The League of Extraordinary Emcees is a crew consisting of Kept See, Prickly Pear, D.J. Iceman, Un Therhymehustla, Court Royal and Josh (Conflict of Interest) Rizeberg. It's an international crew, stretching from the United States all the way to Germany via Prickly Pear. The crew is a fully functioning MC outfit with in-house production and a record label. The League of Extraordinary Emcees also holds nonprofit status and works closely with the Universal Zulu Nation and the Seattle Zulu Nation Chapter. Many artists in the League teach hip-hop to children in schools and at after-school centers all across King and Pierce Counties. In 2012, the League's brand is expanding - having recently performed with Afrika Bambaataa and Suntonio Bandanaz at the eighty anniversary of the Seattle Zulu-Nation Chapter. Later this year the League of Extraordinary Emcees will have big gigs at Seattle's Folklife festival, and check for Kept See on the Rock the Bells Tour!

Do ya like ass? Do ya like songs ‘bout ass? Well, if ya do, listen to "Cheeks" by Swift Holiday featuring G. Khan. It's a song about many of our favorite part of the female body. Catch Swift Holiday with his partner Burnz, along with J-Mar Da Sik, opening for San Quinn at The Royal Lounge in Olympia Tuesday, March 8.

Speaking of Olympia, Serious Mak is a young MC from Oly. Check out his music here. Serious Mak is just starting to do shows and get his foot in the door. Listen to his music now so ya can watch him grow as an artist in the years to come. This is one of the most satisfying aspects of local music, when fans can watch artistic growth happen right in front of their eyes. It allows us to get to know and mature with our local artists, in a way that's not accessible with national talent.

Yung Starr

Need more new local talent to check out? Try Yung Starr from Tacoma. He's a well-rounded MC that I've seen tear up local shows. He's also an excellent battle rapper, having won his most recent Alliance Battle League event against Cash Is King. Like Starr on Facebook - he's an artist with tremendous potential. If he plays his cards right he could be one of the top hip-hop artists in Tacoma in the future.