NYKE LOC

The Mile High City has a way of cutting through the nonsense. When local rap radio sticks to a strict ten-song pop rotation, hip-hop clubs are shut down, and the music press couldnt care less, only the best performers stay in the game.

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Top of that short list is Nyke Loc, an eight-year veteran of the Denver rap game. Across a string of independently released albums, Loc a.k.a. the Mile High Hitman has paid his dues and become practically synonymous with Colorado hip-hop. On his own steam, Nyke has released four albums, two mixes, and boasts a solid 20,000 units under his belt.

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Word of mouth and street-level promotions, but dont leave out relentless performances, where Nyke has graced every stage from the club level to sharing spotlight with the biggest names in the business, including Jay-Z and Outkast. And thanks to a no-apologies No Coast ethic, his style nods to Sacramento and Dirty South sounds but never bows to them. Even more than previous records, 2004s Tha Laundrymat pulls together divergent styles and infuses his hard-edged, grimy core with polished bounce that plays to the streets just as well as it does the clubs. As one of the few truly dedicated rhymers to make it in the rare air of the mile high city, Nyke Loc still has nowhere to go but up. John Zwick