Most hip-hop fans go to the parties, hit the clubs on hip-hop nights and never think a thing of it.

Francois Baptiste and Alvin LaCabe, however, are the guys who make those events happen with 3DEEP Productions, the 15-year-old company they started as students at the University of Colorado.

It's a juggling act: Running a business, keeping security tight, dealing with neighbors who don't want them there and trying to have fun amid it all. With 150 club nights with live DJs (primarily at Club Vinyl) and 15 major private or elite events a year, sleep is sometimes an afterthought.

When it's sweet, it's sweet.

During the NBA All-Star Game weekend in February 2005, "We had six of the hottest parties in Denver. They all sold out. Packed. No problems," LaCabe said. "We had some of the biggest stars you see on TV and in magazines. They were all at those parties. I mean, I took a shot with Marc Cuban. I'm a promoter from Denver and he's a billionaire. We gave each other a hug. Like, wow, that was pretty cool."

But a scuffle or rowdy behavior after a show can turn all eyes on hip-hop for the wrong reasons. Bronco Darrent Williams had been at a 3DEEP party earlier in the evening when he was killed. To some, that connects hip-hop with violence in Denver. Lacabe and Baptiste would not speak in detail about that night, but did address hip-hop's violent reputation.

"People blame hip-hop music for the way people act. But hip-hop is played in every single club, lounge," LaCabe said.

"If you don't understand the culture . . . it can be a little intimidating. And that's unfortunate to say but that's just the truth," Baptiste said.

Both understand the complaints some neighborhoods have about club nights: they end late, they can be loud, and leave trash in their wake. Competing promoters repeatedly target 3DEEP events to put fliers on cars advertising their own shows, resulting in inevitable trash.

"Fliers. People playing loud music at the end of the night," LaCabe agreed. "There's another problem: All these lofts are going up around the clubs. People move there, then complain about the clubs that have already been there."

"I don't think it's racial," Baptiste said. "Nobody hates hip-hop, in our opinion. They just can't stand the dumb (stuff) that happens with it . . . "

Maintaining a reputation

As Denver's biggest hip-hop promoters, their names are their brand. They make money when events are smooth. Trouble at a party means trouble for their reputations and their bottom line. LaCabe's father, Al LaCabe, is a former Denver prosecutor and now the city's manager of safety. The pair said that makes no difference in how they operate.

"The bottom line is we have a business. We love what we do. But it's wear and tear on the mind and the body and family," Baptiste says.

"A lot of sleepless nights, you know, trying to stay fresh and coming up with new ideas. And dealing with some of the problems concerts have," LaCabe said. "We gotta make sure that our events are tailored in such a way that we get those good people to come out, the people who want to have a good time, who had a hard day. People know when they walk into any party we have that we're at the bar, we're going to take care of you."

Both have extensive experience in Denver. Baptiste has hosted a mixtape show for six years on KS-FM (107.5), the powerhouse hip-hop station. Both worked for House of Blues Concerts for years before a recent takeover by Live Nation.

Artistically, "Denver's a little bit behind, but not that far," Baptiste says.

On the local scene "there are a lot of things going on, but I think what people are looking for is a Master P or a Puffy or something out of Denver, pinpoint that one person who is on BET or an awards show. I don't know if that's ever going to happen. But is music in Denver doing well? Yes," Baptiste says.

The recent success of rock bands such as The Fray, ironically, help hip-hop.

"The rock side is unstoppable," Denver native and record executive Big Jon Platt noted. "That's how you start a movement. Totally different genre, but the groundwork is the same. People can use that as a blueprint."

"Absolutely. Every region has a cycle. If anybody has any kind of brains out there you have to learn from the greats," Baptiste said.

"Rock music is definitely the staple here in Denver, but you can use those same tactics and build those kinds of relationships."

Changing times

"The hip-hop scene has changed. Back in the day when we'd do the Fox Theatre, you had people like The Fugees, the Roots, Goodie Mob, OutKast touring. And they crossed over to huge markets," Baptiste says.

"There's just not a lot of hip-hop out there that's going. There's not a lot of good packaging going on. It's so expensive to tour. It's not about the music anymore. People want to go out there and make a lot of money."

Ringtones, downloads and cross-promotion can make an act more money than touring, which has led to a sharp decline in live performance.

"This is the music scene in general. At the VH1 Hip-Hop Awards, Busta Rhymes accepted the best live performance. He said 'The kids out there don't understand what performing is like. Every time I go out there I go to tear down the stage.'

"There's just way too much access (to stars now)," Baptiste said.

"You looked forward to seeing them in concert to get that feeling of 'Wow, I've just seen a star.' Now it's commonplace."

brownm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2674

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