Kevin “Kato” Hammond is a Media Mogul and Musician. He is the owner of Take Me Out To The Go-Go, Inc. (TMOTTGoGo), which comprises Take Me Out To The Go-Go Digital Magazine, TMOTTGoGo Radio, TMOTT Website and Graphic Design, and Otakcity Publishing. The TMOTTGoGo brand gains attention from outside media outlets for its designation as “the official gateway to a Washington, DC music culture.” Such magazines as Vibe has made Kato Hammond and TMOTTGoGo a significant source of information about the Go-Go music culture. Hammond’s history as a musician includes serving as Lead Vocalist and Guitarist for Pure Elegance, Little Benny and the Masters, and Proper Utensils. Born in Washington, DC, Kato grew up in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, and attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC and Bowie High School in Bowie, Maryland. As a child, he performed in DC area organizations such as CUE (Children’s Urban Arts Ensemble), Bren-Carr Dancers and The T-N-T Poppers. Hammond is also an BangDrums2award-winning playwright. At the age of 17, he wrote a play entitled Buddies that listed in the finalist division of the Young Playwrights Inc. Young Playwrights Festival at the Public Theater. This play was performed Off-Broadway and starred Denzel Washington, Anna Maria Horsford and Michael Wright, all of whom were lesser known actors at the time. Today, in addition to managing multiple ventures, Hammond serves as a Language and Arts Educator for Teaching for Change and Drummer for Chantilly Baptist Church. Hammond resides in Northern Virginia.

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” Fan-Made Movie Trailer Released

Back in 1990, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s pilot episode aired to high ratings and critical acclaim, and now almost thirty years later the show is still revered as one of the best sitcoms in the history of television.   For that reason, it’s not surprising that the iconic show has continued to be referenced in pop culture more than two decades since its series finale.  Anybody who knows me personally also knows just how much of a fanatic of this show I have always been.  And now a fan-made film trailer has taken on the story with an entirely new modern twist.

Released on Sun Squared Media‘s YouTube page, the film stars actor Jerry Madison as Will Smith, the street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who’s sent to move in with his wealthy aunt and uncle in a town called Bel-Air.

Within the 3:37 fan-made trailer, director, cinematographer, and writer, Morgan Cooper, depicts the comedic dynamic of the series in a much more serious tone, while emphasizing the more dramatic elements of a young man experiencing a culture shock far away from home. Meanwhile, while seeming to follow the main plot and storyline, there’s also plenty of modern references to indicate the story is being told in the present day, with Smith wearing a “What Would Meek Do?” sweatshirt as a prime example.

Source: YouTube

A Go-Go Detour Uptown Through Washington DC’s U Street Corridor

The Go-Go music culture has been added, among many other cities across the world, to Detour.

What exactly is Detour?

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Detour is a beautifully produced GPS audio platform app for location-based audio experiences. This particular app, which is available on iOS and Android, takes you on walks beneath the surface of cities around the world revealing what makes each city unique, covering history, culture, art, food, and features incredible storytelling and narrators from these cities.

handdetourapp22Among the 150 tours that it provides is a guided virtual walking tour of Washington DC’s U Street Corridor and Go-Go music’s history, that helped it overcome the devastation of the ‘68 riots. The walk, which is narrated by Kato Hammond, takes you from St. Augustine’s Chapel to the Howard Theatre, hitting spots in between, such as the Reeves Center, Meridian Hill Park (Malcolm X Park) Ben’s Chili Bowl, Industrial Bank, Lil Benny Way, Masonic Temple, Lincoln Theatre, The African American Civil War Memorial, 960 Club, Chuck Brown Way and much more. Also included in this virtual tour are stories from Andre “Whiteboy” Johnson (Rare Essence), Charles Stephenson (The Beat) and Virginia Ali (Ben’s Chili Bowl), and features notable music from Rare Essence, Little Benny and The Masters, Ivan Goff, Jas Funk, DJ Flexx and DJ Rico.

For more information and preview, visit HERE!

Attending the 10th Annual 2017 Erin Peterson Fund Gospel Celebration of Life

Taking a weekend trip through West Virginia. Then ending it by attending the 10th Annual 2017 Erin Peterson Fund Gospel Celebration of Life, featuring Isreal Houghton and New Breed and hosting by Jacquie Gales Webb, in memory of Erin Peterson, the young lady who was among the 32 students tragically taken away from us during the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007.

The Erin Peterson Scholarship Fund is a non-profit organization that has given away more than $180,000 in scholarships and grants in honor of the life and legacy of Erin Peterson. For more information on how you can make contributions, visit: http://ErinPetersonFund.org.

A Day In The Life

Spend the day with me as I take little time out to bring you along one of my daily activities.  Putting in some voice over studio work today.

When one door closes, OTHERS open!

When one door closes, OTHERS open!

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Music played in this clip:
• “Darling Ranch” by Jingle Punks
• “Get Back” by Silent Partnet

Me, My Kids and Childish Gambino

Kids keep you in the know of things in the pop culture world.

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Music used in the clip:
• “Saturday Groove” by John Deley
• “Get Back” by Silent Partner

Partial illustration in thumbnail by ZackBobBob

How To You Build A Strong Community

It is our obligation to use our platforms to help others. (watch video clip below)

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Music used in the clip:
• “Get Back” by Silent Partner
• “Hey Girl” by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena