All the Rage

Since making his move from Lawrence to Kansas City and blessing us with a mix titled The Nu, Approach has been keeping quiet — only because he's been prepping new projects for late '07. The list includes his second solo album, Welcome To Share; the long-anticipated Will Do with California rapper Oh No; and a mysterious new crew known as Chocolate Gamma. Sounds like the smooth baritone will be holding down his honeycomb well into 2008. myspace.com/approach

Gunn Jakc

Patience is a virtue, but for Gunn Jakc, it's a thing of the past. After spending years honing his craft and making appearances on other artists' records, he finally got a record to peddle. The KC rapper is at his best when bouncing his verbal acrobatics off other MCs, but he proves with 144 Killahurtz that he's no slouch on his own. myspace.com/gunn jakc

Joe Good

In early March of this year, an anvil was dropped on the collective chest of the KC hip-hop scene: Joe Good announced his indefinite retirement from rapping, citing a desire to focus on other pursuits and a decline in his passion for making music. Although this move saddened many, Joe exited with a strong salvo in 2006's Hi May I Help You, a solo shot that showed him at the apex of his lyrical game. innatesounds.com

Mac Lethal

Syllables on steroids are this local rap maestro's calling card, but it's the substance behind the wordplay that makes Mac Lethal's verses so memorably cutting. Local hip-hop heads continue to await Mac's long-overdue Rhymesayers debut, 11:11. In the meantime, at least, they've had his three independently released Love Potion collections to sip on. myspace.com/maclethal

Reach

Most rappers are positive only about themselves — how well they rhyme, pimp, bust a cap in a rival's ass, slap bitches, drive around in fancy cars and so forth. Reach's positivity extends to the outside world. Next to his family and friends, this MC loves nothing more than the Kansas City hip-hop scene. He books more shows than any rap act in town, rhymes about his love for his roots, and defends the music he believes in against the cries of narrow-minded haters (see: Jason Whitlock). But none of that would matter if his flow were weak, his beats lame or his live show boring. When he gets too old to rap, Reach should run for office. myspace.com/reach

Jazz

Grand Marquis

During the roaring '20s and the raucous '30s, jazz-rich Kansas City was the place to be. And, like ghosts from that era, the Grand Marquis of today's scene delivers KC's trademark sound — bluesy, rough-and-tumble party jazz — with such skill and old-school gusto, it's like being zapped back in time whenever this band plays. If a fella can't get at least a foot tapping at a Marquis show, he probably needs to see a doctor. grandmarquis.net

John Brewer

This year's ballot sends out a hopeful message to people invested in Kansas City's native culture. A resounding majority of the players in the jazz category are folks under 30. Not that the local scene isn't still bopping to older cats such as Bobby Watson and Ahmad Alaadeen, but, hey, the kids do get it. Among the vanguard is pianist John Brewer. He's got the chops to play with such area veterans as Angela Hagenbach and keep the old guard grooving at the Blue Room. But his musical and promotional collaborations with Miles Bonny's Innate Sounds Crew have made him a living bridge between the local jazz and hip-hop scenes.

johnbrewermusic.com

Megan Birdsall

For all her vocal sophistication, Megan Birdsall can get as goofy as any local musician. This summer, she posted a YouTube video (promoting her impending album, Little Jazz Bird) in which she dances like a black-and-white-era musical star and punctuates every phrase with vaudevillian facial expressions. The clip won't surprise regulars at venues such as Jardine's, EBT, the Phoenix or the Drum Room, given that Birdsall's live performances always alternate lush, soulful singing with endearingly silly stage banter. myspace.com/meganbirdsall

Mark Lowrey

After playing alongside several past Pitch Music Award nominees (Tango Lorca, Shay Estes), Mark Lowrey earns his first nod as a bandleader. The pianist heads a trio with bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Sam Wisman that gigs regularly at McCormick & Schmick's, Boozefish and J.P. Wine Bar. With the same rhythm section plus Estes on vocals, Lowrey also leads a quartet that frequently plays Jardine's. At these gigs, Lowrey plays fluid, melodic jazz that initially adds to the venue's ambience, then makes diners forget their plates altogether. He's also been known to spice up his sets with exotic Afro-Cuban numbers, Peruvian waltzes and Tortoise covers. myspace.com/marklowreyjazz

Snuff Jazz