There have been a lot of new artists to emerge this year. Many of these artists belong to two hip-hop families/crews - the Gonzo Family and Blue Nose Music Group. Both camps have been extremely active, releasing songs and albums and doing lots of shows all over the state.

The Gonzo Family was started by newcomers Cam the Viking and Mae Dahli, who met and soon began making music together and doing small local shows. At El Perron the duo linked up with A R Mastermind, Lost Soul the Emo-Kat, NuVo The One and Abom the Kid. The crew now looks out for each other when it comes to booking shows and other networking aspects of the game. A live show from the Gonzo Family consists of posse cuts featuring different MCs in the group. The live-set is high-energy - we're talking bouncing off the walls jumpiness. Some members wear masks and some don war paint. It's worth going to a local show and checking the Gonzo Family out. In the meantime get familiar at soundcloud.com/gonzofamily.

Blue Nose Music Group is fashioned a bit more like a traditional record label. It started with Greg Double nine years ago, and artists in the group now include Abom the Kid, Castro, Thunderchief, DJ Skrewball, Mr. Tactical, Mike G. iballz and 5ive 3re. This musical family puts out solo albums and group compilations all under the Blue Nose Music Group label. To hear their work and to get to know the artists go to reverbnation.com/bluenosemusic.

These two camps make up the majority of new artists that have been active in the scene so far this year. Thanks to the networking and like-mindedness of all the artists in these crews they have been able to benefit and rise together.

Another new crew to the scene making good music is D4MK - a duo that consists of Ghetto and Mista Mac. These cousins have been making some serious street bangers the last couple months. Ghetto was a key lyrical component to the now defunct super-crew The Academy. His standout lyricism, displayed through The Academy, helped him hit the ground running with this new project. Check them at reverbnation.com/CiTigang.