Review: The Science Hip-Hop Spin at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis

It’s hard to imagine a more frivolous column than the St. Louis Scene. I write about St. Louis bars and what makes them interesting so you – lushes and socialites – know where you want to spend Friday night. No politics, only beer.

In many of my reviews, I speak of a “diverse” clientele. Oftentimes, this diversity is relative. I’ll save you a detailed history of St. Louis racial politics, but the segregation of our city has a long and storied past. I’ll likewise save you a detailed history of music’s uniting influences (currently seen in hip-hop), but integration in music has a long and storied past as well.

Many see east/west-running Delmar Boulevard, from downtown St. Louis to just west of I-170, as the symbolic Mason-Dixon line of our city. It’s only fitting that a genuinely diverse crowd roams that line every weekend night in that hodge-podge of St. Louis culture, The Loop. Every Friday night in Blueberry Hill’s basement, this diversity reigns for The Science Hip-Hop Spin.

The scene … The Science Hip-Hop Spin is actually a weekly radio show, broadcast live from 10 p.m to midnight on KDHX 88.1. Founded in 1997 by Da Fly (D-Ex) and D.J. Alejan, The Spin’s roots trace back to 1986 with the debut of KDHX’s first hip-hop program, “African Alert,” which morphed into “Street Vibes” a decade later and then to its current identity. In mid-1998, The Spin went nuclear with a live broadcast from Blueberry Hill’s Elvis Room. Crowds grew weekly until The Spin moved to the larger Duck Room in 2000.

In 2003, packed crowds are a given. White, male, college-age patrons arrive first, usually filling the stage-side tables and bobbing their heads by 10 p.m. The crowd ages, diversifies and gets prettier (girls arrive) as the night progresses. Things peak at midnight, when it gets hard to navigate the floor to the bar or stage. At this point, there is no racial majority, but men slightly outnumber women. Ages vary from 21 to 30, with dress indefinably casual. I’ve seen shorts, jeans, skirts, camouflage, Rams and Cardinal jerseys, boots, flip-flops, Pumas and heels.

Music is the main draw, so most heads are turned toward the turntablists on the stage or b-boys poppin’ and lockin’ in front. Volume is loud enough to allow shouted conversations. It’s a damn entertaining show, particularly b-boy Nick Fury.

Over the course of the night, master of ceremonies D-Ex will hop on the mic for some vocal stylings. DJs Solo, Crucial, Needles, Agile One, Grocery and more mix, scratch and spin. I’ve heard old-school LL Cool J, Ice Cube and the D.O.C.; Jurassic 5 and Black Star; and obscure Tupac, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Outkast. As the night progresses, beats get more mainstream. The more mainstream, the more people dance. You’ll hear Pharrell Williams’ annoying high-pitch cooing two times or less the whole night – better than either of St. Louis’ main hip-hop stations. On unplanned random nights, national artists such as M.C. Lyte, Nappy Roots, G-Dep and Ali have hit the stage. The Spin has a definite buzz.

The look … Enter Blueberry Hill, turn right, head past the overflowing wall of Americana (“Hey, a picture of Joe Edwards with Tony Blair …”). Ignore the piped-in Starship song, follow bass vibrations tickling your feet, pay your $5 cover and head down to the cozy Duck Room.

Downstairs, it’s dark. You notice a stage with two turntables and mic stands and speakers hanging from the low ceiling. Fronting the stage is a piece of graffiti-tagged linoleum where the b-boys break. Spotlights and a disco ball add to the atmosphere. Five tables with chairs sit on each side of the stage, but few sit, as most people crowd the linoleum for a look. Vendors hawk their wares (mostly CDs and t-shirts) at a small table by the stairs. A small bar lines the rear wall.

For its Duck Room locale, The Spin doesn’t have “a look.” Sure, fowl decoys line the walls, but people don’t care. It feels like a house party in that what’s on the walls is irrelevant.

The drinks … Blueberry Hill’s beer list is quite extensive, but unfortunately most of the draught beer isn’t available downstairs. Pints of Bud Light, Fat Tire, Guinness, Schlafly Hefeweizen and Bass sell for $3.25 to $4.25. Pitchers are $8 to $11.50.

Bottled beer offers more choices. Stag is $2.50, Negra Modelo $3.75, Red Stripe $3.75, Woodchuck $3.75, Beck’s $3.75, Bud Light $3. Lower-end wines – Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and White Zinfandel – sell for $3.75.

Average-sized rail drinks are offered for $3. Call drinks are $3.50 to $6.

The reasonably priced nighttime grill menu can be ordered until midnight from a bartender. Head upstairs yourself for food pickup at the kitchen window. Fried appetizers are under $5, and the famous burgers are $5. The bar is always busy, though, so good luck even getting a drink in under five minutes.

The straight 411 … For hip-hop-mixing, scratching, breakin’ and the most racially diverse crowd in St. Louis, head to The Science Hip-Hop Spin.