Mainstream vs. Underground Hip Hop

[haihat]

What separates underground hip hop music from mainstream hip hop music?

Personally I enjoy underground hip hop more than mainstream. There just seems to be more of a collaboration with the emcees and the producer. Sometimes in mainstream hip hop, the production of the music outweighs the writen rhymes and vice versa.

I dunno...what do you guys think?

[jwon]

mainstream music caters to pop culture. and when that happens alot of the time pop culture kills the "realness" of the music.

[pacificYO]

i kinda hate the whole "mainstream vs underground" argument. because many times i see listeners become ignorant to one or the other. [ie UNDERGROUND IS SO MUCH BETTER MAINSTREAM IS GAY]. i personally listen to both [more underground than mainstream though], because i embrace all hip hop no matter how tainted it is. plus the fact that i want to one day write a book or somehow re-tell the story of hip hop to younger generations. and i can't do that by just telling them about underground artists.

[Rygar]

Be sure to include in your book how Hip Hop was started in the underground scene by inner-city youths.

I have made general observations of the underground scene throughout a period of about 7 years (not a long time but enough) and have noticed that there are many people that have become more appreciative of all different types of Hip Hop and music in general after being involved in the underground scene and actively listen to underground music. I do agree that some people "become ignorant to one or the other". However, it is not just in Hip Hop or music, but in all aspects of life.

My view on mainstream vs. underground is that each genre has it's specific place in the Hip Hop scene. What sets one apart from the other aside from style (beats, delivery, etc.) is the content. Most often, content meaning goes beyond a superficial level in underground and is more enticing to me when artisits connect personally with their music and content is not prefabricated to suit any artist. But ultimately, I enjoy all types of music whether it is mainstream or underground.

[jwon]

this topic is touchy..

see when some one gets tired of the same ol, same ol stuff they hear on the radio they seek for something new. i remember listening to the wake up show back in the day and got hooked to it. and when kids find that "new" shiet they want to find more. and they find out that some times the "underground" has better music. it be comes addicting.
undergound is overused term. with the invention of the internet, there is no such thing as mainstream and underground. its all the same.. i bet you can down load jeshno album if u look through the right people. id rather classify it as Indie hip hop and major label hip hop. there is a diffrence there. think about it.
there is alot of major label hip hop i like and still like. the purpose of hip hop that infests pop culture is to entertain. and when shit sells every major label is looking for the same shit.. thats why alot of us think the major label hip hop is diluted. but then look at dilated peoples. are you going to tell me they sold out because they got a deal.. what about freestyle fellowship, they were on capital.. they had a video and they toured.. blackalicious is on MCA.. so now indie acts are getting recognized. thats dope i think..

what makes you guys look for the underground?

[relyonnobody]

Hip Hop is Hip Hop!

Mainstream or underground, its still Hip Hop!

People think that because its played on the radio/tv or whatever that its mainstream or if they dont get no play on the radio/tv that their underground. So does that mean everyone starts out to be underground until they make it to tv or radio to become mainstream?
Is Nas or Jay-Z underground? They sure did start from the underground market in order to get where they are now. So does their sucess make them mainstream?

My 2 cents is that if the artist makes good music regardless if its mainstream or not, its still good HIP HOP! I think the only real thing that might separate mainstream from underground music would be the freedom that underground artist have. Underground artist have no restrictions on the music they put out. Alot of mainstream artist have restrictions to their music due to their labels, lyrics, audience, media or whatever the case may be. This may taint the purity of the music that is put out

[haihat]

I'd have to say that there is a distinction between mainstream and underground hip hop. Both are hip hop but, there really is a distinction between the two. More often in mainstream the message of the music is sacrificed in order to cater to the pop audience. That's not to say that mainstream is worse than underground.

What my friend told me when I was first really getting into the hip hop scene was that you have to embrace all of hip hop. In order for you to grasp where hip hop is going today, you have to see where it started, where it's been, and where it is gonna go.

How I feel about mainstream hip hop though, is that so often really good artists end up sacrificing their own music for a label or to cater to the pop audience. Often times it seems as if record labels seem to produce music solely because it's what's hot right now (i.e. an influx of reggaethon tracks on the air.). That's why I hate listening to radio because often times music becomes repetative. So many songs end up sounding alike. This programs so many listeners, that are passive listeners to begin with, to like a certain style of music. Regardless if it's bad music or not.

I think what needs to change is not necessarily the labels themselves but the audience of the music. Once listeners become active listeners instead of passive listeners, they will be able to distinguish between different styles and be able to choose what type of music they like instead of being force fed what's on the air.

As far as the artists go, I have to agree with you that if the artist makes good music regardless if its mainstream or not, it's still good HIP HOP! It just sucks when the artists doesn't make good music yet they are still forcing you to like it.

[jwon]

i havent listened to the radio in almost 4 years.. but this past year i started to listen to the radio again. maybe cuz i felt that the indie scene was stagnet.. and not going anywhere..

i think when u get older and more exposed to the music you find out who you really like and continue to pick up their music. i dont have time now a days to keep up with the new artists coming out the wood work.

radio is good now, i think for entertainment purpose. i think cats go the underground for the message that the mainstream lacks.. but there are a few who still kick the real, like some common, roots stuff, dead prez, but ehh this is a never ending battle..

fuck wack hiphop, i have beef with weak emcees .. =)

[kjris]

underground vs mainstream

personally, id say hip hop is defined by the listener. to think as an individual and express yourself is one of the key points of hip hop. is it not? so to label down between mainstream and underground, is in a way, just another obstacle that seperates the unity in hip hop. most mainstream in general is whack. but i find that some people of the underground tend to hate on artist for the wrong reasons.

however, i do agree that there is a distinction between the two. there are certain freedom's that the underground presents the artist that "mainstream" restricts them to. but should these restrictions really be allowed to be an excuse to hate mainstream artist? it is the same as people say it shouldnt be an excuse for an artist to "sell out" and loose touch for the music. mainstream or underground, hip hip is HIP HOP and depends idealy within the artist themselves and the audience. if what someone presents, is real, then its real. regaurdless of mainstream or underground. i gaurantee you that their are many people within the underground rite now whose soul purpose is "to make it big". "makin it big" is the main stereotype of a "sell out". however, if they exist within the underground, does that make them "real"? as said before, dilated peoples, they have a deal. but does that make them "sell outs"? I define my own sense of hip hop, not the underground or the mainstream but my own mind. drawing influence from anything i feel is dope.

though still learning about this culture...
i've come to my own understanding that underground and mainstream are merely labels on the music. i say fuck listening to either mainstream or underground. i listen to hip hop.
BUT... "fuck wack hip hop"

[crash]

i just scratch...is that okay??

[Rygar]

Now do you scratch underground or mainstream?

Haha! j/k.