The home is astir with several people watching the Thicke episode, released earlier that day.
Some of the production staff move briskly about the space.
Later that day .Paak tells the crowd that Brown is his biggest inspiration.
The living room wall at Noochie’s house bears the signatures of artists who have performed there.Farrah Skeiky for Rolling Stone
By the time I walk back outside, about 10 minutes later, the white tarp has disappeared.
I later learn that the fierce fall wind bent one of the poles holding it up.
The crew is undeterred, quickly finding a workaround.
After a year of recordingFrom the Front Porch, theyve learned how to roll with the punches.
And my hour-long discussion with Noochie reveals that its a trait hes been fine-tuning his entire life.
Im excited about it because a lot of people dont know what to expect.
I dont even know what to expect because this is uncharted territory.
No matter whos performing, the shows aesthetic feels like a true-to-home glimpse of the DMV.
Noochie grew up in southeast D.C. with his parents and five siblings.
He says his upbringing was spent closely following his father, Boobe, as he pursued his music career.
Even on an early Wednesday afternoon, the shoot feels like the place to be.
Noochie tells me his focus on community comes from his father.
Fat Trel, Shy Glizzy… he adds, naming two of the regions most popular rappers.
Hes also the designated PA announcer.
Eventually, the sound check is over and its time for the cameramen to record.
No recording, dont even put your phone up, just be here, Noochie implores the packed lawn.
He credits Shekspre for helping refine his songwriting, while Doe helped him learn how to work a room.
Im in Malibu, we at the SoHo house, he recalls.
Im just experiencing rich nigga shit.
Im like, OK.
He credits those fly-on-the-wall experiences with teaching him how to take more risks with his music.
You dont have to be bragging, you dont have to come up with shit, he says.
Theres so much stuff you done been through in life that you could talk about.
Though he was working a day job, he also kept on truckin with his music career.
Hed spend days on the road, hauling materials across the DMV while listening to beats and writing rhymes.
And in between shifts, hed make quick trips across the country to handle business.
Or I had to go to another city just for this weekend, just for the day.
Wasnt even really no plan.
Just whatever makes sense, whatever the goal is right now, thats what we doing.
Newly independent, Noochie releasedSneaky TapeandSneaky Tape 2.
The positive reception was instant, encouraging him to drop more weekly #FrontPorchFreestyles.
Noochie tells me one of his favorite pastimes is watching live performances on YouTube.
It was just like, I aint never seen no shit like this before, he says.
We in such a phone world, Noochie says.
People [are] swiping so much.
Thats how fast you got to get somebodys attention.
A TV time slot is not really the best thing any more.
But now I might get some heaters installed.
I feel like its a landmark now people should donate heaters and stuff.
During the shoot with .Paak and Cordae, theres no chill to speak of.
The crowd has trickled out a bit, but there are still plenty of people around.
Keyboardist Sean Miles is kicking a soccer ball with his son in a corner of the well-manicured grass.
The easygoing behind-the-scenes atmosphere is key to Noochies show.
And Grier is an entertainment industry veteran who helped Noochie learn the ins and outs of video production.
It felt crazy, but Im like, Fuck that, 1,000 people might like this.
They see it on YouTube and they know its a thing.
Nobody complains about it.
If anything, people come out and look.
So far, he says, the qualitys enticed the exact throw in of artist that we want.
(He even shows me a video of a verbal commitment from one of those acts.)
But he also mentions that hed love to have bands like Green Day or Living Colour perform.
When it come to where they shot at, they got to be here.
This is how it happened.
That was a clear indicator: Dont go nowhere, stay home.
He adds, D.C. has gotten behind us.
Go-go music is what helped propel it.
Me coming to rap on the porch, in here, at this house is so iconic and important.
