Okay, okay, so technically Ishmael Butler has only signed one act to Sub Pop since becoming an A&R man for them last year. Unofficially, his Shabazz Palaces collaboration with THEESatisfaction helped net Sub Pop the incredible awE naturalE, one of the best local releases in 2012, before Butler was on staff. Porter Ray, the jazzy Central District rapper Butler claimed as his first official artist for the label just last week is a bastion in the local hip hop scene, and his selection is hopefully indicative of what’s to come—the molding of Sub Pop into a much needed steam valve for Seattle’s incredible hip-hop scene that’s been bursting at the seams with talent for too long now.

Read all of our picks for Arts & Culture, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.