Until recently, the Hurricane devoted Saturday nights to the greasy Southern rap known as crunk. When that party ended, hip-hop heads were lucky that the owners of Kabal had long coveted the Hurricane's crunk night and were ready to snatch up DJ Mike Scott and DJ Just. "We've wanted them from the get-go. They have a huge following," says Kabal co-owner Siamack Zahabi. The DJs' bass-worshipping audience has moved with them. Turns out the River Market is well-suited for the grimy beats and urban crowd. On Tuesday nights, the crunk pair plays Kabal's dimly lighted downstairs. (Since it was remodeled earlier this year, Kabal's basement resembles the inside of a stomach, with plush seats encased in a hallway of padded, undulating walls.) Folks cruise to the jaw-grinding beats and mouth the lyrics to songs about strippers and sex; clubgoers might encounter icy jewelry and icier stares. If it gets too chilly, they can find refuge in the music upstairs, where DJ Soda plays dance hall and reggaeton. The combo is as perfect as a Red Bull-and-cough-syrup cocktail in a diamond-encrusted chalice.
