It's a sunny afternoon in Columbia, and the smell of seven sweaty dudes crammed into a tiny basement room to play music is a sharp contrast to the fresh spring air outside. But inside, there is a different kind of freshness in the beats and rhymes of a few up-and- coming stars of the local hip-hop community. The funky bass lines and smooth rhythms of The 40 Thieves provide the accompaniment for the MCs of Thieves' Guild as the two groups collaborate and prepare for a showcase of local hip-hop happening tonight at Mojo's.

Hardly known as a bastion of urban music, Mid-Missouri has a growing underground movement full of enthusiastic and diverse young people who are coming together to build the burgeoning local hip- hop scene. At the center of that scene is a weekly event called Mad Real Mondays at Sapphire Lounge. That's where local MCs - including Danny Randerson and Colin McKenzie of Thieves' Guild - have a chance to show off their talents to a roomful of music lovers.