Underground hip hop, underground rap, or undie is an umbrella term for hip-hop and rap music outside the general commercial canon.
Independent record labels are the major supplier of underground hip hop, but artists who are not signed to any label represent the independent scene just as much as their signed counterparts.
This non-commercialized hip hop is represented through its other elements as well, such as graffiti, b-boying, turntablism, freestyle rhymes, and beatboxing.
Generally speaking 'underground' artists rap about a different subject matter than their commercial brethren.
Songs focus more on personal issues, politics, relationships, and philosophy, and tend to be more introspective and self-critical.
However, underground hip hop also has roots in battle rapping, and "shit-talk" songs are quite common, as many underground rappers display the egoism and braggadocio common to rap music.
Underground production tend to be diverse, drawing on such musical styles as jazz, funk, electronica, and techno,
as well as more traditional hip-hop for beats.
The music can also be more lyrically diverse and have less repetition than mainstream rap.
Some artists also avoid lyrics that are violent, or misogynistic.
Old school hip hop describes some of the earliest recorded hip hop music, and often by extension the music in the period preceding it.
The image, styles and sounds of the old school, exemplified by figures like Afrika Bambaataa, The Treacherous Three, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were sent into decline with the advent of new school acts Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J, with these latter acts now themselves often considered old school as we become further away in time from their initial impact.
Hip hop music began in the early 1970s in New York City with the advent of breakbeat DJing.
Kool DJ Herc, Grandmaster Flash and other DJs extended the breaks of funk records.
This use of extended percussion breaks led to the development of mixing and scratching techniques.
As hip hop's popularity grew, performers began speaking while the music played, and became known as MCs or emcees.
Melle Mel, a rapper in the group Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five was the first to call himself "MC".
Performers often emceed for hours at a time, with some improvisation and a simple four-count beat and basic chorus.
MCs grew more varied in their vocal and rhythmic approach, incorporating brief rhymes, often with a theme.
These early raps had precursors and parallels in other aspects of African American culture, such as the dozens and signifying.
Alternative hip hop is a genre that is defined in greatly varying ways.
All Music Guide defines it as follows:
Alternative Rap refers to Hip-Hop groups that refuse to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as gangsta, bass, hardcore, and party rap. Instead, they blur genres, drawing equally from funk and pop/rock, as well as jazz, soul and reggae.
Stephen Rodrick cites Arrested Development, Basehead, and The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy as examples of such "alternative" hip-hop.
In the mid 90's labels such as Rawkus Records and others had mainstream success with alternative rap acts such as Jurassic 5, Brand Nubian, Black Star, Mos Def, Common, Kanye West, The Roots, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Nas, Funkdoobiest, Skee-Lo, Lupe Fiasco, Fort Minor and Pharoahe Monch.
Rodrick writes that alternative hip-hop has "drawn little more than barely concealed yawns from other rappers and urban audiences".
Heywood and Drake counter that "making rap music that appeals to mass audiences isn't simply about selling out", stating that alternative hip-hop is an attempt to counter the association that much of the mass market has between (mainstream) hip-hop music and violence, giving as an example the "Smokin' Grooves Tour" of 1996.
Alternative acts have also begun in Latin America, with the rise of Cuban hip-hop group, the Orishas and Puerto Rican hip-hop duo Calle 13.
The Damon Albarn-led Gorillaz project has brought alternative hip hop to worldwide attention, working with producers Dan the Automator and Danger Mouse, and featuring De La Soul, Del tha Funky Homosapien, and MF Doom.
The Roots
Bizzy Bone
Bone Thugs
Cripple Crew
PM Dawn
Jedi Mind Tricks
Mc Lyte
Ice T
Wu Tang Clan
Common Sense
Jadakiss
Eric B. & Rakim
Brand Nubian
Immortal Technique
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Digital Underground
Public Enemy
Nas
Old School Hip Hop
Gatas Parlament
Yo Mtv Raps
Isaac Hayes
Lupe Fiasco
N.W.A