The underground music circuit for years has been slowly improving to a point where it is just as pleasing if not better than mainstream music. There has also been an argument constantly floating around that once an artist goes mainstream, their music somewhat falls off. The evidence is there, and there are a few artists that are underground taking the scene by storm.
Tobi Lou – Latest Release: tobi lou and the juice. Rapper Tobi Lou primarily makes music that is of the more of a mellow hue.
I first heard Lou while scrolling through YouTube and unintentionally stumbling upon “Buff Baby.” The song is an extremely chill song you can listen to at any time of the day. It does not matter what you are doing it will fit in perfectly with your mood.
Bas – Latest Release: Milky Way. Dreamville’s frontrunner behind J Cole has been flying under the radar for a few years now. With a number of quality releases, it is nearly a travesty that Bas can still be considered underground by many. The Queens rapper delivers a very similar sound to Cole but with a slight twist. You can catch Bas on tour starting in November and ending in February.
Brent Faiyaz – Latest Release: Lost (Upcoming, October 19). Faiyaz had a somewhat silent blow up last year releasing an album as the frontman of Sonder, sang the hook on possibly the biggest song of last year, “Crew,” and later released a solo album, Sonder Son. Faiyaz has a number of quality R&B songs and may have even had the best album in that category in 2017. A Columbia, Md. native who released his debut EP, A.M. Paradox in 2016. In ’18, he was nominated for a Grammy for the song “Crew.”
Kee Riche$ – Latest Release: Raised Off Rosecrans. A rapper from my hometown of Los Angeles, Calif., by way of Compton. He has released a number of tapes that have slowly been gaining him recognition throughout the West Coast states. Dating back to his first album in 2016, Road to Riche$, Riche$ has been delivering a mixture of classic Los Angeles sound along with a new more upbeat style that the city has lately been hearing.
Reason – Latest Release: There You Have It. TDE’s newest signee from Carson, Calif., Reason, is a lot like Riche$. Reason has a very late 90s sound to his music that fans can instantly connect to Snoop Dogg or Tupac of that era. The album, There You Have It, delivers a lot of familiar beats that Reason flipped and sampled for this album that may nearly be an underground masterpiece.
The Gramblinite
Tuesday, April 23, 2024