Go-go music is the soundtrack of Washington, D.C. Despite a four-decade history and a few national hits like “Da Butt,” by Experience Unlimited (E.U.), and “Shake Your Thang,” by Salt-N-Pepa with E.U.

For decades, go-go music has been the District’s most powerful homegrown cultural creation. But lately, its unique pulse has served as a flashpoint as much as a soundtrack. After a neighbor in a ...