Taraji P. Henson, left, and host Regina Hall dance during the go-go themed intro of the 2019 BET Awards.

Chris Pizzello / AP

D.C.’s music scene and the #DontMuteDC movement took center stage at the BET Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Actress and comedian Regina Hall, a D.C. native, hosted this year’s awards ceremony. Hall is best known for her leading roles in the 2017 hit comedy Girls Trip and 2019’s Little and Shaft.

Hall kicked off the night with a D.C.-themed parody of Beyoncé’s Coachella concert-turned-Netflix hit Homecoming. Hall’s version, “Homegrown,” showed behind-the-scenes clips of her preparing for a performance about her own hometown. She also tested her backup dancers on their knowledge of D.C. figures like Mayor for Life Marion Barry and model/entrepreneur Blac Chyna.

Then came the music. A steely-faced Hall marched onstage with go-go legends Sugar Bear of E.U., while a full band performed the 1988 hit “Da Butt.” They sampled “Run Joe” by Chuck Brown, the godfather of go-go, and “Do You Know What Time It Is” by Rare Essence.

D.C. native and Howard University alum Taraji P. Henson also hopped up on stage to dance alongside Hall.

At the end of the performance, “GO-GO MADNESS” and “#DontMuteDC” went up on the screen behind the performers.

The #DontMuteDC movement started in April after the MetroPCS store in Shaw was forced to turn off its go-go music, which it’s been blasting from speakers outside the store since 1995. The owner had been told to stop playing music after a nearby resident had threatened to sue T-Mobile, which owns MetroPCS.

The incident sparked protests in the neighborhood that spread throughout the city. The hashtag #DontMuteDC became a rallying cry for supporters of go-go and, more broadly, the preservation of local D.C. culture amidst gentrification. T-Mobile’s CEO reversed the decision, and the music is back.

D.C. residents and activists involved in the #DontMuteDC movement sung the BET performance’s praises on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/dontmutethemvmt/status/1143028402624110593?s=20

This story originally appeared on WAMU.

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