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We’ve got music on our minds and our minds on music because hip-hop is turning 50 this weekend — yes, this genre has a birthdate and you know an off-key “Happy Birthday” song won’t cut it. How about a free show with local icons at the Lincoln Theatre or a family-friendly graffiti jam?
We asked our friends around the NBC Washington newsroom about their best hip-hop memories, and the I-Team’s Tracee Wilkins made us stop, drop and well...
“Mine would be when I kind of toured with the Ruff Ryders in 2000 for a few cities. So I met Eve, DMX, Lil Wayne, Juvenile. Long story but it was fun,” she said.
🌞 The weekend weather is looking hot and dry — great for watching the year’s best meteor shower peak. Here’s the forecast.
🐶 Keep showing us your pets relaxed to the max! We’re loving your submissions to Pat’s Prized Pets.
🏈 Friday night lights: the Commanders travel to face the Browns in their first preseason game. You can watch it on NBC4 Friday starting at 7:30 p.m.
The Scene
The most fun things to do and places to be in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
Celebrate 50 years of hip-hop
Local pioneers DJ Kool, Oddisee (plus his live band, Good Company), ADÉ and Nonchalant are just a few artists set to perform live at the Lincoln Theatre for DMV Hip-Hop 50 — and money ain’t a thing; you just have to reserve a ticket on Eventbrite. Over the course of about three hours, performers will drop their best hits and honor fallen greats.
Arts nonprofit Words Beats & Life is behind the Lincoln Theatre show — they’re also throwing a block party in Chinatown (Thu., Chinatown Park, free) plus a live graffiti and paint jam (Sun., The Bridge Spot in Southeast, free).
More ways to kick it:
🎤 The National Hip-Hop Museum near Howard University recently opened a golden anniversary exhibit.
🎤 Herstory: A DMV Hip-Hop Love Story (Thu., Busboys and Poets 450K, $5 suggested donation)
🎤 True School Hip-Hop 50th Party (Fri., Wild Days @ Eaton Hotel in Northwest, $20+)
🎤 Masters of the Mic: Hip-Hop 50 Tour (8/17, Wolf Trap, $48)
National Book Festival
📅 Sat.
📍 Washington Convention Center
💲 Free
🔗 Details
It's the most wonderful time of the year for literary lovers and BookTok followers.
The National Book Festival is happening on Saturday at the Convention Center. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. You don’t need a ticket to attend.
Highlights include actor Elliot Page, former NFL player R.K. Russell and NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly sharing memoirs; there’s also plenty for YA fans, foodies, poetry lovers and true crime obsessives in the full schedule.
DC Wave Festival
📅 Sat., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
📍 1315 I Street NW, Washington, D.C.
💲 Free
🔗 Details
Get ready for back-to-school season with free food, bookbags and school supplies, plus family-friendly games, music, giveaways and VIDA Fitness classes. Spread the word that D.C. residents can get wellness services (including dental cleanings), health screenings and apply for public health benefits here, too.
Sponsors include Blackberry Acres, Network of Support and the D.C. Department of Human Services. Check out the event's Instagram and the Blackberry Acres website for more information.
“I Have a Dream Speech” on display
📅 Through Sept. 7
📍 NMAAHC
💲 Free; timed passes required
🔗 Details
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famed speech at the March on Washington 60 years ago on Aug. 28.
Now, you can see it on temporary display in the “Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom” gallery and explore other exhibits about the march.
LEGO Discovery Center
📅 Opens Thu.
📍 Springfield Town Center
💲 $28.99-$30.99
🔗 Details
Get ready to build some memories.
The LEGO Discovery Center Washington, D.C. is the latest family attraction for families with kids aged 2 to 12. Explore zones including a DUPLO Park, Make Your Minifigure station, the Imagination Express train ride through an oversized LEGO world and a 4D cinema.
👉 Go Inside: Our own Juliana Valencia went to the grand opening. Check it out.
Montgomery County Fair
📅 8/11-8/19
📍 Gaithersburg
💲 Adults $12 (online)/$15 (at gate); free for kids 11 and under
🔗 Details
The carnival is open until midnight the next two Fridays and Saturdays, and at least 11 p.m. on other nights. You can park for free at Lakeforest Mall and hop on the shuttle. This Sat. is 4H day with a parade coronation and cake auction, and the demolition derby is next weekend.
Prince William County Fair
📅 8/11-8/19
📍 Manassas
💲 $10 (child/senior), $20 (adult)
🔗 Details
The Prince William County Fair is running through next weekend, and you’re in luck. The mullet competition is returning.
Music Snob Concert Picks
Superviolet, 9 p.m. Thursday, Comet Ping Pong, $22.25
The dude from The Sidekicks made a country emo album. Thoughtful opener Trace Mountains also leans toward the country side of indie rock. Details.
Sylvan Esso, 8 p.m. Friday, The Anthem, $45-$75
Electro-pop duo writes bleak songs you can dance to. Opening trio Dehd’s breathtakingly barebones indie rock is a friend for the lonely. Details.
Supersuckers, 9 p.m. Sunday, Comet Ping Pong, $24.72
For 35 years, Eddie Spaghetti and company have been playing traditional ‘70s-style hard rock with punk energy, country twang and a terrific if NSFW sense of humor. Details.
More Things to Do in Washington, D.C.
- Alive & Outside: The Block Party: Sat., Sandlot Anacostia, $0-$12
- Kids Cooking Class at Maggiano's: Sat., Chevy Chase, $15-$30
- Saved By The ‘90s bar crawl: Sat., Dupont area, $9-$15
- Caribbean Bar Crawl: Sat., U Street, $10-$20
- Amy K. Bormet’s Washington Women in Jazz: Sat. (5-8 p.m.), The Parks at Walter Reed, free
- Chromatica Ball Drag Brunch: Sun., Red Bear Brewing, $25
- “How Did This Get Made?” live: Sun., Warner Theatre, $75+
More Things to Do in Maryland
- 🍿 "Top Gun: Maverick": Fri., Woodmont Triangle (Bethesda), free
- Friday Night LIVE! Groovalicious, Funk and Disco: Fri., College Park, free
- Art Walk in the Park: Fri., Glen Echo Park, free
- Moonrise Festival: Sat. and Sun., Pimlico Race Course, GA costs $109 for one-day, $195 for two
- Summer Thrift Market: Sun., 7 Locks Brewing in Bethesda, free admission
More Things to Do in Virginia
- 🌠 Perseids Meteor Shower Observation (self-guided): Through 8/24, Staunton River State Park, $5 parking
- Paddle Adventures: Sat. (evening) and Sun. (morning), Mason Neck State Park, $20
- VietFest: Sat. and Sun., The Plaza at Tysons Corner Center, free
- Tobago Bay Calypso Band a Mosaic Live: Sat., Strawberry Park in Fairfax, free
- Fairfax Family Festival: Sat., 11230 Waples Mill Road, free
- Thrift Pop Up: Sun., Mason District Park in Annandale, free
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