Kindlewood – An Interlude
Cullen Ruff – Longing
#KNO-1 – Love Won’t Let Me Wait
Dirdy Redzz – Drinks at Adams Morgan
Hurlebaus – 1998
The Rail Runners – The Word
Furniteur – Redundant Buzz
Daniel Bachman – Farnham
Peals – Become Younger
PHZ-Sicks – Stream of Consciousness
Yoko K. – attic
Ras Nebyu – Slizzed Up ft. The Arckitech
Elijah Jamal Balbed – What Matters Most – In Life
nick tha 1da – bluburies
Wye Oak – Archaic Smile
Empresarios – Rootsy Jam
Aaron Leitko – 0505#4
Griefloss – Void
Judah – Liv’s Theme Music
Gordon Withers – Revolving Doors

Ras Nebyu is consistent on a few things — namely spiritual enlightenment, staying woke and puffing on the finest sinsemilla. But in his new music video, the uptown D.C. rapper tries on new hats.

The visual for “No Love” shows Nebyu revisiting past relationships. But he does it from a few perspectives: that of a cool character named Malcolm, jersey-sporting Drew and the “real” Ras Nebyu in his standard Washington Slizzards gear.

At video’s end, two Nebyus unite: Defying strict instruction not to throw a party at his (parents’?) house, Nebyu hosts a rager, with Drew turning up to mend his slashed heart.

Produced by Casita Del Fresco, the silky “No Love” was a Bandwidth favorite in 2015. The video (premiered today by Revolt) precedes new music from the hip-hop artist, who debuted in 2011 with Kennedy Street Teachings and made a splash two years later with the single “Futuristic Black Man.”

Nebyu’s next single is expected out June 20. Miss Bandwidth’s December feature on the rapper? Catch up here.

“I can’t put all of my talents in the ‘conscious rapper’ box,” says the rising hip-hop artist from D.C. Sure, his lyrics cover politics, love and empowerment, but since his laid-back 2011 tape Kennedy Street Teachings, Nebyu has grown upward and outward.

“I was being me [when I started out], but I was being the ‘safe’ me,” says Nebyu, 24. Now he’s taking on more — including singing, which he does frequently on his 2014 tape Ras Griffin III and melodious singles such as “No Love.” He’s even gone global, taking his act to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where he performed this summer.

Warning: Explicit lyrics.

Nebyu has been heading in this direction since his primary-school days. The Northwest D.C. native says in fifth grade, he wrote his first song: a braggadocious track called “Can’t Touch Me.” Years later at Benjamin Banneker High School, Nebyu and a childhood friend started exploring music together. Now that friend, who calls himself The Arckitech, crafts many of the woozy instrumentals on Nebyu’s tapes.

The collaboration between The Arckitech and Nebyu led to a bigger concept called the Washington Slizzards. That moniker — a playful take on D.C.’s NBA team name — arose out of a joke between Nebyu and his cousin in 2011. Now “Washington Slizzards” is Nebyu’s hallmark and the name of his creative crew.

Ras flashes his tattoo, a word in black ink on his hand: “slizzatrism.” The term defines the essence of the Washington Slizzards. 

“It’s the art of finessing good energy to work in your favor by way of pure intent, meditation and acknowledging the ancestors,” Nebyu says. He uses “slizzatrism” everywhere — on his Twitter page, his Instagram account and the title of his next release, expected next year.

Nebyu’s most recent song, “Naturale,” emerged in October. Hypnotic and metallic, it meditates on allegiances and the importance of black women’s roles in the world and his life. The song’s producer, Ibrahim Keita, opened the door to Nebyu’s trip to Ivory Coast, where he shared a stage with popular Nigerian artist Wizkid, worked with Keita’s band on a live EP and shot a music video. (The EP and music video are forthcoming.)

Nebyu says he hopes his trip to Africa will be the first of many. Someday, he says, he will make it to Ethiopia, where his family has roots. In the meantime, he’s working on spreading slizzatrism across D.C., where he recently opened for critically acclaimed rapper Vince Staples. Next up: the rest of the U.S.

“We got a story as deep as New Orleans, Oakland, New York, L.A.,” Nebyu says, referring to D.C. artists’ inroads into cities across the country. “It just hasn’t gotten that deep yet as far as telling that story on a national level.”

Ras Nebyu performs at U Street Music Hall Dec. 27. Top photo: Ras Nebyu and the Washington Slizzards in the video “Half Man, Half Slizzard.” 

That’s what I asked Bandwidth’s contributors to help me do last month. Our writers sent me their picks for their favorite D.C. music of 2015 thus far, and the result was this extremely awesome playlist (stream it below).

One limitation, though: I had to pick songs that have been uploaded to Soundcloud. As it turns out, not everybody puts their music on the service. A lot of rock and punk bands, in particular, use Bandcamp, and some artists — for reasons my under-30 brain is still struggling to understand — don’t even put their songs on the Internet for free.

So this playlist still isn’t as exhaustive as I wanted it to be, but it’s still pretty freaking great. Give it a listen on your computer or chosen mobile device, and be sure to chide us in the comments, on Twitter or via email for missing your favorite D.C. music of the year. (Seriously! Send me your nominations — we want to hear it all.)

For more coverage of D.C. music, follow Bandwidth’s Track Work series.

Warning: Explicit lyrics.

Image, clockwise from top left: April + VISTA, Kali Uchis, Young Rapids (partial image), Ras Nebyu, Prinze George (partial image), Visto.

That quote has context — MacKaye was talking about his old band Minor Threat’s if-you-can’t-beat-’em-join-’em solution to shirt bootlegging — but in general, D.C.’s best-known record label really doesn’t do band swag. You won’t find any accessories, posters or clothing in the official Dischord store, not even from non-Dischord bands it distributes. If you want to buy a Dischord tee, you’ve got to go elsewhere, like Pedestrian Press, a company owned by the imprint’s other founder, Jeff Nelson.

But most touring D.C. musicians probably don’t share MacKaye’s position, and if they once did, they are probably rethinking that in the age of tepid physical sales.

So what D.C. bands and labels make the best merch-table fodder, besides records? Tough question. Bandwidth contributors put their heads together and came up with this list of creative standouts from local artists and record labels.

If you’d rather get your music from Soundcloud or Bandcamp, fair enough — you can support local music by buying this swag instead.

Note: We can’t guarantee that all of these items are still available.

Via Bandcamp

Coup Sauvage And The Snips’ “Your Condo Will Not Protect You” T-shirt

The D.C. dance-pop ensemble calls its music “a soundtrack for the children to watch the first world burn” — and this T-shirt won’t assure wealthy urbanites that they’re safe from the flames.

Via Tumblr

Ras Nebyu’s “Washington Slizzards” gear

The uptown MC christened his crew the Washington Slizzards, a name that even he acknowledges doesn’t mean much. Nebyu says he came up with the Wizards pun when he was joking around with his friend, and they thought it was funny, so they rolled with it. Then it blew up on Twitter. So Nebyu recorded a song by the same name and cranked out some T-shirts. That did it: the Washington Slizzards are totally real now.

Via Bigcartel

Moshers Delight sweatpants

The D.C. hardcore label makes its own sweatpants, probably for cozy roundhouse kicking in the pit.

Marijuana paraphernalia from Weed Is Weed and Dying Fetus

Both heavy Maryland bands have sold ganja supplies in the past: Dying Fetus slapped its name on an “herbal grinder,” and Weed Is Weed had its very own glass pipe. These guys understand their fans.

A Sound of Thunder “Blood Vomit” T-shirt

This shirt makes no attempt at subtlety. Then again, neither does the over-the-top metal band that commissioned it.

Via Bandcamp

Jack On Fire matchbook

From the band that wrote “Burn Down the Brixton” comes D.C.’s most black-humored merch: an official Jack On Fire matchbook — complete with a disclaimer, in case you get any funny ideas.

Via Bigcartel

Shy Glizzy’s “FXCK RAP” beanie

D.C.’s biggest street-rap up-and-comer takes a utilitarian approach to music: He said in a Fader interview with Bandwidth’s Briana Younger that he raps to make a living, calling hip-hop a “last resort.” His song “Fxck Rap” makes that much clear. “I know how to hustle, so f**k rap,” he says on the track. It’s all a little meta — a rapper rapping about the uselessness of his own rapping — and this rap beanie (yours for $10!) doubles the effect.

Via Causticcasanova.com

Caustic Casanova’s Bullets-style T-shirt

Dig stoner rock and D.C. sports history? Caustic Casanova has got the shirt for you.

A mildly NSFW shirt from Coke Bust

D.C. hardcore stalwarts Coke Bust sell an elaborate hand-drawn T-shirt designed by Brazilian punk rocker Xavero. Mind the nudity.

Via Silver Sprocket

Lemuria comic book

I wouldn’t doubt that the Syracuse/D.C. indie-pop band has loads of fun on tour, but this 40-page Lemuria comic book has them “travers[ing] the vast landscape of Russia, dodging roves of violent Nazis, crooked cops, mobster shakedowns, gunshots, a tropical storm, rabid dogs and a substandard German pizza.”

Windian Records 45 spinner

You can’t play most releases on the D.C. garage-rock label without one of these little guys.

Via Sean Gray

Accidental Guest’s “Morrissey Still Sucks” button

Record label owner (and Bandwidth contributor) Sean Gray seems to take glee in bashing musicians he dislikes, and these (free!) buttons make that contempt wearable.

Ex Hex tote bag

D.C.’s best rock band doesn’t sell any swag online, but catch the three-piece on tour and you’ll probably spot one of these simple tote bags at the merch table.

Via PPU

Peoples Potential Unlimited leggings

Andrew Morgan’s boutique funk record label makes excellent merch for vinyl obsessives, including slipmats and record bags that come in two sizes — for 12-inches and 7-inches — but I can’t think of another D.C. label that makes its own glamorous leggings like these ones designed by Lisa Stannard.

Via Facebook

Gloom sunglasses

If one day our world is destroyed by an exploding sun, our oblivion will probably sound like blackened death-metal band Gloom — and we’ll want to be wearing these shades to go out in style.

What merch did we miss? Drop us a comment or an email.

Photo by Flickr user Barb Crawford modified and used under a Creative Commons license.

Ras Nebyu doesn’t have time for misogynistic rap music. He admits that he’s no saint—the rapper sometimes uses the B word—but he says the entrenched sexism in hip-hop has taken a grim toll. “It’s getting out of hand to me,” says the 22-year-old Petworth native. “If we keep going like this, we’re not gonna be here anymore, man. Women sustain life.”

That’s part of the idea behind “Queens,” a highlight from Nebyu’s new mixtape, Ras Griffin III. Featuring vocalist Kailasa, the track co-produced by Black Jesus and The Arckitech takes a stand against sexism and promotes black togetherness—a particularly powerful theme now, in light of the recent tragedy and ongoing uprising in Ferguson, Missouri.

“Queens” also pays homage to one of Nebyu’s favorite artists, Queens-bred rapper Nas, whose landmark album, Illmatic, included a song called “Life’s a Bitch.” “You keep hearing the phrase ‘life’s a bitch,’ ‘life’s a bitch,” Nebyu says. “You’re always gonna get back what you put into it. Maybe if you didn’t address life as a bitch, you’d get more out of it.”

Nebyu sees Ras Griffin III as a document of D.C. hip-hop in 2014, even if it takes listeners a while to catch up to its philosophical rhymes and electronic trap beats. “It might not have its full effect at the moment,” Nebyu says. “But 10, 20, 30 years from now, people will look back and be like, ‘Wow, this is what was happening in D.C. at the time.”

Ras Nebyu performs Aug. 23 at Trillectro.

Producer: i.V.
Stats: Age 22, Gaithersburg, Md.
Notable collaborators: Alex Young, Royal, Lindsay Lowend

Producer i.V. isn’t technically a D.C. guy: Born in Arizona, the 22-year-old spent most of his life in Rockville and Gaithersburg, Maryland—and often indoors. i.V. suffered from asthma that kept him in the house. “I could only stay inside because of the pollen, and because I couldn’t really do a lot of activities, I never played sports,” he says. But he credits his ailment with getting him into hip-hop. “I was always in my basement working on loops and trying to make things sound good when I was 11 or 12,” he says.

For someone who spent a lot of time close to home, i.V.’s production can sound surprisingly otherworldly: He prizes ambience and futurism, crafting his beats by looping and altering everyday sounds and voices to create soundscapes. His sound has attracted a fairly large following on Soundcloud, particularly in the U.K. In this hemisphere, i.V. co-owns Bethesda’s Indigo Studios and frequently collaborates with fellow DMV producers Alex Young, Royal and Lindsay Lowend.

In the long term, the producer has his eye on Top 40. “There’s something about pop music that I just gravitate towards,” he says. “It’s just the music that gets me going… I would love to produce [pop] records.” He’s currently working on some of his own pop productions. Farther down the line, he hopes to break into scoring films.

As far as i.V. is concerned, the asthma that kept him inside was a blessing in disguise. “I’ve always been spiritually in tune with things, and I believe that lives come predestined and we are programmed by a higher power,” he says. Making music “feels kind of like a calling,” he says. “There’s nothing else that I could do.” —Briana Younger

Producer: The Arckitech
Stats: Age 20, Woodridge
Notable collaborators: Ras Nebyu

When D.C. rapper Ras Nebyu plays an early slot at this year’s Trillectro festival, the crowd on RFK’s festival grounds will be nodding their heads to the mellow instrumentals of his most vital in-house producer, The Arckitech. The 20-year-old D.C. native played a crucial role in Nebyu’s breakout mixtape, Babylon’s Most Wanted, contributing five beats of his own and recording and mixing most of the project in his home studio.

“Right now my focus is on projects,” Arckitech says. “I’m really big on albums, helping people put together their projects, and just establishing my sound. Doing more than just making beats and really being involved in the process.”

Arckitech began to explore hip-hop in his freshman year of high school, when he and Nebyu would swap and critique classic hip-hop albums in the halls of D.C.’s Benjamin Banneker High School. It was something of an informal hip-hop book club, in which the two teenagers delved into works almost as old as themselves, like Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Those discoveries and conversations shaped both teens’ artistic sensibilities, articulated on Nebyu cuts like “Lion Talk.”

Now, Arckitech is helping to put the finishing touches on Nebyu’s forthcoming album, Ras Griffin III, as well as a project with his older sister, Kamila Gem. He expects both to drop late this summer. “I don’t really have a whole lot coming up as far as major placements,” he says of his immediate future. “I’m just trying to have everything really organic. I’ll have to wait and see if anything else pops up.” (Harold Stallworth)

Photo by Flickr user Brandon Baker used under a Creative Commons license.

This year’s Trillectro headliners are rapper Big Sean and “Harlem Shake” producer Baauer, with significant hometown support from Fat Trel, Goldlink, Oddisee, Lightshow, Redline Graffiti and festival opener Ras Nebyu. Other acts on the extremely trendy lineup include Georgia hip-hop group Migos, R&B vocalist SZA, and Hudson Mohawke collaborator Lunice, among numerous others (see the full sked below).

Let’s hope the bigger venue cuts back on the long waits and epic lines that dogged last year’s Trillectro, which took place at the Half Street Fairgrounds.

Early tickets are for sale now at dctobc.com.

Photo by Flickr user Dj Teck 16 used under a Creative Commons license.