What is Underground Hip-Hop?

I'm posting this because me & @DaddyBawsten on Twitter were having a conversation about What underground Hip-Hop is. He said that he didn't consider Lupe, the Roots, Common, etc. to be underground because of their visibility. For example, he was saying that Common isn't underground because he's dating Serena, The Roots aren't underground because they're the band for a late night talk show, etc. Now, let's look at what underground Hip-Hop means. To me, this is what Underground Hip-Hop is:

My Definition: Underground Hip-Hop is songs or music created by artists that doesn't get a certain amount of recognition or airplay, because the thought-provocative nature of the music is different than what is promoted by the mainstream media (I.E. gangsta rap, gratuitous gunplay & hustling, ringtone rap, etc.).

Now, one of the examples is that Lupe Fiasco isn't an underground artist because he made "Superstar" and he is an artist that is recognized by mainstream media. Ok, yeah, Lupe has had some radio hits like Kick/Push & Superstar, but look at the body of Lupe's work on his first two cd's:

-"Streets on Fire": About the AIDS Epidemic

-"American Terrorist": Showing us that we as Americans have no right to point fingers at people and get a "Holier than thou" attitude because of all the atrocities that we as a nation have committed.

-"He Say She Say": About the struggles of growing up without a father.

-"Hurts Me Soul": QUOTE --- "My mom can't feed me, my boyfriend beats meI have sex for money, the hood don't love meThe cops wanna kill me, this nonsense built me, And I got noooo place to gooo. They bomb my village, they call us killers...Took me off they welfare, can't afford they health care...My teacher won't teach me, my master beats me...And it huuurts meee soooul"

-Dumb It Down: Showing how mainstream media has brainwashed us into dumbing down our music.

-Intruder Alert: QUOTE --- "He said, nobody else ever loved him, That's why, he get high enough to go touch the heavens above him. Vividly remembers every pipe, every needle that stuck him...Every alley he ever slept in, every purse that he snuck in. Every level of hell he's been to, and the one that he's stuck in...No wonder he can't escape, even though it's of his own construction. Maybe you can relate, Maybe you just one of those that just doesn't...Maybe he doesn't care, loves to allow these demons to come in With no..."

-Little Weapon: QUOTE --- "I killed another man today..Shot him in his back as he ran away Then I blew up his hut with a hand grenade. Cut his wife throat as she put her hands to pray"Just five more dogs, then we can get a soccer ball"that's what my commander say. How old - well I'm like ten, eleven....Been fightin since I was like six, or seven. Now I don't know much ‘bout where I'm from, But I know I strike fear everywhere I come. Government want me dead so I wear my gun...I really want the rocket launcher but I'm still too young. This candy give me courage not to fear no one...To feel no pain and hear no tongue. So I hear no screams and I shed no tear...If I'm in your dreams, then your end is near - it's ME"

That's just a couple of examples. If you look at the body of Lupe's work, almost everything he puts out is along the lines of what Mos Def, Talib Kweli, etc. were putting out long before Mos Def was making movies. Lupe's work is true to what real hip-hop is, so yeah, even though he gets recognition, he's putting out a lot of underground music.

As for the Roots, yes, they might be getting some recognition and have higher visibility now, but that doesn't take away from the fact that every Roots cd is filled with songs with lyrics like this (from "Don't Feel Right") QUOTE ---

"Yo, in the land of the unseen hand, and hold trouble, Theorize your game, it's difficult to roll a double, The struggle ain't right up in your face, it's more subtle, But it's still comin' across like the bridge and tunnel vision. I try to school these bucks, but they don't wanna listen, That's the reason the system makin' its paper from the prison. And that's the reason we livin' where they don't wanna visit. Where the dope slang and keep swayin' like Sonny Liston. The money missin' and there's mouths to feed, Yet the brain kickin', thinkin' of a thousand things. Remember back in the days, when the kitchen had eggs, And pancakes, thicken and greens and Kool Aid. When the ‘fridgerator naked then the cupboard is bare, People got to strip naked, stick ‘em up in the airWasn't lies when they told you wasn't nothin' to fear...Somethin' don't feel right out here, nahmsayin'? Check it out.."

*Mos Def is making movies now, but it doesn't take away from the fact that on the music scene, he's been doing his thing and staying true to what real Hip-Hop is. He, along with Talib Kweli put out the Blackstar album...a hip hop CLASSIC...and everything from that until the recent album, "The Ecstatic" has stayed true to what Hip-Hop really is or should be. Just listen to "Thieves in the Night" or "What's Beef" or "Eat to live" by Talib Kweli. All Underground Hip-Hop. I could come up with similar examples for Common and everyone else I've named.

*Common might be dating Serena, but he's still putting out cds like "Like Water For Chocolate" while artists like 50 Cent are putting out "Get Rich or Die Trying"

Now another example was brought up about Jay-Z. It was stated that Jay-z has a lot of songs that don't get radioplay, but that doesn't make it underground Hip-hop. Ok, well let's look at the body of Jay-z's work. Jay-z is no doubt a talented artist, but are the aforementioned Jay-z songs thought provocative, or are they Jay-z's typical "Hustler" schtick? Is Jay-z talking about how gun-violence and drug-selling is affecting the community in a negative way, or is Jay-z simply doing his thing where he talks about hustling? If it's the first thing, then yeah, I do consider it Underground Hip-Hop. If it's the latter, not so much. See, I have a very specific definition of what Hip-Hop is. Everything that's labeled hip-hop nowadays is not hip-hop to me. I think the overall genre is RAP, and hip-hop is a very specific sub-division of that. I think a lot of Jay-z's work falls into the rap category, but maybe not into my definition of what Hip-Hop is.

To sum everything up, the various artists could be on TV all day every day...but as long as they're making thought provoking music that's meaningful but doesn't get mainstream recognition, it's still underground hip-hop, and it will continue to be until mainstream media starts pushing thought-provocative music as much as it does the bullshit we hear on the radio now.

Here are a few underground Gems that you should check out, along with those listed above. This is what is currently playing in my Ipod, alond with a lot of Run DMC lol:

"Tell the Truth" by Immortal Technique and Mos Def
"Dance with the Devil" by Immortal Technique
"Shadow Business" by Jedi Mind Tricks
"Poet Laureate" by Canibus
"Basket Case" by MF Doom
"Thieves in the Night" by Blackstar
"Get Up" by Q-Tip
"Layered Prayers" by Canibus
"Mic Mastery" by 7L & Esoteric
"End to End Burners" by Company Flow
"Roc Ko Kane Flow" by De La Soul Featuring MF Doom
"Shining Down" by Lupe Fiasco

Peace!

Alloyius McIlwaine
Cultures Clothing Co.