Underground Rap Music Research Paper

As time progresses, new trends come about. People’s perspectives on society begin to change and their tastes in food, fashion, music, and culture change as well. With the changing of different perspectives among people, people begin to create secluded groups with people that share the same tastes or views as they do. Groups of individuals with the same interests tend to behave differently from others in different communities. People within a community based on their interests all interact with each other kindly or manically. Usually, these behaviors can rise from the emergence of a debate between two sub ideas within the interests of the community. There is a rising debate about the arrival of Underground rap music from online music

Those who listen to more mainstream rappers of today such as Drake, Future, the Migos, Meek Mill, etc., either tend to express their dislikes towards the rise of Underground rappers. Others like the coming of a new generation of rap music that doesn’t fall into the norm. In an interview with Kavalé, a young fan of Underground rap music specifically from Soundcloud, Kavalé expressed he prefers Underground rap but can make mends with mainstream rappers. “Honestly I think some Soundcloud rappers are better than mainstream. I feel like some are on par with Kendrick [Kendrick Lamar], but most are better than Young Thug. I never really got into J.Cole like that but there are some Soundcloud rappers that sound just like him like Russ” (Kavalé). This goes to show that with the community of rap music lovers, there can be some fluidity among the mainstream and Underground but to only a certain extent due to preferences or

Unlike mainstream rappers who would probably tweet and post under the conditions of their manager or publicist. Underground rappers use social media as an advantage to gain more fans and see more of their interests or even their personal lives to relate to each other. According to the New York Times, XXXTentacion’s behavior “…has toggled between earnest interactions with gobsmacked fans captured on social media — something many SoundCloud artists excel at, communicating directly to their audience in their language — and less savory choices.” Even Chicago native music video director, Cole Bennett, even expresses how social media made underground rappers and their fans more connected than what mainstream rappers have to offer. “This generation and wave of rap are using social media in a way that no other class has…. Mainstream acts are only going to make a tweet when they drop an album and they may not tweet for months. These young guys are talking to kids every