Nicatyne

One of my favorite emcees to listen to is Nictayne, who represents Sacramento, California. He has a unique sound and isn’t afraid to try new things. You can catch him singing and rapping on some of the tracks he produces his self.

Nicatyne has an ear for music. Along with the playing the drums, Nicatyne can play just about any other instrument from the piano to the not so conventional xylophone — a skill that allows him to fully experiment with his sound.

Nicatyne’s commited to his craft, and you can hear it in his creativity. He has a CD coming out soon called “Secondhand Smoke.”

www.myspace.com/nicatynebeats

Eyetel

I have known Eyetel for years. He has a fun, energetic sound that is very entertaining to listen to.

He always has had a passion for music. During a lot of his high school years (He attended Crenshaw High), he would walk around with a sign that read: "Will Rap for Money." And that’s exactly what he did. He came out with several CDs and mixtapes, and also has been known to battle and beat a couple emcees.

Eyetel recently put out a CD called "Straight From Tha Crib," which has been well received. I actually shot and edited a low budget video for him called "Stop", I also designed his Web site, and I continue to help because I see talent.

Eyetel is a very entertaining emcee, and you should check out his music.

Siqteen Bars

Siqsteen Barz is a triple threat producer/emcee/engineer out of Los Angeles who always is searching for new, innovative ways to be creative with the art of music.

In Siqsteen’s early days of music production, his tracks were very low-scale due to a lack of musical equipment accessible to him (He was using Fruity Loops). But regardless of this limitation, he produced quality tracks for himself. He produced most of Eyetel’s CD (above) and a number of other artists from L.A. to the Bay.

Siqsteen recently released a free mixtape that you can download off his Myspace page. It’s called "I’m So Serious Mixtape" that plays off the "The Dark Knight" (Batman) theme.

The mixtape has some good songs, so I suggest you check it out.

www.myspace.com/theycallmebarz

Rob Grimes

Rob Grimes  has a laid back style with no need to for excessive killing or anything of that nature.

Known for his clever rhymes and "eccentric flow," Rob has won many freestyle battles.

He has some catchy punch lines that stay stuck in your head.

The emcee, who hails from San Diego, California, showcases versatility in his rhymes, and is constantly in the studio recording and rocking live shows (Come see him at the Acrylick flagship store grand opening this Saturday in Azusa).

Rob got a buzz going when his "Dillathon" mixtape — a tribute to the late super producer J. Dilla — dropped in February, and he recently released his "Glow In The Dark Mixtape," which is free to download off his Myspace page.

I spoke to Rob and an official album titled "Struggle Hustle" is on the way. So look out for it.

www.myspace.com/robgrimes

Emilio Rojas

I first saw Emilio Rojas in this Youtube video, Halftime Show 10th Anniversary video (he starts at 3:15 into the video clip). Out of the emcees flowing in that video, he stood out the most. His flow was nice.

Emilio sent me this: "I like to draw my inspiration from life experiences. As far as the actual sound — I am into structured verses. I’m not one of these cats that’s out here just relying on ’swag’ to get by — I go in (I can actually rap). But I got ’swag’ too. It’s just real shit; relatable — people get to know me and my life story from listening and hopefully at the same time they can have a little fun and can take something away from that."

I agree with his statement, and he is someone you should check out, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed if you’re a true hip hop fan.

http://www.myspace.com/emiliorojasmusic

Asher Roth

I came across Asher on the xxlmag.com site, where they featured his "A MILLI’ freestyle. To be honest, I have heard a lot of emcees try to rock that beat, but I was not at all entertained. Asher Roth kept my attention with many funny punch lines.

He currently has a free mixtape for you to download,  "The GreenHouse Effect Mixtape", hosted by Don Cannon and DJ Drama.

Check him out.

www.myspace.com/asherrothmusic