DC Music Roundup: New Videos and Funky Festivals

The Chuck Brown Band in festival lineup and more

There's always something going on in D.C.'s music scene. You just have to know where to look. Case(s) in point:

1. The Third Annual D.C. Funk Parade kicks off May 7, but fundraising ends Saturday

Last year's Funk Parade exceeded its $15,000 fundraising goal and it's looking for a repeat this year. With just five days left, the parade has already raised $14,048 and is $952 away from reaching its goal. 

The full-day event starts with a parade that will groove through U Street and boasts "150 hours of live music," according to their Indiegogo campaign.

"We really believe that the heart of this city beats underneath U Street," parade co-founder Justin Rood told WTOP last year. The parade started in 2014 and brought together more than 25,000 people. 

2. Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and The Chuck Brown Band come together for the Summer Spirit Festival in August. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. 

The two-day festival spans the weekend of Aug. 6-7 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Maryland). Festival-goers can get a weekend pass or single day tickets. 

Erykah Badu headlines Aug. 6, while Jill Scott takes the stage Aug. 7 along with D.C. go-go greats The Chuck Brown Band. See the full lineup here

3. D.C. rapper Chaz French dropped a new music video for "IDK."

"IDK" is a melancholic, simmering track off of Chaz French's latest mixtape, "These Things Take Time." In the music video, life stands still on the streets of D.C. but French keeps on moving, mirroring the resilience of the song. Viewers from the area will recognize some local sights, like the Blind Whino's colorful former church in southwest D.C.

French worked with Virginia-based director Shomi Patwary, who has worked on music videos for Beyoncé, The Weeknd, and A$AP Rocky.  

Check out the music video and then revisit all of "These Things Take Time," relishing in the growth of D.C.'s hip hop scene. 

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