't know if he learned that dance, or if he was just born with one leg that could do that. But it would get the whole party's attention every time.

I'm almost don't wanna post this Rare Essence song. Because the last time I looked it up, and played it on you tube, I couldn't get it outta my mind for couple of days, although I couldn't understand a word they were saying...lol. All jokes aside, I didn't know if it was because how they threw it in reverse at the 2:39 mark, or the thumbnail, or both combined. I got more money on the thumbnail :myman:

 
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summwunn

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I always thought go go didn't make it because they spent too much time singing about the hoods in DC/PG. This often caused fights to break out. Like what did they expect. Even though they started recognizing other areas in their songs, it was too area based. NY didn't like it, until Spike Lee's movie "School Days", when most of us first heard "Da Butt" by EU. I still have photographic memories of that sister shaking her butt in that bikini at the beginning of that song, when it played in the movie.

 

keon

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This is a little throwback from Rare Essence, although it was way past my clubbing days when this came out, and even further pass my go go spurt. I never thought I'd do this, but I'm gonna dedicate this song to this young brother outta SE, who worked with me at my IT job, and was a summer guard for two summers at my old guard job. He showed up about 3 months after me on the IT job. For some reason he kinda emulated me, and he would always be one of the first to show up at my fight parties, although he didn't always have enough respect, until I had to check him a few times. We lost touch about 10 years later when I moved down here. He couldn't believe I just up and left my job, without letting him know my plans, even though I didn't know them myself, since I had just gotten placed on a PIP. When I came back to town to visit for the first time, he looked at me like I was a stranger. I did have him by 10 years. He probably thought whatever my plan was, it was going to fail. To be straight from the hood, he did have a habit of taking a little too much advice from the older "go along to get along" types, who were always telling him what I was doing wrong, etc... Anyway, I haven't seen him since that first time I came back home. I did look him up on facebook off and on, but I sorta phased away from there. FF to today, I don't know how this Project 2025 affected him. He won't have 30 years until about a year from now, plus he's several years shy of his ERA. Tbh, I'm not sure if he's even still with the government, or if he's still with his wife... which I doubt. I know those IT folks got rocked with 2008, and again in 2020, and now 2025. But I didn't think that squirt would never call me again. I guess his mentors told him I was crazy, or doomed, or whatever. But still, I would hate to find out if something bad happened to him.

So why am I dedicating this song to him? Because he could dance his behind off. He loved it, and you could see it in his face when he danced. He would start with this smooth dance, then he would lean back on one leg, almost touching the floor, then bounce on it, and would never fall. I saw him do that dance a thousand times, at parties, and clubs, and he never fail once. Then he would have everybody copying his dance, like they were hypnotized. But they weren't hypnotized enough to try that part when he'd leaned back on one leg. Then I remember this one party he and his roommate had in their basement, and he asked my old a** to come. So I showed up, but those girls were way too young for me to be dancing with. So me and this other older brother, who was about my age, just sat in our seats, and rocked our heads, like we been there and done that. Then the DJ started playing "Body Snatchers" by Rare Essence. At the very beginning of the song, my young buddy outta nowhere, starting coming down the staircase, doing his dance slowly. And when he got to the basement, he continued doing his smooth dance slowly, while moving closer and closer to the center of the dance floor, like he was putting on a show. I could tell this wasn't the first time he did this. And all through the song, he didn't miss not one beat. And he kept that bright smile, like he always did when he did that dance...even when he'd lean back and bounce on one leg. I don't know if he learned that dance, or if he was just born with one leg that could do that. But it would get the whole party's attention every time.

I'm almost don't wanna post this Rare Essence song. Because the last time I looked it up, and played it on you tube, I couldn't get it outta my mind for couple of days, although I couldn't understand a word they were saying...lol. All jokes aside, I didn't know if it was because how they threw it in reverse at the 2:39 mark, or the thumbnail, or both combined. I got more money on the thumbnail :myman:


Breh wtf is up with all these words?


 

Laidbackman

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I'm from the DMV but I was never a huge gogo fan.. However, I respect it cause it's original and one of the only black forms of music that hasn't been culturally appropriated.
I was blown away when I went home for Christmas last year, and my brother got me my first Washington Commanders ticket, and we watched them defeat the Falcons, who's supposed to be my home team now since I moved to ATL...but that will never happen. Anyway, what blew me away was, they were playing go go during half time, and at the end of the game, while we were leaving the bleachers. I had no idea go go took the DMV by storm like that, especially at a Commander's football game. I don't think they televise those parts. I'm not gonna lie, I can still dance good to go go. That's probably because I got hit hard with it, a year outta high school, when funk played out. But it wasn't cool to admit it, not with the folks in my age group.
 
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Toe Jay Simpson

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This is a little throwback from Rare Essence, although it was way past my clubbing days when this came out, and even further pass my go go spurt. I never thought I'd do this, but I'm gonna dedicate this song to this young brother outta SE, who worked with me at my IT job, and was a summer guard for two summers at my old guard job. He showed up about 3 months after me on the IT job. For some reason he kinda emulated me, and he would always be one of the first to show up at my fight parties, although he didn't always have enough respect, until I had to check him a few times. We lost touch about 10 years later when I moved down here. He couldn't believe I just up and left my job, without letting him know my plans, even though I didn't know them myself, since I had just gotten placed on a PIP. When I came back to town to visit for the first time, he looked at me like I was a stranger. I did have him by 10 years. He probably thought whatever my plan was, it was going to fail. To be straight from the hood, he did have a habit of taking a little too much advice from the older "go along to get along" types, who were always telling him what I was doing wrong, etc... Anyway, I haven't seen him since that first time I came back home. I did look him up on facebook off and on, but I sorta phased away from there. FF to today, I don't know how this Project 2025 affected him. He won't have 30 years until about a year from now, plus he's several years shy of his ERA. Tbh, I'm not sure if he's even still with the government, or if he's still with his wife... which I doubt. I know those IT folks got rocked with 2008, and again in 2020, and now 2025. But I didn't think that squirt would never call me again. I guess his mentors told him I was crazy, or doomed, or whatever. But still, I would hate to find out if something bad happened to him.

So why am I dedicating this song to him? Because he could dance his behind off. He loved it, and you could see it in his face when he danced. He would start with this smooth dance, then he would lean back on one leg, almost touching the floor, then bounce on it, and would never fall. I saw him do that dance a thousand times, at parties, and clubs, and he never fail once. Then he would have everybody copying his dance, like they were hypnotized. But they weren't hypnotized enough to try that part when he'd leaned back on one leg. Then I remember this one party he and his roommate had in their basement, and he asked my old a** to come. So I showed up, but those girls were way too young for me to be dancing with. So me and this other older brother, who was about my age, just sat in our seats, and rocked our heads, like we been there and done that. Then the DJ started playing "Body Snatchers" by Rare Essence. At the very beginning of the song, my young buddy outta nowhere, starting coming down the staircase, doing his dance slowly. And when he got to the basement, he continued doing his smooth dance slowly, while moving closer and closer to the center of the dance floor, like he was putting on a show. I could tell this wasn't the first time he did this. And all through the song, he didn't miss not one beat. And he kept that bright smile, like he always did when he did that dance...even when he'd lean back and bounce on one leg. I don't know if he learned that dance, or if he was just born with one leg that could do that. But it would get the whole party's attention every time.

I'm almost don't wanna post this Rare Essence song. Because the last time I looked it up, and played it on you tube, I couldn't get it outta my mind for couple of days, although I couldn't understand a word they were saying...lol. All jokes aside, I didn't know if it was because how they threw it in reverse at the 2:39 mark, or the thumbnail, or both combined. I got more money on the thumbnail :myman:


Breh…come on man
 

Laidbackman

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Breh…come on man
Didn't y'all hear me say I couldn't understand the words either. Can't a brother from the DMV just say the song brought back memories one night about a year ago, when I played it on you tube. But there was something about that thumbnail that snuck up on me. A man gonna be a man. But that song was clearly for my young buddies time with go go. I thought I made that clear, especially when he did his act on that song. Every now and then, I wonder if he made it ok. That brother could sure turn out a party, for somebody who was always dancing by himself. He's that type who could get paid just to show up and dance, and make the party look like it's jumping.
 
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Laidbackman

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You know somebody who could have really came back, and took go go to that mainstream level, and kept it there. James Brown. But I hear James was the type that had to be the number one man in everything he was involved with.
 
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Wiseborn

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I'm from the DMV but I was never a huge gogo fan.. However, I respect it cause it's original and one of the only black forms of music that hasn't been culturally appropriated.
You can't culturally appropriate it. It's too Black. shyt is the personification of the Blue note.

The Blue note is a note that old school jazz musicians say that white people can't play because they can't hear it.

A GoGo song is not a song at all, I couldn't imagine playing it in a studio and not live and it's improvisational Again any Go Go practice is basically a jam session and no matter what you do it will sound different live.

I could imagine someone hearing GoGo and not liking it you'd have to be At the GoGo to appreciate it.

Soca and Dancehall is similar but different I'd say Dancehall at a stage show comes the closest.

Wild how GoGo is uniquely African and Black American at the same time, I never heard an African in Africa or spent a lot of time in Africa who liked it. Go Go sounds like what you'd think African music would sound like but it doesn't.
 

Wiseborn

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You know somebody who could have really came back, and took go go to that mainstream level, and kept it there. James Brown. But I hear James was the type that had to be the number man in everything he was involved with.
JB could've made Go Go work in a lot of ways live he was essentially a Go Go artist.

For years I thought that Chuck Made Bustin' Loose again Chuck's version is different that JB's version and Go Go changed a ton when the youngin's with zero musical training got hold of it.

E,U, Failed because they wanted to take it mainstream too badly Da Butt is barely a Go Go song a but A taste of your Love was a standard R&B song. They did exactly what the label wanted and it still failed.
 

#1 pick

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I hated it when I first moved here in the late 90s.

But as I grew and matured and saw how it was the lifeblood of a city/region and understood what it meant. I actually listened and it somehow started to sound great. You gotta check some legends out like Backyard, Rare Essence, Junkyard, etc

Plus, it’s something you have to experience! I went to a house party in my senior year of HS, and BOY! The way the girls get down to go go smh…to me, it was like beer. You have to acquire the “taste” but once you do, it’s magical. But it’s not for everybody. That’s the cool thing about this area, they have their own sound, style, mentality that’s unique to them and they honestly don’t care who rock with it
Sexy ladies....

It's definitely some shyt you get used to at some point. It's the fabric of all DMV folks. They so cool, i think that's the best part. You never hear of GoGo shootings
 
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