After a slightly flawed but excellent nonetheless One Scary Nite 2, expectations were high for the third annual installment of the "Deon Taylor Enterprises presents: One Scary Nite" Halloween party, which went down at the California Auto Museum Thursday night. Familiar attractions returning this year included "Mad Scientist" Jack Sparx with his Tesla coil, huge propane fireballs and deranged laugh, stilt walkers, fire dancers, go-go dancers and many bloody, gory "staff monsters" and zombies who shuffled around the venue with a vacant look in their eyes, grunting at passing partygoers. Absent this year were the red carpet and arrivals, the national musical act (last year it was Bell Biv D

The sun was still hanging lazily in the sky as an enormous crowd filed into Midtown's cozy Ace of Spades venue to see hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg Friday evening. The famed indo-puffing, gin and juice-drinking rap veteran is no stranger to the Sacramento area, as just only seven months ago, the "Doggfather" performed at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall to an enthusiastic college crowd. Now, hot off the heels of his 11th studio album, Doggumentary (which debuted at No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200), the rapper returned to show Sacramento he's still one of hip-hop's best in the game. The small venue filled up quickly, with a diverse crowd ranging from young to old, longtime fans to curious new fans. On

Watching the MC with the dreadlocks, the interracial couple, kids younger than 12, asians, blacks, whites and Hispanics congregated in the Washington Neighborhood Center all listening to the same music was a rare and inspiring sight. Today was the third and final day of the first Sacramento Hip Hop Congress Awareness Festival. The day was dedicated to a showcase of performances by open-mic artists, b-boys, DJs and street, conscious and hip hop MCs from Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as art displays. Bay Area musician Rahman Jahmaal and local musicians such as Skurge riled the crowd with their inspirational words. Jahmaal broke down the beauty in the art of hip hop. "