The best hip hop nights are the ones that surprise you, throwing in some original flavour between commercial biggies – the kind of set that reminds you why you’re there.

For a time there were these nights where you’d go out looking for your west side and just end up west end! Bar Rumba, or at a stretch, Ministry, promising hip-hop and delivering R’n'B, nish. Not any more. An inflamed rash of eclectic nights have been borne of London’s diverse Hip Hop community. A few of the very finest are collected here.

Hip-hop Karaoke at The Social West End

No longer do you have to rock up to your tired local karaoke night to belt out the same old tracks (’Total eclipse of the Heart’, ‘I Will Survive’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ etc). Hip Hop Karaoke is an inspired twist on a kitsch concept; it has made karaoke cool again and sees b-boys and haircuts alike reaching for the mic. The track list is awfully deep: Biz Markie, Group Home and Schooly D, to name a few choice inclusions. The night’s totally ‘8 Mile’, but with a compère who offers the ‘Prick Hat’ to anyone booing, onstage you’re safe. It’s about camaraderie and respect for getting up there. The karaoke runs through until about 11 o’clock, then it becomes a late eighties, early nineties hip hop appreciation society reunion, with a few more modern ‘anthems’ thrown in. There are the serious aficionados, who get kudos for rapping without a lyric sheet, but for everyone else, it’s a party.

Breakin’ Bread at The Social West End

Since moving from the Rhythm Factory to the Social, Breakin’ Bread has lost a lot of the space that it used to regularly be able to pack – with the exception of the specials at the Jazz Café. The night’s all about dancing: daisy age for the fresh of feet. The stalwarts Rob Life and Skeg play the type of stuff you might have been lucky enough to listen to in your bedroom as a teenager and, while it’s not pushing things forward, it is classic. Beware of 87’s, Huaraches and tracksuits… make space for the freshest kids! There’s always that uncomfortable moment when you tell someone you’re into hip-hop, an awkwardness that could be avoided if they paid this night a visit and learnt a thing or two. It’s a mix of sing-along rap with the most pristinely picked breaks; golden. Live MC-ing, DJ-ing and breaking. Three out of four of the so-called ‘Pillars of Hip Hop’ (graf being the fourth) is pretty impressive…

Secret Wars at Juno

Speaking of graf… Secret Wars is a graf battle where the writers are armed with nothing but an Edding as they go head-to-head on Juno’s walls. The rules? An hour and a half to create your masterpiece. Black and white only. The night doesn’t come round often, so catch it when it does. As for the rest of the time, Juno is more hit than miss with its hip-hop quality – depending which resident is playing. A home to backpack rap, offering old and new and a positive atmosphere.

YOYO at Notting Hill Arts Club

Crate Diggers thrive in west London – the party at YOYO lays out hip-hop with jungle, ragga and soul to follow. Diverse, it is.

Bring crayons and felt tips, why not draw your favourite rapper! The hip-hop will be dirty, and UK, UK!

Cargo – A great selection of hip-hop showcases, the ‘J Dilla Changed My Life’ night being a recent triumph.