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6 days ago · So, who are the best underground rappers? When you think of underground hip hop artists, some of the big names (at least by underground rap standards) are Big L, Aesop Rock, Dead Prez, Madlib, El-P, Atmosphere and Blackalicious. These are some of the most respected names in rap music.
- Kota The Friend. If you only walk away with one new artist after reading my top ten, please let it be Kota. He’s the people’s champ, a true underdog that has decided to do things his way on the indie route.
- Ronsocold. Ronsocold is from Charlotte, North Carolina but is quickly getting his sound heard across the country thanks to his debut self-titled album, RonSoCold, which dropped earlier this year on May 15th.
- 2KBaby. 2KBaby is an emerging Louisville, Kentucky artist that is signed to Warner Music Group. He dropped his most recent project, Pregame Rituals, on April 10th and as the title suggests, he is just getting started!
- Curtis Roach. Although he’s been making great music for a few years now, it was on TikTok that this 21-year-old Detroit artist received his big moment earlier this year.
- MF Doom
- El-P
- Kool Keith
- Mos Def
- Armani White
- Blu
- J Dilla
- Joey Bada$$
- Tech N9ne
- Roc Marciano
MF DOOM is a name you should know in the hip hop world, and it’s a bit of a shame he remained an underground artist for his entire career. Quite frankly, there are few lyricists that can hang with him in the history of the genre, but he stood out for more than just that. He went through several different alter egos, sometimes even rapping conversat...
El-P is one of the most important figures in all of alternative hip hop, being the biggest influence on other artists on this list like Aesop Rock. He started out his career as a member of Company Flow before heading out on a solo career and becoming a co-founder, owner, and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label. His style relies heavily on aggres...
In the hip hop world, there are plenty of odd and eccentric artists out there. So, you know it’s saying something when someone is generally considered the most out-there personality. Kool Keith has a rather tight grip on the title, but his talent is not up for debate. A prolific recording artist, it gets hard to keep track of all his work because h...
Mos Def is another prolific recording artist, working with several groups like Urban Thermo Dynamics and alongside Talibn Kweli in Blackstar. By 1999, he struck out on a solo career with a debut album and has recorded some hit singles like Ms. Fat Booty and Mathematics, but you probably know him from other media. He was a child actor, appearing in ...
Armani White is one of the relative newcomers on this list, but don’t let that put you off. He began rapping as early as the second grade of elementary school, finally releasing a debut album in 2019. While a lot of artists on this list have made great music, few have made it onto mainstream charts, but he has pulled it off despite his short career...
While many rappers dedicate their songs to containing witty and quotable one-liners, few care as much about the full album experience as Blu. He has more of a jazzy hip hop flow, and his songs focus on the main themes he chooses for his albums. Everything from the color blue to black culture is fair game for him, tackling them masterfully and showc...
J Dilla is largely credited with raising the level of artistry and quality in the Detroit hip hop music sceneand became one of the most influential figures in the genre before his death. He came out of the underground scene in Detroit in the 90s, working as a member of Slum Village and Soulquarians before producing his own solo works. He would go o...
Joey Badass’ mixtapes have been met with nothing but critical acclaim from the time he first started releasing music as part of the Pro Era collective. His story began with freestyle video uploads on YouTube, which would eventually find their way onto the World Star website and got him noticed by Cinematic Music Group. From there, his career took o...
Tech N9ne is probably one of the most commercially successful artists on this list with over two million record sales. In 1999, he founded the record label Strange Music and began a rather strong music career that would see him work as a featured artist alongside many of the biggest names in hip hop such as Lil Wayne, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg. His ...
Roc Marciano made his debut alongside Busta Rhymes in 2000 but quickly left the ground to help found the hardcore underground group U.N. While his lyricism skills are unquestionable, he is known as a pioneer in the genre. Rather than use heavy drum loops, much of his work builds on beats without drums and focuses on witty one-liners with hard-hitti...
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- MF Doom. MF Doom, or Daniel Dumile, was one of the major names of underground hip-hop music from the 2000s until his death in 2020. He was famous for his brilliant wordplays and his “supervillain” stage character built with his signature metal mask, offensive attitude, and lyrics.
- Mos Def. Known for his great releases such as “Oh No,” “Ms. Fat Booty,” and “Mathematics,” Yasiin Bey or commonly known as Mos Def, is considered one of the best lyricists and MCs of hip-hop history.
- Talib Kweli. Talib Kweli Greene is an American indie rapper mainly known for his collaborations with famous artists such as Mos Def, Kanye West, and Pharell Williams.
- J Dilla. James Dewitt Yancey, commonly known as J Dilla, is one of the most influential producers and rappers of the 90s underground hip-hop scene. He was most appreciated for his way of creating melodic and long loops with great breakbeats and vocal samples.
Mar 22, 2024 · MF DOOM is at the heart of underground hip hop. Hundreds of rappers cite him as one of their biggest inspirations, and that is because there is no other rapper like MF DOOM. His rhyming ability was otherworldly; consistently packing dozens of rhymes into only a handful of lines and managing to cram as many meanings into a bar as he could rhymes.
Jun 28, 2012 · It was no better or worse, but for many fans who craved more than what the radio had to offer, underground hip-hop was an extremely important scene. Here are the 30 best underground...
