In 1986, Island Records released a film titled “Good to Go.” The label hoped the movie would elevate go-go, the percussive party music native to Washington, to a national platform much like “The ...

Summertime, with its steamy air and sinuous rhythms, cries out for a soundtrack — and whether it’s rap or go-go, R&B or hip-hop, the music is more than likely to have African American roots. Two ...

The night Backyard Band played on the National Mall, the Eastern High School Marching Band and its graceful Lady Gems dance line led the Million Moe March down 7th Street NW. On that September night, ...

Natalie Hopkinson is a Washington, D.C.-based author whose current projects deal with the arts, gender and public life. She is the author of Go-Go Live: The Musical Life and Death of a Chocolate City.

Go-go music is the soundtrack of Washington, D.C. Despite a four-decade history and a few national hits like “Da Butt,” by Experience Unlimited (E.U.), and “Shake Your Thang,” by Salt-N-Pepa with E.U.