The American tourists aren't quite sure what to make of the 400 hip-hop heads who have just descended on the Dominican Republic's Paradisus Palma Real Resort. A gathering of DJs, music moguls, up-and-coming artists and established stars, the Mixshow Power Summit is an annual extravaganza of showcases, panels and playbacks set in a suitably lavish location. It's the sort of event where you can expect to see Kanye West talking tactics with Jay-Z by the pool or Redman racing around on a golf cart. A blinged-out Butlins, if you like. One of the most important forces in breaking rap acts in the US, key DJs including Clinton Sparks, Felli Fell, Cipha Sounds and DJ Drama are flown in to be honored at the Mixshow DJ Awards and to hear the latest rap records months before the rest of the world.
Four years ago, a track called Wanksta by some cocky young kid called 50 Cent was crowned the unofficial soundtrack to the Summit; months later he sold some eight million albums. In 2004, The Game and Kanye were the stars of the show, while last year saw the debut of Chris Brown, D4L and Three 6 Mafia, who scored commercial success with their single Stay Fly and went on to win an Oscar for best original song. This October, an entire region stole the spotlight. Known as Hyphy and hailing from Oakland's Bay Area, the synth-led staccato beats represent a culture that encompasses cars, clothing, slanguage, graffiti and dances like 'going dumb' and 'ghostridin' the whip'.
At a cocktail evening thrown by Jermaine Dupri, teenage quartet The Pack and elder San Franciscan statesman Mistah FAB stood far out from the crowd with their gleaming grills, oversized shades and Day-Glo painted T-shirts. Throwing their hats in the pool and miming, somewhat inexplicably, a variety of archery moves and driving maneuvers, the Bay Area crew cut a powerful pose. A day later when The Pack performed at their own party, their Vans track turned into a riot of trainer-waving and dreadlock-shaking as they shouted along to their soon-to-be-smash hit. With an incessant hook containing the words "Got my Vans on and they look like sneakers", it's pure genius. Even the bemused tourists look entertained. Fab, meanwhile, showed lyrical prowess with a triple-time freestyle over the theme tune to Ghostbusters in which he talked invariably about the overwhelming gun crime in Oakland and the advantages of riding on a yellow bus. Deriving from hyperactive, Hyphy is over 10 years old and was first coined on record by Bay legend Keak Da Sneak. While it may be far from fledgling, it's new to mainstream music ears and thanks to The Pack, Fab and artists like E40 and the now-deceased Mac Dre, it's about the most exciting offshoot seen in rap since crunk.
Also watch out for names like Mims, Willie The Kid, Papoose, Saigon, Atlanta group The Kadalack Boyz and D4L member turned solo snap king Fabo, who dresses as a mad scientist. Elsewhere, the DJs seemed impressed with the return of The Clipse and Petey Pablo, but it was Dipset rapper Jim Jones' We Fly High that was the undeniable hit of the weekend.