A head-to-head hip-hop homecoming

The brainchild of Seattle hip-hop artists, club owners and managers, the first Red Bull Big Tune tour finishes Thursday at Neumos on Capitol Hill.

"Seattle is where the program originated," back when it was a Seattle-only event in 2004, said co-creator and media liaison Jonathan Moore. Since then, Big Tune has gone national. "Bringing it back here for the finals is like a homecoming," Moore said.

Earlier this year, Big Tune held competition tour stops in Houston, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City. The winning hip-hop producers from those shows will play their best tracks at Neumos, hoping to outshine Seattle finalists Brainstorm (Dyme Def) and Sabzi (Blue Scholars). The winner is decided in democratic club style: audience noise.

Brainstorm's massive electro style is perfect for big club speakers, and Sabzi — overall winner at the Seattle semifinals — uses the format well, packing maximum drama into his dynamic beats.

Moore says the winner will be given producer tools — "hardware, software, monitors, all types of gear" — as well as the opportunity to make a song with a famous rapper: Redman, Talib Kweli or Young Buck.

Before and during the competition, production superstar Just Blaze and still-vital rap group De La Soul will perform. The event is emceed by Moore and local production pillar Vitamin D; DV-One will be the in-house DJ.

Andrew Matson contributes to Seattle hip-hop sites www.raindrophustla.blogspot.com and www.206proof.com. Reach him at matson.andrew@ gmail.com.