Another opinion post - DC's Most Known Unknown

Disclaimer: This isn't a post about who's truly representing the DMV and who's not. I'm checking for anybody from the area who can rap.

Everyday at work, me and the guys always end up on a conversation about a rapper(s). We'll go back and forth for 30 minutes about mixtapes, punchlines and beefs - then I'll bring up a local artist and unless it's Wale or Tabi they give me the stuck look. DC has a population of 572,059 (U.S. Census Bureau Data April 2000) and I know we have surpassed that number tremendously since then. With a city this small, why does it seem like you have to be well-connected, shop at Stussy or go to Busboys and Poets to know about who's making noise in DC Hip Hop?

Here's a list of some of our most known unknown:

Asheru
Benji
Bomani Armah
Damu the Fudgemunk
Educated Consumers
Fatz Da Bigfella
Flex Mathews
G-Five Clive
Kokayi
Jade Fox
K-Beta
Labtekwon
Lyriciss
Kenn Starr
Kev Brown
M1 Platoon
Muggsy Malone
Native Deen
Oddisee
Panacea
Princess of Controversy
RA The MC
Roddyrod
Rosetta Stoned
Sharkey
Southeast Slim
SPP Waxworks
Substantial
The Five One
The Package
XO
I know there's even more that I didn't list...

I'm not even going to front like I've heard music from all the names I've listed and I had to do a little research to come up with a list this extensive. Just goes to show that I'm on the blogs and on MySpace and I'm still ignorant to a lot of what's happening in DC. The fact that the DC area as a whole has never truly embraced Hip-Hop plays a role in this. An even sadder reality is that unless you're validated by an entity much larger than DC (i.e.- other major metropolitan areas and mass media outlets), we're not checking for you - well I am but DC isn't. I know DC is good for producing some rappers that deserve a "WTF?" which I'm sure is another reason no one is taking local rappers seriously as well.

A friend made a good point - there's no indie artist support by local radio and the last local station that provided that type of support was the now defunct WHFS 99.1 (IMO was a hell of a lot better than DC101). They also posed a rhetorical question "Who has the money to start a station which DC rappers can look to for real support?" I know that part of being an indie artist is about self-promotion to the next level and if you're grinding and gigging hard enough (along with possessing talent) you'll have a breakthrough. In all honesty, however, there should be more rappers from the area that are household names. It's too much talent here for Washingtonians to get hip to once someone is signed. There's mad talent in the underground (I hate having to use that term but it seems fitting in this instance) so drop the crabs-in-a-barrel mentality and support your own (the good ones).