Perhaps that humble demeanor made it easier to secure guest spots for his Faces of Change mixtape. Released yesterday, the massive collaborative project features a who's-who of local hip-hop and R&B artists (just look at the mixtape cover).

On the impressive "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," for instance, Starks trades bars with Gods'Illa over dusty drums and chopped piano chords. The bouncy "Fall Back" features two inspired verses from Phil Ade and RAtheMC, and the rock-tinged "Between Her" features MC Don Juan. Elsewhere, Starks and Mambo Sauce frontman Black Boo put their own verses atop Wale's "Pretty Girls," and Jay Mills guest stars on "Fancy," a remake of Drake's song of the same name.

Faces of Change is available for free. Go here to download it, or listen below.

Elsewhere, he and RAtheMC address their haters on "Can't Forget About You." On "County," Pro and Don Juan show love to Prince George's County over a methodical, Kokayi-produced beat.

We've foreshadowed Pro'Verb's new project a couple times on Arts Desk: once when he dropped the reflective "Too Hip-Hop," featuring Diamond District member yU, and when he released the energetic "Write Brothers," featuring Lyriciss, an MC with whom he frequently collaborates.

DJ Booth has the full mixtape.

Now, the leader of the D.C.-based InnerLoop record label has released Capitol Punishment, an ambitious 31-song, 80-minute collection of Scrilla's favorite DMV hip-hop songs from the past year, complete with scratches and shout-outs from the rappers he includes on the project. There are also some exclusives on here, including X.O. and AB The Pro's "How Could You," and 431's "Mona Lisa."

Released today, Punishment mostly dusts off some familiar bangers, like "Blasphemy," an exceptional posse cut featuring Pro'Verb, K-BETA, yU, Lyriciss and RAtheMC, and "Wreck," featuring Kane Mayfield. And the project is properly sequenced: Street-heavy lyrics from Fat Trel and Whitefolkz are paired up, while brainier songs—Oddisee's "I'm From P.G." and Gods'Illa's "Sal's Pizzeria"—are coupled.

Download Capitol Punishment for free on DatPiff.

Not long before dropping the project, the fashionable lyricist inked a deal with the D.C.-based Studio43 imprint, whose roster boasts names like X.O., Gordo Brega, and AB the Producer. (Once upon a time, Wale was a Studio43 MC before signing with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label.)

Then, one day before Champion was released, RA was stamped on a BET documentary as one of the music industry's great up-and-coming female MCs—not bad for someone who dropped out of New Jersey's Fairleigh Dickinson University more than a year ago to rhyme full time.

"It's about following your dreams, and being you," RA says profoundly at the beginning of "Victory Lap," the triumphant and autobiographical title track of her new mixtape, released earlier this month. Throughout the efficient 16-song recording, which includes borrowed beats from Erykah Badu, Nas, and Biggie, she trots the bases once more, gliding confidently over a spacey soundtrack while asserting a lyrical aptitude strong enough to topple the testosterone of her male-dominated business.

Above all, Victory Lap actually sounds like a mixtape, with quick song transitions and an abundance of guest appearances on its second half. RA mostly went at it alone on Champion, aside from the occasional assistance from X.O. ("So Gone So Long"), AB The Producer ("Good Friends"), and Ihsan Bilal ("Pricey"). Those three artists resurface on RA's new project—X.O. spits a memorable verse about struggle on "4 The Belt," AB lends his production and vocal talents to six of the songs, and Ihsan steals the show on "Told You So."

On the mixtape, RA and company don't shoot for an album's cohesion, assembling a project that seems more focused on fun than fundamentals. Take "Ur So Gay," for instance, in which RA adds her own singing and rapping vocals to the Katy Perry hit, resulting in an enjoyable pop duet with hip-hop aspirations. On "Hate Me Now," the MC uses the notable Nas instrumental to fluidly discuss royalty and loyalty within the D.C. region. "Hey, I'm no underdog, and that's first off/You underestimate, you'll be the worst off," RA rhymes over the Track Masters' beat.

With Victory Lap, RA showcases an almost inexplicable lyrical growth from her last project, which is somewhat rare for mixtapes. Nowadays, MCs rely too heavily on those compilations to increase their marketability, largely saturating the industry with forgettable music. If anything, Heart Of A Champion kept RA within a box in which she didn't quite fit. On this latest mixtape, though, there's a sense of freedom that punctuates the accolades, proving that RA's current place among D.C.'s elite is very much deserved.

Mp3 blogs are teetering on the edge of irrelevance. Thanks to Twitter an artist can cut out that middleman completely and deliver new songs directly to fans and followers. From the studio to the tweets in just minutes. The DC hip hop community in particular has been taking great advantage of this approach. Here are some recent zshare jams, as tweeted by a few of the area's most promising emcees. (You can't keep this middleman out the game, dammit!)

XO – "F.R.N.O."

RAtheMC – "We Ridin"" (Prod. Judah)

Mo Betta – "I Swear" (Prod. Whitefolkz)

Pro'Verb – "Persecuted Patriot" (Prod. Surock)

Kingpin Slim – King Of Da Inkpen 5 Song Sampler