Inside D.C.’s New Go-Go Museum and Cafe Celebrating Black Music's Past and Present
Exploring the history of the funk-inspired music genre, the new institution aims to celebrate Black culture and history while empowering the next generation
To anyone familiar with the District’s deep history with go-go music—a rhythmic, energetic subgenre of funk— stepping foot inside the museum is nothing short of nostalgic: black-and-white photos of music legends cover the walls, familiar beats rattle through speakers, and guests’ excited chatter fills the building’s interior. But uninitiated visitors can expect to learn a ton here, too—not only about the music and artists, but about the local community’s history with political and social advocacy too. Created by Don’t Mute D.C. founders Ronald Moten and Natalie Hopkinson, the brand new Go-Go Museum & Cafe has been cited as the world’s first archival gallery of its kind.
Five years after Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Go-Go Music of the District of Columbia Designation Act of 2019, influenced in no small part by Don’t Mute D.C., the museum opened its doors in the historic Anacostia neighborhood back in February. The 8,000-square-foot building has been decked out with interactive exhibitions, a cafe, a recording studio, an outdoor performance stage, and hundreds of artifacts not limited to vintage concert posters and streetwear clothing. There’s also a cafe, with a menu by Afro-Latina chef and Chopped finalist Angela Bethea, who also works as a personal chef as Angela Rose, that explores and celebrates street food across the Black diaspora.
What is go-go music?
Go-go music is famous for its conga-driven beats, call-and-response interactions with live audiences, and rhythmic jazz, funk, hip-hop, R&B, and Afro-Latino melodies. One of the most visible artists who became known as the godfather of go-go was Chuck Brown. While there isn’t a firm consensus on the exact year go-go was created, historians and multiple published works cite the 1970s as the broad timeframe during which the genre was created and rose to popularity. “Go-go was infused with the culture of our ancestors,” Moten said, noting that the call-and-response was “something that our ancestors used to do.”
Moten dubbed go-go music the "lifeline of the city" that "sparked the economy" in the 1970s, during a period of civil and economic unrest "when no one wanted to be there," while Hopkinson described the genre as "a portal of joy, community, and connection" for D.C.'s Black population.
Once it became a local staple, it helped cement the city’s cultural identity at the time, bringing together daring fashion choices from musicians and partygoers alike, pioneering new musical flourishes, engaging audiences in new ways, and more. Since 2019, efforts to commemorate this history have intensified.
What can you do at the Go-Go Museum?
Spanning two stories, the museum pays homage to the “Godfather of Go-Go,” bandleader and musician Chuck Brown, and the artists who also gave the funky, soulful subgenre life, including bands Trouble Funk and Rare Essence. “Most of the bands were either formed in school or they learned to play music in the school, Moten said.
The exhibitions include an interactive touchscreen with a sequencing timeline of go-go’s progressing popularity that began in the 1970s and peaked in the 1980s.
An audiovisual exhibition features a catalog of original go-go tracks alongside sampled tracks that visitors can listen to and compare to see how the genre informed the artists it preceded. Avid fans of the many genres that contributed to this style of music, might be surprised to discover that a handful of songs I grew up believing were independent compositions were heavily go-go inspired, like Nelly’s “Hot In Herre.”
But the Go-Go Museum’s exploration of the genre’s cultural impact doesn’t stop with sound. For fashion lovers, a section showcases the local streetwear brands often sold at go-go concerts, like H.O.B.O. “Those designers started selling clothes at the magnet shop out of the trunk of their cars at go-go [concerts], and it blossomed into a multimillion-dollar business.
Who are the founders?
Don’t Mute D.C. was born in 2019 as a social movement challenging gentrification and racismmore than 20,000 Black Washingtonians have been displaced.
This organizing effort also explored how residents have long used go-go music and other art forms endangered by these issues to document and process their communal struggle. The movement ultimately led to policy changes that protected the genre’s future. “That movement, it gave Black people in DC a [kind of] victory that we haven't had in a long time,” Moten says. “From that victory, policy came to empower Black people.”
“Seize the moment of being able to shape the legislation that made go-go the official music of DC,” Hopkinson credited Moten for striking the iron while hot, making swift moves to solidify their launch plans. In February 2020, a telethon fundraiser for the museum further cemented the duo’s decision to move forward with the concept. Teaching at Howard University at the time, Hopkinson was ecstatic to witness the telethon’s successful turnout and overwhelming support. “People were excited, people were pulling over, people were donating money…it just felt like the idea got validated at a really important level,” she said. The museum also received more than $2 million in city grant funding.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s Music Curator Krystal Klingenberg agrees that the Go-Go Museum & Cafe. “There’s something to be said for the music of Chocolate City,” Klingenberg said. “Go-go is the sound of the local folks,” and “[it’s] such an important part of the soundtrack of Washington, D.C., that it’s super exciting that there’s now a museum.”
How do I go? What events are coming up?
For D.C. locals, admission to the museum is free with a valid state ID, while non-residents can pay a $15 suggested donation.
At the beginning of the year, the museum launched a countdown to its forthcoming “50 Years of Go-Go” initiative, slated to kick off in January 2026 to celebrate the genre’s 50th anniversary. Throughout the yearlong countdown, the museum will host a series of pop-up exhibits and special events.
The museum plans to host an upcoming Afro-Latino musical event to host a conversation about Afro-Latin’s influence across genres. “Chuck played for a Latin band called Los Amigos before he started go-go,” says Moten. “That’s why go-go is heavily influenced by Latin percussion, as well.” The museum is also working on a Juneteenth celebration for 2025.
After years of studying go-go and laying the groundwork for this museum, Hopkinson was most satisfied by the chance to create an ode to D.C.’s indigenous musical form and “seeing young people interacting with and learning about go-go music,” she said.
They hope the museum empowers the next generation of musicians to keep go-go’s cultural and musical legacy going. “We just had four schools over the last week, and we have almost 150 schools that want to do tours,” Moten said.
Members of the DMV community have said they’ve felt especially thrilled with the museum’s launch and the chance to help usher in a new era for the genre. More than 50 Washingtonians have already offered to host group tours, according to Moten. HuffPost deputy editor and Washington Association of Black Journalists president Philip Lewis recently hosted an event for WABJ members at the museum.
“Having a museum that focuses on go-go and D.C. culture is important for the youth, specifically,” Lewis said. “[It] dispels the myth that the only thing worth discussing in D.C. is what’s happening on Capitol Hill. [...] I would encourage visitors to add [this cultural destination] to their list of things to see in D.C. if they want to experience the true spirit of the nation’s capital.”