DeKALB | Nestled between the Chesapeake Bagel Company and Ducky’s Formal Wear sits a place where students and residents alike can go and let loose to the sounds of hip-hop, reggae and Latin music.

For little more than a year now, Club 122, 122 N. First St., is currently the only dance club in DeKalb to exclusively play hip-hop/urban beats. Co-owners Paul Baggette and Craig Dodgen, both former NIU students, felt DeKalb had an untapped market for an urban/hip-hop dance scene.

“No other place has that [urban] atmosphere as far as music goes,” Dodgen said.

Baggette said, “We were students at NIU [and] this was a market that was not ever catered to.”

In addition to dancing from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Thursdays), Club 122 also offers open-mic nights, comedy shows and an in-house recording studio.

Baggette and Dodgen record local artists to feature their tracks in their mix tapes.

“We help artists become better artists,” Baggette said. “[We’ve] been a great venue for artists to get in front of a crowd and practice.”

According to Dodgen, Club 122 is currently the first urban nightclub in DeKalb to be in business for more than one year – an accomplishment Baggette said has surprised some.

“People have doubted that we were going to last as long as we have,” he said. “In order to succeed, we need the support of students and residents.”

Baggette and Dodgen have big plans for the future of the club. The owners hope to serve food by the beginning of the fall semester. They also hope to obtain a Class A liquor license.

Currently, Club 122 is an 18-and-older, non-alcoholic dance club, but with the possibility of a liquor license in the future, the owners hope it will grow into something more.

“We want a liquor license so that we can bring a different club to DeKalb,” Baggette said. “A dance club.”

“As far as for an urban crowd, we have the best – better DJ’s, better music, better parties – for that type of a crowd in DeKalb,” Dodgen said.