Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

A D.C. Rapper's Love Song To A Gentrifying Hometown

By NPR Staff | NPR
Sunday, April 10, 2016

Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.

Tarica June walks through Washington, D.C. in her video for "But Anyway," a song examining gentrification in her hometown.

YouTube

Live in a place long enough and you'll see it start to change: new people in your neighborhood, new buildings reshaping an old skyline. Washington, D.C. is no exception.

Tarica June is a lawyer in D.C., as well as a local emcee, who writes and produces her own music on the side. One of her songs has received a lot of attention both in and out of Washington. It's called "But Anyway," and it feels like a nostalgic love song for the town she grew up in — that, due to gentrification, is a very different place today.

"One thing that I remember is that even if you didn't know all your neighbors, you would know, 'That person is my neighbor.' At least if you saw them, you would say hello," June says. "And you hear people say stuff like, 'Oh, nobody's really from D.C.' It's like, OK — I'm still here."

June says she wrote the song just driving around the District one day — and in the video, she surrounds herself with the landmarks of Petworth, the neighborhood where she was raised and still lives. As the music cycles between samples, June expands the focus of her lyrics, from gentrification to the prison industrial complex to racism to corporations. And though the song is rooted in local issues, June says she's received an overwhelming response from people around the country.

"People have contacted me from Oakland. Somebody on Facebook posted something saying, 'This could be about Austin' — which, I didn't even know things like this were going on in Austin. People have posted, 'This is just like Detroit,' or 'This is just like Brooklyn,'" she says.

June says pretty much all the feedback she's gotten for "But Anyway" has been good, sometimes unexpectedly so.

"I was expecting for people to have an issue with it," she says. "[But] even people who I guess would be the gentrifiers have said, 'Wow, this makes me feel differently about the way I interact with people in my neighborhood."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

View this story on npr.org


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

Eva, the hero dog, beats back a mountain lion that attacked her owner on a hike

Top California Democrats in a stalemate over gas rebates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

1 killed, 8 wounded in shooting at Southern California party

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.