A Different Style Of Hip Hop Is Set To Do Big Things This Year

The way we are forever evolving as humans and music listeners (to be particular) calls for a special kind of creativity from artists in this day and age. If you’re expecting to make it then you can also expect to have to separate yourself from the masses of people releasing music. What’s terrible is when an artist has the needed talent to blow up but still lacks the necessary resources to get their music to the right people. Lots of the rappers with that trippy flow we refer to as ‘acid rap’ will never get the props they deserve for taking a different route. I will admit myself that at first listen this might not seem like the most appealing style of rap. As a sub genre that preaches so much more than just popping bottles in the club and having expensive things it is very different from what you hear on the radio. I don’t know about you but I definitely can not relate to being in VIP standing on a table with 23 pornstars and bottle service fulfilling my every wish.

It’s refreshing to hear somebody rap about the stuff nobody else does, like enjoying drugs, our backwards government, being a good person. Hands clean of that rehearsed, played out, materialistic style that every other rapper embodies. Some people might be nudged in the other direction because of the heavy drug references, not realizing that drugs are a huge part of our culture that is not going anywhere! Now I am not encouraging or discouraging but I do believe that if you find inspiration in getting toasted then by all means, do you. Others may be critical of the anti establishment ideals some of these artists hold or their unique sense of unearthliness. The reality of it is this, most of the stuff that gets force fed to us is all fantasy and half of the shit rappers say, they never even thought of doing. At the end of the day you have to give it up for the dude who says what he wants to say as opposed to the conformist who will say whatever for a dollar bill. Because that’s what artistry is all about, right?

Acid rap has been around for almost two decades, it was brought to life in the early 1990s by a guy named Esham who has more or less disappeared. He was the first to mix rock beats and lyrics involving subjects such as using drugs, dying, paranoia & sex. Having grown up in Detroit in the 7 mile neighborhood he was exposed to things that many people can’t even imagine, which explains why his sound didn’t appeal to record labels. Esham put his talent on full display by laying some bars down over Zeds Dead remix of “Eyes On Fire;” he chronicles the struggles of growing up in the inner city and the affects it had on him. He changed the game tremendously by rapping about things nobody else did and maybe even things nobody wanted to hear. By bringing stuff to the forefront that would usually get no attention with a drug infused, grungy flow he solidified his place as a main contributor to the direction of rap. His relevancy has faded over the years, but the impact he left on the rap game has not.

Hailing from Brooklyn, more specifically the talent rich streets of Flatbush, The Flatbush ZOMBiES fall on the short list of rappers with a different message. They have stayed true to their roots, as they illuminate life as we know it. Their first mixtape was entitled D.R.U.G.S. or “Death and Reincarnation Under Gods Supervision.” It’s clear these guys are cut from a different cloth, and you have to respect them for going with such a bold title. The most talked about track off the mixtape is called “Thug Waffle” with their fame growing after the video release.

Another dope group out of Flatbush is The Underachievers and they are very similar to FBZ, in fact the two are extremely fond of each other and have collaborated on several projects. Their two most noteworthy collaborative projects would have to be their Clockwork Indigo EP and a single called “No Religion.” UA came together back in 2011 when AK & Issa Gold met through a mutual friend and realized they had creative chemistry. Their mutual interest in psychedelic drugs drew them together. Beyond the drugs their music also features heavy references to the third eye and spirituality. Their unique agenda got them noticed and signed by Flying Lotus on his label Brainfeeder. Their debut studio album, Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium, was released on Brainfeeder – met with largely positive reviews. One of the tracks, “Metropolis,” is packed with conscious expanding lyrics and laced with magical triple optic shit.

Many modern rappers that we all love are ditching their old ways and migrating towards this trippy style. The dude out of the 412, Mac Miller, has evolved and although he can still channel his inner main stream rapper, most of his recent releases have that different swagger. His live album entitled Live From Space almost directly fits the criteria for what ‘acid rap’ is generally thought to be; it features a live band, otherworldly bars from Mac and lots of trippy background sounds. If you are familiar with old Mac then you know he has always had a different sound, apparent on his first mixtapes, K.I.D.S. and The High Life. Before he blew up most of his rhymes were smooth and relatable, but after the release of his third single “Donald Trump” he was launched into the spotlight. The acclaim decidedly changed his swagger and maybe his focus but thankfully Mac has returned to his old ways. This track off of his latest mixtape Faces called “Diablo” is super interesting and has an awesome video.

So we highlight the future of hip hop, and I can’t let the newcomers out of Ft. Worth, Texas, Buddha Stoops, go unmentioned. The first thing I heard from these cats is The Trippy Tape and after that I was hooked! The simple fact that you can relate to the things these guys do on the regular makes their music that much more appealing. Chilling with some homies, drinking whatever and getting zooted on whatever else tickles your fancy may not seem like much of a life to you but for some people its things like this that put a smile on their face. Their track “Mosh Pit” is very reminiscent of something Esham would’ve put out back in his day but has its own crazy, over the top, say whatever feel you get from Buddha Stoops.

Not all of these artists sound the same or rap about the same things but they do have one thing in common: they are (very) different from the conventional everyday radio rapper. They’ve separated themselves from the status quo by spitting about stuff that matters to them and they do it in a way that hasn’t been done. To box them all up into the sub genre ‘acid rap’ would be crazy. The only way to classify these guys together is to say that they are all the minority in a money fueled, unaware industry and they all speak on some real shit. If you take nothing from this article, at least you clicked play on some of these tunes and gave these guys a listen because they don’t get nearly as much praise as they should. Make sure to check out all of their social media pages and show them some love!

Flatbush ZOMBiES: |Facebook|Twitter|Soundcloud|
The Underachievers: |Facebook|Twitter|Soundcloud|
Mac Miller: |Facebook|Twitter|Soundcloud|
Buddha Stoops: |Twitter|Soundcloud|

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