If there’s any group of people that can truly tell this story, it’s Cool Kids Forever, Marcus Dowling, and the rest of the creatives that put this body of work together. Full synopsis below:

Cool Kids Forever Films and Black Market Management proudly announce the premiere of the trailer for the forthcoming documentary, “Almost to Awesome: The History of DMV Hip-Hop.” The film’s director, Cool Kids’ Adebayo Umoja, notes that the feature is “a compelling documentary that will take you through the evolution of DMV rap from the mid-’80s to the present day.”

“From Almost To Awesome” celebrates how America’s capital city has — through a fascinating series of events — spent four decades chasing its claim to a regional to global stake in rap music and hip-hop culture.

Five decades of notable DC Metropolitan area hip-hop culture luminaries have provided exclusive, honest — and sometimes untold — perspectives on the Nation’s Capital’s legacy in rap music. Included in this number are go-go and party legends like DJ Kool and DJ Flexxx, present era independent and mainstream rap stars Oddisee and Wale, nationally known radio and television personalities Joe Clair, P-Stew. and Peter Rosenberg, music industry executives like Kenny Burns, plus beloved names of the past, present, and future of DC rap, including Toni Blackmon, Tabi Bonney, Nonchalant, and DJs Bacon Bear and Malcolm Xavier.

As well, the crew behind the scenes includes an all-star team of well-regarded DC-based music industry professionals, including the film’s executive producers: Black Market Management’s 2Face The Don and Cool Kids Forever’s Backie Thomas. Handling story editing duties is award-winning journalist Marcus K. Dowling, while notable video director and creative 6ixShoota is also credited as a producer.

As hip-hop ages into its fifth decade of existence, Washington, DC — one of the vital formative centers of African-American musical culture — is on the cusp of being an awesome epicenter of rap music.