Jackson Free Press

The bass thumps heavily and rhythmically and meets you at the door. The treble dances like a modern dancer who's in a zone. If your name's on the list, walk right in. If not, pay the cover, and it's all access granted for you, too.

The space is quaint. The dark colors—black and deep merlot—envelop you. Erykah Badu pushes her ways through the deejay's speakers as the headphones on his head nod back and forth to the beat. Pockets of people are in every corner, and some stand in the middle of the open space. A few women dance. Others flirt.

Jason Thompson, one of the owners of Suite 106, stands behind the bar, pouring a glass of wine. A smile creeps across Thompson's face as the deejay switches to a Jay-Z classic familiar to most people sitting around. Thompson raps along.

Suite 106, off Terry Road on the city's south side, is the vision of Thompson, his two brothers Ahmad and Saddi, Terry Braxton and George Patterson. The Suite isn't a club or a bar; it's not quite a lounge, either. It's exactly what Thompson and his partners want it to be: an urban hang spot.

"The vision for Suite 106 primarily started because me and my close group of friends didn't really have anywhere to go. ... We needed somewhere to go, hang out and relax for people who were over 25," the 28-year-old entrepreneur says. "Also, all of the venues in Jackson are really large, and I just always felt that nightlife in Jackson would thrive more with a series of smaller venues than a few large ones."

So Thompson and his brothers, who grew up doing free labor for their general-contractor father, set out to make the spot they found similar to places they'd visited in larger cities, like spots on K Street in Washington, D.C., and the Skybar in Chicago.

"We assumed the lease July 1 and opened Aug. 4. We were in here every day," he says of the work they put into reconfiguring Suite's floor plan. They stripped the floors, tore down walls and built others, built benches lining the walls where customers sit, the stage and bar.

They wanted it to be perfect for the music. Thompson, who's also well-known hip-hop artist Pyinfamous, says that's what the Suite 106 experience is all about, anyway.

"The music is kind of real mellow. It varies, depending on the event. Most Thursdays and Fridays, it's going to be smooth hip-hop and neo-soul. Maybe some jazz-infused, more modern music," he says. "But when we do have a bigger event, like for Capital City Classic, we might have some more recent hip-hop, some contemporary stuff. But it's not top-40 stuff. It's going to be the kind of hip-hop '80s babies grew up with."

Until the past week, a house band performed every week, and Thompson looks forward to bringing live music back quickly.

"There aren't enough venues that offer live jazz and R&B on a consistent basis in Jackson." He adds: "[M]y generation has had so much hip-hop that's been synthesized that we don't appreciate live music. ... [L]ive music is just great. If it's a cover or an original, if it's good, it's the greatest thing you can hear."

The businessman, not the artist, says the partners hope to see a series of suites sprout up across the city to fill a niche for the young professional crowd in Jackson. But he is quick to note that he's unwilling to sacrifice his vision for growth.

"There's always the intersection of vision and profit. And when that comes, what's going to take precedence? I always think vision," Thompson says. "It's about creating the vibe, and I would rather die with the vibe I want than live with something else."

Suite 106 (106 Wilmington St., 601-940-7059) is open Thursdays, 7 p.m. to midnight, and Fridays and Saturdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. The venue is also available to rent.