The underground rap scene is a place for artists on the come up to gain a following to help push them into the mainstream. Fresh, new artists are popping up everywhere, and the ones who stand out really have something to offer to the future of rap. 

Modern technological advancements in music have allowed for the pluggnb and vapor trap sub-genres to emerge. The transcendent instrumentals are showing signs of being a staple in modern hip-hop. The easy accessibility to free music software has allowed kids to become famous from their bedrooms. 

A perfect example is fourteen year old  Babysantana. Hailing from Columbus, Georgia, the high schooler got his start by recording in his home and collaborating with like minded individuals. Sixteen year old Slump6s collaborated with Babysantana on their breakout hit, Antisocial, over a beat produced by thirteen year old producer Majins. 

These underground artists are somewhat reminiscent of the underground artists from times past. Introducing their raw, new beats they seem to emulate old SoundCloud legends like Ski Mask the Slump God, Lil Uzi Vert and Xxxtentacion. It’s not their styles that are similar but the way they carry themselves is indicative of their potential to shake things up.  

The 808 and synth based beats all have a similar sound to them, but it’s up to the artists to bring something different to the table. The electronic rage music is even being made by mainstream artists like Trippie Redd and Playboy Carti putting their own spin on the newer generations instrumentals. 

Underground artists that have been putting themselves on the map lately are SoFaygo, Yeat, Lucki, Summrs, SSG Kobe, Autumn!, KanKan, Ken Carson, and Ka$hdami. 

Personal favorites of mine are Yeat and Summrs due to them seemingly doing the best job for their styles compared to the other artists around them.

Even Drake can see that Yeat’s unique delivery and trademark production style has the potential to take over the underground scene. His hyper-synthetic beats coupled with his extraordinary use of auto tune allow for his voice to simultaneously become a part of the instrumental in a rare manner. His iconic use of bells in his music are one of the reasons his unique sound blew up so quickly.

His hit single, “Get Busy”, has a very recognizable bar when he says, “This song was already turnt but here’s a bell(GONGGG),”. The bell that was heard around the world had been used in a plethora of Tik Toks and many different content creators had very positive reactions to the new sound. 

Yeat’s large gallery of music is quite a notable feat because of how consistent his songs are despite the large amount of versatility he has. Respectfully, his instrumentals are quite similar to other pluggnb artists, but he adds his own spin to make it unlike other artists in a similar realm as him. 

Summrs  released an immaculate pluggnb album towards the end of September that really captured the pain of his recent loss. His emotionally charged and relatable lyrics over his laid-back beats create an unforgettable listening adventure.

Underground music as a whole is a tight-knit community based in very niche sub-genres of rap music, where a lot of the artists have small but borderline cult-like followings. A lot of my favorites can do really no wrong when it comes to music.

Whenever their music drops the small group of people that are invested in the sound truly appreciate it for the art it is. It’s also quite nice not having many people who are heavily into this kind of music so when you do find someone else with the same level of interest in it, it makes a really quick and unnaturally deep bond because it is just something that you either get or don’t. 

Overall, the underground scene is a place that fosters and nourishes young artists that are getting ready to dominate the mainstream. It is definitely a place that you have to search around on your own to figure out who and what you like, but when you do it feels like a special discovery for yourself and only yourself.