underground hip-hop | Musicosity

underground hip-hop

Edan

Edan (born Edan Portnoy) is an independent emcee, DJ and producer based in Boston, USA. He is a former member of the band Fiber 2001 and is known for his eclectic mix of classic mid-80s till early 90s hip-hop with 60s rock, funk and other styles. His mix-tape "Sound of the Funky Drummer" collects hip hop tracks sampling James Brown's "Funky Drummer", which has been called the most-sampled record of all time.

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Chali 2na

Chali 2na is an MC for the hip-hop group Jurassic 5 and was a founding member of the racially activist salsa funk band Ozomatli. With one of the most well known voices in hip-hop as well as one of the fastest flows, Chali creates rhymes using solid and constant attention to literary techniques, including internal rhymes, assonance, meter, alliterations, and more. The 'Ambassador' of Jurassic 5, Chali has close ties to rap, reggae, funk, soul, rock, and more, and frequently collaborates with a wide range of other artists.

Blackalicious

Gift Of Gab (Tim Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) met at John F. Kennedy High School in 1987 in Sacramento, California and formed the group in the early 1990s. They released their first recording, "Swan Lake", on solesides records. The Solesides Crew consisted of the duo. as well as other friends of theirs they had met at University of California - Davis, including DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef The Truth Speaker. The single was an underground hit, but label trouble prevented the duo from immediately capitalizing on their fame.

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La Coka Nostra

La Coka Nostra (or short LCN) is an American hip hop supergroup, comprised mainly of all former members of House of Pain, Ill Bill, former member of Non Phixion, and various other MCs and producers. Founded by Danny Boy in early 2006, La Coka Nostra is a new project that has reunited him, Everlast and DJ Lethal for the first time since House of Pain's split. The group's name is derived from the notorious criminal organization (La) Cosa Nostra, which means "This Thing Of Ours"...

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Gully Platoon

Returning from a self-imposed recording hiatus, Obese Records captain Pegz rises from the silence with the formation of Gully Platoon, the three-pronged attack from three of Australian hip hop’s most formidable talents. Forging a brand new path and sound, Gully Platoon features the heralded voice of Pegz alongside new breed MCs Dialectrix and former Down Under Beats co-member Joe New. The group set forth to release Australian hip hop’s most challenging record, one that is boundless, bold, and unafraid to venture into different musical realms.

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Skryptcha

22-year-old MC Skryptcha is the latest member of the Obese Records stable writing his way to the upper echelon of Australian hip hop. Taking his first lyrical strides in 2003, Skryptcha is blessed by the gifts of a musical family; a grandfather who spent the 60’s distilling in Sydney’s jazz movement and a concert pianist grandmother who became Australia’s first entrant into New York’s prestigious Julliard school of music, his instrumentally-charged upbringing laid the foundations for a distinct vocal talent that would ultimately evolve into his debut EP, Left to Write.

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Peanut Butter Wolf

As a young kid growing up in San Jose, Chris Manak soon realized he needed an escape from the realities of suburban life in the Silicon Valley. The age of nine was his coming of age. This was the year he discovered sports (Pittsburgh Pirates), video games (Pac man), girls (Anita Balderama), and hip hop ("Rappers Delight"). Alongside partner Sweet Steve, young Chris fashioned primitive mix-tapes (using the pause button) and ran amok at the local roller rink.

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Pete Rock

Rapper, DJ, and producer Pete Rock first emerged in 1991 as one half of a duo with C.L. Smooth, debuting with the All Souled Out EP. A hit LP, Mecca and the Soul Brother, followed before the two went their separate ways in the wake of 1994's The Main Ingredient, with Rock remaining a prolific studio presence prior to the release of his solo debut, Soul Survivor, on Loud/rca four years later. Dropped from the label, he continued his career as an independent producer, and later signed to Rapster/Bbe in 2001 for PeteStrumentals.

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Mos Def

Dante Terrell Smith (born December 11, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, United States), better known by the stage name Mos Def, is a Grammy Award-nominated rapper, an actor and a poet. He also goes by the aliases Mighty Mos Def, The Freaky Night Watchman, Boogie Man, Black Dante and Pretty Flaco. He began rapping in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics in 1994, and then formed the duo Black Star with Talib Kweli in 1998.

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