Best Hip-hop Concerts

We can thank the Engine Room for giving traveling hip-hop shows a reason to make a stop in our city. Last October, the club hosted three consecutive hip-hop shows: the Rhymesayers Tour, starring Minneapolis MCs Atmosphere, Murs and Brother Ali; the Cali Comm 2002 Tour, featuring such West Coasters as People Under the Stairs and Lifesavas; and Definitive Jux's "Revenge of the Robots" Tour, with El-P, Mr. Lif and RJD2. For local hip-hop fans, this had to be the most beautiful month of their lives. Since that fateful October, the Room has successfully provided a stage for acts such as Prince Paul, Aceyalone and the Black-Eyed Peas. While the search for a proper full-time hip-hop spot wages on, at least the community can convene at the Engine Room whenever a tight club tour breezes through town.