Trip hop is a musical genre that originated in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound, often incorporating elements of jazz, soul, funk, reggae, dub, R&B, and other forms of electronic music, as well as sampling from movie soundtracks and other eclectic sources.
Washington, D.C., has been home to many prominent musicians and is particularly known for the musical genres of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, bluegrass, punk rock and its locally-developed descendants hardcore and emo, and a local funk genre called go-go. The first major musical figure from District of Columbia was John Philip Sousa, a military brass band composer. Later figures include jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Rouse, Buck Hill, Ron Holloway, Davey Yarborough, Michael A. Thomas, Butch Warren, and DeAndrey Howard; soul musicians, including Billy Stewart, The Unifics, The Moments, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Van McCoy, The Presidents, The Choice Four, Vernon Burch, guitarist Charles Pitts, and Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul.
Downtempo is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may be played in chillout clubs or as "warm-up or cool-down" music during a DJ set. Examples of downtempo subgenres include trip hop, ambient house, chillwave, psybient and lo-fi hip hop.
The HFStival was an annual Washington, D.C. / Baltimore, Maryland rock festival. Held every summer from 1990 through 2006 by radio station WHFS, and held again in 2010 and 2011 in commemoration of the now-defunct station's legacy, the HFStival was at its peak the largest yearly music festival on the East Coast. 55,000 to 90,000 people attended the annual event, which had traditionally been held at RFK Stadium until the station moved to Baltimore in 2005. That May, the new WHFS at 105.7 held its first HFStival at M&T Bank Stadium. Though not originally called HFStival, two earlier concerts held on the Fourth of July were the foundation for the first festival and are considered part of HFStival history.
Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located within Symphony Woods, a 40-acre (160,000 m2) lot of preserved land in the heart of the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by Billboard magazine. The venue was also ranked as the fourth best amphitheater in the United States by Rolling Stone in 2013. It was again ranked by Consequence of Sound at number 29 of all music venues in the nation out of 100 in 2016.
Rock the Bells is an annual hip-hop festival that originally took place in Southern California only, but has since toured throughout the world. The concert features a line-up of high-profile alternative hip-hop artists, often headlined by a more mainstream artist. The first festival was held in 2004, featuring a re-united Wu-Tang Clan, who performed four months before Ol' Dirty Bastard's death. That festival is covered in depth by a 2006 documentary film also called Rock the Bells.
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, better known by his stage name Wale, is an American rapper. He first gained recognition in 2006 when his song "Dig Dug " became popular in his hometown of Washington D.C., leading to Wale gaining local recognition as he continued recording music for the regional audience. Wale became acquainted with English DJ-producer Mark Ronson in 2006, and signed to his label Allido Records the following year. During this time, Wale released several mixtapes which amassed national attention as he appeared on MTV and various Black America-focused magazines.
Kenn Starr is an American rapper from Suffolk, Virginia, currently residing in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Starr is a member of the Low Budget Crew and also the duo Isaac Jones. His solo debut album, Starr Status, was released in 2006. His latest album, Square One was released in 2015.
Muhsinah is an American Grammy Award nominated singer and producer, from Washington, D.C.
Jonathan Ernest Laine is a Washington DC-based Hip hop producer and drummer.
Amir Mohamed el Khalifa, better known by his stage name Oddisee, is a half Black American and half Sudanese rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of rap trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is based in Brooklyn, New York.
Donald Howard Pullen, known professionally as Rockie Fresh, is an American rapper. He was signed to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group and Atlantic Records. Pullen is known for his alternatively influenced style of hip-hop, and his associations with recording artists Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, and Joel & Benji Madden of Good Charlotte.
Hip hop music in Washington, D.C., has been an important part of the culture of the area.
Martrel Reeves, better known by his stage name Fat Trel, is an American rapper. He is currently signed to MGE The Label with distribution of Asylum Records. He was previously signed to Rick Ross's label Maybach Music Group and Atlantic Records. And was also signed to DTLA Records with the distribution with Beryl Media. From 2009 to 2016, Reeves released solo mixtapes every year.
Two-9 is an American hip hop collective from the East side of Atlanta, Georgia. The collective currently houses Key!, Curtis Williams, Jace, CeeJ, Cartier Dave, Lightskin Mac11 and DJ Osh Kosh. As well as the sub-groups Retro Su$h! and FatKidsBrotha.
U Street Music Hall was a dance club and live music venue founded in 2010 and located in the U Street Corridor of Washington, D.C. Artists and DJs booked at U Street Music Hall spanned the spectrum of electronic music, including house, disco, techno, bass and electro. It is often referred to as "U Hall".
Jason Aaron Mills, professionally known as IDK, is a British-American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Orange Calderón is an American artist, actress, record producer, and disc jockey (DJ). She also goes by the monikers DJ Orange Calderón, DJ OJ or Orange. She is currently living in Los Angeles, California. She took home the 1st place prize of the annual "Flavor Battle" DJ competition. This made her the first female winner of a national DJ competition in America. in December 2016. McDonald's and Complex Media sponsors the Flavor Battle competition.
Broccoli City Festival is an American music festival founded by Greensboro, North Carolina entrepreneur Brandon McEachern.
David Villegas, better known professionally as Dave Nada, is an Ecuadorian-American DJ and producer credited with creating the fusion-genre moombahton. He is a member of the production and DJ duo Nadastrom and co-founder of Hermanito Label along with Jesse Tittsworth.
