Underground Hip Hop Archive

Salmon Street Studios

Salmon Street Studios

109 SE Salmon St
Portland, Oregon 97214


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Well known in the Hip-Hop and EDM Communities in Portland, Oregon, Salmon Street Studios has recently been renovated and now features two separate concert ready spaces. The venue also features a bar, lounge and one of the illest art galleries in Portland. Some of the type of art you will see includes: Graffiti Art, Surreal Artwork, and a ton of other styles of Hip-Hop Art. Salmon Street Studios has a new apparel store coming out soon and with its location in the industrial district of Southeast Portland it has just about everything that a hip hop fan could want out of a concert venue.

“Hands down the very best concert venue in Portland, Oregon. Salmon Street Studios combines the best of Underground Hip-Hop Concert Venues and Hip-Hop Artwork in one package with a prime location just outside of Downtown. The new updates are amazing, if you haven’t ever been to Salmon Street Studios or haven’t been in a while, you should check out the next show they got because it is off the chains.”

-Mindskillz of Bad Habitat and Surreal Music

In addition to being one of the dopest Hip-Hop art galleries and Underground Hip-Hop Concert Venues in Portland, Oregon Salmon Street Studios is also a fly recording studio with Photography Studio offices located in the studio as well. As far as landmarks go, Salmon Street Studios is the end all for hip hop landmarks in Portland.

Salmon Street Studios is located at 109 SE Salmon St Portland, Oregon just a few blocks from MLK and Grand Ave. Check back soon for more information on Salmon Street Studios Concert Venue, Recording Studio, Art Gallery and Merchandise Store. Also check out the new website by Surreal Music and Bad Habitat Member, Mindskillz aka Samuel Miller Art.

Best Underground Hip-Hop Sites

Top 5 Underground Hip-Hop Sites

Other than BadHabitatMusic.com of course.

1. UGHH.com

Underground Hip-Hop WebsitesFeaturing music from such Underground Hip-Hop Artists as wu-tang clan, apathy, cut chemist, lil wayne, rebel8, big l, la coka nostra, apollo brown, immortal technique, oddisee, res, atmosphere, juj, dj premier, ill bill, notorious b.i.g., 9th wonder, madlib, outerspace, trek life, tribe called quest, blu, nas, necro, serato pressing, aceyalone, dr. dre, grey sky appeal, planet asia, and elzhi. They claim to be The Official Home of Underground Hip Hop, Rap & Streetwear. UGHH Underground Hip-Hop BlogThe claim is founded in truth and ego. They feature a lot of really good hip-hop artists from the underground and update the site daily. UGHH is an online store selling Streetwear Fashion, Urban Clothing, Gear, T-Shirts, CDs, Vinyl Records, DVDs, Graffiti Supplies, Art, Toys, Magazines, Books, DJ Accessories, Equipment Bags, Audio, Videos, Singles, Albums, Radio Shows, Old School, and Instrumentals. Their forum is used by hundreds of thousands of people. Fans, Artists and Promoters alike use the site and the forum on the regular. It is by far the most prominent Underground Hip-Hop themed website online. If you haven’t heard, now ya know. I personally (Mindskillz) have found a lot of new underground hip-hop music on this site.

2. Access Hip Hop

One of the best places online to find Underground Hip-Hop music. They feature a forum as well but it is not used nearly as much as some of the other Underground Hip-Hop forums.

Access Hip-Hop WebsiteAccess Hip Hop is an online store and a physical storefront in San Diego, California. We stock vinyl, CDs and DVDs (mostly hip hop) by independent and underground artists, plus classics and current favorites. We also have t-shirts, hoodies and posters, books and magazines. Access has built a reputation for a thorough and up-to-date selection plus friendly, knowledgeable and reliable customer service.
The Access Hip Hop web site has been serving the worldwide hip hop community since summer 2002. Customers count on Access to fulfill their orders quickly and completely. Our online forums connect up the hip hop community in San Diego and globally.

3. Indie Hip-Hop

Indie Hip Hop

The site is basically a blog but they stay really up-to-date and feature some really fresh new underground hip-hop artists that no one else is featuring. The Blog Creator, Steve “Funkworm” Butler and his team of contributors present a great platform for underground artists.

Indiehiphop.net is a blog created by producer/artist Steve “Funkworm” Butler that focuses on delivering news and information related to the business of independent hip hop culture.

4. HipHopDX

Hip Hop DXAnother awesome site for finding new underground hip-hop artists and buying CD’s and gear. Not as prominent as some of the other sites. And not as underground as some of the other sites. HipHopDX features mainstream garbage and barely made this list if it weren’t for its underground hip hop section. Last time I visited their site it was chocked full of advertisements for video games. I almost didn’t include this sellout of a site on my list but because they are such big hitters in the game I felt that I couldn’t leave them out or else people would complain.

Underground Hip Hop City

5. Underground Hip-Hop Net

Underground Rap WebsiteAn old site that is out of date on some levels and not completely up to speed with the current state of underground hip-hop. But it is one of the largest databases of underground rap music online and features one of the largest collections of street art and graffiti anywhere online. An oldy but a goody this one.

Honorable Mention

  1. World Star Hip Hop: You all know it, mostly crappy wanna be mainstream artists and hood rats shaking their asses. Every once in a while you will find a good underground rap song.
  2. thaoriginalhiphop.blogspot.com: An old blogspot site that actually does a really good job of staying up to date and relevant.
  3. All Hip Hop: Mostly mainstream, covers a little bit of underground.
  4. Hip Hop Site: Full of ads, loads slowly, mostly mainstream. However like the others, it does feature some fresh underground from time to time.
  5. Rap Basement: A cool hip-hop culture website with more to offer than videos and music. A huge forum on culture rather than just music. Not a bad website at all.
  6. Best of the Honorable Mention list http://www.worldofundergroundhiphop.com/ is an awesome blog that is one of the freshest up and coming indie rap music websites out there. Big ups!
Thanks for stopping by and reading our post on the Top 5 Best Underground Hip-Hop Website on the internet. We hope you found the sites to be as great as we did. Please bookmark us and come back soon for more on Underground Hip-Hop from around the web. Also if you are into Northwest Hip Hop or more specifically Portland Hip-Hop, listen to Bad Habitats Music and bump that shit in yo trunk son.

Read more about Northwest Hip-Hop and Underground Hip-Hop Concert Venues in and around Portland, Oregon like Salmon Street Studios. Also check out the new website by Surreal Music and Bad Habitat Member, Mindskillz aka Samuel Miller Art.

Camp Lo – Coolie High


Another dope Underground Hip-Hop track from Camp Lo called “Coolie High”. An oldie but a goodie.

Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba (Salahadeen Wilds) and Geechi Suede (Saladine Wallace), both of Muslim upbringing.

They named themselves ‘Camp Lo’ to separate themselves from Atlanta-based rapper Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob. Initially signed with Profile Records, Camp Lo made their first appearance in 1996 on The Great White Hype soundtrack, with their single, “Coolie High”. The smooth party song was a minor hit, peaking at #25 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. Their first major exposure came with the release of their second single, the upbeat, horn driven “Luchini”, otherwise known as “This Is It”.

Read our Hip-Hop Marketing Guide for some really good tips on marketing a hip-hop artist

Brother Ali – Uncle Sam Goddamn

Brother Ali – Uncle Sam Goddamn

About Brother Ali

Ali Newman (born Jason Newman in 1977), better known by the stage name Brother Ali, is an American hip hop artist signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Ali’s first release was a cassette only demo tape called “Rites of Passage.” Ali handled all of the production, recording and arranging of the project himself. That tape is what cemented his relationship with local Independent record label hip hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment. “Rites of Passage” was released in 2000 and was sold almost exclusively at shows.

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Successful Underground Rappers

underground hip-hopI recently stumbled upon a question some ignorant fool posted about hip-hop. He stated stated that if a rapper does not blow up in the mainstream that “something is wrong” and that underground rappers must not want “success” in the industry. To this simple minded drone “artists” like Lil Wayne and Drake are lyricists and have big fan bases because they are really good musically. Their success having nothing to do with their style of music. Which in my circle, represents something more along the lines of “the systematic destruction of the black community” (BET, Mainstream Hip-Hop, Materialism, Drake, Lil Wayne, all the same thing). So read what this guy has to say about successful underground rappers and post your comments below.

Do “underground” rappers not want success?

I see alot of people on here saying how Wayne or Drake are horrible rappers and that you only listen to this underground rapper or that. Just because someone has a huge fanbase and their music gets played on the radio doesn’t mean they aren’t good rappers lyrically. It’s okay to be underground when you first start putting out mixtapes but if

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Hip-Hop Love Stories

Hip-Hop Love StoryThe article by Nathaniel Long is very intricate and eloquent. The love stories within in the music are described in detail from the lyrics to the beats, the innuendo and intrigue of love and hip-hop. He writes about hip-hop as a scholar and a member of the community. This is one of the finest essays I have ever read about hip-hop. We honor it by syndicating it on our site. Please visit the authors link if you learn more about hip-hop linguistics. Artists such as Talib Kweli, Common and Dead Prez are mentioned for their rolls in contributing to the classier end of romantic hip-hop.

Hip-Hop Love Stories and the Construction of Socially Acceptable Urban Identities

by: Nathaniel Long

kanye west 808s heartbreaks

Hip-Hop has historically existed as a male-dominated industry. Being a reflection of urban life and struggle, past Hip-Hop artists have been forced to maintain a certain level of masculinity in order to be accepted by their

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Hip-Hop Record Labels

rhymesayers entertainment record labelHip-Hop Record Labels

Hip Hop Record Labels, The Job The Fame

The following is an excerpt from an article talking about hip hop record labels and artist relationships. Also featured below is a video of a fast rapping underground artist. Worth checking out for sure, its pretty dope. As usual we appreciate you visiting and we hope you find it interesting. Peace.

by: Brent Wilson

Hip hop record labels are the companies that sponsor and produce the music that you love to hear. Hip hop is one of the hottest types of music on the market today and that is due at least in part to the advertisement and promotion of these artists by their hip hop record labels. So, we can thank them for bringing the artists we love to the forefront in music, but that is not all that they do. In fact, the hip hop record labels play a large part in the production of the music itself.

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How To Find Hip Hop Samples


How To Find Hip-Hop Samples

Much of today’s commercial, and underground, Hip Hop is inspired or created from early Jazz and Soul. James Brown, Lee Dorsey and Kool and The Gang have all been sampled by Hip Hop legends such as Nas, Jay-Z, Wu Tang and Run DMC.

The most famous sample is a drum loop sampled from a track by The Winstons called Amen Brother. The sample is so famous it’s now more commonly known as the Amen Break. This

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Underground Hip-Hop Transforming Music’s Influence

Underground Hip Hop News Video

A Recent Rally and Current Issues are discussed

Street Sweeper Social Club

This video features Tom Morello and Boots Riley as Street Sweeper Social Club and is about a rally that occurred recently in Columbia, MD about the same time Glenn Beck had that big white conservative rally to restore America’s values.

While tens of thousands gathered for the Glenn Beck rally in Washington, DC another large crowd gathered in Columbia, MD. The 7th annual Rock the Bells concert welcomed mainstream and underground hip hop artists to the metropolitan area. Concert goers were concerned that mainstream rap music has contributed to the degradation of what some viewed as a powerful tool for mobilizing the black community; Hip hop. Now, hip hop fans are moving towards more political rap for inspiration. Artists who have goals to make progress in justice, liberty and freedom. Hip-hop music is such a powerful tool it is a shame to lose it to corporate America. Also called Progressive Hip-Hop, Alternative Hip-Hop and Conscious Hip-Hop, political style rap is provocative, intelligent and progressive.

Tribe Called Quest, Immortal Technique both get shout outs in the video too.

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Underground Hip Hop Clothing and Streetwear

SPRING RELEASE IM KINGHip hop clothing is a unique style of dress that originated from African American youth. The youth of this ethnic group started to adopt certain dress styles in the various cities of the United States. The new styles of dresses were differently named as hip hop clothes, streetwear, and urban apparel.

The major cities in which these changes started occurring were New York, Philadelphia, the San

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Underground Hip Hop CDs

parental advisoryUnderground Hip-Hop CD’s can be hard to find sometimes. The local record shops will have 1. your more popular underground hip hop 2. your local underground hip-hop and 3. an assortment of sometimes horrifically crappy underground rap music from the anus of Satan. That last one can only be found in Portland, Oregon. Finding the music you like is easy. With Pandora Radio, and other websites that make it easy to find new music, you can have all of your favorite underground artists any time you want. Download it for free, pirate it, buy the mp3’s, etc. But if you are looking for the physical CD’s many of these underground albums are very hard to find. Or are they?

Today I bought 10 NEW CD’s from my favorite underground artists off of Amazon.com – for under $100 (including shipping and handling). I don’t know why the CD’s are so cheap (often cheaper than buying mp3’s). They come new, in plastic wrap, unscratched. I am a little old-school and tend to cling to things longer than other people. I like the sound vinyl records make, I like collecting things that I love. And I love hip-hop. Collecting CD’s has been a part of my niche of underground hip-hop culture since I can remember. Other than the old days of BMG Music Club (R.I.P) this is the best deal for buying physical CD’s anywhere. Their selection is HUGE. Look for yourself.

Visit Amazon to buy hard to find underground hip hop CD’s for cheap. If you were looking for some other options here are a few really good places to snag some great underground hip hop music for a good price:

cd baby underground hip hop
CDBaby: This is the largest and most popular site for independent musicians, and any MC worth listening to (without a record deal) is bound to have their tracks listed here. CD Baby is a great place to find mixtapes, singles, freestyle compilations, etc. The search feature is really easy to navigate and the best part is that you are supporting independent hip hop artists who receive a much large percentage of album sales than they would through a conventional record deal. CDBaby offers music in both digital and- you guessed it- CD format. Sorry, no 8 Track…

cd universe underground hip-hop
CDUniverse: Similar to CDBaby, this website offers competitive pricing on their CDs. They also offer vinyl recordings of a wide variety of musical styles- a gold mine of information for DJ’s looking for new music to sample.  Unlike CDBaby, this website tends to cover the more commercial rap groups such as the Black Eyed Peas and Lil’ Wayne. If you’re looking for the up and comers, you’re better off with CDBaby.

CDUniverse.com

ughh

UndergroundHipHop: This store is a happy medium between the former two; it’s got underground hip hop CDs from both signed and unsigned artists. While it doesn’t have the same search functionality as the others, this site is more like an actual record store; you walk around and browse. I really like UndergroundHipHop for its selection of music that I’m interested in. Obviously, it caters to a sub genre of rap albums, so it’s either your cup of tea or it isn’t.

These websites provide quality hip hop CDs at reasonable prices. Some, like CDBaby, actually provide an avenue for under the radar artists to promote their work and actually make a living doing it. Selling Cds online is going to be the way for the next generation of artists to get noticed, so check them out before your friends do!

The Following is an excerpt from an article about success as an Independent Hip-Hop Artist

Besides just being your own boss there are huge financial advantages to beginning independent. You don’t have to worry about going into debt. As an independent hip-hop artist / CEO you’ve got a ton of potential to get money. If you were with a record label and you sold ten to one hundred thousand albums that would be a total failure and you wouldn’t make a lot of cash off record sales. But if you sold ten to a hundred thousand albums as an independent artist, with the money from the album and shows, you could make at least a couple hundred thousand bucks even after all of your expenses. This is more than many artists who are signed make.

By being independent an artist will run a tighter ship than they can on a major label. Massive labels need to purchase the cost of huge office buildings, huge staffs of executives (many with huge salaries), receptionists, assistants and the list goes on and on. Those expenses for the most part are all taken out of revenues from digital and physical album sales of the artists on the label. Besides that, the unfortunate truth is that not all artist projects are promoted equally. Therefore you’ll be in result paying for the promotion of somebody else’s album with your album sales. When you are independent you never have to stress regarding that because all the resources invested are going toward your projects and you solely employ those people who are vitally necessary to run the operation.

It’s called “Starting Independent” because once you reach a certain level of success you almost certainly will need to form a deal a big label. There are positively some advantages to signing with a significant label. Major labels can place your music in markets that may be really difficult to reach as an independent. It’s a lot easier to get radio play and general recognition for your project when you are with a major label.

If you do decide to try to do a contract wih a major, it is important to have any contract looked over by an entertainment lawyer before signing any contract with a major label. But it’s equally vital to educate yourself the terminology utilized in contracts for a label deal. You don’t need to leave your fate to anyone else. Make no mistake it’s important to have folks like lawyers and accountants who are specialists in their fields, however you need to be an amateur lawyer and accountant also when it involves the details connected to your career.

The really good thing when it comes to reaching a high level of success as an independent is that once you approach a major label or once they approach you, they don’t “give you a deal” you negotiate a deal and also the more success you have had, in general the more lucrative the deal you’ll be able to get. If you’ve reached that level where you’ve sold ten to one hundred thousand albums already, the record label will see you as having a higher value than someone who just got “discovered.” Artist, “Solo 7″ of 7broadwayent.com commented, “I want to keep grinding until} the point where I don’t need a major label, so when I sign its simply the icing on the cake.” Artists like Solo 7 continue to enjoy success building their fanbase independently with no major label backing.

Finally when you have had some measure of success independently, your approach dealing with a major label will be totally different. You won’t be desperate for a deal the way somebody who was just performing at talent shows or doing other free shows simply hoping the right person would discover them would be. You’ll probably be comfortable knowing that you’ll be able to sell 50,000 or five hundred thousand more albums down the road.

Underground Hip Hop Group

Bad Habitat

Read more about Northwest Hip-Hop and Underground Hip-Hop Concert Venues in and around Portland, Oregon like Salmon Street Studios.

Underground Hip-Hop – Counter Culture Messages

Some dumb ass posted on Yahoo Answers this brainwashed argument against counter culture mc’s like those who rap about political and human rights injustice (Immortal Technique, M-1 of Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, etc.) I disagree with this slack jawed yokel. What do you think? Post comments below.

Do you think underground rappers with antipolitical messages are smart?

I am referring to underground rappers like Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, and so on. Hip hop heads think they are smart just because they don’t have money related lyrics and they use a bunch of neologisms and lyrics that make them sad. You can search some lyrics from them on the internet. I don’t think they are that smart. One of their lyrics is something like “the vanity of my insanity”, or “i become one with mathematics and the rising of the sun”. But I think many people could think of such a semantic structure! I can say something like “the aridity of my benevolence” too. I DON’T THINK THE FACT THAT THEY CAN MIX WORDS SHOWS THAT THEY ARE SMART.

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Finding Hip Hop Mix Podcasts

Underground Hip Hop Podcasts

2pac profile pictureFinding Hip Hop Mix Podcasts

Many music podcasts are available online for downloading; if one wanted to find, for instance, a hip hop mix podcast, there are a few sites available to help. The first possibility would be to go directly to a site which creates one and subscribe to it using a podcast client which automatically checks the feed for new episodes and downloads them for the user. If, however, one did not know of any hip hop mix podcast sites, or simply wanted to find new podcast sites, the best possibility would be to check a podcast directory, a list of podcasts that can be browsed.

Hip hop mix podcasts could easily be found at one of these podcast directories. A podcast directory stores lists of podcasts which have been submitted to the site, and categorizes them by genre, type of podcast, region, and other meta data. To find a hip hop mix podcast, visiting a podcast directory and checking under music podcasts, and then under hip hop music would find many podcasts which play that type of music.

The hip hop mix podcast could then be subscribed to by inputting the feed address listed into one of the many podcast clients. The music will come in episodes, the name for each downloadable portion of a podcast. Some of these podcasts may feature independent artists, musicians trying to break into the music industry who have chosen podcasting as a way of sharing their music and gaining a following. Others may be remixes of popular songs that have been changed in some way to give a different feel to the music. Often, the artists may already be established, though, and they still see podcasting as a way to introduce themselves to a larger audience. They may grant rights to pay certain hip hip songs to a podcaster, letting them play the music as part of their mix distribution while requesting a link to a site where more information can be learned about the artists and music can be purchased. Artists that have done this include alias, edan, outerspace, RA the rugged man, roots manuva, and outer space.

A large number of podcasts featuring hip hop mix podcasts are actually radio stations, however. These broadcasters have found that podcasting their shows and selections is an easy way to reach more listeners and gain a greater audience. These podcasters can reach more people easier and cheaper than they can by playing hip hop mix music over the airwaves in their local areas. Playing hip hop music over the internet is probably the way many future artists will do their work, and there are many ways available even now that they can do so and make a profit. For instance, some podcasts are designed to work on a payment basis. A hip hop artist who wished to share his music could charge for addition to the feed list, then issue a unique feed address to the user, allowing them to hear new pieces of hip hop music released. The hip hop music file could even be designed so it could not be copied and used by another user at a different computer, to ensure that the artist could

Blue Scholars – Burnt Offering

Bad Habitat Music is your source for some of the hottest new Underground Hip Hop online. In addition to having one of the dopest hip hop blogs on the web featuring youtube videos of some of the freshest underground hip hop artists out there. Granted there is some overlap with certain artists who have made it quazi-mainstream. But the majority of our site is dedicated to not only our music but also some of the top underground rappers, dj’s, producers, breakdancers and graffiti artists. With hundreds of posts over the course of the past few years we have quickly become a major source for underground hip hop news, music, album reviews, underground hip hop radio reviews and much much more. Make sure you check out our underground hip hop blog for the latest in the news and some of the illest underground rap videos.

Also check out our preview of Def Jam Rapstar Reviews and Underground Hip Hop Radio Stations featured on Bad Habitat Music.

Explaining The Hip Hop And Rap Music Genre

Explaining The Hip Hop And Rap Music Genre

Hip hop music is part of hip hop culture, which began in the Bronx, in New York City in the 1970s, primarily among African Americans and Latin Americans, with considerable Jamaican influence. (two other elements are breakdancing and graffiti art).

The music may be based around either live or produced music, with a clearly defined drum beat (almost always in 4/4 time signature), presented either with or without vocal accompaniment.

Hip hop music was an outlet and a “voice” for disenfranchised youth as the culture reflected the social, economic and political realities of their lives. The music was popular there at least as far back as the late 1970s. The first Philadelphia hip hop record was “Rhythm Talk,” by Jocko Henderson in 1979, and the New York Times dubbed Philadelphia the “Graffiti Capital of the World” in 1971.

Rap is mostly influenced by hip hop. You can say that hip hop is synonymous with rap. As rap is all rhythm, very little melody, and virtually no harmony and is generally written by the younger generation for the younger generation — providing a universal voice for the young. In other words, hip hop music is a musical genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with backing beats.

Underground Hip-Hop Music

Hip hop music is further a genre of music typically consisting of a rhythmic style of speaking called rap over backing beats performed on a turntable by a DJ. The Music has really gone a long way since the days of bboys spinning on cardboard boxes listening to what is now called underground rap.

The music emerged alongside breakdancing and graffiti, also popularized in the inner-city youth culture in New York City in the early 1970s as well. It is a unique, progressive style that attracts experimental artists with a deep love for diverse music styles, and many with strong poetic skills seek out background beats that compliment their performances and help contribute to the originality of their words.

Hip hop music was (and is) a venue for personal expression and creativity. Rap is the culture of African Americans, the continuation of their language and traditions.

Music journalist Peter Shapiro suggests that Kool G Rap “created the blueprint for Nas, Biggie and everyone who followed in their path.” Music isn’t about music, it’s everything we do day to day. Musically, rap songs usually have a strong rhythmic aspect with the spoken lyrics emulating the intense rhythm of the beat and exemplyfying daily African American life in the ghetto’s of America.

Rocawear (eFashion Solutions)

Featured Underground Hip Hop Album

The Coup – Pick A Bigger Weapon

The Coup
Boots Riley and Pam The Funktress
Two of the best unkown hip hop artists in the world today, these two have carved out a slice of the pie in a niche that is riddled with top quality artists such as Talib Kweli, M-1, etc. The conscious/revolutionary hip hop genre is where The Coup is mainly focused, however many songs are reminiscent of Parliament Funk and Pick A Bigger Weapon really has a good variety of songs that feature that type of mixture. The latest album from The Coup, Pick A Bigger Weapon is in my opinion one of their best albums ever. Props to The Coup on this, one of our featured albums for the month of April.

For more Underground Hip Hop Albums featured on Bad Habitat Music follow the link.

Another good list of underground hip hop songs from youtube. Again, this list isnt mine, so don’t direct your disdain for the list toward the person who posted the video on youtube. There are some pretty sick underground hip hop songs on the video though, definitely worth checking out.

Bad Habitat

Bad Habitat Music is your source for some of the hottest new Underground Hip Hop online. In addition to having one of the dopest hip hop blogs on the web featuring youtube videos of some of the freshest underground hip hop artists out there. Granted there is some overlap with certain artists who have made it quazi-mainstream. But the majority of our site is dedicated to not only our music but also some of the top underground rappers, dj’s, producers, breakdancers and graffiti artists. With hundreds of posts over the course of the past few years we have quickly become a major source for underground hip hop news, music, album reviews, underground hip hop radio reviews and much much more. Make sure you check out our underground hip hop blog for the latest in the news and some of the illest underground rap videos.

Underground Hip Hop Beats

Nowadays hip hop is more than just drum beats, producers also use baselines and melodies in order to make beats. But it all started with the drums, for which hip hop music is known the most. Disc jockeys used to sample and isolate drums from music tracks, mostly from soul and funk music, to make their own, new sound. This was popular in the 80’s, when people gathered together on block parties and used to dance on these new drum beats. Later on, the Djs started to scratch, put instrument sounds and vocals on their beats. The result was a new music genre named hip hop.

The hip hop music went through a lot of changes, but the drums are still the heart of this genre. Even big producers still work with drum machines and MPCs, like Kanye West for example. And the result is very good! It’s really amazing how something that simple can become and stay so popular and move so many people all around the globe! Now, rap artists come from everywhere, Germany, Russia or Japan…

Apple iTunes

Some people say hip hop is dead, or is going to die out soon. But I don’t think this is true. It has become an integral part of the music industry and it will be that way. Every year new hip hop artists come on the scene, and they are as successful as the artists in every other genre. If you are fascinated about music, like me, and especially about hip hop, you want to be part of this movement!

Either you are a rapper, singer, producer or you want to do it all yourself, there’s no better time to start making your own music than now! If you are rapping or singing, you need to practice, so you have your own style, and that’s the most important part. Start with freestyling over different instrumental beats, and then, when you’re ready to make your own song, look for beat selling pages, let’s take „beats4tracks.com“ as an example, here you can listen to samples and buy the instrumentals for an accordingly low price. If you want to produce your own beats, you should look for a good and easy to use beat making software, DUBturbo or Fruity Loops for example. You might want to read my other articles on how to make your own beats.

Just try it out! Get yourself a free demo or software if you’re not sure about paying money for a product, there’s plenty good software out there. Feel the vibe and let it inspire you, it’s really fun!

Underground Hip Hop – How Hip Hop Music Was Invented

How Hip Hop Music Was Invented

Hip hop music today is a widely varied genre of music, much like its rock and country counterparts it has splintered to become many things to many people.

The beginnings of this musical styling was also a musical and social movement starting in the New York Bronx nearly 30 years ago. Three people are really credited with taking hip-hop and propelling it into the mainstream; they are Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash. Each of these people played a significant role in the development of this sub culture.

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Top 10 Underground Rappers

Top 10 underground rappers?

This list was posted on Yahoo Answers and I have to agree with some of the nominations. Eso is a dope emcee, so is immortal technique. MF Doom is an alright mc, he has a huge following and a lot of fans, its not my particular taste in hip hop but it is still ill, but… He did have a body double lip sync his songs on tour who knows how many times. That’s not a very hip hop thing to do. Anyway, on with the list of dope underground hip hop rappers.

  1. celph titledunderground hip hop artists bliss n esso
  2. apathy
  3. esoteric
  4. chief kamachi
  5. canibus
  6. vinnie paz
  7. reef the lost cause
  8. immortal technique
  9. mf doom
  10. coast

Rocawear (eFashion Solutions)

The following is an article on hip hop culture, fashion, and art. I hope you enjoy the reed. Thanks

Feeling The Hip Hop Vibe

Hip Hop Fashion, Culture and More

In the past, main stream chic fashion has always been seen as expensive. An emerging style of clothing, however, has been recently proving that looking good need not be expensive. Because of the clamor for affordable fashionable clothes, various individuals have come up with their own online store.

Online stores have found great niche in hip hop clothing. Not only do these clothes sell like hot cakes, they also allow the owners to express themselves. Because of this, the ideas for designs are limitless. As long as you are creative, you would be able to come up with your line of clothing.

hip hop fashion culture music

What started as an underground culture has already taken the main stream by storm. Alternative clothing has given an answer to people who would like to come up with their own unique statement. From its early beginning as a personal statement of people belonging to the punk culture and hip hop group, it has now become a mainstream street wear that allows everyone from all walks of life to make their own personal fashion statement.

Hip hop clothing, in particular, has gone a long way from being a tacky wardrobe donned by rappers and artists. It has evolved from loud colors to tamer pastels. However, the signature baggy pants and tight tops are still visible and have already blended well in today’s fashion world.

Nowadays, alternative clothing is so much more into blending in as they are into standing out. They could either be haute couture or low profile type. They could all be shiny and stand out or tame and blend in. Shirts could come in simple designs or could have witty remarks emblazoned in them.

There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to alternative clothing with the various online and underground stores churning our newer designs every now and then. Their popularity is not something that would wane easily either with newer and newer clients getting hooked to the idea of self-expression. The whopping discounts that the various online and mall stores also give these clothing styles the push that they need.

For more information about Hip hop clothing and

Underground Hip Hop Culture

Bad Habitat, Surreal Music and Underground Hip Hop Music

Bad Habitat Music is your source for some of the hottest new Underground Hip Hop online. In addition to having one of the dopest hip hop blogs on the web featuring youtube videos of some of the freshest underground hip hop artists out there. Granted there is some overlap with certain artists who have made it quazi-mainstream. But the majority of our site is dedicated to not only our music but also some of the top underground rappers, dj’s, producers, breakdancers and graffiti artists. With hundreds of posts over the course of the past few years we have quickly become a major source for underground hip hop news, music, album reviews, underground hip hop radio reviews and much much more. Make sure you check out our underground hip hop blog for the latest in the news and some of the illest underground rap videos.

Apple iTunes

Top 10 Underground Hip Hop Artists

The following is a review of a number of Underground hip hop artists and is the authors top 10 underground hip hop artists, not ours.  Please post your top 10 underground hip hop artists of all time, this year, last year or in your playlist now. Thanks

CANE MURPHY a.k.a. redrum grew up in Stapleton, Staten island (Shaolin) and moved to section 8 housing in South beach where he was notorious for beat boxing & Sparking Freestyle cyphers on street corners. Downing 40 bottles of Old English, Murphy was known for his Irish wit & comedic story telling. Struggling through poverty, He turned to bombing the Streets with Graffiti to the point he was a wanted man by the Graff task force. In high speed chases with the police , Murphy was later picked up in a Narcotics sweep at the infamous South Beach Arcade for Hustling. He gave up everything in life and stepped into the Rap Game

The Rapper Paid his dues in New Yorks’ Underground Rap scene performing over two hundred times. From grinding at open mics, showcases, battles and every where in between to make a name for himself. He toured around the United States with Grammy Award winning Recording Artist and Guitarist -”Vernon Reid” & D.J Logic, as well as hoping on a track with Rap Legend “Slick Rick” on their album “Front end Lifter. Cane was one of the few rappers picked to perform in the first ever “Bronx Fest” with Hot 97 in attendance. Along with being featured on Mixtapes from D.JVlad

“Rock Star Blends” and “Coast2Coast Mixtape 81″, “Bedtyme 357″ (Remy Ma’s DJ). He’s also been featured in Canada’s “Peace Magazine” as well as online magazines “Juniors Cave”, Music notes ,The Southern mix etc.. In 2005 Cane Signed a two year licensing deal with “Missing Link Music”. In 2006 He was on a Hip-Hop compilation titled “Staten island Stand up” hosted by DJ G9D. In 2007 he released his single on Mekanizm Productions. In 2008 He’s on DJ Vlad’s Mixtape “Rock Star Blends Vol. 2″. In 2009 He’s Featured on the Mixtape titled “the unholy union” featuring HipHop artist “The Game” and “Don Demonio” Cane Murphy’s story is in XXL Magazine’s February’s issue. In 2010 Cane Murphy is Featured on Several Mixtapes, including Mixtapes Hosted by “DJ Khaled”, Coast2Coast Mixtape 115, and DJ Smoke “Showcase 75″ Mixtape. After surviving a major spine operation and Narcotics almost claiming his life, overcoming mental and physical obstacles, Cane Murphy is Now putting out his Debut Album “The Side You Don’t See” March of 2010 with production from Platinum producers “Rocwilder” and D12’s “Mr. Porter”…

Rocawear (eFashion Solutions)

Cane murphy’s Full Bio and Insirational Story.

Cane Murphy aka Redrum has been rhyming and writing songs since a teenager. He put a group together called “Mekanizm” and went on to perform and sell cd’s. In 1999 he went solo under the Artist name “REDRUM” and worked with grammy award winning artist “Vernon Reid” (Rock group “Living Colour”) and went on tour around the United States with Vernon and D.J Logic in 2002/2003 with a song he was on with Rap Legend “Slick Rick” with the album titled “Front end Lifter” on Released on Rope a Dope Records.. in 2004 he Performed in the first ever Bronx Fest with “Hot 97″ and “Power 105″ in attendance , where Cane Murphy got to perform along side some of Hip Hop’s Pioneers. By 2005 he made a name for himself as an Rapper/Lyricist in New York’s Underground and was performing at Open mics, Showcases & College radio, time warner television shows and signed a two year “licensing deal” with Missing Link Music. Cane was featured on several Time Warner Television shows including “The actors stage”, “Shaolin’s – Off the Hook”, and “Morano Vision. He performed on the Movie score for the Independent Mob Movie “Jimmy whispers returns to mulberry street” starring “Clem Caserta” (Good Fellas). By 2006 Cane Murphy aka Redrum did several collaborations with Rappers & producers from all over the 5 boroughs of New York, Including a song with brooklyn rapper “Eddie cane”, The Notorious “Queens Dream team” and Rapper “Kaitawn”..In 2008 he independently dropped his debut Single “This here’s the night” and the “Industry Remix”. He then Released his Infamous Remake of one of Hip Hop’s Greatest Lyricists (RAKIM’s “Paid in Full”). The Song helped Cane Murphy gain Street Credibility amongst fellow MCs, Producers and Fans.

Cane Murphy was Featured on DJ VLAD’s “Rock Star Blends Vol. 2″. By 2009 Cane Murphy featured in Online Rap Magazines such as “Juniors Cave” , “The Southern Mix”, “Music Notes Magazine”, “LyricsInc Mag” and more. In 2010 Cane Murphy’s inspriational Story of Fighting through Pain while waiting on a second Reconstructive spine operation from a tradgic accident to hit the studio and finish recording his Debut album was in XXL Magazine and Canada’s Urban Culture Mag – “Peace Magazine”.. in March/April of 2010 Cane is Filming for his Debut Video for his Single “When i’m with You” Featuring island Def Jam Singer “Ashley Loren”. Cane Murphy is Featured on Several Big Mixtapes this year , including Mixtapes from Infamous “DJ Khaled”, Coast2Coast Mixtape 115, and DJ Smoke “Showcase 75″ Mixtape. Cane is working on his second song with exclusive production from Multi-Platinum Producer “Rockwilder” as well as collaborating with talented up and coming producer “sinima’ (pro).

Underground Hip Hop is brought to you by Surreal Music and Bad Habitat. Thanks for visiting

Apple iTunes

Underground Hip Hop Instrumentals – Becoming the Style

underground hip-hop production

Looking for a sweet collection of underground hip hop instrumentals? So this means you’ve decided to give the proverbial “finger” to the mainstream rap world, in favor of a more creatively free outlet? Enter the underground rap world. A good choice, friend, as you now have the opportunity to spread your wings and create the music you’ve always wanted to create. On the other hand, let it be known now that by being an underground rapper, your chances at mainstream success slim quite a bit. Not because of your skill level, by any means, but because of your style.

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Bad Habitat w/ Tru Game @ Mt Tabor

Underground Hip Hop Portland Oregon

TRU GAME PRESENTS

THE REALEST UNITED

SATURDAY Jan 22nd

Mt Tabor Theater

4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR
FEATURING
BAD HABITAT
REIGN PRO
FIREFACE LOC
STAY SICC RECORDS
ROULETTE DELGATO

Come down and help us celebrate Boss Hawg’s (of Stay Sicc Records) birthday. Free tatoo giveaway courtesy of Aardvark Tattoo Co.

Tickets

$10 @ Door

$8 Adv

21 and over

Doors Open 9pm

Tickets Available at Tickets West

Underground Hip Hop Audio

It is important, when dealing with music production, to take into serious consideration sound quality. Underground hip hop audio has always been fairly bad in times past. Now however with high quality recording equipment at somewhat reasonable prices small time recording studios are able to produce music that has incredibly good sound quality. While some underground hip hop artists still choose to use the cheapest quality recording equipment others have moved forward and are now using industry standard equipment and producing underground hip hop audio that is far better than in the past. The reason for using the better equipment and software is obvious, in fact the only reason people still use outdated or inferior equipment is because of cost. Synonymous with the underground hip hop culture is poverty. Most folks that get into rap/hip hop do so from the lower class. While there are plenty of rappers coming out of the suburbs claiming to be thugs, those rappers tend to lean toward the mainstream and thus there music would not be considered underground hip hop, but rather poser ass mainstream hip pop for the dumbed down masses.

Underground Hip Hip Recording

There are many resources out there that can help you find better equipment and techniques to improve your recording quality as well as beat production quality and overall underground hip hop audio. Check out some of the resources below for information on underground hip hop audio production and equipment.

Underground Hip Hop Audio Resources

M-Audio

Ableton Live

Future Producers

Propellerhead

Underground Hip Hop Audio

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