rap

In a landscape where hip-hop has been under the shadow of Drake, Kendrick, Migos, and Kanye, it is very easy to forget the hundreds of talented acts that left a mark on the genre and culture. Many of the artists on this list also run around the lines of sex, guns, and drugs but it's in the way they deliver it that set them apart from the mumble rappers of the 2010s. Likewise, some of the albums also include artists who fit that "woke" label that feel more genuine than their mainstream contemporaries. Let's start spinning the vinyls. Danny Brown – XXX In an era of rap where artists left and right have radically shifted from the standard norms of the genre, it takes a real weirdo to stand out. One of these iconoclasts is Detroit native with a distinctive squawk and wordplay as tight as his designer jeans. But it is on XXX where his years of mixtape blast into something muscular. Danny Brown’s style of rapping is gallows humor turned up to the spirit of Nas and Mobb Deep. He’s equally ugly…

As a teenager, discovering music is the best feeling in the world. I think most people transition through their influences the same way I did – first your parents, then your friends, then yourself. Graduating to that last step can be a challenge, but knowing the right sources opens doors to incredible musical possibilities you may never have considered. With Spotify algorithms and radio services like Pandora, finding music is quicker than ever. Once you select or listen to something you like, recent technology can link you to ten artists you could potentially enjoy. There’s more to it than circling the same genres and music scenes though – the best method, as scary as it sounds, is to jump into something you’d never expect, immersing your tastes in the farthest reaches of musical depths and broadening your horizons in the process. To illustrate this enjoyment, let’s look through some of the first bands and artists that began my self-discovery journey through the new music of the last few…

The 10 Most Underrated Overlooked Hip-Hop Rap Albums of the 2010s

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