TRACY -- A small group of teens heard the telltale opening thump of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" and wandered into the side room of the Stockton-San Joaquin County Library's Tracy branch.

At the front of the room, the Stockton break-dancing crew Suburban Commandos began their routine to the opening bass of the song, flipping through the air and spinning on their hands. Their performance was part of a hip-hop summit designed to attract young people to the library. [ photo enlarged ]

About 25 people attended the event.

The Suburban Commandos were followed by a freestyle rap and beatbox performance by E.J. "Da Beathoven" Rivers and Kenneth "Radio" Hughes. The duo kept their rhymes clean, avoiding the cursing and violence that marks some hip hop.

"I thought it was cool. It had no cursing in it, I liked that," said Carlos Gonzalez, a 15-year-old eighth-grader at Clover Middle School. Gonzalez was one of the teens who came into the room after hearing Kanye West.

Mark Fuller, 14, also an eighth-grader at Clover, added: "Their music was good; they're not talking about girls or partying."

Hughes said he was pleased with the attendance.

"It makes me proud to see the kids out here," he said, adding that the summit showed that urban culture was beginning to play a prominent role in society.

The summit, sponsored by the Gifts of Blackness Coalition, also featured presentations by poets and Stockton graffiti artist Stanley "Stan153" Pratt, as well as a panel discussion about issues associated with urban culture. The Gifts of Blackness Coalition works to attract Black residents to the library and educate the community about Black history and culture.

Brianna Beahm, an 18-year-old senior at Tracy High School who hopes to be a singer, said the summit showed her the link between hip hop and other musical genres, like pop.

"It was very educational," she said. "I was able to feel the music."

Pratt said he believed the summit demonstrated that urban culture was making headway in the area. Too often, San Joaquin Valley law enforcement authorities try to discourage break-dancing, hip-hop performances and graffiti art, he said.

"Just the fact that it's being held in the San Joaquin Valley is fantastic," Pratt said.

The summit, like all Gifts of Blackness programs, was funded using a portion of a $25,000 state grant that expires June 30. Peter Barrett, a spokesman for the Tracy African-American Association and a member of the Gifts of Blackness Coalition, said he hopes the summit can be held again next year, even though the grant money will be gone.

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* To reach reporter Ian Hill, phone (209) 943-8571 or e-mail ihill@recordnet.com