DC-bred hip-hop artist Tarica June premieres music video for the politically inspired track “But Anyway,” a thoughtful and refreshingly honest take on DC’s current wave of gentrification. Over a patchwork old school track that utilizes the nostalgia of songs by Suzanne Vega, Eric B. & Rakim, and P.M. Dawn, “But Anyway” cleverly illustrates the pangs of a city in deep socioeconomic flux. The video, Tarica June’s directorial debut, is a colorful and celebratory collage of shots on the streets of her hometown that serves a dual purpose.
“Everybody knows that DC was the site of a crack epidemic. I definitely witnessed that growing up, so I won’t discount that. But there was also was a very potent sense of community here,” she says.
This single follows her performanceat “Occupy the Justice Department”–a rally for Mumia Abu-Jamal in 2013, where she received one of the most humbling honors of her young career.
“Paradise Gray from X Clan just came up to me and told me to come with him. He just grabbed me and pulled me through a crowd of all these people. Then I look up, and I’m standing in front of Chuck D,” she recalled.“He told me that he loved my performance and was really supportive.”
The searing track “But Anyway” prompted an invite to perform for the delegation of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Her upcoming Stream Of Consciousness EP offers listeners an even more intimate peek into the mind of Tarica June with subtle hints about her forthcoming album.
