alternative hip-hop
Non-mainstream rap music
Alternative hip-hop is a variety of hip-hop that doesn't conform to the genre's mainstream conventions.
It may incorporate unconventional sounds, experimental production, or subject matter beyond typical themes of wealth, sex, and street life.
The label is loose—artists tagged as alternative often resist the category, and what counts as alternative shifts as the mainstream evolves: Outkast started as alternative hip-hop before dominating the charts.
Organic, jazz-tinged R&B revival
- funkDepression or groove music
- rockSolid earthen material
- electronicRelating to circuitry devices
- reggaeJamaican offbeat music style
afrobeat · Latin · world-music · R&B · gospel · punk · folk · orchestral
Expressive, melodic quality
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- rhymesMatching word endings
- emceeCeremony host
freestyle · storytelling · metaphor · multisyllabic · delivery · cadence · verse · bars
Direct effort for reform
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- socialConcerning community life
- politicalOf government matters
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
justice · equality · rights · awareness · community · message · narrative · storytelling
Innovative cultural pioneers
- boundary-pushingExceeding accepted limits
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
- genre-bendingBlending distinct artistic categories
- abstractCondensed version of text
innovative · cutting-edge · progressive · left-field · psychedelic · deconstructed · surreal · glitch
Below ground or countercultural
- DIYAmateur home projects
- independentFree from external control
- lo-fiImperfect audio quality, informally
- bedroomRoom for sleeping
unsigned · grassroots · emerging · backpacker · mixtape · niche · word-of-mouth · authentic
neo-soul
Organic, jazz-tinged R&B revival
- funkDepression or groove music
- rockSolid earthen material
- electronicRelating to circuitry devices
reggae · afrobeat · Latin · world-music · R&B · gospel · punk · folk · orchestral · genre-blending
lyricism
Expressive, melodic quality
emcee · freestyle · storytelling · metaphor · multisyllabic · delivery · cadence · verse · bars · punchlines
activism
Direct effort for reform
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- socialConcerning community life
- politicalOf government matters
protest · justice · equality · rights · awareness · community · message · narrative · storytelling · truth
avant-garde
Innovative cultural pioneers
- boundary-pushingExceeding accepted limits
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
- genre-bendingBlending distinct artistic categories
abstract · innovative · cutting-edge · progressive · left-field · psychedelic · deconstructed · surreal · glitch · nonlinear
underground
Below ground or countercultural
- DIYAmateur home projects
- independentFree from external control
- lo-fiImperfect audio quality, informally
bedroom · unsigned · grassroots · emerging · backpacker · mixtape · niche · word-of-mouth · authentic · raw
alternative hip-hopgangsta rap
Urban struggle set to beats
drill · mumble rap · crunk
alternative, alternatively, alter, alteration, alternate, alternating, alternation, alternator, altered