"Before I got here, I talked to folks who said the scene was lame," says McClinnahan, a Washington, D.C., native who deejayed in North Carolina before coming to Vegas last year. "There is talent here, but you have to weed through all the b.s. The powers-that-be don't want to show there's a hip-hop or 'hood side to Las Vegas. Hip-hop has a bad rep, and we want to change that."
And he considers Platinum Sound Lab the musical equivalent of a weed whacker. Previously a popular recording spot for rockers and for film editing, Platinum has been transformed (thanks to a $1.2 million infusion from a benefactor who goes by the name of Doc) into a recording studio primarily for hip-hop and R&B artists, though they don't discriminate. McClinnahan says city officials have approached him about creating a hip-hop theme song for Las Vegas. His partner in production, DJ Vudu (aka Matthew McCallister), says Wayne Newton recorded there to prep for singing "Viva Las Vegas" to open the NBA All-Star Game. "We don't want to just be a studio for young thugs," says McClinnahan.
Giving him confidence in Platinum are his industry contacts—as a DJ, he rubbed elbows with hip-hop blingerati—the studio's facilities (two fully equipped studios) and McCallister, who's earned production credits on joints from the likes of Usher, Chingy, Ruben Studdard and Ludacris (Luda's Grammy-winner Release Therapy).
"We're trying to get big names into the studio ... people with good management and budgets," McCallister says, revealing that singer Tyrese stopped by during All-Star Weekend. "We can't mention [more] names right now because their projects haven't come out."
McCallister plays some local beats—R&B and hip-hop. His excitement is palpable, almost contagious. He can't stop moving: bobbing his head, smiling, standing up, pounding his fist into his palm to emphasize a point. Diddy would be proud.
"We're offering 10 hours of studio time for $500. With the type of equipment we have and the sound you're going to get ... no one in town is offering that," he says.