Last Saturday, the D.C. hip hop community converged at Uptown Art House for the 21st birthday celebration of The Khan, a free-flowing, curly-haired flexer of the new age rap scene. Alignment with Virginia Beach native, Lil' Tracy (listen to their collaborative effort, "Vices" on Sounds of D.C. vol. II) and a fast friendship with the late Lil' Peep has increased Khan's exposure over the last year. He was joined by fellow DMV natives exploring modern trap drums, ad-libs, and vocal modifications including Wifigawd, SickBoyRari, Trip Dixon, and Nappy Nappa.
Part studio, part skatepark, part scene--the Art House turned into a full-blown concert hall with the youth showing up in droves. While many were in attendance to see Lil' Tracy--a couple fans even traveled from Philadelphia--it was heartening to see the rage-ful embrace of local music. Every set was complete with shoving and shouting, demonstrating the true following these artists have on SoundCloud. The moshing was so heavy during Wifigawd's performance that the scuffle unplugged the audio circuitry causing abrupt "oohs" and "aaws" from the crowd.
There's no denying that the current sound dominating hip hop encourages a certain aesthetic. A$AP Mob and the AWGE clique are an appropriate microcosm of this lifestyle wearing cross-body fanny packs with carefully packed Backwoods, untied Vans and washed, vintage rock-n-roll t-shirts that amplify this grungy streetwear-chic aspect of rap. Khan himself drenched his Heron Preston long sleeve in sweat. Those who weren't in the mosh pits emanated this cool demeanor as they stood on top of the half-pipe amongst their crew wearing personalized graphic hoodies or dangling their legs over the bright yellow scaffold throwing up squad affiliations. And perhaps the Art House completes this hedonistic vibe. Much like when Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and Andy's Superstar personalities like Edie Sedgwick and Ultra Violet popped into the Warhol Factory to be photographed or simply experience the commotion surrounding the famed space, the youth of today want to be seen, want to be in-the-know, and want to be free to experiment.
Enjoy the video above. Don't want to miss the next rage.