Alternative hip hop

Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a sub-genre of hip hop music that is defined in greatly varying ways. Allmusic 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, reggae, and even folk. Originating in the l... more

Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a sub-genre of hip hop music that is defined in greatly varying ways. Allmusic 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, reggae, and even folk. Originating in the late-80s, in midst of the Golden age of hip hop, alternative hip hop was headed primarily by East Coast groups such as De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digable Planets in subsidiary conjunction by West Coast acts such as The Pharcyde, Digital Underground, and Jurassic 5 as well as certain Southern acts such as Goodie Mob and OutKast. Similar to the alternative rock movement, alternative hip hop initially began to segue into the mainstream at the dawn of the 1990s. The classic debut albums 3 Feet High and Rising, People's... less