WASHINGTON — Some of the most important cultural and historic meetings in D.C. that have launched critical ideas were convened at the iconic Ben's Chili Bowl location on U Street in Northwest D.C.
Fitting, it would seem, Ben's was the location for the District's first Go-Go music summit, convening city leaders from a variety of agencies along with musicians, producers and other stakeholders with roots in the Go-Go music scene.
Born out of the 'Don't Mute DC' movement was a bill signed into law by District Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2020 that proclaimed Go-Go as the official music of D.C.
But what did that mean and how would city leaders implement that?
Thursday, the first beat dropped on figuring that out.
Organized by the Mayor's Office of Nightlife & Culture, more than 50 people crowded into a back room at Ben's to start tossing around ideas on how the city could support Go-Go.
"It is the quintessential essence of what Washington, D.C. is about," said Jimmy Watkins from Humanities D.C. "It's rebellious, it's original. It has tradition."
Musicians, one after another, spoke to the crowd and specifically to city leaders, imploring them to find a way for artists to more easily access resources to perform at city venues and to market their efforts.
"We need help. People need help. They need to know where the resources are," said Watkins.
This would appear to be the first in a series of meetings city leaders plan to host as they look to piece together a government strategy built around Go-Go.
"I'm loving it. I'm loving that the city is open to have this discussion. It's been a long time coming," said local professor and Go-Go musician 'Bootsy Vegas.' "We were waiting for the day where we felt like the government backed it with not only funding but also public policy."
"Go-Go is alive and it's growing," said local music legend 'Shorty Corleone'. "It's the next thing that's going to change music."
WATCH NEXT: Tire dumping | Open Mic