Alternative Hip-Hop Music: 5 Notable Alt Hip-Hop Artists

Alternative hip-hop, or alternative rap, is a subgenre of hip-hop music that incorporates elements of funk, soul, punk, and alternative rock. The subgenre does not follow the tenets of mainstream hip-hop, gangsta rap, or trap music and instead blurs the lines to create a unique combination of sounds set to an array of lyrical content. Artists like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest helped develop alternative hip-hop in the late 1980s, and their playful, yet thoughtful lyrics and diverse influences would serve as templates for many other hip-hop groups and rappers.

Alternative hip-hop enjoyed mainstream recognition in the 1990s with acts like the Fugees but faded with the rise of hardcore gangsta rap. It resurfaced again in the 2000s thanks to the crossover success of artists like Outkast and Kanye West and remains a popular and creative subgenre.

The origins of alternative hip-hop begin in the 1980s and include many influential artists:

• Pioneers: Alternative hip-hop began on both coasts of the United States during the late 1980s. East Coast artists like New York’s A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, and KRS-One, and West Coast groups like The Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief, and Freestyle Fellowship were all regarded as early alternative hip-hop acts. They created hip-hop tracks that featured clever or thoughtful wordplay instead of boasting and funky, eclectic samples rather than a simple beat.
• Breakthrough: In 1989, De La Soul released their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising. Though only a minor commercial success, it’s considered a landmark in alternative hip-hop because it brought the subgenre to national attention and critical acclaim.
• Fade: The first wave of alternative hip-hop rose in and fell from popularity in the same time frame as the alternative rock scene of the early 1990s. It produced several notable artists, some of whom, like the bohemian-styled Arrested Development and the soulful Fugees, achieved chart success and won Grammy Awards. But they were soon overshadowed by the hardcore gangsta rap boom and artists like Snoop Dogg and Nas. But some alternative hip-hop artists, like The Roots, Mos Def & Black Star, and Hieroglyphics, kept the sound alive in indie or underground scenes.
• Resurgence: The early 2000s saw a second wave of alt hip-hop, with the genre reclaiming a significant portion of the rap and pop charts. Artists like Jurassic 5, Talib Kweli, and El-P led the charge out of the underground with critically acclaimed albums, which paved the way for Atlanta’s Outkast to score chart hits and enjoy crossover success. Kanye West also saw success in the early 2000s; his 2007 album, Graduation, outsold gangsta rapper 50 Cent’s Curtis and helped establish alternative hip-hop as a commercially viable subgenre.
• New breed: Alternative hip-hop continues to generate exciting artists who push the subgenre’s artistic boundaries. Kendrick Lamar’s politically conscious rap songs have earned him 13 Grammys, while Childish Gambino—the music alter ego of actor Donald Glover—shows consistent creativity. Other notable alt-hip-hop acts include Aesop Rock, rapper/actor Kid Cudi, Run the Jewels—a team-up between El-P and rapper Killer Mike—and the hip-hop boy band Brockhampton.

Several characteristics define the sound of alternative hip-hop, including:

1. 1. Influence: Alternative hip-hop found inspiration from a wide array of musical sources. The Beastie Boys filled their songs with samples from and original tracks inspired by punk, reggae, and classic funk, while Pharoahe Monch and Brooklyn, New York’s Digable Planets filtered jazz through their tracks. De La Soul was one of the most eclectic alternative hip-hop acts, exploring psychedelic pop and classic R&B while sampling Johnny Cash and Hall & Oates on their albums.
2. 2. Lyrics: Alternative hip-hop turned away from the gritty street stories that filled gangsta rap and other mainstream hip-hop forms. Their track lyrics could be humorous (De La Soul’s “Jenifa Taught Me”), poignant (Kanye West’s “Through the Wire”), jubilant (Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”) and even soulful and self-aware at the same time (Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”).
3. 3. Production: Alternative hip-hop featured more elaborate and creative production than gangsta or party hip-hop’s simple but forceful craftsmanship. Songs featured multiple samples, woven together in a complex and elaborate tapestry, while beats could be booming or subtle, like jazz percussion. As a result, many alternative hip-hop producers and artists, like Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes and N.E.R.D., have become in-demand producers for mainstream artists.

There are numerous notable hip-hop artists. Among them are:

1. 1. A Tribe Called Quest: Rappers Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Jarobi White, and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammed formed A Tribe Called Quest in New York in 1985. They produced socially conscious hip-hop, including the 1991 album, The Low End Theory, which many fans consider a landmark album in alternative hip-hop. A Tribe Called Quest called it quits in 1998 but reunited several times.
2. 2. Beastie Boys: The Beastie Boys began their music careers as party rockers before becoming self-effacing rappers with a taste for infectious samples and quirky humor. Ad-Rock, MCA, and Mike D hit a new groove with the offbeat Paul’s Boutique in 1989 and drew fans from both the hip-hop and alt-rock world with their propulsively funky tracks until MCA died in 2012.
3. 3. M.I.A.: British-Tamil rapper M.I.A. represents the new wave of alternative hip-hop. Her music fuses beats and rapping with elements of alternative, dance, and world music; her 2007 single “Paper Planes” reached No. 4 on the Billboard singles chart with a mix of African folk and the Clash track “Straight to Hell.” M.I.A. became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2019.
4. 4. MF Doom: British-American rapper MF Doom was an alt-hip-hop cult hero who blended an outrageous stage presence with dizzying, surreal lyrics while donning a silver mask in homage to comic book villains. He collaborated with producer Madlib to form the duo Madvillain for their acclaimed 2004 album, Madvillainy. The rapper also worked with DJ Danger Mouse, the Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon and Ghostface, and Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz before his death in 2020.
5. 5. Tyler, the Creator: Tyler, the Creator rose to fame as a controversial member of the Odd Future collective before launching an eclectic solo career. Tyler adopted a deliberately confrontational persona for early solo efforts like 2011’s Goblin, which reached the Top Five on the Billboard albums chart. He adopted a more melancholy persona for his Grammy-nominated fourth LP, Flower Boy. Subsequent releases have alternated between harsh and heartsick material that kept him at the top of the charts.

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