Edit: Thanks for the gold, stranger!
With so much music coming at us at such a constant rate, it's easy for really great projects to slip through the cracks.
Here are some of the amazing projects that you have probably overlooked. I hope you find some new things to enjoy on this list. These won't be in any particular order, but I will say that the first two are my favorite underground projects so far this year.
James Lindsey - Same Sky EP
Check out Rainbows
I've been a big James Lindsey fan for years (he used to go by the rap name Jalin Roze). It's tough to categorize him, but if I have to compare him to anyone, it feels like a touch of Wale over Chance the Rapper style beats. It's only 8 tracks, so it's a breeze to listen to. Here's the full project.
Other songs to check out:
Wanna Shine feat. Otis Junior
Apples to Oranges feat. House Ghost
In early '16, he retired the Roze name (I always thought it was pretty corny being named after a basketball player, but his actual reasoning was "JaLin" is a combination of the beginning syllables of his first and last name. "I also wanted to carry on the torch of my mother's maiden name. And her maiden name was Rose."), but his new sound isn't all that different from his old sound. Don't sleep on his older stuff - Ladies & Gentlemen off of Grand National Dreams is fantastic. His old Bandcamp can be found here.
Awon & Dephlow - Sleep is the Cousin of Death EP
Check out Real Talk
This entire thing (much like most of Awon & Dephlow's work) is produced by one of my favorite producers in the game right now, Phoniks. This is old school beats and smooth as hell lyrics. Dephlow has more of a presence on the mic with a deeper, more commanding voice, but Awon compliments him perfectly with a smoother flow. Personally, I lean more towards Awon's style. Here's the full project.
Other songs to check out:
The Realest
State of the Art feat. Halfcut
If you like what you hear from these guys together, they have a full length album called Dephacation that came out in 2014 (The track Step Up is a personal favorite). Awon also has a really great discography - if you like what you hear from him, my advice is to check out his Return to the Golden Era, which is also produced by Phoniks.
Ray West & Dave Dar - The Sun Don't Chill EP
Check out Home feat. Percee P, Prince Po, & AG
Ray West is a top tier producer who has worked with people like OC, AG, Roc Marciano, and more. This time he teamed up with Dave Dar from Harlem, who has a ton of great credits of his own (exec produced the Talib Kweli classic 'A Beautiful Struggle'). Both of these guys are part of the LUVNY collective (and it was released from AG & West's Red Apple .45 label), so there's plenty of work for you to check out. If you like what you heard from Dave Dar, check out his work as half of the Bamboo Brothers. This is a very short project at under 15 minutes long, but it's a really beautiful listen while you're doing some chores, walking the dog, or driving to the store. Here's the full project.
Other songs to check out:
Art of Diggin' feat. AG
We Prevail
Q-Ball & Curt Cazel - My Kinda Moves
Check out My Kinda Moves
These Long Island rappers have been around forever (you may also know them as QNC), but rarely do I run into someone who's heard of them. I remember hearing them on Mama Mystique's Tremendous in 1997 (although they've been recording together since 1994, but their careers track back to the late 80's with JVCFORCE). Most of these tracks have been out for a long time - like years in some cases (My Kinda Moves was released as a single in 1995!) - but in terms of a full project, this is the first time many of these tracks have been found together (Chopped Herring Records did the honors). You can definitely hear their influences (Jay Z, Nas) in their music.
Other songs to check out:
War Out Here
Makin' Moves
Pawz One - Pick Your Poison
Check out Flipside feat. Masta Ace
I don't know a whole lot about LA's Pawz One - he came to my attention because of a remix he did with Masta Ace a few years ago - but he raps alongside good company. Along with Ace, he's teamed with Ras Kass, Sean Price, Madchild, etc. This release has some great tracks and has features from Mykill Miers, King Magnetic, El Da Sensei, Talib Kweli, and Main Flow. He's flows with ease and has a pretty solid message in each song - for example, in Paint the City, he talks about the violence in Los Angeles. "Paint the city with your teardrops, and bloodshed." Here's the full project.
Other songs to check out:
In Vino Veritas feat. Talib Kweli & Main Flow
Paint the City
Krafty Kuts & Dynamite MC - All 4 Corners
Check out It Ain't My Fault feat. Chali 2na
Krafty Kuts has been around for a long time - he originally helped to pioneer the breakbeat and bass movement in the UK. He's fairly decorated, winning Breakspoll 8 times and was honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Breakbeat award at the Breakspoll awards. Here he teams with another UK MC, Dynamite MC - he's also been around forever, releasing his first album in 2004 or so (but he had singles as far back as 1994 with Full Cycle). The Chali 2na feature (from Jurassic 5) is great on this track (let's be honest, Chali has the best voice in rap). It's upbeat, fun music.
Other songs to check out:
The War is Over feat. Harry Shotta
FYI, if you've never heard Harry Shotta spit, watch that video. He raps extremely quickly and at last check, had the world record of 1,771 words on one track (Animal, beating out Eminem's Rap God total of 1,560).
If you like the production on this, here's a link to Krafty Kuts soundcloud - tons of stuff here.
Nocando - Severed
Check out Severed
Nocando was the founder of the Hellfyre Club (Open Mike Eagle, Busdriver, milo). Severed isn't necessarily a fun listen - the theme here is dealing with being broke and his split with the mother of his three children - but it's worth the trip. It's much different than his two Jimmy albums, but it's also more powerful and personal. Here's the full project.
In his words: "I made 'Severed' at a time when my relationship with my wife — my high school sweetheart and the mother of my three children — was coming to an end,. This was right around the time the rap crew side of my record Label Hellfyre Club began to disband and when I split from my business partners at Low End Theory of more than a decade. Plus, I was broke as fuck. The songs on 'Severed' are more personal, more vulnerable than anything I'd made before. The battle rap braggadocio that I held dear for so many years melted away. Every piece of my personal life was ripped apart and rearranged. I had no choice but to rebuild from the ground up."
Other songs to check out:
Useless feat. Slug
Mykrafone Myk
Molecules & Showbiz - A Bronx Tale EP
Check out Hardcore feat. Dres
Showbiz from D.I.T.C. has been busy in 2017 (he also has an EP with AG called Take it Back and a few random features as well). Here he links up with Molecules (from The Legion, who were once signed to Dres' record label back in the early 90's when he was one half of Black Sheep). This carries a very "DITC" sound, so if you're into that, you should dig this. Great beats. It's another short listen, ringing in at only 6 tracks (it also contains the instrumentals afterwards). Here's the full project.
Other songs to check out:
Bad Guy feat. Money Ray
Methadone Rap feat. The Legion
If you like Showbiz's production style, he and AG have a bunch of projects together. If you like Molecules, the Legion only had one album come out (Theme + Echo = Krill) and it's tough to find in the flesh.
Ran Reed - Still Commanding Respect
Check out Still Commanding Respect
Ran Reed has been in the game since the early 90's. He also produced a large portion of this 20 track project, which features UG (on The Crew, which is basically a Cella Dwellas reunion), Kool G Rap, Bumpy Knuckles, Sadat X, and M.O.P. This is truly a time machine to the 90's, with gritty, head knocking beats and gravelly, rough lyricism. It's also one of the longest projects on my list. If you like Bumpy Knuckles, Nick Wiz, Rakim, I think you'll like Ran Reed.
Other songs to check out:
Timeless
The Crew feat. UG
Jay Worthy & The Alchemist - Fantasy Island EP
Check out Stepping Out feat. $ha Hef
These beats are smooth as fuck. The production is immaculate, and the features here are crazy - we have Conway, Mayhem Lauren, Big Body Bes. It's not as funky as some of the tracks I've heard Jay Worthy on, but it's a good different. He holds his own on the beats, but his lyrics are nothing to write home about. Jay Worthy isn't really why I love this project though…it's the production. Alchemist is obviously a legendary producer who has joint projects with Curren$y, Action Bronson, Fashion, and more. A few more tracks from the EP can be found on Alchemist's Soundcloud.
Other songs to check out:
Four Fifteens feat. Mayhem Lauren & Big Body Bes
Rising Sun feat. Rugotti
If you happen to like Jay Worthy, he's got a dope project called LNDN DRGS with Sean House. The track Burnout 2 was one of my favorite tracks in 2016. I think he fits much more easily onto tracks like this.
Propo '88 - Astronomic Delight
Check out The Anticipated feat. Wildelux
Propo '88 is an amazing producer from Da Shogunz. My first experience with his music was his production for Blabbermouf, and he's been on my radar ever since. We've got some old school samples and a bit of scratching here (a sort of fusion of 70's jazz rock/fusion mixed with a 90's boombap vibe), along with some great guest stars (Hex One, Shogunz affiliates Corto Maltez & Blabbermouf, among others). Here's the full project.
Other songs to check out:
Amped Up feat. Ten-Nition
My Type Style feat. Blabbermouf
If you like what you hear from that last track, Blabbermouf & Propo '88 have a tape together called Top of the Stack which is fantastic. The whole Shogunz crew is very talented.
Doz Funky Baztardz - Get Down to My Dungeon
Check out Clowns
This isn't new music, but it was a compilation put out this year featuring the Baztardz (DJ Taz, Melo, and Class) loose singles & EP cuts over the years. They were active from 1993-1995, so that's the time period that these tracks came from. The sound is very traditional early 90's NY, but they actually came from Miami, so they didn't get much local play (everything was bass music back then, and Miami radio wasn't friendly to things going against the grain). This is an extension of the 6 track EP that was released a few years ago called What's Going On In A Baztardz Mind. Interesting note, the back cover lists Gun Bizness as being on the album, but it's not included. I honestly think that if they were in NY instead of Miami, they could have blown up.
Other songs to check out:
Slippin'
Master Plan
DJ Format & Abdominal - Still Hungry
Check out Behind the Scenes
These guys remind me of Ugly Duckling - playful boom-bap, a little corny, but definitely fun. Again, these guys (Format from the UK and Abdominal from Canada) have been in the game for a long time, they just don't get much exposure over in the US. Behind the Scenes deals with what it's actually like being a self-made rapper, from telling people what you do to worrying about finances. Here's the full project.
Other songs to check out:
Reflective Meditation Rhymes
Diamond Hammer
DJ Format has been making music since 2003 and has supported Jurassic 5 on a European tour. He's also a part of The Simonsound with Simon James. If you enjoy Abdominal, I highly recommend his project Sitting Music, which is all done over live instruments.
Phat Kat & DJ Dister - The S.O.S. Project
Check out S.O.S.
Phat Kat is a legend - he was part of the group 1st Down with J. Dilla and is a Slum Village affiliate (don't get him started on T3 though). DJ Dister is a German producer who I don't know a whole lot about, but he laces some great old school sounding tracks here for Phat Kat to go over (fitting, as S.O.S. stands for So Old School). Topics on here range from crime in Detroit to personal triumphs. Here's the whole project.
Other songs to check out:
Revolt for Change
The Monument feat. DJ Dez
If you like Phat Kat's rapping style, please go back and listen to early Slum Village and his stuff on Dilla's Welcome to Detroit. Most recently, he could be found teaming up with Hiero's Casual as Ron Bon Jovi.
K.A.A.N. & Klaus Layer - Abstractions EP
Check out My Nigga
K.A.A.N. is an amazingly talented rapper from Maryland who has been on my radar since KAANCEPTS. He's got a machine gun flow, but unlike some rappers who go so fast, you can understand every word. He's clever and mature for his age. Klaus Layer is a German producer who I hadn't heard of before, but he has quite a few projects out (also under the name Captain Crook). As far as I can tell, this is the first time that a rapper is joining him for an entire project. Here's the whole project.
Other tracks to check out:
Toonami
King Solomon
K.A.A.N. has been releasing a flurry of singles over the past few weeks, so I'm guessing he's got a project coming soon.
MC² - Native Sons EP (Bonus Pick)
Check out Reign Dance
This project isn't out yet - it'll be releasing on June 17th. I'm throwing the song Reign Dance on here only because I created the album art for it. It's also a really good track, theme being that there's a drought in the rap game when it comes to good rappers vs. personalities. I've heard the EP, and it's pretty good. If you like the other stuff on my list, keep and eye out for this. They're pretty talented MC's out of San Antonio.
If you like their style, check out their free mixtape Graduates of Soul, which is dedicated to Lauryn Hill, ATCQ, and Little Brother. It's very good.
35 More Albums
Here are some other projects that deserve your attention that have come out in 2017. I don't have time to do full write-ups for them, but I'd be glad to give opinions on them if you want to know something. I've organized them (loosely) by sound, but understand that it's hard to classify some of these.
Old School Sound
Geechi Suede - Fishnet Skyscrapers
- Geechi Suede is one half of Camp Lo.
Beneficence - Contents Under Pressure EP
Kool G Rap - Return of the Don
Talib Kweli & Styles P - The Seven
Southern Sounds
Nappy Roots - Another 40 Akerz
- For the most part, this is just 2 of the members of Nappy Roots Skinny Deville & Fish Scales.
Organized Noize - Organized Noize EP
- These guys produced a ton of Outkast & other Dungeon Family music.
Devin The Dude - Acoustic Levitation
Paul Wall & C Stone - Diamond Boyz
- Features from Chief Keef, Slim Thug, and Future
West Coast
G Perico - All Blue
- Classic West Coast crip sound.
AD & Sorry Jaynari - Last of the 80's
- More classic West Coast crip sound.
DJ Quik & Problem - Rosecrans
- Takes the Rosecrans EP and adds 6 new songs. Dom Kennedy, Game, MC Eiht, Boogie, & Buddy features.
L's - Funkfornia
- Features from Blu, RBX, Tray Deee
Iamsu! - Boss Up EP (1 & 2)
- Features from E-40, Snoop Dogg
East Coast
Group Home - Forever
- If you like this, check out their debut, Livin' Proof, which was produced by DJ Premier.
Conway - Reject on Steroids
Westside Gunn - Riots on Fashion Avenue
Underground/Jazzy/Tough to Classify
Oddisee - The Iceberg
Locksmith - Olive Branch
Cunninlynguists - The Rose EP
- Amazing group, check out all of their work.
Murs - Captain California
J.I.D - The Never Story
- Kind of get a Kendrick vibe from his voice.
Page Kennedy - Torn Pages
Venomous2000 & Trilian - Sounds of the Great Ones
Superior - The Journey
Pete Flux & Parental - What They Need EP
- A very jazzy, laid back project.
P.O.S. - Chill, Dummy
Stik Figa - Central Standard Time EP
Le$ - Midnight Club
Rejjie Snow - The Moon & You
Buddy & Kaytranada - Ocean & Montana
Avenue - Mass Ave & Lennox
Stro - Grade A Frequencies
- Formerly known as Astro, also featured on the American version of X-Factor.
Two-9 - FRVR
- Group project by Curtis Williams, Key!, Jace, CeeJ, Cartier Dawg, and LightskinMac11
Ces Cru - Catastrophic Event Specialists
- Features from Rittz, Murs, & Tech N9ne
Catalyst Bars - Cat's Life 3
- If you like Logic, you'll like Catalyst Bars.
If you don't see something on this list, it's for three possible reasons:
I've never heard of it.
I felt that it got enough attention here on HHH (I was on the fence with Brother Ali, but his album got a decent amount of talk here).
I didn't like it.
So, what did I miss? What other great projects are out there that people probably haven't heard? What did you check out on my list that you liked or disliked?
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