NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Underground hip hop

Underground hip hop, underground rap, or undie (to draw comparison to "indie" or independent rock) is an umbrella term for hip-hop and rap music outside the general commercial canon. Independent record labels are the major supplier of underground hip hop, but artists who are not signed to any label represent the independent scene just as much as their signed counterparts. This non-commercialized hip hop is represented through its other elements as well, such as graffiti, b-boying (break dancing), turntablism (djing), freestyle rhymes, and beatboxing.^{[citation needed]} An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of related concepts, also called a hypernym. ... Breakdance, an early form of hip hop dance, often involves battles, showing off skills without any physical contact with the adversaries. ... RAP may mean: the IATA airport code for Rapid City Regional Airport Rassemblement pour lalternative progressiste, a QuÃ©becois political party. ...

Style

Generally speaking 'underground' artists rap about a different subject matter than their commercial brethren. Songs focus more on personal issues, politics, relationships, and philosophy, and tend to be more introspective and self-critical. However, underground hip hop also has roots in battle rapping, and "shit-talk" songs are quite common, as many underground rappers display the egoism and braggadocio common to rap music. Underground production tend to be diverse, drawing on such musical styles as jazz, funk, electronica, and techno, as well as more traditional hip-hop for beats. The music can also be more lyrically diverse and have less repetition than mainstream rap. Some artists also avoid lyrics that are violent, or misogynistic.[1]. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Electronica refers to a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; but unlike electronic dance music, is not specifically focused on the dance floor. ... For the comic book character previously known as Techno, see Fixer (comics). ...

1990s

The rise of Underground hip hop can be traced to the history of a few record labels and events during the 1990s, paralleling the creation of gangsta rap. At the same time that N.W.A. was pioneering the sound that would become "Gangsta Rap," rappers such as Organized Konfusion and Common were creating the sound which would be later categorized as "Underground." The early 90s saw the creation the Living Legends and Freestyle Fellowship crews, 1995 Rhymesayers Entertainment, 1996 Stones Throw, 1997 Anticon, and 1999 Def Jux. In 1996, Scribble Jam, a hip hop festival which has cultivated the underground scene and launched many of its best-known artists, was organized. The internet also played a very key role in spreading the appeal of underground hip hop to the masses. 1997-1998 saw the rise of audio websites such as UndergroundHipHop.com and file sharing sites like Napster quickly spread the music of indie artists at an unprecedented pace. (Redirected from 1990s in music) 1990 in music International trends Barbadian artists like Gabby, Spice and Square One bring a new sound to Trinidadian soca Mari Boines Gula Gula, and its titular hit single, bring Sami joik-based folk to popular attention Paradise Lost emerges at the forefront of... For the Ice T album, see Gangsta Rap (album). ... This article is about the hip-hop group. ... Organized Konfusion was an alternative hip hop duo from Queens, New York. ... Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. ... The Living Legends crew is a group of eight underground hip-hop creators. ... Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Mikah 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi. ... Official Logo Rhymesayers Entertainment is an underground hip-hop music label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, co-founded in 1995 by Slug, a member of the group Atmosphere. ... Stones Throw Records is a California-based hip hop independent record label. ... Based in The Bay Area of California, Anticon is an independent record label owned equally among seven founding artists and one manager. ... Definitive Jux (a. ... Scribble Jam is an annual hip hop music festival hosted in Cincinnati, Ohio, which has been called Americas Largest Hip Hop Festival. ...

2000s

If the 1990s saw the formation of underground hip hop, the 2000s saw it reaching mainstream audiences. Many artists, such as Mars ILL, Andre Nickatina, Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, El-P, and Atmosphere saw their albums chart on the Billboard 200. Rhymesayers Entertainment signed a distribution deal with Warner Music Group in 2007 which allowed several underground artists such as MURS, Abstract Rude, and Grayskul, among others, to be signed with a major label. The late 90s and early 2000's also gave rise to both old and new underground artists such as Oldominion, Cannibal Ox, MF DOOM, J Dilla, Jean Grae, Aesop Rock, Grayskul, Medusa, and Ill Bill, as many of these artists went on tours and put out mix tapes which led to further popularity. (Redirected from 2000s in music) 2000 in music International trends Pop albums dominate the charts and set records for sales - N Sync (No Strings Attached), Britney Spears (Oops!... I Did It Again), Nelly (Country Grammar), Backstreet Boys (Black & Blue), Creed (Human Clay), Destinys Child (The Writings on the... Mars Ill is a hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia signed to Gotee Records. ... Andre Nickatina (formerly known as Dre Dog[1]) is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. ... Aesop Rock (born Ian Matthias Bavitz on 1976-05-11) is an American hip hop artist. ... Paul Sage Francis (born November, 1976 in Miami, Florida) is a hip-hop artist based in Providence, Rhode Island. ... El-Producto or El-P (born Jaime Meline) is well known in underground hip hop circles as a pioneer whose work with the trio Company Flow (El-P, Big Jus and Mr. ... Atmosphere is an American hip hop duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the rapper. ... Abstract Rude (born Aaron Pointer) is an American rapper, from Los Angeles, CA. He is the MC from the hip hop group Abstract Tribe Unique (ATU), which features dancer Zulu Butterfly Prince, DJ Drez, and Underground Hip Hop producer, Fat Jack. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources, so as to avoid it being considered... The following is a partial list of record labels, both past and present. ... Oldominion is a hip-hop crew consisting of over 30 emcees, artists and producers representing the Pacific Northwest. ... Cannibal Ox is a hip hop music duo from Harlem, New York City. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974â€“February 10, 2006), better known as J Dilla, or Jay Dee, was an American hip hop producer and MC, who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. ... Jean Grae (formerly What? What?; real name Tsidi Ibrahim) is an American hip hop artist. ... Aesop Rock (born Ian Matthias Bavitz on 1976-05-11) is an American hip hop artist. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources, so as to avoid it being considered... For other uses, see Medusa (disambiguation). ... Ill Bill (right) and Sabac Red William Braunstein (born 1972), better known as Ill Bill is a politically minded MC from Brooklyn, New York. ...

Sources

Sartwell, C rispin (1998). "Rap Music and the Uses Of Stereotype", Act Like You Know: African-American Autobiography and White Identity. University of Chicago: University Of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226735276. Crispin Sartwell (b. ...

Footnotes

External links

See also

Abstract hip hop is a subgenre of alternative hip hop that differs from other hip hop music largely in the content of the lyrics. ... Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a genre that is defined in greatly varying ways. ... It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: This is copied directly from Alternative hip hop. ... Death rap redirects here. ... Hip hop musicians : By genre : Underground Clever and Math Fresh Competition S2theD Jon Young Immortal Technique Loose Logic Atmosphere Eyedea Doseone Sole People Under the Stairs AZ Mayhem Morearty MURS Soul Position Living Legends Eligh The Grouch Sunspot Jonz Zion I Dilated Peoples Sage Francis Aesop Rock Alias Buck 65... Nerdcore hip hop is a musical genre. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Rap redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... DJ Mixer. ... Hip hop is a subculture, which is said to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Afrika Bambaattaa. ... A boy hitting (holding) a pike Breakdance (media coined phrase), also known as breaking, b-girling or b-boying, is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement that originated among African American youths in the South Bronx of New York City during the early... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... Faada Freddy of the Senegalese rap crew Daara J in Germany, 2005. ... Hip hop dance refers to dance styles, mainly street dance styles, primarily danced to hip hop music, or that have evolved as a part of the hip hop culture. ... Hip Hop Theatre is a sub-genre of Hip-Hopera that came to the American stage in the late 20th century. ... The roots of hip hop can be found in 1970s block parties in New York City, specifically The Bronx[1]. Hip hop culture, including rapping, scratching, graffiti, and breakdancing. ... Old school hip hop is a term used to describe the very earliest hip hop music to come out of the block parties of New York City in the 1970s and 1980s. ... New school hip hop is a rarely-heard term referring to hip hop created later in the forms development, contrasted with old school hip hop. ... The golden age of hip hop, derivative of old school hip hop, was probably introduced with the popularity of Run-DMCs 1986 album Raising Hell. ... See also: Category:Hip hop genres Hip hop music can be subdivided into subgenres, fusions with other genres and regional hip hop scenes. ... This is a list of influential albums in the history of hip hop music. ... Hip hop music was primarily limited to its country of origin, the United States, until the 1980s, at which point it reached into other countries and continents until its presence was worldwide. ... Hip hop music has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to widespread American influence. ... Cover of sampler CD (2003) This article is about hip hop music and culture originating in the Arabic-speaking world. ... Asian Hip Hop is a heterogeneous musical genre that covers all hip hop music as recorded and produced by artists of Asian origin. ... European hip hop is hip hop music created by European musicians. ... Latin rap is not a homogeneous musical style but rather a term that covers all Hip-Hop music recorded by artists of Latino origin. ... This article is about hip hop music and culture originating in the Middle East. ... Hip hop is quite a new style of music for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it has nevertheless proven very popular. ... Dominican hip hop has its own style of hip hop music by mixing its native music and rapping to it like in the genres Merenrap or Merenhouse where they just take a blend of their native dance music called Merengue and rap to it. ... Greenlandic hip hop began in 1985 with the formation of the Inuit rap crew Nuuk Posse, though hip hop music first came to Greenland a year earlier. ... Rap marocain Moroccan rap ---- (more info) Stage 2 : In Progress (How-to) Its an interesting translation about Morocco Spy-jones 13:44, 31 May 2007 (UTC) This article didnt exist in English-language Wikipedia Spy-jones 20% 00:16, 1 June 2007 (UTC) Join this translation --- Update this... Native American hip hop is popular among Native Americans in the United States and the First Nations of Canada. ... Nepalese hip hop music, also referred to as NEPHOP, has a slight blend of Nepalese traditional music, western popular music, with lyrics that are usually altruistic and depicting the present Nepalese political and economic situation. ... Serbian hip hop refers to all genres of hip hop music in the Serbian language, mostly from Serbia, Republika Srpska (BiH), and Montenegro. ... Taiwanese hip hop music started in the early 1990s, popularized by early hip hop trio L.A. Boyz. ...