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    'Underground hip hop'

    Basically a euphemism for white hip hop, right?

    #2
    'Underground hip hop'

    Never mind the 'underground' where's commercial Hip Hop these days? Admittedly I don't go looking for the music but it seems to have either melded into the dreadful kind of mainstream Dance Americans call 'EDM' or it's fallen off of a cliff somewhere.

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      #3
      'Underground hip hop'

      Underground is definitely linked with the backpack rap fans (i.e., white folks) but the music is definitely multi-racial.

      Here are some Chicago-based rappers/producers:
      http://gravelrecords.bandcamp.com/



      http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY6jI97O7r4oytR122LZkg
      Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:02.

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        #4
        'Underground hip hop'

        Pat McGatt wrote: Basically a euphemism for white hip hop, right?
        No

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          #5
          'Underground hip hop'

          George wrote: Never mind the 'underground' where's commercial Hip Hop these days? Admittedly I don't go looking for the music but it seems to have either melded into the dreadful kind of mainstream Dance Americans call 'EDM' or it's fallen off of a cliff somewhere.
          Part of the reason for its demise is that Dr Dre has produced a grand total of one track since 2009, being too busy flogging overpriced designer headphones and pretending to finish his third solo album.

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            #6
            'Underground hip hop'

            I was going to say "not in any way, shape, or form."

            For me it means a kid with the most rudimentary equipment (say, a Casio and tape recorder,) or a drug dealer from the grimiest project who can afford studio time. (On a side note, Wu Tang were considered underground at the time. Basically any group without a label.)

            This was made by a father of a student of mine last year. This is bonafide underground. The video was shot around Here on Chancellor Ave in the South Ward of Newark.

            White-oriented hip hop is usually referred to as "backpacker" or "this is for the backpackers." However, I would even say backpackers are 45-55% white or black, depending on the city.

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              #7
              'Underground hip hop'

              Emil is another Chicago rapper. He spoke in one of my classes this term. I like his style, which has a kind of Kid Cudi, lazy feel. And the first video has some cool street art from a permission wall in Pilsen.





              And this is one of my favorite underground rap records: Mr. Lif's I Phantom.
              Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:03.

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                #8
                'Underground hip hop'

                danielmak, that second EMIL track - Sunday is particularly good. Charming video too. Thanks for sharing.

                I'm listening to that Mr Lif thing now too, I thought it was going to be a track but it's the LP isnt it?. First track's just a skit and it starts at track two with A Glimpse At The Struggle. Again, thanks for sharing. Good stuff. Interesting noises.

                That L - Duly - "Up Top Boy" what JV posted is good too. The instrumental is ridiculously fat in my headphones right now.

                Making this a general Hip Hop thread for a moment here.

                New track from De La & Chuck D - The People. I think it's quite extraordinary. Fresh today as far as I can see.

                Free D/L (if you sign up)

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                  #9
                  'Underground hip hop'

                  Underground hip hop artists include Warren Street, and the Theydon Bois.

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                    #10
                    'Underground hip hop'

                    I wanted to get into some classic otf wordplay but only got as far as 'gravediggaz'

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                      #11
                      'Underground hip hop'

                      When I hear the term 'underground hip hop' I think of the Wordsound label:

                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WfLpCKRzmQ

                      http://vimeo.com/49285921

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                        #12
                        'Underground hip hop'

                        beak wrote: I wanted to get into some classic otf wordplay but only got as far as 'gravediggaz'
                        there's mc pitman also, I guess.

                        then de la hole, and da trench mob to boot.

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                          #13
                          'Underground hip hop'

                          People Under The Stairs
                          Digital Underground
                          Lords Of The Underground

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                            #14
                            'Underground hip hop'

                            @Luke: Glad you liked some of those links. That Mr. Lif record is a story told through however many songs are on the record. It's probably a decade old by now but I come back to it often (good commuting music).

                            I'll check out the recommendations on this thread.

                            In terms of mainstream rap, I don't pay much attention since in the US at this point, most of the stuff seems to be pop junk (Pitbull) or not very appealing. Kanye's stuff still works for me, although I never buy anything from him. JV's first link seems to be working with the same sound boy sample:


                            And that "Pound Cake" track from Drake with Jay-Z is really good, although not new and Jay-Z's parts aren't as good as Drake's parts. I really dig the beat on that one.



                            I need to listen to Kendrick Lamar more. And I also need to pick up some Shabazz Palaces records:
                            Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:06.

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                              #15
                              'Underground hip hop'

                              I happen to be listening to Blue Daisy right now.

                              Mikki Bianco

                              Okmalumkoolkat

                              Comment


                                #16
                                'Underground hip hop'

                                Thanks for that Blue Daisy recommendation. He's new to me (assuming this isn't a crew). This is another good one from him that I found after listening to Lucia's recommended track.


                                I had seen that Mikki Blanco video before but forgot about it. I don't know what kind of sub-set this stuff fits into (folks love their labels) but these are definitely weirder tracks. Blue Daisy seems to have a nice link with the trip hop stuff from the early 90s. Blanco's gender bending certainly offers another twist to a machismo genre of music (although Blanco's lyrics seem to follow that pattern even as his gender bending performance messes with the rapper's usual tough guy image).

                                The Odd Future crew seems to fit with Blue Daisy and Blanco from a sonic perspective but the lyrics are not very progressive:



                                Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:07.

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                                  #17
                                  'Underground hip hop'

                                  This Czarface and DOOM track is sooooo good.
                                  http://https://soundcloud.com/brickr...f-doom-ka-bang

                                  And the track with Method Man has a nice early 90s feel at times:
                                  http://https://soundcloud.com/brickr...n-nightcrawler
                                  Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:10.

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                                    #18
                                    'Underground hip hop'

                                    Piece about underground rap in general, and J Dilla in particular, by Simon Reynolds from the Guardian a few years back. Well worth a read.

                                    http://reynoldsretro.blogspot.ie/2015/05/j-dilla.html

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                                      #19
                                      'Underground hip hop'

                                      Thanks for sharing that piece; it was an interesting read. The only problem I have with it is that he seems to treat the underground sub-genre as slightly snotty, as if that is somehow unique to this style of music. The reality is that each type of underground music is filled with holier-than-thou elitists ("I hated [insert underground artist name that starts to garner some buzz] stuff first"). And then there are true believers who want to build community and champion alternative sounds. His crate digging for rare 60s records is no different than underground rap DJs/beatmakers doing the same thing. Anyway, it's interesting to read some theories about why Dilla's sounds were unique.

                                      Here's some Dilla with Madlib (Jaylib):


                                      And here's some Madlib with Doom (Madvillain):


                                      And here's the track that get's a line drop from Doom in that Madvillain track (Nice & Smooth from 1991):
                                      Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:11.

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                                        #20
                                        'Underground hip hop'

                                        I didn't find that piece that interesting. I found myself tailing off towards the end.

                                        I like Dilla as much as the next non-obsessed Dilla-liker. I tend to find far more musical nutrients in the east coast producers of the era that immediately preceded Dilla's rise. Premier, Large Pro, Pete Rock. Easy Mo Bee often get's forgot as does Q-Tip (as a producer anyway).

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                                          #21
                                          'Underground hip hop'

                                          Pete Rock is definitely one of my favorite producers. From Pete Rock and CL Smooth to his PE remixes to Mos Def remixes, he's done some really good stuff.

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                                            #22
                                            'Underground hip hop'

                                            I think y'all are going to dig these tracks:

                                            Masta Ace (a long-time underground rapper) and Blu.

                                            A new track from Cannibal Ox

                                            And if you want some instrumental tracks:

                                            Pete Rock just released a 2-CD set.

                                            Some of that set was then remixed right away by Beat Junkies J Rocc, which is a pretty quick remix. Free download on this one if you enter your postal code and email address.

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                                              #23
                                              'Underground hip hop'

                                              There's a great documentary that just started airing on Showtime in the US about the premier underground rap radio show in NYC during a time when rap was starting to shift from one general genre to a range of sub-genres. Stretch and Bobbito: Radio that Changes Lives. I'm sure it's airing through other networks in other countries.
                                              https://vimeo.com/ondemand/stretchandbobbito
                                              Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:12.

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                                                #24
                                                'Underground hip hop'

                                                danielmak wrote: backpack rap fans
                                                Crikey, that actually is a thing!

                                                http://www.xxlmag.com/news/bloggers/2006/06/the-trouble-with-backpack-rap/

                                                http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Backpack%20Rapper

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                                                  #25
                                                  'Underground hip hop'

                                                  BTW if that trailer is of interest, you might want to stream this Youtube link of Mike Nardone's radio show for KXLU back in the early 90s. He was the main source for good radio in LA at that time; this was post-KDAY.

                                                  Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:13.

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