Hometown Sounds

For years the rap trio of Uptown XO, yU and Oddisee promised us another Diamond District album after 2009’s landmark In The Ruff, but with Oddisee’s move to New York, would it really happen? Turns out these MCs keep their promises, and the first single from their sophomore album March on Washington, “First Step”, whet our appetites for the deft lyrics and Oddisee’s notoriously ecstatic production. Video director Jay Brown crafts this slick reintroduction to DC’s rap Voltron, showing XO rapping in Meridian Hill Park before meeting yU on a Metro train, and then joining Oddisee at his home in Brooklyn. DC rap has always hustled hard, but these three make it look easy to conquer.