Despite low turnout last year, Kurtis Blow will return to DC this year

Kurtis Blow pioneered rap music, holy hip hop, and now he is spearheading a movement to bury the "N" word in rap music lyrics. The rap grandfather acted as pallbearer for the burial of the "N" word during the NAACP's annual conference this week in Detroit. But when Blow brought his Hip-Hop Ministry Tour to Patricia R. Harris Educational Center in Southeast D.C. on June 28, only a handful of Washingtonians were there to hear his clean, holy hip-hop message."The black churches in metropolitan Washington, especially their youth ministries, dropped the ball," said Khalid Naji-Allah, a long-time Washington resident and admirer of Kurtis Blow. "There should have been more youth and parents over there. There were

The grandfather of rap and Barbara Jones, event manager, were, however, pleased with the turnout. "It was a spectacular outcome," Jones said. "Kurtis Blow said to me, 'You can have 10,000 people who don't understand the message, but you can have one person who understands and that's all that matters.'"

Blow was so pleased with the outcome that he came back later in the year. This time, the artist, was set to perform with an entourage that includes some of his "old school" friends.

But the show went on anyway. The audience screamed, clapped, sang, and jammed along to such signature tunes as "Basketball," "The Breaks," and "Rappers Delight."

"A good song is a God song," said Chris Flow, 38, from Louisville, Ky. who has opened shows for Master P, LL Cool J, Kurtis Blow, Eight Ball, MJG, the late Notorious B.I.G., Heavy D, and UTFO. The tour featured Kurtis Blow and the Trinity, with a solo by Noah.

Blow, a self-proclaimed "man of integrity," feels D.C. needs a transformation. "If you change yourself, you change your environment," he told the sparse audience. He believes "the kids are crying out for help."
Twenty-five-year-old A. Wood, a Washington rap artist, was among the inspirational speakers who shared his personal story. Wood is touring with Russ Parr in the Back to School Tour, which will be touring the country. They will be in D.C. on August 17.
Part of the tour's mission is to inspire all people, especially youth, to change and learn from their surroundings.

That message got through to at least one teenager who was sitting in the back of the concert hall. His mother had brought him to the concert because she didn't know what to do with him. Close to the end of the concert, Blow asked the teens and adults to pray with him. They did. The teenager told his mother he was ready to change - testimony to how Blow's concerts are inspiring teens to do right.

WPGC personality John Deadwyler who hosted the event said, "It's important that young people understand that you can be fly but still worship God."

LaDonna Kearse Summer 08'
School Without Walls 2010