Any self-respecting D.C. music snob will know the classic songs paying homage to life in the DMV. For millennials, Wale’s love letter “D.C. or Nothing” or Mambo Sauce’s “Welcome to D.C.” come to mind. For old heads, maybe it’s a hardcore classic like Bad Brains’ “Banned in D.C.,” Parliament’s “Chocolate City,” or even the Blackbyrds’ ode to outdoor fornication in “Rock Creek Park.”
But, beyond the classics, the DMV has a long list of love songs and diss tracks, spanning time and genre that poeticize life in our city. Here are some that every Washingtonian should know.
THUNDA MAN: ‘Washington Slizzards’ (2012)
If you were a cool kid in the DMV in the early ‘10s, chances are THUNDA MAN (f.k.a. Ras Nebyu) passed through your busted skullcandies at some point. “Washington Slizzards” is an homage to youth mischief in a gentrifying D.C., with deep-cut shouts to the 62 bus, “the Banneker days,” and even Grand China (R.I.P.)
Origami Angel: ‘My P.G.County Summer’ (2023)
Local emo-punks Origami Angel’s song “My P.G.County Summer” speaks to the burbs-y tendency to stay out of the city during the summer, to avoid both the humidity and annoying tourists. A good one to add to your Jan. 20 playlist, perhaps.
Black Rave Culture: ‘Columbia Rd. Uptown’ (2021)
Locals Amal, James Bangura, and Nativesun of Black Rave Culture captured the energy of bustling NW in a bottle with this one. To me, the brooding club track sounds like a walk through Columbia Heights on a cold winter night.
Check out our playlist for some more D.C. tunes. (Spotify)
Dismemberment Plan: ‘13th and Euclid’ (1996)
D.C. post-hardcore legends Dismemberment Plan allegedly wrote this one about getting mugged in NW. It goes hard.
The Magnetic Fields: ‘Washington D.C.’ (1999)
“It's not the greenery turning gold in fall, The scenery circling the Mall, It's just that's where my baby lives, That's all.” If you’ve got a boo that makes living in the swamp more bearable, send this to them!
John Fahey: ‘Takoma Park Pool Hall Blues’ (1958)
This song soundtracks 1950’s Takoma Park like a spaghetti western. Maybe the cowboys came before the hippies.
Oddisee: ‘Beach Dr.’ (2011)
If you’ve got the D.C. blues, take DMV native beatmaker Oddisee’s instrumental album “Rock Creek Park” on a tranquil walk through Rock Creek Park. “Beach Dr.’’ is my pick of the bunch. If that wasn’t enough, you can listen to “Clara Barton” while driving Clara Barton Parkway.
Gil Scott Heron: ‘Washington D.C.’ (1982)
Step into a time machine to ‘80s D.C. in this Gil Scott-Heron video. Scott-Heron’s bars speak to D.C.’s status as a global power juxtaposed against its struggles as a city — words that unfortunately still ring true today. “It's a mass of irony for all the world to see, It's the nation's capital, it's Washington D.C.”
You can find our playlist of these songs, along with some honorable mentions here.
