Underground Hip-Hop

Underground Hip-Hop


Underground hip hop is an "umbrella term" for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. The term is almost exclusively associated with independent artists, signed to small independent labels or no label at all. Underground hip hop is often characterized by having more socially conscious, positive, or anti-commercial lyrics than the mainstream; however, there is no unifying or universal theme - Allmusic suggests that it has "has no sonic signifiers". "The Underground" can also refer to the community of musicians, fans and others that support non-commercial, or independent music.

Underground hip-hop encompasses several different styles of music, though it is often politically themed and socially conscious. Numerous acts in the book How to Rap are described as being both underground and politically or socially aware, these include - Akir, Little Brother, Brother Ali, Mr. Lif, MURS, Binary Star, People Under the Stairs, Bad Habitat, Lifesavas, and Zion I.

Underground artists often have high levels of critical acclaim - acts who have been specifically noted as being both underground and having numerous critically acclaimed albums include Jurassic 5, Aesop Rock, Ugly Duckling, Little Brother, Brother Ali, El Da Sensei, Dilated Peoples, Blackalicious, Non Phixion, Freestyle Fellowship, Binary Star, Planet Asia, People Under the Stairs, Cannibal Ox, and Zion I.

Additionally, many underground artists are said to have "intelligent", "intricate", or "complex" lyrics, these include - Akir, Ugly Duckling, Brother Ali, Cage, El Da Sensei, Blackalicious, Mr. Lif, MURS, Bad Habitat, Dead Prez, Binary Star, Planet Asia, Lifesavas, and Zion I.

Some underground artists produce music that celebrates the fundamental elements or pillars of hip hop culture, such as People Under the Stairs whose music "recalls hip-hop's golden age"

Early stages of Underground Hip Hop

In hip hop's formative years, the vast majority of the genre was underground music, by definition. Although the Sugarhill Gang gained commercial success in 1979, most artists did not share such prominence until the mid 1980s. Ultramagnetic MCs debut album Critical Beatdown is seen as one of the earliest example of "underground hip hop"[43]. It was described that the album was characteristic of what would later be known as "underground hip hop".

In 1991, A Tribe Called Quest's "Check the Rhime" reached #1 on the Billboard Rap Singles Charts, but did not crack the U.S. Hot 100. Once hip hop music entered the pop sphere, a clear dichotomy began to form between the mainstream and the underground. Underground hip hop "scenes" or communities formed in many major U.S. cities bringing artists and audiences together for concerts, open mics, battles and parties.

It is important to note that many artists that are considered "underground" today, were not always so. Artists such as De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Wu-Tang Clan, and others all broke the U.S. Hot 100 chart more than once. Yet today, they are more likely to tour with today's alternative hip hop acts, than with their successors at the top of the hip hop charts. This reflects a general: modern fans of
underground hip hop music are more likely to embrace music from the genre's earlier, or classic periods, than the music on commercial hip hop radio stations. Prominent albums of this decade includes Masters of the Universe, which was described as a "refreshing alternative from the mainstream of rap". Other notable albums include Bad Habitat's "Swaggadocious Mixtape", Dead Prez' RGB and Common's acclaimed album "Be".

College and community radio stations were the traditional incubator of underground hip hop music. The radio charts that track college radio play continue to be one of the most important indicators of success for independent hip hop artists. Beginning in the late 1990s internet radio stations emerged as another powerful alternative tool for artists. Today, satellite radio offers even more venues for artists to find an audience without relying on traditional commercial radio play.

Today's Underground Hip Hop Are Mainstreamed By Internet Radio Stations, Such As: 4 Elements Radio , True Hip Hop.fm and Radio Mic-Beatz


There have been many small-scale publications that focus on so-called underground hip-hop. One recent online publication is called "aboveGround Magazine", and they provide interviews, downloads, reviews, and news from underground and independent hip-hop artists.