Alternative hip hop

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Alternative hip hop
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 1980s, United States
Typical instruments
Subgenres
Other topics

Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip hop[2]) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "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 pop/rock, as well as jazz, soul, reggae, and even folk."[3]

Alternative hip hop developed in the late 1980s and experienced a degree of

digital era with a rejuvenated interest in independent music
by the general public.

During the 2000s, alternative hip hop reattained its place within the mainstream due to the declining commercial viability of gangsta rap as well as the crossover success of artists such as Outkast and Kanye West. The alternative hip hop movement has expanded beyond the United States to include the Somali-Canadian poet K'naan and the British artist M.I.A. Alternative hip hop acts have attained much critical acclaim, but receive relatively little exposure through radio and other media outlets. The most prominent alternative hip hop acts include A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Hieroglyphics, The Pharcyde, Digable Planets and Black Sheep.[2]

History

Origin

Originating in the late 1980s, in midst of the

The Fugees, stand as some of the first few alternative rap to be recognized by mainstream audiences.[3] The classic debut albums 3 Feet High and Rising,[5] 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.[6]

Mid–late 1990s: Mainstream decline

Contrary to

hardcore rap artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., and Mobb Deep. Following this development, many alternative rap acts eventually either disbanded or faded into obscurity.[8][9]

In his 1995 book on the current state of

urban audiences" and came to the conclusion that the subgenre was a complete failure.[10]

Late 90s–2010s: Revival

However, a commercial breakthrough came about in the late 1990s with the rejuvenated interest in

The Fugees and Arrested Development.[11] While acts such as Slum Village, Common,[12] and the Roots were rising to prominence.[9]

The Fugees saw huge critical and commercial success with the release of their second album,

Atliens and Stakes Is High.[17]

Since the mid-1990s,

Mos Def, Doomtree, Pharoahe Monch, El-P, Quasimoto, Living Legends, CYNE, Blue Scholars, and Aesop Rock. It was in the 2000s that alternative hip hop reattained its place within the mainstream, due in part to the declining commercial viability of gangsta rap as well as the crossover success of artists such as Outkast, Kanye West, and Gnarls Barkley.[18][19]

Not only did Outkast's fifth studio album

platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[20]

Aminé and Joey Badass.[21]

Gnarls Barkley experienced a surprise hit with their debut single "

49th Grammy Awards, they won the awards for Best Urban/Alternative Performance and Best Alternative Music Album.[26]

Industry observers view the 2007

drug-dealing."[27] Similarly, in a retrospective article, Rosie Swash of The Guardian viewed the album's sales competition with 50 Cent's Curtis as a historical moment in hip hop, writing that it "highlighted the diverging facets of hip-hop in the last decade; the former was gangsta rap for the noughties, while West was the thinking man's alternative."[28]

Several burgeoning artists and groups acknowledge being directly influenced by their 1990s predecessors in addition to alternative rock groups while their music has been noted by critics as expressing eclectic sounds, life experiences and emotions rarely seen in mainstream hip hop.

record store or CD store where there was a hip-hop section and a rock section—it has all been in front of them on a screen."[30] It is for this reason that recording artists and groups traditionally perceived as rappers are included on his predominantly rock-oriented playlists, saying, "Whether it's Lil Peep or Brockhampton or Post Malone, we have tried records from all those artists. ... We need some depth perception in the music we're presenting. Whether it's done on a laptop or on an amp and a guitar, I just want to find something new—that's what alternative is supposed to be."[30]

2020's- Modern Alterninative Hip-Hop

With Alternative Hip-Hop being a mainstay in alot of peoples playlists, its inclusion as a recognizable subgenre of hiphop is nothing to scoff at. Several artist, and albums including Westside Gunn's new album "and then you pray for me", and Conway the Machine's new album along side conductor williams "conductor machine" have been breaking boundairies in the alternative Hip-Hop genre. Although not a new sound by any means it is still a progressing genre. with Piano beats and hard hitting drums its still making waves. Samples are used even more in modern alternative Hip-Hop, WIth the release of JID"s new album The Forever Story the samplaing of songs such as Aretha Franklin's One Step Ahead (Aretha Franklin song) on the song Surround Sound (song). sampaling is alive and well. Another album that progressed alternative Hip-Hop is the critically aclaimed album Cheat Codes (album) by Black Thought and Danger Mouse (musician) through its erie production, punchy lyrics and samples was a critical sucess. [31] Im sure we will see more alternative Hip-Hop tracks breaking the mold that was once set in the near future.

Reception and legacy

While some groups managed to achieve commercial success, most alternative rap acts tended to be embraced largely by

Q-Tip
was quoted as saying:

I am really disappointed that Kamaal wasn't released.

LA Reid didn't know what to do with it; then, three years later, they release Outkast. What Outkast is doing now, those are the kinds of sounds that are on Kamaal the Abstract. Maybe even a little more out. Kamaal was just me, guerrilla.[36]

Similarly,

Little Brother's socio-politically charged concept album The Minstrel Show, which provided a tongue-in-cheek critique of African-American pop culture, on the grounds that the group's music was "too intelligent" for their target audience.[37][38] The network was subsequently satirized by the animated series The Boondocks – which regularly features underground/alternative rap as background music – in the banned episode "The Hunger Strike". The episode, which portrayed BET as an evil organization dedicated to the self-genocidal mission of eradicating black people through violent, overtly sexual programming, was banned by Cartoon Network and has yet to be aired in the United States.[39]

The alternative hip hop movement is not limited solely to the United States, as genre-defying rappers such as

social networking as well as online distribution, many alternative rap artists are able to find acceptance by far-reaching audiences.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jazz-Rap Music Genre Overview". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Sound Field|What Do They Mean When They Call Hip Hop “Alternative”?|PBS
  3. ^
    All Media Guide. Archived
    from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2017. Alternative Rap refers to hip-hop groups that refuse to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as gangsta, funk, bass, hardcore, and party rap. Instead, they blur genres, drawing equally from pop, rock, jazz, soul, funk, reggae, folk, and other genres. Though Arrested Development and the Fugees managed to cross over into the mainstream, most alternative rap groups are embraced primarily by alternative rock fans, not hip-hop or pop audiences.
  4. ^ Outkast's Impact Archived October 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 22 April 2021
  5. ^ De La Soul’s music catalog makes streaming debut - NBC Palm Springs
  6. ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen. "De La Soul". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
  7. ^ Caramanica, Jon. Review: Straight Outta Compton Archived November 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  8. ^ Alternative rap Retrieved 5 May 2022
  9. ^ a b Sfetcu, Nicolae (May 9, 2014). American Music. Nicolae Sfetcu.
  10. ^ Rodrick; pp. 115–116
  11. ^ "Lots of non-hip-hop fans groove to their complex beat, but they'll tell you their roots are firmly in the 'hood". Los Angeles Times. June 2, 2021. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
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  13. ^ "Fugees' The Score Remains a Hip-Hop Oracle 25 Years Later: Classic Review". Consequence. February 18, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "Fugees". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  15. ^ "Vibe – Google Books". September 23, 2021. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "Beats, Rhymes And Life was A Tribe Called Quest's commercial peak—and first misstep". The A.V. Club. November 19, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  17. ^ eddieokp (July 2, 2016). "De La Soul Reveal The Secret History Of 'Stakes Is High' On Its 20th Anniversary". Okayplayer. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  18. ^ Michel, Sia (September 18, 2006). "Critics' Choice: New CD's". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
  19. ^ "Alternative Hip-Hop Music: 5 Notable Alt Hip-Hop Artists – 2022 – MasterClass". May 10, 2022. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  20. ^ "Diamond Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on August 18, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  21. ^ "MF Doom: Remembering Rap's Supervillain". All Things Go. January 5, 2021. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  22. ^ Top 40 Singles of 2006 Archived January 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, from BBC Radio 1 website
  23. ^ "Rolling Stone : The 100 Best Songs of 2006". Rolling Stone. December 8, 2006. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008.
  24. ^ "Pazz & Jop 2006: Singles Winners". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  25. ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  26. ^ "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  27. ^ Detrick, Ben (December 2010). "Reality Check". XXL: 114.
  28. ^ Swash, Rosie (June 13, 2011). Kanye v 50 Cent Archived August 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  29. ^ a b Hoard, Christian (September 17, 2009). "Kid Cudi: Hip-Hop's Sensitive Soul". Rolling Stone. No. 1087. p. 40. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012.
  30. ^ a b c d Unterberger, Andrew (January 10, 2019). "Why Alt-Radio Is Suddenly Embracing Hip-Hop". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  31. ^ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; ClashMusic (August 12, 2022). "Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Cheat Codes | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved April 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ a b NNPA Newswire Correspondent (December 5, 2018). "Coalition Wants End to Broadcasting Music That Encourages Violence Against Blacks". Afro.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
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  36. ^ "OPEN Abstractions". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
  37. ^ Walker, Verbal (September 7, 2005). "Little Brother's "Too Intelligent" for BET". HipHopDX.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2005. Retrieved July 14, 2005.
  38. ^ Chery, Carl (September 8, 2005). "Little Brother's "Too Intelligent" Says BET, Network Responds To Allegation". SOHH.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2006.
  39. ^ Braxton, Greg (June 4, 2008). "'Boondocks' creator Aaron McGruder to BET: %@*$% ^&!". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  40. ISBN 978-1-59307-642-9
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  41. ^ "The 2009 – Time 100". Time. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  42. ^ "The 2009 Time 100". Time. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  43. ^ "Blur Album Sales". www.vblurpage.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2020.

Further reading

Bibliography

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