Go-go: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:00, 29 March 2025

Revision as of 19:01, 18 April 2025

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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>

Some go-go artists have been able to transition into other areas of entertainment. [[Anwan Glover|Anwan "Big G" Glover]]—a founding member of the Backyard Band—became an actor, playing [[Slim Charles]] on HBO's ''[[The Wire]].''<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110130156/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/goingoutgurus/ |url-status=dead|title=Blog: Going Out Gurus |archive-date=November 10, 2006|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=February 25, 2021}} {{nonspecific|date=June 2022}}</ref> D.C. band [[Mambo Sauce (band)|Mambo Sauce]] also had hits with "Miracles" and "Welcome to D.C." which both cracked the ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' charts. "Welcome to D.C." also became the official intro song for all of the Washington Wizards & Mystics home games and the video for the song was in rotation on VH1 Soul and BETJ and received airplay on MTVJams, MTV2, MTVU and BET.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crosstownarts.com/wama/bb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=446&sid=dba42ded6fb01013e5189e4cb9fc0fde |title=WAMADC.com :: View topic - WAMA News Jan 17, 2008<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=July 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129121432/http://www.crosstownarts.com/wama/bb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=446&sid=dba42ded6fb01013e5189e4cb9fc0fde |archive-date=January 29, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Kevin Kato Hammond]], former lead guitarist for Little Benny & the Masters and former rapper for the band Proper Utensils, started the online magazine ''Take Me Out to the Go-Go'' in 1996. In addition to the magazine being a source of information on go-go shows, it serves as a community forum.{{cn|date=November 2024}} During this time the emergence of Gogo combined with Pop was brewing. A producer by the name of [[Rich Harrison]] had beganbegun incorporating traditional gogo elements into his production and landed 3 huge major label placements with [[Jennifer Lopez]] - [[Get Right]], [[Amerie]] - [[1 Thing]], and [[Beyonce]] - [[Crazy in Love]]. The latter 2 were huge for the sound but they weren’t associated with gogo as closely as the bands. The Rapper [[Wale (rapper)]] also used gogo in his sound and was signed to [[Interscope]] with [[Mark Ronson]] and later MMG with [[Rick Ross]]. He used his platform to expand gogo to a mainstream audience with features ([[ Pretty Girls (Wale song) ]] ft Backyard Band, Bait ft TCB) and also live performances (UCB performing as his backing band at the MTV VMAs).

Additionally, musicians from other genres of music have incorporated elements of the go-go aesthetic into their compositions and stage acts. Jazz/rock musician [[Mike Dillon (musician)|Mike Dillon]], leads a band called Go-Go Jungle, often playing long, non-stop sets that incorporate go-go beats and raps interspersed with other subgenres of funk, jazz, and rock. Another example is [[Bob Mintzer]]'s composition "Go-Go" from the [[Yellowjackets (band)|Yellowjackets]]' 2003 release, ''Time Squared''. Composer [[Liza Figueroa Kravinsky]] composed the ''Go-Go Symphony'', an original full orchestra symphony that incorporates the go-go and bounce beats. She founded the identically named Go-Go Symphony ensemble, which performs the Go-Go Symphony and other mashups of go-go and classical, sometimes in partnership with other full symphony orchestras. The February 21, 2014, world premiere of the fully orchestrated Go-Go Symphony and similar pieces, performed with the Capital City Symphony, received standing ovations and rave reviews.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/go-go-symphony-at-atlas-performing-arts-center-is-well-worth-a-listen/2014/02/23/b07d847c-9c9a-11e3-8112-52fdf646027b_story.html|title='Go-Go Symphony,' at Atlas Performing Arts Center, is well worth a listen|first=Stephen|last=Brookes|date=February 23, 2014|access-date=February 25, 2021|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|archive-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220222543/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/go-go-symphony-at-atlas-performing-arts-center-is-well-worth-a-listen/2014/02/23/b07d847c-9c9a-11e3-8112-52fdf646027b_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

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In the late 2000s and early 2010s, it became harder for go-go bands and local venues to hold concerts as law enforcement in both Washington, D.C., and neighboring [[Prince George's County]] in [[Maryland]] viewed the concerts and bands as inciters of violence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/18/pg-ordinance-cracks-down-on-clubs-beset-by-violenc/|title=P.G. cracks down on clubs beset by violence|date=December 18, 2011|newspaper=[[The Washington Times]]|access-date=September 21, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=September 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921095900/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/18/pg-ordinance-cracks-down-on-clubs-beset-by-violenc/|url-status=live}}</ref> New go-go music is still being produced, but remains local to the area, depending on live shows to share its full effects. There was 1 case however, where a band reached a mainstream level of success at this time. The band [[Rdgldgrn]] fused Indie Rock and GoGo together garnering the attention of a major label and getting signed around this time. Their first album featured production from [[Pharrell Williams]] and Guest Drumming from [[Dave Grohl]]. They toured the world and used the gogo sound in a new way that began to open the door for other bands to bring it to a mainstream rock audience.

Otherwise, most of the venues have closed, with some residents putting it down to gentrification which has forced many African-American residents out of previously low-income neighborhoods. One area, [[Shaw (Washington, D.C.)|Shaw]], which was 11 percent white in 1970, was 62 percent white by 2015. Some new residents, however, have embraced go-go and locals are optimistic that it will continue to thrive. After one new resident's complaint about noise in the street, there were protests, which grew into a [[block party]] with go-go performances.<ref name=ABC>{{cite news|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-05/washington-dc-noise-complaint-triggers-gentrification-debate/11076204|title=Washington DC noise complaint triggered a debate about rich hipsters gentrifying black areas|first1=Conor|last1=Duffy|first2=Emily|last2=Olson|date=May 5, 2019|access-date=May 5, 2019|archive-date=May 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505003156/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-05/washington-dc-noise-complaint-triggers-gentrification-debate/11076204|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2020s===