Black Music Month: Go-Go Music

This Black Music Month, we’re spotlighting the heartbeat of the District: Go-Go music. Born in the 1970s and pioneered by the legendary Chuck Brown, Go-Go blended funk, jazz, and Afro-Latin rhythms into a sound that’s uniquely D.C.

In Morgyn Woods' latest audio feature, she traces the history and evolution of Go-Go — from the early days of “Bustin’ Loose” to the genre’s modern revival led by bands like TOB, UCB, and Backyard Band. She also highlights the powerful #DontMuteDC movement, a grassroots protest that reignited city-wide pride and helped make Go-Go the official music of Washington, D.C.

Whether you're from the DMV or just discovering the sound, this piece celebrates Go-Go not just as music — but as movement, memory, and message.

Listen now!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Celebrate Black Music Month, honoring the sounds that shaped our culture.
In the heart of Washington, DC, a new rhythm was born,
one that post with congos, cow bells, and call and response.
In the nineteen seventies, Chuck Brown, known as the godfather
of Go go, fused funk with Latin percussion and jazz
improvisation to create a new genre, and Go Go became

(00:22):
more than music. It became the heartbeat of DC and
a movement for the people in and around the DMB.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
What you gotten till you get what you need?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
John, you got to give a lot just to get
what your needs sometimes, y'all.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Since the nineteen seventies, go Go evolve. Today, bands like TCBT,
TOB New Impressions, and Backyard Band keep the sound and
the movement alive. Artists like Rare Essence and Serious Company
are blending Go Go with R and B, hip hop
and even afrobeats. The culture stays fresh, rooted in live energy,

(01:02):
community and the power of that crank what In twenty nineteen,
when a Metro PCs store in DC was told to
turn off its daily Go Go music following a noise complaint,

(01:23):
the people responded with more cranks. The Don't Mute d
C movement erupted, proving go Go is more than just
a sound, it's an identity, resistance and pride that originated
in the nation's capital. That moment helped pass legislation naming
Gogo the official music of Washington. D C now from
Mochella rallies to the Go Go Museum that crank refuses

(01:46):
to be silenced hashtag don't mute d C. At the
core of go Go is the pocket, a steady groove

(02:08):
that drives the music and invites the crowd to become
part of the performance. It's raw and it's built to last.
The pocket and the socket has made go go not
just a genre, but a tool for unity and protests,
from the streets of Southeast to streaming platforms and even
to the church.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Hey can I just get a real nice pocket? I
just want to get That's how we do. We can
just transistion, just in and out and then I could
be like this, Hey, Phil, bring that feedback, Bring that feedback,
and then we can just swing on back. We see

(02:46):
it with it.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Stay this Black Music Month, we honor go Go as
a sound of celebration and survival. From Chuck Brown's Bust
and Loose to don't You DC. The culture plays one
loud and proud talking about money.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Miney minter.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
We need to money, We.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Need to do lie y'all.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Y'all gotcha, getting gotcha, getting got got got getting money