As time passed, more and more of a hip-hop influence crept into go-go. Early MCs like [[D.C. Scorpio]] gave way to [[DJ Kool]], whose 1996 indie release, "[[Let Me Clear My Throat]]"—based on a sample from [[The 45 King|DJ Mark the 45 King]]'s "The 900 Number"—was picked up by [[American Recordings (US)|American Recordings]] and in 1997 became go-go's last certifiable hit single (No. 4 on Billboard's Rap singles chart, No. 21 on the R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart, and No. 30 on the Hot 100).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rap-song/1997-08-23|title=Hot Rap Songs Chart|website=Billboard.com|access-date=February 25, 2021|archive-date=May 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508075137/https://www.billboard.com/charts/rap-song/1997-08-23|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="billboard.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/1997-06-14|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart|website=Billboard.com|access-date=February 25, 2021|archive-date=May 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506025916/https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/1997-06-14|url-status=live}}</ref> As the hip-hop content in go-go increased, the complexity of the musical arrangements decreased. Where bands once featured horn sections and multiple guitarists in addition to a phalanx of percussionists, many current go-go bands have stripped down to just keyboards and percussion. Another trend is to have a dedicated percussionist with plastic "wood blocks" performing much of what used to be handled by the junior congas.
There was, however, a retro movement in the 2000s reverting to go-go's original style of marathon sessions covering popular R&B songs such as [[Northeast Groovers]]. Many of these bands used the term "Grown 'n Sexy" to indicate a focus on appealing to audiences over 25. In 2006 and again in 2007, there was a Grown and Sexy Category at the [[WKYS]] 93.9 Go-Go Awards ceremony held at DAR Constitution Hall, which the Familiar Faces won in 2006, and L!ssen Da Grew^p won in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112900748.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |title=Awards Celebrate Go-Go's Funk |first=Delece |last=Smith-Barrow |date=November 30, 2006 |access-date=May 3, 2010 |archive-date=November 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106083631/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112900748.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
