As far as the masses are concerned, vinyl records were eclipsed by tapes decades ago. But records still hold a special place in hip-hop culture. Producers use them to "sample," which is to cut brief segments out of a record and piece them into a beat - a common method made mainstream by producers like Kanye West and Just Blaze.

These days, finding rare records is a hobby all in itself  - one many in Tacoma call their passion.

Tacoma is home to many avid record collectors, many who also happen to be hip-hop producers. "I think Tacoma is a pretty good place to be a collector," says Todd Sykes, local producer/emcee and one third of the group City Hall. "For the size of the city that it is I don't think there are a lot of people digging for records."

House of Records is widely considered the epicenter of record exchanging in Tacoma. "Everybody goes to House, that's the best place," explains local hip-hop producer DJ Semaj. "Pete, the owner, has that knowledge and the love for records."

Semaj says the expertise and collection of Peter Vanrosendael makes digging at House of Records on Sixth Avenue an experience unlike any other in Tacoma. "When I walk into his shop I can tell the love and the passion he has for it," says Semaj. "He's straightforward. If I ask about a record he'll probably know about it and if he doesn't he will look it up."

While record stores remain an integral part of digging, collectors also take pride in the not-so-well known places they find rare records.

"My favorite spot to go that cats didn't know about was the swap meet," says Semaj. "The guy at the swap had a tiny section, but he had everything from old European records to funkadelic rock ... everything." However, hunting for records at the swap meet did have its drawbacks. "The thing was you couldn't listen first because he didn't have a listening station, so you had to go in with knowledge," Semaj explains. "If you didn't you were going to drop ten (dollars) on a record you were never going to listen to."

Sykes prefers to hunt for records at local thrift stores. "I try to hit a thrift store every day," he says. "The Goodwill outlet on Tacoma Avenue always has records." Although one of his favorite spots, Sykes explains that the Goodwill outlet can be a competitive place to dig. "A lot of people who buy records go there," he says. "It's kind of competition, people will just camp out there all day and hoard records."

Semaj says that he and other hip-hop producers love vinyl because of the history and originality. "Our moms, dads and grandparents had nothing but records, so when hip-hop producers were growing up that's all we knew was music on vinyl," he explains. "I think the essence of records is the time that gets put into (making) them, I can't go home right now and make a vinyl record and sell it to you."

There is an annual record conference in Tacoma and many more in Seattle, and private collectors often sell to one another, but Sykes and Semaj try to refrain from buying from collectors. "Part of the fun is finding a rare record that you've been looking for and is maybe even worth a lot of money," says Sykes.  

Both producers, who each own more than 2,000 records, say that part of the fun and excitement of record collecting is taking chances. "You never can know of everything that's out there, so you just have to keep buying records," says Sykes.