Underground hip-hop (also known asunderground rap) is a scene and style ofhip-hop music that is defined as beingcountercultural in nature, existing outside of and in contrast to the sounds, style and aesthetics ofmainstream hip-hop. Despite this, underground artists have often reached widespread success and popularity throughinternet virality, critical acclaim, or appearances on theBillboard charts.[1]
Originally associated withconscious,experimental andprogressive rap, the term later shifted to refer to severaltrap-descendantinternet rap scenes and music that emerged during the late 2000s and 2010s.[2]
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Althoughhip-hop originally emerged from New York'sunderground music scene during the early 1970s, by the end of the decade, the genre began to gain wider commercial success and mainstream attention through the prominence ofdisco-rap, which prompted early underground artists to explore more experimental approaches to their work. In 1983,Rammellzee andK-Rob released the single "Beat Bop", which was produced and arranged byJean-Michel Basquiat. Though it remained largely underground, the track was later described as a blueprint for the "apocalyptic, witty, and experimental" style of laterexperimental hip-hop artists such asAntipop Consortium andEl-P.[3][4]
By the late 1980s, as hip-hop became more prominent, young artists began to create and release music independently, as many were unable to obtain record deals.The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, aradio show that was broadcast onWKCR (and laterWQHT), which ran from 1990 to 1999, became well known for welcoming unsigned artists on to the show tofreestyle a verse, which resulted in wider publicity and possibly even a record deal for that artist.[5] Across the United States, several regional underground hip-hop scenes emerged, most notably on theEast andWest Coasts, as well as in theSouth, which included theHouston,Atlanta andMemphis rap scenes. This era saw the emergence styles such ashorrorcore andnerdcore. Subsequently, underground hip-hop artists such asJedi Mind Tricks,Kool Keith,B. Dolan,Diabolic,Immortal Technique,Insane Clown Posse,Del the Funky Homosapien, andHieroglyphics later emerged, incorporatinglo-fi production techniques andconscious lyricism. By the late 1990s,progressive rap acts such asBlack Star andJuggaknots became notable in the scene,[6] alongside traditional underground hip-hop artists likeAesop Rock,Artifacts,People Under the Stairs,[7]CunninLynguists,[8] andRob Sonic.[9]
By the early 2000s, artists such asMF Doom,Edan,[10]Clouddead,Dälek andMadlib,[11] gained wider notoriety, which brought the underground scene to wider audiences as well as contributed to the wider proliferation of the sound, style and aesthetics that would become associated with underground hip-hop.
During the late 2000s, young artists began leveraging theinternet to promote their independently released music through online social media platforms likeMyspace[12] and the music distribution websiteDatPiff.[13][14] Through these channels, California-based rapperLil B, and producerClams Casino have been credited with pioneering the trap-based subgenrecloud rap,[15][16] which became a staple and major influence of what will later be defined as "internet rap", a categorization of hip-hop artists with sounds and communities that were developed from and alongsideinternet culture. As internet rap began to gain more traction, specifically due to the increasing popularity of audio streaming serviceSoundCloud, underground hip-hop began to shift away from conscious lyricism and traditional hip-hop instrumentals and more towards trap subgenres.
Despite this shift, artists such asZelooperz,Mach-Hommy,Billy Woods,Ka,Elucid,Earl Sweatshirt,the Alchemist and collectiveArmand Hammer continued releasing music with the traditional underground sound,[17] building on traditional hip-hop production and an emphasis on conscious or abstract lyricism. Contemporaneous non-trap based developments in onlineunderground rap during this period, includedexperimental andindustrial hip-hop artists such asDeath Grips,JPEGMAFIA,Clipping andInjury Reserve.
In 2012,Black Kray's Goth Money alongsideWicca Phase'sGothBoiClique and cloud rap pioneerBones,[18] would later draw influences fromwitch house, subsequently leading to the development ofemo rap.[19][18][20] Additionally, Kray's early collaborations withWorking on Dying contributed to the development of tread music.[21] By 2013, Swedishcloud rap artistYung Lean's trackGinseng Strip 2002 went viral online, influencing a new generation of underground internet rappers.[22][23][24] The Swedish online rap collectiveDrain Gang, consisting ofBladee,Ecco2K,Thaiboy Digital, andWhitearmor, further influenced the development of underground online rap music.[25][26]
The shift of underground hip-hop towards its online-based sound continued throughout the mid-2010s with the outgrowth ofmumble rap, a style pioneered by artists such asPlayboi Carti andLil Uzi Vert, who brought the new underground sound to the forefront of hip-hop and internet culture.[27][28] Playboi Carti's success in the late 2010s led to him foundingOpium, an Atlanta-based record label and collective, resulting in the subsequent emergence of artists such asKen Carson andDestroy Lonely, who both reached wider popularity in the early 2020s.[29] Due to Opium's popularity, influence and onlinecult following, the underground rap scene pioneered apunk-inspired fashion style colloquially known as "opiumcore",[30][31][32] which has been noted as being influential to laterhigh fashion andstreetwear trends.[33][34][35][36][37]
Throughout the early 2020s, underground hip-hop continued developing its sound by expanding on subgenres oftrap, primarilyplugg andrage[2] and keeping its culture aligned with that of the internet, withRolling Stone describing the 2020s underground rap scene as "extremely online".[38] From plugg emerged thepluggnb microgenre and artists such asSummrs,Tana,Kankan,Iayze andAutumn!,[39] as well as rage influenced artists such asYeat,OsamaSon,Yung Fazo,Prettifun, andChe, many of whom later reached widespread success.
The influence ofhyperpop led to subsequent trap-basedmicrogenres that emerged or primarily developed during the early 2020s, such assigilkore,jerk, rage,hexd,digicore andkrushclub.[40][41] Notable artists in these scenes includeLuci4,Xaviersobased,Nettspend, Yabujin,[42]Sematary,Yhapojj,Jane Remover,Lucy Bedroque andRich Amiri. Online collectives such as Novagang,[43] Jewelxxet, and Surf Gang[44] were considered influential.
The traditional underground sound has maintained relevance as well, due tocontinued releases from the Alchemist, and the increasing popularity of artists such asMike,Mavi, andRedveil.
Subsequently, the online underground rap sound expanded to multiple international and regional scenes around the world, particularly in the United Kingdom as spearheaded by artists such asLancey Foux,[45] Fimiguerrero,[45]Fakemink,[46][47]EsDeeKid,[48]Ledbyher,[48] Len,YT,[49] andFeng.[50] Moving over to Canada, the scene was spearheaded byVancouver rapper,Eric Reprid.[51] In China, artists Bloodz Boi, Billionhappy andJackzebra emerged.[52][53] In Thailand, artistsIllslick andYoungohm emerged. While inArgentina, the scene was spearheaded by the SwaggerBoyz collective led by AgusFortnite2008 and Stiffy.[54]
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