After a five-month battle with stomach cancer, Maiesha Rashad, recognized for catapulting the reach of D.C.'s go-go groove to new heights and an increasingly diverse fan base, died on June 15.

Heralded as the "Queen of Go-Go" and the "First Lady of Go-Go," she led and managed her band, Maiesha Rashad and the Hip Huggers, infusing gospel and jazz to the go-go musical genre, topping off their songs with an old-school flavor — the grown and sexy swerve — that brought the group instant success.

A new arm of go-go would be formed — "grown and sexy" — with other D.C. entertainers joining Maiesha and her band including William "Ju Ju" House, Gregory "Sugar Bear" — both from the famed group E.U. — and Sweet Cherie Mitchell.

Maiesha and the Hip Huggers grabbed the attention of party-goers and at the same time relieved club owns of the negative connotations of go-go music during their era.

Her band featured go-go luminaries such as Sugar Bear, Ju Ju and Sweet Cherie playing old school covers that got crowds jumping when they laid down go-go beats for their final set.