An Unlikely Concert

October 3, Ronald Reagan Building, Washington DC

Recommended Beverage:
Large quantities of wine

Music is a big hobby of mine, and it’s become a side job in that I’ve coordinated an area summer concert series for a decade and do some music writing. But never, ever, did I expect to hear—at my full-time job at a policy research institute—an 80s rapper perform.

But that’s exactly what happened one day, following an all-day conference on foster children in the Ronald Reagan Building, co-hosted by the organization where I work as an editor and writer and the organization Children Uniting Nations. I’d popped my head into one of the sessions and there, in our auditorium, sat this hip hop star in a red t-shirt and black hat. Wow, is that???

Then, that night, in a ballroom in the Reagan Building filled with corporate types, NGO reps, youth counselors, a senator, and an actress—among others—came a very unlikely concert with said rapper, that being Darryl McDaniels, aka Run DMC. I wanted to just yell out “Walk this way!” but kept that to myself; then he did walk my way and I shook his hand. Quite a thrill.

After several speeches, two stood out. Israeli Violinist Miri Ben-Ari spoke of how her parents were so poor they could barely pay the bills, but they always found a way to send her to music classes every week. And what an investment that was. She played with some recorded rap in the background and then played the funkiest Star-Spangled Banner I’ve ever heard, with so much passion and a tinge of anger, even. Was beautiful.

Then, barely months out of jail, a short lady with tall presence came to the mic. It was Lil’ Kim. Though she didn’t sing, she made a big splash. Owning up to her mistakes, she told the crowd that education offers opportunity for youth and helps them make the right choices. She said so many children have great talent but lack the right opportunities. It’s not so much what happens to us but what we choose to make of it and how we react to it all, she said.

Lil’ Kim has become a mentor for youth and said some have written her and said they believed in her even during times when she was struck by adversity, and more than ever she wants to give back. She had been a runaway, had been homeless, had to do whatever was necessary to survive on the street…But then a hip hop artist, the late Notorious B.I.G., entered her life and opened up opportunities for her and she hopes to inspire others the way he believed in, and inspired, her.

DMC then got up and spoke of the importance of giving kids opportunities and then busted into two rap songs, including the famous “Walk this Way.” The people-watching in this particular crowd while McDaniels was singing was absolutely priceless. And we even got a parting gift, a promo sampler from DMC's new album, "Checks, Thugs, and Rock & Roll."

Photo to come.