Listen to These '90s Underground West Coast Rap Releases if You Like Kendrick Lamar's New Album

Kendrick Lamar's latest album, 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' has a lot of influences from other West Coast artists. Find out who else you should check out.

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Complex Original

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Kendrick Lamar shook the rap world last week when he decided to unexpectedly drop his latest album, To Pimp a Butterfly. In many ways, the album stood out, not just because the music was stellar and furthered how Kendrick is perceived as an artist, but because it took inspiration from a slew of different places.

At first blush, it's easy to point out all the jazz and funk influences. Bilal, who is featured on two songs, went so far as to say Kendrick's latest album is "high-level jazz." For many, To Pimp a Butterfly sounds unlike any rap music. But for those who have a knowledge of the underground Los Angeles artists who came before K. Dot, it was possible to pinpoint some of his possible influences. There were elements of '90s West Coast hip-hop all over Kendrick's work, and it made us think that there are older albums his fans could appreciate after hearing To Pimp a Butterfly. If you consider yourself one of them or just want to listen to something different, listen to these '90s underground West Coast rap albums if you like Kendrick Lamar's new work.

Matt Welty is a staff writer for Complex. Follow him @MatthewJWelty.

Freestyle Fellowship, Innercity Griots

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Year Released: 1993

At the end of their 1991 debut album To Whom It May Concern, Freestyle Fellowship—an L.A. rap collective comprised of members Aceyalone, Mikah 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter—made a 1:30-long promise to their fans. They collectively chanted, “We will never fall the fuck off we promise.” And the crew’s follow-up album, 1993’s Innercity Griots, proved just that. It’s the building block off of which much of West Coast underground hip-hop, and underground hip-hop in general, was built. Mostly because its sound was so new and diverse. 

Kendrick has long been noted for changing his flow and style, even mid-song, and that’s one of the cornerstones of Freestyle Fellowship's legacy. Every member of the crew was capable of chopping it up or altering their cadence for each instrumental or rhythm. There were angry bursts from P.E.A.C.E. and words from Mikah that tip-toed across the jazz-inflected production, much in the same way Kendrick was able to on tracks like “u” and “For Free?” Then there are moments when Kendrick isn’t as concerned about his flow as he is with rapping and talking to the listener. That’s Aceyalone—the substance to the fanciful, art-like expression.

If fans are going to listen to To Pimp a Butterfly, then it’s only right that they (re)visit Innercity Griots, which is just as complex, although not so lyrical. 

The Coup, Genocide and Juice

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Year Released: 1994

Oakland hip-hop group the Coup always did things a little differently, and their 1994 album, Genocide and Juice, balanced West Coast flavor with a Bay Area tinge. As the album's title suggests, the work is a play on the themes that dominated Left Coast rap at the time, but there's a reflective nature to the lyrics. The songs are such that anyone can sit back and connect with them, but they're getting something more, from a content prospective, in the process.

The Coup was making music in the same vein as Kendrick. For those who aren't necessarily looking for the viewpoints expressed on the record, the production helps the medicine go down. 

Volume 10, Hip-Hopera

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Year Released: 1994

Volume 10 and Kendrick Lamar may fall on opposite ends of the rap spectrum, but their approach to rhyming is very similar. Listen to 10's Hip-Hopera album, which features his breakthrough single, "Pistol Grip Pump," to get a better sense of the similiarities. L.A.'s underground has long been known for something referred to as the "chop," a type of flow that speeds up a rhyme cadence and is often able to pack more words per bar due to the velocity that words are being spit out of the mouth.

Kendrick and Volume 10 both practice this style, even though the primes of their careers are more than 20 years apart. They also have another thing in common: talking about the harsh realties of where they're from. As Kendrick speaks from the soul and makes thought-provoking statements about life inside the confines of South Central L.A., Volume 10 is more of a punch in the face, with his rapid-fire cadence taking place over brash, more-traditional West Coast instrumentation, that, at times, could mimic the G-funk sound that was going on during his career. 

Project Blowed, Project Blowed

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Year Released: 1995

There’s a lot of Los Angeles in Kendrick’s music, but the city isn’t as definable as some believe it to be. This is best exemplified by the various members of Project Blowed, the city’s hip-hop collective that gave L.A. a conscious break from the gangsta-heavy sounds of the ’90s.

The crew, which was started at an open mic at the Goodlife Cafe, had a recognizable sound, usually centered around quick, sporadic flows that were paired with jazzy beats that strayed from L.A.’s trademark G-funk sound. With a crew that had a multitude of members, it was only right that they assembled a group album. Aceyalone and Abstract Rude were able to offer a different perspective than C.V.E. or Ellay Khule. Stylistically, they might have been similar, but their lyrical content was night and day. It also represented the same two-sided views that Kendrick gives in his music. 

The Nonce, World Ultimate

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Year Released: 1995

Although the Freestyle Fellowship is the definitive group to come out of Los Angeles' underground scene, the Nonce is a fan-favorite largely in part to its 1995 album, World Ultimate. MCs Nouka Basetype (who would later go by Sach) and Yusef Afloat came together with their conscious perspectives to rap over jazzy instrumentation about everything from taking the bus to the issues plaguing hip-hop. Sach's flow was able to anchor the crew, but Yusef Afloat balanced the dynamic with a slick, laid-back demeanor. 

Yusef Afloat tragically passed away in 2000 and Sach went on to make solo records, but the moment they captured together is a testament to two MCs being at their pinnacles. If you're looking for great lyricism and music filled with trumpets and saxophones, look no further—the Nonce mastered that vibe two decades ago. 

Ras Kass, Soul on Ice

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Year Released: 1996

"The Blacker the Berry" let the world know that Kendrick Lamar had a lot on his mind. He held nothing back on the record, and even provoked my colleague to say Kendrick was making the "blackest record since Watch the Throne." The same fury that exists on that record is toned down on other parts of To Pimp a Butterfly, but he never compromises the stances that he takes. The listeners who are moved by his message on the track, and the album overall, might be inclined to check out Ras Kass' 1996 album, Soul on Ice. The work gets its title from the 1968 novel of the same name written by Eldridge Cleaver, who was a member of the Black Panthers.

If "The Blacker the Berry" had you bubbling, then Ras Kass' seven-minute-long history lesson on "Nature of the Threat" and subsequent bars on the album's title track take things to another level. Basically, if you're angry as hell about things that are going on in America, then Ras Kass' record serves as an outlet for all of those emotions.

Aceyalone, A Book of Human Language

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Year Released: 1998

Good kid, m.A.A.d city wasn’t the first time people heard Kendrick Lamar rap, but it showed that he was able to put together a cohesive solo album that’s fun and serious and introspective, all at the same time. The same thing can be said for Aceyalone’s All Balls Don’t Bounce. It had its serious cuts, but it also had jams such as “Mic Check” and “Anywhere You Go.” But Acey decided to follow up his debut with something more conceptual, more art-driven, and that was A Book of Human Language

There’s such a brooding and moody feel to To Pimp a Butterfly, and that’s where it connects with A Book of Human Language. At the time of its release, Acey was viewed as the leader of the West Coast underground scene, much like Kendrick’s current status amongst California MCs. His method was to take a head-first dive into the subconscious, on a record that sounds scary and daring at times. And although it lacks the jazz feel of To Pimp a Butterfly, it shows a West Coast artist taking risks and focusing on making a complete album, even if it lacks the feel-good bangers.

Abstract Tribe Unique, Mood Pieces

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Year Released: 1998

A lot of L.A. underground hip-hop, although jazzy, has an abrasive nature to it. But Abstract Rude and his crew, Abstract Tribe Unique, were able to change that stereotype and offer a more relaxed and introspective sound. But like Kendrick, Ab Rude still had things to say, and he couldn't bottle them up all the time, no matter how cool his demeanor. As Kendrick has spurts on To Pimp a Butterfly where he breaks free from his considered and melodic vision, so does Ab Rude. And he can snap on the mic just the same.

Haiku D'Etat, Haiku D'Etat

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Year Released: 1999


On To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick worked to channel a live music vibe. Doing this isn’t a novel concept in hip-hop, but it’s always refreshing when it happens. Coupled with his sporadic and buttery flows, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to another West Coast album, which released in 1999, that did the same thing.

The trio of Aceyalone, Mikah 9, and Abstract Rude came together to form Haiku D’Etat, a crew that they said represented a “poetry takeover.” The first record they joined forces on was backed by live instrumentation and featured many of the off-kilter flows that Kendrick has become known for over his career. The soul, jazz, and funk moments are all there. If the argument can be made that Kendrick is in his prime right now, the same can be said for Abstract Rude, Aceyalone, and Mikah 9 when they collaborated on this album.

Fat Jack, Cater to the DJ

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Year Released: 1999

To really understand the underground L.A. scene and its possible effect on Kendrick's music, it's best to take a look at a wide breadth of rappers. It's not a coincidence that the city's staple underground rappers had been rapping in a similar fashion for years. On Fat Jack's compilation, Carter to the DJ, which brought together veterans and newcomers, there are moments of rage and release, and all the emotions that fall in-between. There are quick-paced flows and those that slump melodically. It's complex, much like To Pimp a Butterfly, but it all comes together cohesively. And it shows a very real side of L.A., even if it's one snapshot at a time, like Kendrick has been doing his whole career. 

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