Meet the Mayor of DC Hip Hop
Head‐Roc is an internationally recognized and award winning progressive and culture music rock star artist, activist, and educator of almost 20 years. A native of Washington, DC and widely regarded as the “Mayor of DC Hip‐Hop”,
Head‐Roc’s prolific artist career stems from his role helping to establish, shape, and nurture Washington DC Hip‐Hop Culture; competing extensively in the trenches of talent showcases, open mic competitions, and classic Hip‐Hop MC battles. As a result Head‐Roc, first known on the scene first as G‐Clef of Last Resort along with DJ Infinite, quickly established himself as a powerhouse at fabled DC music venues such as the Ibex, and later State of the Union, throughout the 1990’s decade.
As a founding member of DC’s preeminent hip‐hop crew Infinite Loop in 1993, Head‐Roc helped pilot the success of the group; enjoying great success in the DC Hip‐Hop and regional landscape throughout the 90’s “Golden Era” of DC Hip‐Hop. Also during this time around 1996 Head‐Roc joined the innovative and ground breaking Three Levels of Genius (3LG) live Hip‐Hop/Funk/Rock band. As a member of 3LG. Head‐Roc experienced his first conventional music industry release in 1997 with the DC classic “Live atState of the Union” LP CD, recorded at and distributed by the renowned and heralded State of the Union Night Club, winning the Washington Area Music Association’s Award for Best Hip‐Hop Group/Duo that year.
Head‐Roc would go on to win a total of 4 consecutive year WAMA Awards with 3LG, broadening his appeal to audiences delivering stellar live performances on major show bills in the best venues up and down the Mid‐Atlantic Region for some of the best names the music business like the incomparable Brandford Marseilles (Buckshot L’Fonque) and Bernie Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic.
Wrapping up the 90’s DC Golden Era decade, in 1999 Head‐Roc was executive producer for Infinite Loop’s classic “First Contact” EP to critical acclaim, with the finale of the collective’s run being that as headliner of the only all non‐commercial music DC Hip‐Hop show bill at the prestigious 930 Club in 2000.
In 2002, Head‐Roc went solo releasing an EP titled “A Prelude to The Return of Black Broadway” before releasing the monster 24‐track “The Return of Black Broadway” LP in 2004 through DC based Indie Label Odara Productions. Dedicated to his ailing grandmother, the project won “Hip‐Hip Album of the Year” at the 2004 Washington Area Music Association Awards.
With major support, guidance, and mentorship from then manager and longtime friend Jarobi White of Internationally known Hip‐Hop Icons A Tribe Called Quest, Head‐Roc for the first time toured Europe and West Coast United States as a performing artist promoting and distributing the album. On the success of the “The Return of Black Broadway” in 2004 Head‐Roc made a pivotal and life changing decision; quitting his conventional job of 14 years as a Survey Engineer for the municipality of Arlington County, VA to pursue music full time.
In 2005 Head‐Roc released “NEGROPHOBIA!” (LP) independently and the album immediately drew attention from the US Social Justice Movement. On “NEGROPHOBIA!” Head‐Roc utilized his vast artistic experience and accomplishments to focus on communicating observations that highlight the “complacency the world has for the plight of African descended peoples.”
Released 3 months before the Bush Administrations lackadaisical aid response to Hurricane Katrina’s battering of the US Gulf Coast, “NEGROPHOBIA!” impressed a “new audience” of progressive organizers, activists and scholars and was received with wide acceptance.
Head‐Roc’s personal involvement in the national social progressive movement led to him participating in dozens of local and national rallies, performing before tens of thousands at major events such as 2005 Operation Ceasefire Concert on the National Mall, and appearing alongside major US progressive cultural icons such as Ralph Nader.
In 2007 Head‐Roc along with his activist partner and noted activist scholar Dr. Jared Ball, after one of their ‘Capitol Resistance/Free Mix Radio: Hip‐Hop as Mass Media’ audio/video lecture presentations during the US Social Forum, were approached by high ranking representatives from the Green Party of the United States to consider running and winning the party’s President and Vice‐President nomination.
Though very honored to receive such consideration, Head‐Roc humbly declined but agreed to be Co‐Manager of Dr. Ball’s Presidential nomination campaign run. As Co‐manager of the “Jared Ball for President” Green Party campaign Head‐Roc organized and implemented a “People of Culture” outreach strategy that would eventually grab the attention of the nation’s 3rd largest political party; helping to draw in national party support for former Democrat congresswomen Cynthia McKinney who would become the Green Party’s 2008 Presidential candidate in the now historic election that also saw Democratic candidate Barak Obama become the first Black President of the United States of America.
After the US 2007 Presidential elections, Head‐Roc decided to focus his art on popularizing the work of principled DC based community organizations working to battle the ill effects of gentrification in Washington, DC. In the spring of 2008, Head‐Roc enlisted the help of longtime music mentor and fellow 3LG band mate Dwayne “Super Bad III” Lee to start a Funk, Rock and Soul “People of Culture” empowerment band – naming it The GODISHEUS International Funk Train aka The G.I.F.T, or simply GODISHEUS (Gotta‐See‐Us) for short. Enlisting the musical talents of DC’s top Go‐Go Musicians, in particular the phenomenally talented Kenny “Kwick” Gross (Chuck Brown) on drums, GODISHEUS completely shattered all conventional and stereotyping expectations ‐ quickly establishing itself as a local music powerhouse. However, unsatisfied with the response from DC’s high‐end live music venues when working to get obtain fair access to perform on their much coveted stages, and noting the disparity in opportunities afforded to local bands with White members, Head‐Roc began a long range campaign to empower local professional Black artists through education and activism. Promoting the campaign and to increase public awareness on the issues GODISHEUS wrote and produced the hugely popular song “Robert Foore”; the band’s testimonial account providing insight on the topic of wage theft committed against local professional independent artists.
In 2009 Head‐Roc was hired by the Washington City Paper’s online publication to produce a column, appropriately named “Head‐Roc’s Mouth”, to be “an occasional feature in which esteemed DC rapper Head‐Roc shares what’s on his mind”. Using Head‐Roc’s Mouth articles to further articulate and popularize the need for close scrutiny around the culture of business within DC’s indie music community, both Head‐Roc and his band GODISHEUS are known and well respected as pillars of DC’s Indie Black Rock and Conscious music organizing efforts to achieve fair access and equal live performance opportunities in the Washington, DC’s best concert halls for all. In step with his efforts to help organize the DC area artist’s community, in June 2010 Head‐Roc became the first ever Arts Ambassador for the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA), a non profit organizing dedicated to nurturing the creative endeavors of DC Area Artist by providing valuable legal services and education to the Arts community.
In the fall of 2010 Head‐Roc released a long awaited 3rd album (EP) called The “Empower DC” Project which serves as the official soundtrack for “DC’s most gangsta community organizing group”: Empower DC.
To launch The “Empower DC” Project Head‐Roc organized a two‐week long DC neighborhood subway stop tour (leading up to DC’s 2010 local elections) promoting the material while working with Empower DC and a coalition of other long‐time stalwart DC based organizing groups to increasing voter awareness on the issues of Affordable Housing, Childcare Funding, the dismantling of the DC Public Education, and the selling of DC’s Public Property to private entities illegally made “surplus” by the local government officials. With The “Empower DC” Project Head‐Roc, for the first time completely putting his faith in the “The Movement”, began to realize sustainability as a staunchly independent and progressive artist. Head‐Roc received a high recognition award for his “Arts + Activism + Organizing =Change” community work from Empower DC during its heavily attended 2011 Annual meeting in Washington, DC.
February of 2011 saw Head‐Roc, going by Old Man Vance (Om V) in GODISHEUS, take home the 2010 Washington Area Music Award for Best Rap Group/Duo. Shortly thereafter, the International Brother of Teamsters contacted and commissioned Head‐Roc to write a “Battle Rap” for use in a heated contract negotiations campaign supporting local union workers against internationally owned Royal Ahold Corporation. The campaign was successful at winning 11th hour agreements to keep a major DC area food distribution center open and in operation – saving over 700 jobs. On June 23rd 2010, one month after his 40th birthday, Head‐Roc received the prestigious “I’ll Be There Award” from DC Jobs With Justice at the AFL‐CIO building to a packed house of top local and national prominent Labor movementfigures.
Currently, Head‐Roc is promoting his latest critically acclaimed release The “Empower DC” Project, working on the debut album for his Funk, Rock and Soul Band GODISHEUS (gotta‐see‐us), and is currently serving as the first ever Arts Ambassador for the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA). Head‐Roc is also the author of the frequent Column/Blog “Head‐Roc’s Mouth” published online.
by The Washington City Paper
