Indie Rap/Hip-Hop

Underground Rap/Hip-hop encompasses the work of any rapper or producer that lies outside of hip-hop's popular mainstream, either due to its challenging lyrical content or an otherwise unconventional approach. Produced mainly on small, independent labels, underground artists often lack the studio polish of hip-hop's more commercial acts. Many underground rappers have moved on to mainstream success, such as No Limit's Master P and rap collective Wu-Tang Clan, while others have skirted the edges of stardom, like the sexually explicit Kool Keith, a.k.a. Dr. Octagon.