At the eighth annual Broccoli City Festival in Washington, D.C. this past weekend, Wale brought out local artists like Big Flock, Lightshow, Moneymarr, VISH and more to stand with him during his performance.
In that moment, which went viral online, it felt like Wale was planting a flag for the DMV as a bonafide Black music hub. “The urrea” has always had a distinct regional culture, through fashion, slang, and Go-Go music. But now, the DMV flavor is being amplified through Broccoli City performers like Wale, Ari Lennox, and Rico Nasty. The vitality of the DMV area was on display throughout Broccoli City 2022, thanks to the star-studded bill, festival hosts Gia Peppers, Rodney Rikal, and Lil Bacon Bear, as well as DJs Malcolm Xavier, DJ Domo, and Jae Murphy, who put on for the region by playing local acts in between sets.
In 2013, when Broccoli City co-founders Brandon McEachern, Marcus Allen, Darryl Perkins, and Jermon Williams started the festival, the DMV hip-hop scene was still burgeoning. Wale, and Fat Trel were signed, while acts like Shy Glizzy, Logic, Lightshow, Logic, and many more were starting to get local buzz and national press. Nine years later, the scene is teeming with artists, the area has cultivated a nationally-recognized “DMV Flow,” and the region’s rap’s ascendence aligns with the growth of Broccoli City as a festival. It was the first time the festival was put on since 2019, after the pandemic halted the 2020 in 2021 shows.
