The show has been just waiting to break loose from both the local and national hip-hop underground.

After two years of phone calls, contacts and conversations, Dominic Cochran of Urban Renewal Sound System is now just hours away from hearing, smelling and seeing his dream line-up play on the main stage of The Temple Club, 500 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing's Old Town.

"I've really been trying to throw a hip-hop show of this caliber in the Lansing area for the past two years," he said. "We've just been hustling around trying to get what we need and to work things out on a business level.

"The Temple wanted to work with us and finally, here it is."

With a concert line-up that includes nationally renowned members of the Wu-Tang Clan such as Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, Remedy and Killah Priest, Cochran said he wanted to have a nationally respected group which would pull in people but would also keep a local flavor.

"The theory was that there is a lot of people who know the Wu-Tang Clan," he said. "But we're also hoping that they will leave thinking about the area's local talent, too."

Local acts such as Binary Star's OneManArmy, Switch Stance, Cochran's own group Constant Progression, The Athletic Mic League, DJ Benny Ben and MCs Third Degree and SelfSez will all be performing to an expected packed house.

Club Manager Jerome White said he is adding extra security to assist with the show.

"Just because it's safer we decided to go in that direction," he said. "It's better to be safe than sorry with past problems which shows of that caliber have had."

White said the decision to accept the show - when other shows of the same genre have been left mainly venueless - was made based upon his trust in Cochran.

"I have a lot of faith in him," White said. "I've known and respected him for a long time.

"I've got high hopes for this show."

Cochran said the event could not have been pulled off without connections to underground hip-hop acts.

"The underground hip-hop community is way different than working with the commercial music industry," he said. "Things are more relaxed and cool."

Touring in more low-key clubs across the country, Wu-Tang Clan members Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, Remedy and Killah Priest have been hooking up with independent promoters to keep an intimate feel to their shows.

"So far the tour has been crazy," Remedy said. "It's been packed every night."

With 10 club dates already under the group's belt this month, Remedy, who was born Ross Filler, said crowds have been welcoming.

"We had 700 people fill a small club in North Carolina, a crowded room in Rhode Island and kids standing in minus-15-degree weather to see me play," he said. "That shows loyalty."

Ann Arbor-based Switch Stance, who came onto the scene in 2001 and won Best Live Performance at the DetroitRap.com 2002 Awards, will help represent the local scene tonight.

"We live for our live performance - that's what we're all about," Danté LaSalle Tucker said. "When we were contacted about doing the show we were immediately interested."

Tucker, a huge Wu-Tang fan and an even bigger Inspectah Deck admirer, predicts the show's intensity and the crowd's energy will be immeasurable.

"With the crowd it's gonna be really energetic," he said. "If the crowd is feeling it, we definitely will be."

Remedy, promoting his new album "Code: Red," said the tour is giving members of the Clan time to get their own projects together.

"Everyone is just out doing their own thing," he said. "My new album deals with life and the things we have to face.

"It's the 20th century. You gotta keep your ears open, you gotta pay attention."

Remedy's personal contribution of "Never Again" to the Clan's album "The Swarm," which reflected the personal loss Remedy's family suffered in the Holocaust, landed the group a major hit in 1998.

Other area groups are also using the opportunity to get set lists, albums and tours a jump start.

Switch Stance, who begins its Effective Method Tour in March, is using the chance to show off some material from its new album.

"We've been working together for two years and we've done over 100 shows," Tucker said. "'Making cents' will be released soon, so it's important for us to go out and support it."

Tickets for the show are $15 and are available at Flat, Black & Circular, 541 E. Grand River Ave. and Jam Music, 3928 W. Saginaw Hwy. in Delta Township. Tickets can also be purchased the night of the show, supplies permitting, at The Temple Club. For more information call (517)316-0400.