Purple Popcorn

Some bands try for crossover hits, and some throw Hail Marys from 60 yards out. Purple Popcorn would fall into the latter category. The Miami-based hard-rock/rap act is headed up by Danny "Styles" Schofield and Winston "Blackout" Thomas, the same pair who produced 10 of the songs on Shawn Mims's "Music Is My Savior" LP, released earlier this year. Near-universally reviled by hip-hop purists, the album was nevertheless a Billboard smash, with the hit "This Is Why I'm Hot" (one of Styles and Blackout's production assignments) rocketing to number one on the Hot 100.

The band has some breathtaking material. Combining the nu-metal sounds of Sevendust, the subterranean indie-prog of Minus the Bear, and Tupac-influenced rap, the songs treat each genre with great respect. But will the bandmates be able to sell their hip-hop base on the idea? "We feel like our hip-hop fans will cross over inevitably because that's how we feel music is going," says guitar player Brandon "Bizzy" Hollemon. "We'd like to have a hit on the hip-hop radio stations of the urban market and songs playing on all the rock stations at the same time."

But — ahem — hard rock at Jazid? "We chose Jazid for our first local show because it's got a nice, small, intimate setting," says Blackout. "We wanted to feel close to our fans so they can really feel the music."