Vaudeville Cabaret used to be the place for punk rock shows throughout the week, but things have changed in the past year or so. Rap is now being integrated into the mix. It's a hip-hop revolution, and you're invited.
Friday nights at the Downtown club mean "Ill Styles," a dance party that's full of booty-shaking, cheap drinks and amazing music.
DJ Deeko, of Tucson's hip-hop crew the Jivin Scientists, along with DJs Aler and Triton, spends his night spinning old- and new-school hip-hop, funk, R&B and soul. It all meshes like peanut butter and jelly with the crusts cut off.
I walk into the club as Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Nuthin But a 'G' Thang" plays loud. At first glance, the red walls and Americana artwork celebrating Jeffrey Dahmer, alternative rock band Nashville Pussy and Neil Young make the place seem like an odd venue for a hip-hop party. But then a patron with a cane pimp-walks by, and it all makes sense.
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The music is a booty-grinding mix of classic old-school, underground and contemporary hip-hop (OutKast, Notorious B.I.G., De La Soul, Nas, Mos Def, etc.). .
Vaudeville gets more and more crowded through the night until more than 100 bodies are gyrating in the narrow venue, making it impossible to dance without spilling your drink or bumping into someone. An exciting surprise, drum and bass emcee Shaun Harris freestyles over Deeko's musical meshes, and break dancers practice their moves in the middle of the dance floor.
"Deeko is one of the best party rock DJs in Tucson," said local KFMA DJ Pete McNair. "He's killin' it right now."
The centerpiece of Ill Styles, Deeko certainly killed the other night, making the evening a ghetto-fabulous time.
As for the crowd, it has a unique vibe, one not found among other Downtown venues. It is full of 20- and 30-something fans of hip-hop, good times and affordable drinks. The vibe is easygoing and laid back, an atmosphere where your biggest worry is where you were going to park Downtown.
Expect to see some big names within the Tucson hip-hop scene. But mostly, Vaudeville on Fridays is the place to go when you want to dirty-dance to Biggie.
As an added plus, the televisions above the bar were playing "Pulp Fiction." The TVs come in handy because it takes at least 10 minutes to get a drink.
And that's the thing about Vaudeville on Fridays. It's packed tight with rap fans who will tell you that hip-hop is not dead. Not just yet.
• What: Ill Styles featuring DJs Deeko, Aler and Triton.
• Where: Vaudeville Cabaret, 110 E. Congress St.
• When: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays; 622-3535.
• Cost: No cover, 21 and older.
• For more information: www.vaudevillecabaret.com.
