Yesterday I had a real good conversation with a reputed gentleman of the indie rock persuasion, who made it clear he was excited about and knowledgeable of the rising new generation of rappers coming up in Seattle right now. I am too. It really made me hopeful that posting about rap on this blog isn't totally useless. With that, here's two new mixtapes from some youngins currently on the grind:

Mega Evers is a scrappy young MC with the best name ever from the Central District; he's undeniably hood, but refreshingly, he doesn't lean on street cliches or even any gang affiliations ("I'm really not a banger / so how do I keep it gangsta")—he just spits hard. His new mixtape No Concept is front-loaded with the cuts that have gotten him some attention around here as of late, namely "Ambition", "Self Paid", and "True God Flow". The production is a touch generic, the mix a little uneven, but Mega's raps and hooks shine.

Federal Way-bred Matic is part of the Honor Roll crew along with Eastside bredren Kung Foo Grip and Bryce Bowden, and is definitely the weirdo of the crew, prone to painting his face (as in the video for his Keyboard Kid-produced "Dreams") and spitting underground (or underwater) grime for the underdogs. With assists from a cast of thousands including Giorgio MoMurda, Dat New Ager 90, Left LeBerra, Greg Cypher, and Lurrell Low, Matic delivers an angsty, anime and video game-fueled NW take on based rap on his new mixtape Jackpot.