You Can Have Your Cake (and Kisses) and Eat It Too

“I get popping like bubble wrap”
-Hazzard

District of Sound supports what Cake and Kisses organizers do every month, so much so that we had to go back and cover the party so readers could take another look into one of the best-loved underground DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) hip-hop parties in Northwest. The first Thursday of every month, the devoted core of DMV hip-hop fans gather at one of the few remaining dives on Adam Morgan’s 18th street strip, Asylum.

The May 7th show featured the awesome Five One house band, which provided live beats for all of the performers that evening. Enoch, the 7th Prophet welcomed everyone to the show with a taste of what was to come: music with a clean flow, tightly-worded rhymes, and great energy. What followed afterwards included an array of fast-paced tongue calisthenics and beat-boxing.

Soon thereafter X.O., whose mix tape “Realmatic” is now available, slowed it down a little for the crowd and showed a lot of love for Andy Samberg’s digital shorts in his performance. The rhymes were clear and DC-oriented – you know you have entered a new era of DC hip-hop when the greatest sports hero referenced is Alexander Ovechkin.

Just when you think Cake and Kisses is only for DMV rappers, they welcome a group fresh from Senegal up to the stage. Wageble spat some great lines in French, and even though few could understand, everyone enjoyed it.

When The Package, consisting of Dimensions, Noyeek the Grizzly Bear and Theory – who were all members of the Infinite Loop (The Wu-Tang Clan of DC) – came on stage it was clear that they were well rehearsed as they rapped in harmony. They had a great sound, but it felt a little less organic than what the other groups gave the audience. Their set was more of a “show” and offered less of the free-style feeling portrayed by others earlier in the evening.

Next, a little a cappella rapping gave way to an invitation to the more lively “gimme 4 bars” portion of the evening – an opportunity for anyone who thinks they can rap and keep quick to come up on stage and perform. Once the open-mic portion of the evening began, a fifth of the people in the bar rushed towards the stage having waited all evening for their moment.

All in all, this was an insanely rewarding opening to a hell of a show. I definitely would have paid $10 for the privilege, and considering it was free with the added inducement of free cake and Hershey’s kisses I can’t think of any reason to miss it next month or any month thereafter.

Learn More

DoS’s previous review of Cake and Kisses
The Five One
Enoch the 7th Prophet
The Package