8 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
COVER STORY
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2002
Hip-hop community hopping out of shell
By Michael Vennard mwvennard@kansan.com Kansan Staff Writer
With recent and upcoming CD releases, tonight's disc jockey battle and tomorrow's B-boy battle, the Lawrence hip-hop community is making itself known this month.
"It's been around for years and years," Britton Kimler, a local DJ also known as 'That Guy Downstairs,' said about hip hop in Lawrence.
"Lawrence is notorious as a place where artists stagnate. Now it's starting to get more down to business. It's more organized. Lawrence is no longer a place where hip-hop comes to: it's a place where hip-hop comes from," said Kimler, a KU graduate and Lawrence resident.
Sounds Good and DJ Not a DJ both recently released recordings. Archetype and Approach both have recordings set for release later this month, on Oct. 16 and
Oct. 25, respectively.
Other events, including tonight's DJ battle at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., and the Project Groove Bulldog Battle tomorrow night at the Pool Room, 925 Iowa St., provide further evidence of hip-hop life in Lawrence.
Hip-hop programming on KJHK 90.7, a Web site and a handful of weekly events provide proof of local hip-hop's potential staying power. Lawrencehiphop.com, started by Miles Bonny as an mp3 site for local music, now features a discussion board and an events calendar to inform both fans and performers.
The Project Groove promoters turn the Pool Room into a hip-hop venue every Friday night. The Dynamic Duo spin records every Sunday at the Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St. Louise's Bar Downtown, 1009 Massachusetts St., features hip-hop DJs on Monday nights."Open
SEE DJS ON PAGE 9
Brandon Baker/Kansan
Andrew Rzyl, a.k.a. Beat Broker, turns tables during Open Deck night at the Bottleneck. As a member of Hip Hop Addicts, one of the three acts that performed Wednesday night, Beat Broker only spins vinyl.