Are ya'll hip to John Crown? I hope so. I just had to get his name out there. Crown has no big shows coming up. He has no definitive date for a release for his next album, Coffee and Beats. He didn't just release a new song or video. He's just such a damn good rapper that I wanted to write about him in the column.

To get to know John Crown the person and MC, the best thing to do is follow him on Twitter (@JOHNCROWN_NW). His hilarious, insightful, and sometimes slightly immature tweets are a window into the complex psyche of an artist, a nine-to-fiver and a family man. Crown's life has seen many of the same ups and downs with the law that affect many rappers. However, Crown has a hungriness to make it, and a dedication to staying a normal family guy that gives his aura a powerful juxtaposition.

Crown's flow is perfect and effortless. He sounds like he was meant to rap. It's very natural and easy for him. He has the type of vibe that could catch on fire in this day of trendy hip-hop blog sites.

Behind Crown stands a cast of dedicated helpers. His photos, videos and music are handled by Tha Deacon over at www.slackskidsnbeats.com, which happens to be one of the best local hip-hop blog sites around. An all-around-town cool guy, and a rapper, booker, promoter and homie, Tha Horizon handles Crown's shows. With Crown's skill and his supporting cast I sincerely hope for all of Tacoma that 2012 is his year. Now get on the right team and get onboard.

On Aug. 20 SeaTac MC J. Bre released his second album, an EP titled The Revelation. There's no sophomore slump here. J. Bre upped the bar and is getting better with each new release. The album features some of the state's best: Grynch, Luck-One, Havi Blaze, Ste-Hood and Justis. Ya'll can download the album at www.jbrehiphop.com. Tacoma songstress Violet kills the hook on the first track of the album. This might be her breakout song, as many Seattle listeners will now get to hear her pipes. Ya go. girl!

Next week we'll talk about the wonky, funkiness that is Qui Vive.