One of the founders of Gonzo Family is the artist Mae Dali - and a true-artist he is. Mae MCs with some of the most intelligent word play I've heard locally in a while. There are plenty of dope MCs in this region - many true, hard street spitters, and many true-school backpack slappers. However, I haven't come across too many MCs locally that are on their vocabulary game like Mae is.

Mae flips words with just the right mix of knowledge and braggadocio. Born and raised on the Hill', his story is like many - going from the Hill' to the outer regions of the city and places like Spanaway, Fife and other sprawl spots. Mae has Native American roots; growing up he often spent time with his Native family on the Squaxin Reservation, south of Olympia. When housing became available for him and his family he took it - now residing on the Reservation full-time and soaking up the slower lifestyle. Mae is a painter, graphic designer, as well as a producer and engineer. His knack for style is apparent in all mediums.  Experience Mae Dali at soundcloud.com/maedali.

Last year one of the main spots for local hip-hop was El Potrero. Artists from all around the 253 met up at El Potrero for shows and to network. It was a real scene builder. The man behind that movement was Easiah, and he's back with a new, true-Tacoma, grimy-around-the-edges video for his single "Locked In the Basement." YouTube it. It's got some great neighborhood shots with lots of good footage of Tac' youth really kicking it how they do.

MC Coobeanz is a new artist I just familiarized myself with recently. I caught a set of his at El Perron and was impressed with his laid-back delivery and his jazzy, looped-out, spacey, dissonant, yet funky production. Coobeanz was also rocking the '80s throwback style to perfection. This cat had on a snap-back, but he also had a snap-back snapped onto one of his front belt loops.

Then I started noticing the real clean, sharp, stylistic videos Coobeanz was dropping. Search for MC Coobeanz on YouTube and watch "Fresh Like That" (where he's sporting the Carlton/Farnsworth Bentley flyness), "High Life" (Featuring Skrilla and Queen Jewelz), "Home Again," and "Im a Problem."