The 30 Best Underground Hip-Hop Albums

posted by on June 27, 2012 in Features, Lists

8 million stories The 30 Best Underground Hip Hop Albums

30. Soul Position – 8 Million Stories (2003)

Blueprint’s sharp, personal rhymes married with RJD2′s lush sampled soul was a winning combination when it debuted on the latter’s Deadringer LP (“Final Frontier”) and when it produced the solid Unlimited EP. On 8 Million Stories, however, the duo’s vision coalesced into a sprawling, ecstatic musical statement, expanding on the ideas and sounds of their debut and highlighting each artist at his best: Blueprint weaving clever everyman rhymes and RJD2 focusing his dusty funk formula to make perfect soundscapes for rapping.

Soul Position – “Share This”

RELATED ARTICLES

← Older Comments
  • http://twitter.com/vallyshy White Kanye

    I would’ve liked to see Zion I’s Mind Over Matter but there are so many good “underground” albums to choose from; don’t bitch if your favorite MC didn’t make the list

  • Menosmal

    Great list overall and the comments justified each album well. Crazy how I have most of these albums. I am surprised by the lack of Project Blowed affliated albums and dearth of LA underground albums. No Freestyle Fellowship? No Living Legends? I’m keeping this list though.

  • Danny C

    No Chino XL??

  • http://www.facebook.com/GodlessGOD Bod GodlessGod

    Dope list. I would threw a Shawn Lov album in there though. http://shawnlov.bandcamp.com/

  • http://twitter.com/dankohu Dan K.

    Thank you! :)

  • Gavin

    As a white person, I agree.

  • penis

    How is movies for the blind hit and miss? One of the best albums of all time.

  • Colin McAuliffe

    One album from 2007 and nothing after? Shame current music hasn’t been producing worthwhile underground albums.

  • nam3

    not really underground i would say

  • Wax_Lyrical

    In my humble opinion I don’t think Madvillainy was as important an album as Funcrasher Plus, The Listening, Inner City Griots for example, these albums were not only good but were apexes and culture defining of the type of hiphop that would follow, they respectively brought something new and unheard of. Having said that I have listened to a good 80% of the stuff on the list and if it was up to me really I don’t think I would’ve added them, but then it’s my own bias :) I won’t really say your list is bad, cause our tastes are different and I respect that, however if I were to interject I would definitely put Company Flow’s album as 1 and go as far as to say One Man Army’s/One Belo – SONOGRAM was better than Binary Star’s – Waterworld, not that it was a bad album . I’d also include albums such as : ATU – Mood Pieces, FFS – Inner City Griots, RR – Architechnology, Thaione Davis – Situation Renaissance, Daedelus & Radioincative & Busdriver – The Weather; Haiku D’Etat; Omid – Beneath The Surface….just to scratch the surface.

  • AJ

    Where robust and prolyphics stick figures

  • dickosfortuna

    Was about to bemoan the lack of Cann Ox, until it was there at number 2. Well played. Should maybe be number one though!

  • kitelife

    how is big l underground?

  • Underground Head

    Sorry horrible list…most of the albums arent even the artists best albums. J-Live’s best album is by far “The Best Part”. Blackalicious’ “Nia” is a staple in west coast underground hip-hop. Cage’s “Hell’s Winter” by far his best effort. No Illogic, Aesop Rock, FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP (Inner City Griots), Aceyalone (All Balls Dont Bounce/ Book of Human Language), Organized Konfusion is completely unacceptable

  • jmelvin

    this list is great

← Older Comments
Advertise | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use