Vocal Verified—Alternative Hip Hop Playlist

This past year has been a particularly eventful one in hip hop. We were graced with the Drake/Pusha T Adonis feud, we witnessed the astronomic rise of Soundcloud rap, we reeled from Mac Miller's unexpected death, and we saw Kanye and Lil Pump emulate Flat Stanley in that one very disturbing music video. And through it all, we watched as time and again hip hop releases dominated the Top 40. Cardi B and Drake were deservedly everywhere, and to be honest I could've had all music besides ASTROWORLD and Sr3mm confiscated for the entire year and still been perfectly content.

But that said, people are understandably feeling like mainstream hip hop is getting a bit stale. Older-school rappers are either sticking to the same flow they've been on for a decade or they're going on an inexplicable Twitter rampage, and fans are often left wanting more. This is one of the merits of emo and mumble rap; say what you will about the new school, but they're bringing something different to the table. So, I've taken it upon myself as the head of curation here at Vocal to round up the best reviews and recommendations from our creators of newer-school, underground, or alternative rappers for the hip hop fan who feels like they've heard it all. Some of these artists have been around a while but have a distinct, unique sound; others have just recently emerged to redefine the genre; all will help you get out of the Drake-Kanye-repeat funk that every radio station and generated playlist seems to be so fond of.

Explore the stories, leave a tip to support the creator whose recommendation you appreciate most, or share your own review or playlist of your favorite artists to get you out of a rut.

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Mark Solomon shares his favorite underground rappers from old school to new school, complete with song selections from each.

It looks like Will Vasquez was right in his prediction that these sad bois would be the biggest names in hip hop.

Taylor Markarian shares her selection of underground female rappers to listen to if you're a little sick of Nicki. Cardi has definitely made her way off this list rather quickly, but there are some awesome ladies to discover here.

Isaac McCutcheon shares a new, unexpected discovery, and explains how one live performance changed everything.

Rap Disciple has got us thinking about Lil Uzi Vert, now one of the most popular mainstream new-school artists.

Rap Disciple gives us another great, in-depth review. This time Goodbye and Good Riddance is center stage.

Is Childish Gambino new or underground? Absolutely not. Does he consistently bring something new and dynamic to the genre? Absolutely, and Sara Al Mahdy takes a look at his artistic progression.

James E. shares his thoughts on one of the most conscious, controversial up-and-comers in the game right now.

Yvonne Glasgow shares a lesser-known artist she describes as "mellow, old-school Snoop Dogg" who blends hip hop, R&B, and dance music into something totally unique.

Azaria Brown reviews two albums from Dirty Sanchez and Kirk Knight, and includes some must-listen tracks.

Toby Hickman shares his thoughts on the latest work of the ultimate sadboy emo rapper.

Release Rewind is breaking down Zoo, and giving us a spot-on analysis of Russ' latest work.

You probably know (and love) BROCKHAMPTON, but how many of you are fans of Kevin Abstract's solo work? Mina Johnson is vouching for his album and we're here for it!

Azaria Brown's ode to Anderson .Paak is reason enough to play the album on repeat. The downside? "None, obviously."

Hanin Najjar gives us a closer look into this socially conscious Saudi-born rapper's work.

Alí González shares a closer look at Trippie Redd's life—with hints of new music every now and then, we can't help but wonder what's next for the rapper.

Sadé Sanchez introduces music journalist turned artist, Rob Markman—here are her thoughts on his surprising leap of faith.

Sadé also has some kind words about the "hypnotic, disoriented, hard-hitting, daunting beats” from this New York native.

Blake O’Connor explores the hyper-trendy personification of irony in the increasingly popular micro-genre born of Soundcloud and sampling.

Jordan Catto is Akala's fan not only for his "amazing flow" but because he's giving music meaning, intellect, and ambition to change the status quo.

Kay Jay shares a song-by-song review of Travel Light, the soulful, nostalgic project of Children of Zeus.

J.R. Gonzalez glowingly reviews Vince Staples' perceptive 2017 studio album.

Intelligent Movement highlights a feat of hip hop history: Asaad released a song every day for the leap year totaling 366 songs a day—truly iconic.

Aaron Gibbs-Grice makes a solid case for the ultimate, often overlooked, collab: indie music and hip hop.

Jacob Rydalch has curated a list of alt hip hop songs that you can't not love—give it a read and if you're still not sold, check out the playlist on Spotify!

Shannon Thompson has just given us the ultimate late night playlist—whether that's a cozy night in or spent with friends, this playlist has got you covered.