Friday, April 9, 2004 | 8:34 a.m.
Hip-hop trio Dilated Peoples has steadily built a fan base over the past decade, evolving from an underground sensation into a commercial success.
Now the Los Angeles-based group stands ready to make its biggest splash yet with their third album, "Neighborhood Watch," which hit stores Tuesday.
Catchy first single "This Way" features vocal contributions by the industry "it" producer, Kanye West, who also tapped Dilated Peoples for the opening slot on his 30-date U.S. tour.
"The live show is our bread and butter, and we've been touring for years now," Babu, the group's DJ, said in a phone interview while driving in Los Angeles Wednesday.
"But now we're lined up with Kanye West, and he's just the dopest thing since sliced bread these days. On top of him producing and being on our single, having him put us on this tour opens us up to a new crowd, a whole other set of eyes and ears that maybe weren't hip to us six months ago."
Babu and Dilated Peoples' two talented MCs -- Evidence and Rakaa (aka Iriscience) -- open tonight's Kanye West show at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Doors are scheduled to open at for 7 p.m. for the all-ages event.
"Neighborhood Watch" features production by several big names, including the Alchemist (Nas, Mobb Deep), Rob "Reef" Tewlow (50 Cent, Fat Joe) and the aforementioned West.
Lyrically, the album's 14 songs range from comical ("I'm pulling girls off the bench like a sixth man" in "This Way") to somber ("When I was young, the neighborhood watched us get down on a cardboard box in vacant lots" in the title track).
That's a point of particular pride for Babu who, along with Evidence, produced several cuts on the album.
"I probably recorded about 85 percent of the lyrics myself," the 29-year-old DJ said. "The guys just need another ear, someone to 'yea' or 'nay' them. They need to be able to say, 'Did I do that well enough? Do you think I could hit it better? Did you understand what that rap meant?' "
A decade ago, lyrical concerns were the farthest thing from Babu's mind. The Filipino-American spent the first part of his storied career as a battle DJ, spinning his turntable magic at competitions and earning a reputation as one of the best in his business.
"Being with a rap group was the furthest thing from my mind," Babu (born Chris Oroc) said. "When I started moving up the ranks as a battle DJ, I was very inspired by Q-Bert and the X-Ecutioners, DJs that drifted away from the whole MC-DJ thing. They really lit the path for cats to say, as DJs we can go on our own tours and sign deals and make our own music without rappers."
A member of turntable collective the Beat Junkies, Babu starred on that group's 1997 debut, "The World Famous Beat Junkies, Vol. 1." He also released several solo efforts, including 1996's underground hit "Super Duck Breaks" (under the moniker "The Turntablist").
Once Babu came into contact with Evidence and Rakaa, however, he began to reconsider his decision not to DJ for a full-fledged rap group.
"As soon as I met Evidence and Rakaa, they definitely rekindled that flame in me," Babu said. "We all hit it off on the personal tip before we even knew that artistically and creatively we meshed.
"I think it was my destiny to be DJing with these guys. Any other hardcore underground hip-hop DJ like me would probably kill to DJ for two MCs like Evidence and Rakaa. I count my blessings every day."
And as those days have stretched into years in Dilated Peoples, Babu has discovered talents far beyond the DJ heroics of his past.
"I've found out that making music is a lot more than hitting buttons and hitting keys," he said. "You have to be able to step back and look at the bigger picture.
"The last few years I've really learned how to contribute more to the group without having to go and do crazy flare scratches for 10 minutes on every jam."
On sale
After selling out their Aug. 7 date, the reunited Van Halen has added a second Las Vegas show for Aug. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tickets are $65, $85 and $125 and are on sale now at the Mandalay Bay box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.
P.O.D. plays The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on June 18. Tickets are $23 and go on sale at noon Saturday at the Hard Rock box office and through TicketMaster.
George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic perform at the Palms' Skin Pool Lounge on May 21. Tickets are $25 and $30 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Palms' box office and through TicketMaster.
Maroon5 stops at the House of Blues on May 17. Tickets are $17.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through TicketMaster.
Cursive, Saul Williams, Planes Mistaken for Stars and Mike Park team for the "Plea for Peace Tour," which lands at the House of Blues on June 2. Tickets are $13 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at the House of Blues box office and and through TicketMaster.
The House of Blues' Courtyard hosts Pepper on May 26. Tickets are $13 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through TicketMaster.
Tickets for two other recent additions to the Courtyard schedule are on sale now: Jordan Knight on April 24 ($14) and Pat McGee Band on May 9 ($12.50).
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