Many people have an idea of what hip-hop is but are unfamiliar with the underground aspect of the music.

While some may be content with what the radio and MTV offers, 12&s Wax Emporium is a thorough introduction to what lies right below the surface.

Twelve&s is Sacramento&s only independent hip-hop record store.

You won&t find the latest Nelly or Eminem albums because 12&s is all about underground artists signed to independent record labels like BBE, Stones Throw and Def Jux.

Twelve&s carries some CDs, but its main focus is on selling vinyl. Most stores don&t carry new vinyl, co-owner Pat Sullivan said.

&We&re like a specialty store,& Sullivan said. &Once the larger stores like Tower stopped selling vinyl, we took up the slack.&

DJs buy vinyl for the purpose of mixing and scratching. Although there&s a fairly high demand for it, Sullivan says, there are few stores in Sacramento that offer a large selection.

&A lot of us used to have to drive down to the Bay Area to places like Rasputin and Amoeba in order to find anything good on vinyl,& Sullivan said. &We decided to open 12&s in order to break into that market.&

Twelve&s started in 2001 by Sullivan, Ben Andres and Nino Machado, all of whom are hip-hop DJs and fans of the underground scene. The three still collectively own and operate the store.

The small record store has a comfortable feel to it, with graffiti art and posters on the walls and a couch facing away from the front door.

Merchandise is separated into two racks, the larger holding a wide assortment of vinyl 12-inch records and the other full of CDs.

Twelve&s isn&t the only store in Sacramento to carry vinyl. Other independent stores such as the Beat and Dimple Records have a selection of vinyl. What sets 12&s apart, Sullivan says, is that it almost exclusively sells hip-hop, and that it offers both new and used vinyl.

Although it specializes in vinyl, 12&s offers a selection of CDs for people looking for artists on independent labels that larger stores often don&t carry or that can be hard to find when buried among masses of major label albums.

&I started listening to underground hip-hop about a year ago,& customer Chuck Linnington said. &I come here because that&s what they sell. I&m not really into commercial music at all.&

Customers like Linnington help to keep 12&s in business, but unfortunately the store has had trouble making profit recently.

Sullivan said 12&s has no real local competition. But the efficiency and availability of Internet shopping has had a major impact on sales.

The owners are focusing on expanding 12&s into more than just a record store. In addition to being DJs themselves, the owners act as promoters for independent artists performing at local venues.

They recently booked shows for Lateef and Mr. Liff at Harlows, and DJ Jazzy Jeff at Avalon. Sullivan says that they are also in the process of putting together a benefit show for the tsunami relief fund.

It would be a loss for Sacramento if the struggling 12&s was forced to shut its doors.

Twelve&s Wax Emporium is located at 1716 Broadway in Sacramento.