Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed to independent labels or no label at all.
Underground hip hop is often characterized by socially conscious, positive, or anti-commercial lyrics. However, there is no unifying or universal theme – Allmusic suggests that it "has no sonic signifiers". "The Underground" also refers to the community of musicians, fans and others that support non-commercial, or independent music. Some underground hip hop is also sometimes known as alternative hip hop.
Many artists who are considered "underground" today, were not always so, and may have previously broken the Billboard charts.
Read more about Underground Hip Hop: Style, Mixtapes, Indie Hip Hop
Famous quotes containing the words underground, hip and/or hop:
“An underground grower, blind and a common brown;
Got a misshapen look, it’s nudged where it could;
Simple as soil yet crowded as earth with all.”
—Richard Wilbur (b. 1921)
“Rituals are important. Nowadays it’s hip not to be married. I’m not interested in being hip.”
—John Lennon (1940–1980)
“I have tried being surreal, but my frogs hop right back into their realistic ponds.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)