Rare Essence Celebrates 45 Years of Go-Go and Release New Song 'Hit the Floor' Featuring Snoop Dogg

Perhaps Go-Go music will never resonate with African American audiences outside of the DMV. It's really their loss. There's been a taste of Go-Go in R&B and Hip Hop songs heard on the radio here and there with Chuck Brown's "Bustin' Loose," "I Need Some Money," and the band E.U.- Experience Unlimited with Sugar Bear over the last 30 plus years. Their collaboration with Salt' N Pepa "Shake Your Thang" and their own "Da Butt" really just scratched the surface of what Go-Go music is. But an essentially innate African style of music originating in the Black community in America has been ignored by the entire country outside of the Washington, D.C. area.



And by the way E.U. took a lot of heat back in the day for going commercial and making music that was NOT Go-Go. (How can you mix Hip Hop with the Go-Go? Keep reading...)

Finally there is some national momentum behind a real Go-Go track that is not commercial featuring Snoop Dogg. "Hit the Floor" is a Go-Go song through and through from beginning to end. (The only problem: The song is too short!) The video snippet above is a behind the scenes look at Snoop listening to the final version of "Hit The Floor" for the first time with Andre "Whiteboy" Johnson of Rare Essence, Chucky Thompson (producer), and Uno Boss (co-writer). This is the music of Washington, D.C.




In celebration of Rare Essence's 45th Anniversary, WHUR's EZ Street talks to Andre "Whiteboy" Johnson and James "Jas.Funk" Thomas about their collaboration with Snoop Dogg. No doubt this song will be a major hit in the DMV. But will it get the attention it deserves outside of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia? 




Updated: Here is the official video.


Before we go we have to post our favorite Rare Essence track. From the 90's. You have to remember to always Lock It! .