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“I appreciate you.” That is the way it always is with Dior Ashley Brown. So when she sent out the invite to come hang out and photograph a video shoot, I and many other musicians and supporters did not think twice. You see, although not always spoken, this is the way it usually is in the DC music and arts community. We collaborate, we support and we appreciate each other. So after Travis Garner of DC’s The Experience Band and Show sent Dior the beat to the upcoming track My City, and even before he asked her to add a rap to it, she “had already written my verse.” After all, this is the city in which Dior grew up, studied at the legendary Duke Ellington School for the Arts, fought to empower all people but especially black women and girls, fine tuned her performing career as an EmCee and hip-hop artist, and founded the DC Music Summit to promote and support the growth of the music industry in the DC area. This is the city of which she is so proud and so loves. Of course she had already written her verse for My City. She had been writing it for years.
“What I have loved so much about my city is the cultivation of our culture−growing up seeing black businesses thrive. The apparel businesses were especially inspiring to me such as Madness, WeRone, Solbiato, and The Museum, who have continued to show how valuable individuality and Black ownership is. So I made sure my fit was authentic to the city that inspired me, raised me in a lot of ways, and contributed to the fighter I am today.”
– Dior Ashley Brown –
And Travis showed his brilliance by featuring Dior and other DC musicians including Jus Paul, Uptown XO, and his own Experience Band. Dior noted that she was happily surprised to learn that XO was on the track. “I have a line that is nod to him,” she said adding “I wrote it before I knew he was on the track. It was divine timing for sure.” Adding these artists not only enhanced the high energy and infectious groove for which the Experience Band is known, it also puts a solid DC stamp on the track. After all, the song is titled, “My City.”
Dior is a colorful and powerful woman whose presence around the city is as large it is on stage. This is indeed her city, but she welcomes everyone to join in her love for it—even an old, fat, white guy like me. “I really wanted to show pride for my city, the multilayers of our city.” And as always, she does exactly that.
My City and its accompanying video are slated to drop this June. The track is produced by Travis Garner with video by Watson Multimedia. Follow all of the artists on Instagram:
Thanks to all the musicians, artists and supporters of DC music who came out for the video shoot (I hope you like the pics). And most important… Dior, we appreciate you.
