Alternative Hip-Hop

aka Progressive Hip-Hop

Alternative Hip-Hop, also known as Progressive Hip-Hop, is a sub-genre of hip hop music ( also known as Rap ) that is defined in a variety of ways. All Music ( allmusic.com ) defines it as follows:

“Alternative Rap refers to Hip-Hop groups that refuse to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as gangsta, bass, hardcore, and party rap. Instead, they blur genres – drawing equally from funk and rock, as well as jazz, soul, reggae, and even folk.^“

Origins of Alternative Hip-Hop

Originating in the late 1980’s, in midst of what hip-hop culture historians call the “Golden age of hip hop”, alternative hip hop was headed primarily by East Coast rappers such as De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digable Planets in subsidiary conjunction by West Coast rappers such as The Pharcyde, Digital Underground, and Jurassic 5 as well as certain Southern rappers such as Arrested Development Goodie Mob and OutKast. Similar to the alternative rock movement, alternative hip hop initially began to segue into the mainstream at the dawn of the 1990s. The classic debut albums 3 Feet High and Rising, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, and Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde achieved minor commercial success as they garnered immense acclaim from music critics, who described the records as managing to be both ambitiously innovative but playful masterpieces, hailing the artists as the future of hip hop music as a whole. Christened as “The Sgt. Pepper of hip hop”, De La Soul’s debut album 3 Feet High and Rising was considered the forefront of the sub-genre.

Decline of Alternative rap and rise of Gangsta rap

The revolution did not take place however. Contrary to alternative rock, which went on to become a mainstay in mainstream music in the 90’s and replaced the hard rock of the previous generation as the most popular form of rock music, alternative rap’s commercial momentum was impeded by the then also newly emerging, significantly harder-edged West Coast Gangsta rap. With its aggressive tone, nihilistic tendencies, violent imagery, gangsta rap was considered to be the more entertaining, more lucrative sub-genre as signified by the high chart placings, radio success and multi-platinum-selling records of gangsta rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Warren G and N.W.A., who were widely embraced by major record labels and produced a legion of imitators. Straight Outta Compton and Doggystyle redefined the direction of hip hop, which resulted in lyricism concerning the gangsta lifestyle becoming the driving force with sales figures. The situation broke way around the mid-90s with the emergence and mainstream popularity of East Coast hardcore rap artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., and Mobb Deep. Both West Coast gangsta rap and East Coast hardcore and their many derivatives subsequently became more prominent in popular music, to the point where alt-rap became largely relegated to the underground hip hop scene. Following this development, many alternative rap acts eventually either disbanded or faded into obscurity.

Revival and popularization of Alternative Hip Hop

A resurgence of indie music in the mid/late 1990s, and early-2000s rejuvenated interest in progressive hip hop among the general public. Arrested Development, as well as The Fugees, are some of the some of the first alternative rap groups to be recognized by mainstream audiences worldwide. Since the mid 90’s, indie labels such as Rhymesayers, Stones Throw, Rawkus Records and Definitive Jux have experienced lesser mainstream success with alternative rappers like MF DOOM, Atmosphere, Black Star, Pharoahe Monch,  Aesop Rock etc. Although regarded as successes among underground hip-hop fans, when taking in the big picture of the music industry these relatively successful artists could be considered failures from a strictly monetary standpoint at that time. In the mid to late 2000s alternative hip hop finally secured a place within the mainstream, due in part to the declining commercial viability of gangsta rap and a music industry saturated with clones of the same act. Also  the crossover success of artists such as OutKast, Kanye West, and Gnarls Barkley came into play as a new sound began to emerge in alternative hip hop. Not only did OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below receive universal acclaim from music critics and manage to appeal listeners of all ages spanning numerous musical genres–including rap, rock, R&B, punk, jazz, indie, country, pop, electronica and gospel–but also spawned two number-one hit singles and has been certified diamond by selling 11 times platinum by the RIAA for shipping more than 11 million units, becoming the best selling rap album of all time. Industry observers view the sales race between Kanye West’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Curtis as a turning point for hip hop. Kanye West emerged the victor, selling nearly a million copies in the first week alone, proving that innovative rap music could be just as commercially viable as gangsta rap, if not more so. Although he designed it as a melancholic pop rather than rap, Kanye’s following 808s & Heartbreak would have a significant effect on hip hop music. While his decision to sing about love, loneliness, and heartache for the entirety of the album was at first heavily criticized by music audiences and the album predicted to be a flop, its subsequent critical acclaim and commercial success encouraged other mainstream rappers to take greater creative risks with their music. During the release of The Blueprint 3, New York rap mogul Jay-Z revealed that next studio album would be a an experimental effort, stating, “… it’s not gonna be a #1 album. That’s where I’m at right now. I wanna make the most experimental album I ever made.” Jay-Z elaborated that like Kanye, he was unsatisfied with contemporary hip hop, was being inspired by indie-rockers like Grizzly Bear and asserted his belief that the indie rock movement would play an important role in the continued evolution of hip-hop. The alternative hip hop movement is not limited solely to the United States, as genre-defying rappers such as Somali-Canadian poet K’naan, Japanese rapper Shing02, and especially English artist M.I.A. have achieved considerable worldwide recognition. In 2009, Time magazine placed M.I.A in the Time 100 list of “World’s Most Influential people” for having “global influence across many genres.” Today, due in part to the increasing use of music distribution through the internet, many alternative rap artists are able to find acceptance by far-reaching audiences. Several burgeoning artists such as Drake, Kid Cudi, The Knux, Wale, Pigeon John, The Cool Kids, Charles Hamilton and B.o.B, openly acknowledge being directly influenced by their ’90s alt-rap predecessors in addition to alt-rock groups while their music has been noted by critics as expressing eclectic sounds, life experiences and emotions rarely seen in mainstream hip hop. Who knows where rap music will be in the coming future. One thing is for certain, progressive or alternative hip-hop will be at the forefront of whatever movement comes next. By making innovation and creativity part of the philosophy of a music genre alternative hip-hop artists have enabled themselves to be ever changing, progressive organisms in the music industry. Ensuring that they will never be stagnant,the  progressive rappers of today will surely be the mainstream artists of the future. As a quick side note to alternative rock and indie music as a whole I would also like to mention that music is being sold on the internet more and more. What was once an unfair battle for sales in the music industry is now an even playing field. For all you inspiring young alternative hip hop artists out there, make a website, get on iTunes and sell your music to the masses. The world is yours.

Progressive Hip-Hop Radio Subsoniq on Sirius XM Satellite Radio

Jay-Z on The Blueprint 3
Empire State of Mind

Also check out the new website by Surreal Music and Bad Habitat Member, Mindskillz aka Samuel Miller Art.

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