Underground Hip Hop - Indie Hip Hop

Indie hip hop (also known as indie rap) is hip hop music that primarily exists in the independent music scene.

The term "underground hip hop" has been used to describe both indie hip hop (which is defined by its artists being unsigned or signed to independent record labels, rather than major record labels) as well as alternative hip hop (which is defined by music that diverges from mainstream hip hop music such as gangsta rap). As the term "indie hip hop" is indicative of the artists making the music rather than the music itself, it is not strictly a genre, but rather covers a range of styles with clearly discernable hip hop characteristics.

Like indie rock artists, many indie hip hop artists place a premium on maintaining complete control of their music and careers, releasing albums on independent record labels (sometimes their own) and relying on touring, word-of-mouth and air play on independent or college radio stations for promotion. Some of its more popular artists, however, may end up moving to major labels, though often on favorable terms won by their prior independent success.

Independent hip hop labels include Strange Famous Records, Alpha Pup Records, Fake Four Inc, Anticon, Rhymesayers Entertainment, Definitive Jux, Rawkus Records, Nature Sounds, Quannum Projects, Babygrande Records, 301Studios, Strange Music, Duck Down Records, Psychopathic Records, Reel Life Productions, Funk Volume and Stones Throw. Notable indie hip hop artists include Hopsin, 7L & Esoteric, Blackalicious, The Visionaries, Madlib, Cage, Mr. Lif, Shabazz Palaces, The Perceptionists, Atmosphere, Aesop Rock, Sole, Sage Francis, B. Dolan, Busdriver, Lord Jamar, Jedi Mind Tricks, Immortal Technique, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Insane Clown Posse, Bronze Nazareth, The Weeknd, Outerspace, the artists of Boot Camp Clik, Termanology, Macklemore and Esham. Danger Mouse, although now signed with Parlophone, built his career as an indie hip hop artist.