Big Tune is back this Friday at Capitol Hill's War Room. There is no higher-profile competitive hip-hop event in Seattle.

It's hard to explain the Red Bull Big Tune beat battle to people that haven't been. It's not the same as a concert because no instruments are played, at least not in the traditional sense. And though its bracketed, head-to-head format is the same as the competition in Eminem's popular rap movie "8 Mile," Big Tune's not the same as a rap battle, because battlers aren't creating weapons on the fly.

Basically, producers show up with hard drives full of pre-programmed compositions, take the stage, play a beat, do a little dance (there's always a little dance), and audience members openly express how the music makes them feel. Like it? Holler. Hate it? Boo. No opinion? Mumble. That's it. Guys pressing "play" on machines and people making noise.

But once you're there, you get it.

"You want that closeness, you want to feel elbow to elbow," says Jonathan Moore, Big Tune co-creator. "It makes you feel like you're part of a community."

That's why it's back at the War Room, a split-level dance den with a sunken stage. Raised seating areas around the dance floor make the ceiling feel lower than it is. Covering the walls is art by Shepard Fairey, a favorite among people who buy expensive sneakers at hip-hoppy boutiques (Fairey also did the famous Obama poster).

But however luxurious the War Room looks inside, a basement party vibe remains, and that should go to enhance Big Tune's feeling like a wild throw-down.

Big Tune's grown from a Seattle-only event in 2004 to an eight-city tour (the 2009 finals are in Atlanta, in the fall), and its grand prize has grown from a small cash award to making tracks with rap superstars like Nas. Last year it became the BET TV show "Red Bull Big Tune: Road to the Finals," which 1.8 million people watched, says Moore, but its local impact is more immediate. At the very least, each year's fallout includes local stars born, controversy created, and dreams made real.

"There's dynamics and history and drama in each of its respective regions," says Moore, also the host of Sunday Night Sound Session, the only show on local "rhythm" station KUBE 93 that plays good music. "And that's dope."

Like Chicago's before, Long Beach's after, and every other Big Tune event, Seattle's is hosted by Moore and Vitamin D, the other co-creator. DJ DV-One will be cutting and scratching, making sure music stays in the air. The whole team will move the evening forward and officiate the competition. The event is rounded out with performances by "featured producers," established stars in the field that show up to non-competitively play their own beats and generally lord over all the young hopefuls. This year, Seattle gets a pair of West Coast heavyweights, Battlecat and DJ Quik, the latter of which just released an excellent album, "BlaQKout."

Locally, the competition's entered its "beloved tradition" phase, occurring annually and consistently galvanizing our local hip-hop community. All year, fans, industry people, and especially artists look forward to it.

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If you're still having a hard time conceptualizing Big Tune, here's a promotional video shot in Seattle last year.

Everyone's casually drinking Red Bull, no big deal.