Music

There's no shortage of Dirty South hip hop in Alabama. The booty-shaking dance music can be heard at a number venues in Anniston, whether it's a live performance or mix from one of the area's DJs. West Coast hip hop — the hard, gritty raps we know from artists like Snoop Dogg — can be overwhelmed by this crunk, and usually only makes its way across the country via CDs from major artists. Underground West Coast hip hop can be even harder to hear, especially if it's underground Asian hip hop.

Everything will be loud and clear tonight when the Asian Hip Hop Summit Tour makes a stop at Lucky 7 in Anniston. The show features a showcase of some of the premier Asian rappers on the West Coast, a showcase of local talent and a lyrical freestyle battle.

"The battle scene is really big in L.A., but it's not big around the nation," said Kublai Kwon, founder and executive director of the Summit. "The artists are going to bring some new elements of hip hop."

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Slideshow: Asian Hip Hop Summit Photos from the Asian Hip Hop Summit Tour that stopped in at the Lucky 7 Club.

Anniston is the seventh stop on the Summit's 27-city tour. They were originally scheduled to play in Birmingham tonight, but Kwon has ties to the Anniston area (his best friend in college's family owns House of Chen and Ono Grill), so he chose Lucky 7 instead.

"I really insisted the tour go through Alabama," Kwon said. "A lot of (artists) outside of Alabama are scared to go there — the stereotypes of the civil rights movement keep people away. I'm not doing this just for the Asian community, but for the state of Alabama."

One of Kwon's goals is to introduce a different kind of hip hop to the Dirty South. "West Coast sound has different rhythms, is more focused on the lyrics," Kwon said. "It should be cool, the cultural exchange."

Ali Shabazz, a local hip hop promoter who helped organize the Anniston show, agrees. "This is an interesting approach," Shabazz said. "We have artists coming through of a different cultural background, so we'll get to see how that translates into their songs and raps. We thought it would be refreshing and different for new voices to be heard, to get our local voices heard."

It's important for artists to listen to different kinds of music, even if it's all within one genre, Shabazz said. "Local artists who meet people from elsewhere broaden their perspective," Shabazz said. "We don't want our local artists staying so local that their lyrics die of social atrophy."

The showcase will feature Anniston rapper Ricko, Gadsden rapper Big Pimpin' and hip hop group KolorBlind (featuring Vietnamese rapper Mike Fam) from Birmingham.

The West Coast rappers include Dumbfoundead and Lyraflip, who were finalists in the 2007 World Rap Championships, and Youthinasia, a hip hop artist from Las Vegas. The showcase will also feature a scratch set from DJ DStrukt, of Los Angeles.

Area freestylers are encouraged to register for the battle. The finalists of the elimination tournament will battle against Dumbfoundead and Lyraflip.

Asian Hip Hop Summit

When: Tonight at 10 p.m.
Where: Lucky 7, 1206 W. 10th St., Anniston
How much: $5 admission, $10 entry fee for battle
Contact: 282-0799, bamahiphop@yahoo.com