When it comes to hip-hop, I usually let my curiosity -- or my ignorance -- be my guide. But I didn't need to suspend my comprehension as much as I thought I might at Lovin' Cup Thursday night for Roc the Town 3.0. It was a non-stop barrage of MCs working it out over beats emanating from DJ Tim Tones' turntables.

Artists like Show Money, Los Monroe, Dungen, JD Riggz, and Moses Rockwell utilize a style that flies in the face of conventional music. In rock music, the beat is behind the music. These dudes rap behind the beat, sometimes way behind it. Call it slow-motion syncopation. It physically feels weird, especially when it manifests into a foot tap, hip shake, or head bob. It's fascinating, captivating, and unavoidable with its subsonic rumble and quake.

The joint was packed with the converted and convinced who interacted and participated with the MCs. I'd like to see some genre-busting with this scene and humbly bring its attitude, innovation, and style to something like the ROC City Pro Jam and help blow minds up and doors off.