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Iconic Hip-Hop artists Ice-T and Public Enemy will be the headline acts at the National Celebration of Hip-Hop Festival this fall.
The festival event was announced on Wednesday (August 23). The veteran rappers who have helped shape Hip-Hop and popular culture overall were tabbed as headliners for the event, which will be held at West Potomac Park at the National Mall on October 6th and 7th. The concert in honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary will be completely free to the public.
“Hip Hop is beyond, not just a musical genre,” said Chuck D in a statement. “It’s a cultural movement that has dominated art, fashion, politics, poetry, academia, film, and every corner of the world for the past 50 years. This National Celebration brings it all together in one place for the people, by the people.”
“We are honored to continue to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop against the backdrop of America’s Capitol with a free event for everyone. I can’t wait to get on stage and do our thing,” added Public Enemy co-d Flavor Flav in a statement.
Ice-T chimed in with his own statement, adding: “We are coming to the National Mall itself to bring you authentic Hip Hop for the 50th celebration!”
The festival features a star-studded lineup that includes Kurtis Blow, Kid ‘n Play, Soulsonic Force, Roxanne Shante, C.L. Smooth, Melle Mel and Scorpio, The Sugarhill Gang, Peter Gunz, DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell, Mad Skillz, MC Sha-Rock, Busy Bee, Joe Ski Love, Positive K along with other special guests to be named soon. DJ Hurricane will also be on hand to perform a tribute set to the Beastie Boys. The concert promises to be another fantastic event honoring the culture, as the F.O.R.C.E. Tour featuring LL Cool J and The Roots is currently ongoing, and the public is still buzzing over the HipHop50 Live concert event held at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx two weeks ago.
Pre-registration for tickets to the National Celebration of Hip-Hop has already begun. Those interested are advised that they are first come, first serve through the event’s website.
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Residents in the region around Washington D.C. got startled by a sonic boom, which officials state was caused by fighter jets intercepting a private plane.
On Sunday afternoon (June 4th), a loud noise that resonated across most of the area around Washington D.C. caught the attention of many residents. Officials with North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, confirmed to the press later on that night that the noise was a sonic boom, attributing it to two F-16 fighter jets that were scrambled from Joint Base Andrews in an authorized response to a Cessna Citation plane that entered restricted airspace over Virginia.
NORAD went on to state that when hailed by the F-16s, the Cessna was unresponsive, even as the jets used flares to get the pilot’s attention. The plane would later crash close to the George Washington National Forest near Montebello, Virginia close to 3:30 P.M., and they said it was not shot down.
The Federal Aviation Association issued its own statement, and stated that air traffic control attempts to reach the plane had been unsuccessful. According to tracking data, the Cessna Citation apparently left Elizabethton, Tennessee at 1:13 P.M., then reached Long Island before turning back around towards Virginia.
The sonic boom caused many to react across the region from Bowie, Maryland to Annandale Virginia, and speculate on the cause. President Joe Biden was out golfing with his brother, Jimmy close to Joint Base Andrews and reportedly heard “a faint boom”. The president was fully briefed on the situation, a spokesperson for the White House said. Police at the U.S. Capitol were briefly placed on alert, according to authorities.
The FAA said that investigators for the National Transportation and Safety Board were making their way to the crash scene, hoping to arrive there on Monday (June 5th). The private business jet was confirmed to be owned by Encore Motors of Melbourne, a Florida-based company.
John Rumpel, a 75-year-old pilot who runs Encore Motors, confirmed to the New York Times that his daughter, granddaughter, and a nanny were on the plane with the pilot returning home to East Hampton, N.Y. after visiting him in North Carolina.
In tears, Rumpel theorized that the plane might’ve lost pressurization, saying that “they all just would have gone to sleep and never woke up.” Virginia State Police would later confirm that first responders reached the site at 8 P.M. that evening, and found no survivors.
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The annual National Cannabis Festival makes its return to the Nation’s Capital next month, bringing together fans to enjoy stellar music and connect with advocates fighting for access to cannabis. Headling this year’s NCF will be 2 Chainz, Juicy J, and the Free Nationals along with other musical guests and speakers taking to the stage.
The National Cannabis Festival, co-founded by Caroline Phillips in 2015, is about much more than the consumption of cannabis and the music festival. For the seventh NCF, the entire week leading up to the festival will bring together business leaders in the cannabis space, patients, advocates, elected officials, and many more. The NCF will host a number of workshops and related activities all week long, and the festival will feature a collection of national and homegrown acts.
Local favorites and Go-Go legends Backyard Band, funk and soul band Everyday Everybody, cumbia band Cumbia Heights, DC-based production duo Foots and Cole, reggae band Nkula, and DJ Farrah Flosscett will join the aforementioned headliners onstage.
New this year, the NCF is launching 420 Food Week, patterning with area restaurants with specialized items to celebrate the event. More information on 420 Food Week and the entire National Cannabis Festival offerings will be featured below.
420 WEEK
● 420 Week begins the week leading up to the festival from April 15 – April 21. The week will include workshops, demonstrations, unique experiences, music, performing arts, comedy, and more, at venues across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The week also debuts 420 Food Week, a new addition to festival festivities, where visitors and Washingtonians alike can enjoy special menus and special offers from participating restaurants including Jerk At Nite, Little Miner Taco, H Street Country Club, and El Sol serving the best salty and sweet munchies across the DMV. On the day of the festival, the Munchies Zone is where guests will find some of these food vendors and more during the day’s happenings.
● The National Cannabis Policy Summit’s Congressional Forum on Thursday, April 20, assembles cannabis advocates, patients, business leaders, and policy experts for an afternoon of keynote addresses and discussions featuring Members of Congress in the Capitol Visitors Center’s Auditorium. Topics of discussion include expungement, banking, social equity, and paths to federal legalization. Join us for an afternoon of conversation and questions with elected officials addressing the most pressing questions around cannabis policy reform.
EDUCATION
In addition to the concert, the festival features six education pavilions covering topics, including: Wellness, Policy, Culture, Culinary, Grower’s World, and new this year, the Psychedelics education track. The pavilions invite attendees to participate in discussions on the medicinal benefits of cannabis, learn about legislative updates from state and federal advocates, hear from farming, tech, and culture influencers, re-focus their minds with yoga sessions, and more.
LOUNGES
● LGBTQIA+ Lounge, hosted by The Washington Blade, is a place for advocates and community members to gather, network, and share experiences.
● Seniors Lounge (for NCF’s “golden buds”) and the Veterans Pavilion hosted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and Balanced Veterans, return to serve as retreats for our special guests from the hustle and bustle of festivities.
Learn more about the National Cannabis Festival and additional programming by clicking here.
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Karon Blake, a 13-year-old middle school student in Washington, D.C., was shot and killed over the weekend for allegedly tampering with a vehicle. This week, the school community Blake attended is attempting to process the shocking moment with others calling for justice for the arrest of the person that carried out the shooting.
As reported by local outlet NBC 4 Washington, Karon Blake was a student at Brookland Middle School in Washington’s Northeast quadrant. According to a press release from Metropolitan Police Department, the shooting took place last Saturday (Jan. 7).
From the press release:
At approximately 3:56 am, members of the Fifth District responded to the listed location for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, the members located a juvenile male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported the victim to an area hospital. After all life-saving efforts failed, the victim was pronounced dead.
Detectives’ investigation at the scene revealed that a male inside of a residence, at the listed location, heard noises and observed someone that appeared to be tampering with vehicles. The male resident went outside, armed with a registered firearm, to further investigate. There was an interaction between a juvenile male and the male resident. During the interaction, the male resident discharged his firearm striking the victim. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
As NBC 4 notes, members of the Brookland Middle School community are speaking out and offering support to Blake’s peers who might be affected by news of his passing. In the broader community, some are asking that criminal charges are levied against the unnamed resident who shot the firearm that ended Blake’s life. That same call has been growing across social media as well but MPD officials have yet to announce new developments regarding the investigation.
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