Hip-hop dashes into D.M.
Excerpt:"Hip-hop dashes into D.M.
By KYLE MUNSON
RUNNING ON EMPTY
April 27, 2006
Bo James plans to collapse Sunday and, finally, sleep.
That's because the head of hip-hop entertainment group Launchpad DMI and a member of the Des Moines Music Commission will spend from today until late, late Saturday running a marathon of entertainment events themed to the Drake Relays.
His starting line tonight is at the House of Bricks, with loops through West Des Moines and Clive before he reaches the finish line.
"I like the fact it gives the nation a chance to come to Des Moines," James said of relays weekend. "Because when you're in Des Moines, there's not a lot on the club scene, especially if you're into the hip-hop demographic. We always have to travel to Minnesota, Kansas City, Chicago, Omaha to party. This is our chance for us to host those cities."
This year's relays hip-hop has a Southern, post-Katrina tinge. David Banner from Jackson, Miss., is the weekend's marquee name and helped fund hurricane-relief efforts through his own www.healthehood.com charity. New Orleans rapper Big Pick, who performs tonight, set up camp in Des Moines after he and his crew were scattered by the storm."