I love seeing young artists grow, mature and polish their sound - artist coming into their own.

A few years ago when I first heard Lockcity I knew dude had a nice flow. He was spitting some smooth-tricky street shit at the time.  Although he was dope, he didn't quite jump out at ya.

Fast-forward to present and the story is a little better. Lockcity is now Leon Swanks, and the name change has signified a change in sound for the Tacoma MC. The swag he once relied on has now turned into true artistry. He's released a number of high-quality videos this year - the newest being "Straight Jewel$."

Swanks has emerged as one of the premiere original hip-hop artists in the city. His sound keeps the realness of the Lockcity street stuff of his past, but there's a certain coolness that's been gained with age. Swanks' music has a slightly true-school hip-hop feel to it now. His videos rely less on him trying to be ultra-cool like he once did, and more on the vibe and feeling of the actual music. Search Leon Swanks on YouTube to see all his recent videos ... and see some of the best Tacoma has to offer.

If ya looking for a good local hip-hop download, try Deluxe Beatz's album, Delusions of Grandeur - available at soundclick.com/deluxebeatz. The album is produced entirely by Deluxe Beatz, a Washington-based hip-hop producer. There are songs featuring Mr. D.O.G., Doughkain, Whikid Maticuless, Illizm, A R Mastermind and others. It's just what ya need to be playing during these last weeks of summer.

Lastly, congrats to Tak Patron - who has had himself a great summer. This guy spent most of the summer doing shows with his peoples in Hawaii ... not a bad place to do hip-hop in the summer, I'm sure. Patron's sound is obviously getting appreciated in pockets all around the country, as I know he's also been down to Las Vegas recently. Tak is a unique artist. Ya might see him rapping, hosting a show or promoting a show. Or ya might see him on stage with a bunch of strippers. Or ya might see him feeding the homeless with a benefit show. Paradoxes are the spice of hip-hop.