For our purposes, the definition of hip-hop will be broader than it’s typically constructed, and will include R&B, soul, certain electronic, or whatever else is deemed appropriate by the author.
WEDNESDAY:
>> W. Ellington Felton will be DJing “What’s Going On?” Wednesdays at Marvin. Given the event title and the restaurant’s name, you can make a logical inference as to what the flavor of the night’s selections will be. 9 p.m., Free.
THURSDAY:
>> Chrisette Michele (pictured) is more Billie Holiday than Mary J. Blige. That’s a tough sell in today’s market, but her efforts recently produced a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Performance on her song, “If I Have My Way”, as well as guest spots on the albums of both Nas and Jay-Z. A frequent D.C. visitor, she’ll be at the 9:30 Club along with opening act and native Washingtonian, Wes Felton a.k.a. W. Ellington Felton. 7:30 p.m., $23.
>> His resume is extensive and place in hip-hop history has been solidified. Thursday, Producer/DJ/MC Pete Rock will be celebrating the upcoming release of his fourth solo album, NY’s Finest, at this edition of Laced! at Cue Bar with a late DJ set. Laced! loves everything golden era so expect a heavy emphasis on everything ‘80s with some DVJing and Wii play in the mix. 7 p.m., $TBA.
>> Two weeks ago marked both the birthday and anniversary of influential hip-hop producer James “Jay Dee/J Dilla” Yancey’s death. The Detroit-born Yancey passed away from complications related to Lupus in 2006, after providing musical support to the likes of Common, The Roots, and Janet Jackson. XM Radio will be hosting an on-air tribute to him that was mentioned in last week’s TWIHH. If you didn’t manage to obtain an RSVP to it, you can catch much of the same vibe at the tribute’s afterparty at Eighteenth Street Lounge. XM’s resident “Raw and Rhyme” DJ, DJ Bee, will be spinning Dilla tracks all night long. 10 p.m., $5 suggested donation to the Maureen Yancey Fund.
>> Typically satellite radio shows wouldn’t make it on to this list, but given the tie-ins to at least two of the aforementioned events, the fact the 60 person RSVP list is closed, and given that their will be performances by several local artists, it’s worth noting. XM Radio’s The Rhyme (XM Ch. 65 and DirecTV Ch. 846) will begin a live broadcast of its “Dilla Day” tribute show. Along with featured guests Pete Rock and Talib Kweli, several local luminaries are slated to perform Dilla tracks, including Kev Brown, Wayna, and two Three Stars alums (Flex Mathews and Muhsinah). 8:00 p.m.
