The DMV area continues to produce promising musical acts from all subsets of hip-hop culture. But besides the few instances in which regional pioneer Wale has recruited the area’s brightest young talent for collaborations, it’s not common to see these sub-genres come together. In December, GoldLink released “Crew,” a 90s R&B-nodding track featuring silky crooner Brent Faiyaz and Jefe, formerly known as Shy Glizzy. The song is significant not only for the smooth listening experience it provides but also for the fact that it joins DC’s street identity with its eccentricity—something that was a routine convergence in DC go-go but an uncommon one in the city’s rap scene.
Today, GoldLink released the “Crew” video. The visual opens with footage from 2006 in DC, the year Wale’s Hate is the New Love mixtape was released and started to gain traction outside of the area, effectively sparking local musical growth. DMV rapper Kelow Latesha‘s voice guides the opening shots, praying for the region’s success: “Lord I pray for wealth and power over all these motherfuckers. For the DMV to reign for many moons.” Much of the video shows the artists hanging with friends at a basketball court, riding dirt bikes, and bouncing back and forth between shots of DC neighborhoods. As night falls, they meet up with Jefe who sports a long fur coat and flashes his Glizzy Gang chain. Watch “Crew” below.
Videos by VICE
Photo: Screengrab of video via YouTube
Follow Lawrence Burney on Twitter
