Hometown Sounds

Tarica June does double duty as Howard University-trained lawyer and rising MC. Both she & her family are from DC, so the changes that money and gentrification have brought to the city are both troubling and musically inspiring to her. Her single “But Anyway”, originally on her free 2014 mixtape S​.​O​.​C. Mixtape Vol. 1 and also the new re-juggled EP Stream of Consciousness Vol. 1​.​5, absolutely blew up the internet a few months ago with the release of the music video, directed by June herself. The unmistakeable 90s era samples from Suzanne Vega and Eric B & Rakim instantly hook you, allowing June to spin rapid fire lyrics about nostalgia and disruptive change, before the backdrop of her neighborhood Petworth. Sometimes it seems that nothing can stop rich newcomers from gutting the city’s character, but Tarica June’s hopeful message resonates in cities all over the country.