Hip-hop is a big-ass tree. The roots run deep. They're more permanent than concrete and asphalt. They'll outlast steel and grow through metal. The branches of the tree are vast and multiple. Many branches emit from the common trunk that grows from these roots. The branches of hip-hop are all the aspects that come with our culture.

Enter Bhangra and Bollywood - two types of music that originate in the Punjab section of India. Bhangra is roughly 80-90 beats-per-minute (BPM), and Bollywood is around 130 BPM. In the United States, Bhangra is the more popular of the two because it mirrors the same speed as American hip-hop, so MCs that rhyme over world music like to spit to Bhangra. A good example of this would be the Punjabi MC song with Jay-Z.

How does this global aspect of hip-hop impact Tacoma? Well, top name in Bhangra and Bollywood music in Seattle is none other than DJ Manpreet. He's from the Punjab section of India - and also from Tacoma.

Nine years ago while attending the University of Washington, DJ Manpreet scored a Monday night at The Baltic Room to spin Bhangra; the night was incredibly successful. Manpreet eventually locked down Saturdays for Bhangra, and he hasn't looked back yet.

Manpreet literally schools other DJs on how to spin Bhangra and Bollywood. If there's a Bhangra/Bollywood night going on in Seattle, more than likely DJ Manpreet hooked it up. The Seattle Times and The Stranger have actually named him "The Godfather of Bhangra/Bollywood in Seattle."

Manpreet named his night and his movement "I Heart Shiva." It's truly one of the most successful musical brands in all of Seattle. To get a calendar of events and original remixes from DJ Manpreet visit ihearshiva.com.

Just to bring it all home, DJ. Manpreet's younger brother, also from Tacoma, is R.I. Productions. He recently released his first Bhangra hip-hop album titled The Playbook, available on the iheartshiva website. The album is a mash-up of his original local hip-hop and Bhangra beats. It's a solid first effort from a young artist.

So realize how big our little backyard is. Right in our very own home we have the biggest Bhangra and Bollywood DJ in the entire region. Don't sleep on yourself!