Hear the Hip Hop

This music and food festival with a social conscience aims to make the world a healthier place, but the spotlight shines on concerts featuring today’s progressive and popular artists. People like Cardi B., Migos, Miguel, H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar bring their beats to the April event at RFK Stadium Festival Grounds in Washington, D.C. In the days leading up to the show, run a 5K, see artwork, listen to lectures and visit an incubator marketplace. The 30,000 tickets usually sell out, so buy early. Begin or end your trip by exploring monuments, museums and parks in the USA’s capital.

Creative people are drawn to the Apache Café in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s a place where you can eat flavorful soul food and hear amazing music during jam sessions or at open mic night showcases of local talent waiting to be discovered. Listen to the rhythms at the spoken word poetry party, and meet new people at weekly Art Mondays – Pangea’s Afrosocial event. Further explore this bustling southern city by touring major downtown attractions, learning about its place in Civil Rights history, visiting trendy neighborhoods and indulging in southern food served with a smile.

On the Lower East Side of New York City, enjoy a signature cocktail at the bOb Bar, where you’ll watch DJs spin old-school hip hop, R&B, reggae and dance hall tunes. Admire a rotating collection of impressive artwork by local and world artists on its signature brick walls. This is a cozy venue where dancing is encouraged and fun should be expected. Get there early to stake out a spot. It’s just one fun way to spend a night in New York City, home to five bustling boroughs, world-class restaurants, entertainment and around-the-clock excitement.

Each May, hip hop fans gather over three days in the sun to watch more than 120 music acts at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rolling Loud Festival has become the largest hip hop festival in the world. Imagine seeing artists like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Future and Wiz Khalifa performing on three outdoor stages in beautiful Miami, Florida. Consider splurging for a VIP Experience pass for access to exclusive viewing areas and other perks. Before or after the festival, head to South Beach for some Vitamin D or great people watching.  Also, don't forget to sample some authentic Cuban food on Calle Ocho.

Discover collaboration at its finest with the Baltimore Boom Bap Society in the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. The hosts, Wendel Patrick and DJ Dubble 8, bring in guests to join them in performing improvised hip hop shows once a month at The Windup Space. It’s an experimental show filled with classic and contemporary tunes, inventive lyrics and beatboxing, too. The performances feature an eclectic mix of musicians from throughout the city. Will you see a harpist or chamber orchestra? Of course. It’s a fitting mix for this progressive destination dotted with 18th century landmarks.

An appropriate soundtrack plays as tour guides drive fans to infamous sites around Los Angeles, California, on the three-hour “Hood Life Hip Hop” tour. See neighborhoods where gangsta rap legends of the 1990s like Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Suge Knight and Snoop Dogg lived and places where movies like “Straight Outta Compton” were filmed. Pose in front of the “Welcome to Compton” sign, see the Watts Towers sculptures and stop by Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. Buy a tour t-shirt as a souvenir to wear at home.

Reverse time to about 20 years ago, and hear the innovative sound pioneered by Robert Earl Davis Jr., better known as DJ Screw. Visit Screwed Up Records & Tapes in Houston, Texas, where you can buy mixtapes featuring the signature sound made by combining rap songs and slowing, or “screwing down,” the tempo so the rhymes are better understood. Davis died at age 29 in 2000, but his influence remains in Houston’s hip hop scene with a legion of followers known as “Screwheads.” The USA’s fourth-largest city thrives with arts, professional sports, museums and Space Center Houston.

A former casino that accommodates a crowd of 1,000 is a music hot spot every night of the week. The historic venue in Denver, Colorado, is actually two in one – patrons can move between shows in both the Ballroom and The Other Side patio. From balcony seating, view already famous performers, and those you’ll want to follow in the future. This is where legends like James Brown, Count Basie, Muddy Waters and Millie Jackson once performed, and the tradition continues with the beats of a new generation. By day, enjoy public art, craft beer and mountain views in the mile-high city.