Jammin' In The Gorge -- Kube Concert Brings The Biggest Stars Of Hip-Hop To The Hot Summer Climes Of Central Washington

------------------------------- Concert preview

KUBE Summer Jam '99 with Naughty By Nature, Nas, K-Ci and JoJo, Outkast, Busta Rhymes, Ja Rule, Tyrese, Ginuwine, Digital Underground, T.W.D.Y., Blaque and Collin. 3 p.m. tomorrow. Gorge Amphitheatre, George, Grant County; sold out; Gorge Information Line: 206-464-2000, Ext. 7469. -------------------------------

With Smokin' Grooves down for the count this year, the Northwest gets one big shot to catch the ghetto superstars en masse and on tour. That's why the KUBE Summer Jam, organized by Seattle's only commercial hip-hop station, is one of the hottest tickets in town this weekend. After selling out the venue in less than a week's time, more than 20,000 ticket holders will be heading out to the sun-baked slopes of the Gorge, turning Interstate 90 into one long caravan of rides thumping hard with bass and rhyme.

This year, Summer Jam brings together a potent mix of newcomers and career revivalists. If you make it through the entire day being attacked by the heat and the raps, here's who you can expect to catch:

Busta Rhymes: After debuting with Leaders of the New School in 1990, this Jamaican Brooklyn native has broken away from the pack with his post-apocalyptic fashion sense, jerky, ragga-edged rap style and humorous vision. After guesting with seemingly everyone, from Tribe Called Quest to Missy Elliott, he's now heading up the Flipmode Squad and spreading his view of millennial decay with a third solo outing, "Extinction Level Event."

Ginuwine: Coming out of D.C. with a paralegal degree may not be the well-traveled route of your typical R&B star, but Ginuwine has made it work with his sexy bachelor image and smooth voice evocative of a tougher El deBarge. "100% Ginuwine" swelters with songs of seduction, promises of fine wine and fireplace rendezvous, and lots of needing you, baby.

Naughty By Nature: Responsible for the most overheard acronym of 1990, this threesome from New Jersey fizzled out of sight after being down with "OPP," but they're spending the present tense resuscitating their party-boy status with "19Naughty9: Nature's Fury." Their first single, "Jamboree," seems to be giving their career the kick to the booty it needed, eliciting those hands in the air, waving as if they just don't care.

K-Ci and JoJo: One-half of the freak-hungry Jodeci, the Hailey brothers have several years and two albums between them and their bad-boy past. Opting for sultry romance and even a song penned by their Momma, K-Ci and JoJo continue in the Vandross and gospel vein of love songs with "It's Real." Their current hit, "Tell Me It's Real," combines their penchant for heartfelt harmonies with a sound that's oddly reminiscent of Peter Cetera-era Chicago, but of course, with a lot more soul.

Nas: Blowing up Long Island with 1994's "Illmatic," young Nasir Jones emerged as one of the great ghetto poets the East Coast had to offer. With his unmistakably prolific flow, Nas' words shift a bit from the endless plague of street life to the problems and prizes that success delivers on "I Am. . ."

Blaque: Discovered by TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez, these three teenagers got some help from R. Kelly for "808," their current single. The only girls on the Summer Jam bill, Blaque also brings its positive lean to the lineup with its name alone, which stands for "Believing in Life and Achieving a Quest for Unity in Everything."

Ja Rule: Coming out for the Hard Knock Life Tour, this young, gravel-throated rapper bounces between Jay-Z and DMX's camps. Getting his verses in Jigga's smash hit "Can I Get A...," Ja Rule gets some solo stage time to show how hanging with the big boys has rubbed off.

OutKast: One of the brightest hip-hop releases of 1998, "Aquemeni" gave this Southern outfit its biggest single to date with the lyrical, political "Rosa Parks." The group's ensemble rap style amazes when laid on top of soul- and roots-woven samples.

Digital Underground: Jester kings of the hip-hop scene, East Bay boys Humpty Hump and Money B mix up P-Funk and Groucho Marx into nasty, slap-happy mischief.

Also on the bill are model-turned-R&B crooner Tyrese and Oakland crew T.W.D.Y. with Ant Banks, Rappin' 4-Tay and Captain Sav' Em.