In just a few years I’ve watched our local hip-hop scene transform from a handful of misfits at a Westlake cypher into a movement that sells out shows every weekend. LISTEN

A holiday greeting from BAYB. If you ain’t familiar, BAYB is the creative collaboration of Jarv Dee (Talkin Shit, “I Just Wanna”), Nacho Picasso (Blunt Raps, “Gone Till November”), and enter the young homie P Steez aka Steezy Nasa, weighing in at the young age of 18 years old. LISTEN

Roughly a year ago, Nacho Picasso (aka Jesse James, or The Tat in the Hat) recorded a series of songs in an apartment closet titled Blunt Raps – a smoked-out ode to patent leather sneakers and pricey Japanese denim. LISTEN

Meet Nacho Picasso aka Nacho P. aka Jesse James aka The Tat in the Hat. You might recognize him as the walking endorsement for the tattoo industry seen on stage alongside Jarv Dee and P. Steez as one-third of the Badazzyellowboyz, better known as the BAYB. LISTEN

Here’s a not-so-bold prediction for Seattle hip-hop: The first half of 2010 will belong to Tay Sean and Jerm, the Beacon Hill duo that comprise Helladope, the spaced-out hip-hop/funk crew that had even the shyest of wallflowers acting the fool with their 2009 track, “Just So You Know”. LISTEN