10 U.S. Cities with Underrated Hip-Hop Scenes

Whether it's from Jay-Z representing the Empire State or 2Pac showing California love, certain places have always loomed larger than others in hip-hop's mythology. Rap fans are quick to identify a few familiar destinations as the cities where hip-hop lives. The genre's biggest hubs breed talent and attract stars to propagate their own importance.

But hip-hop is a national genre, and the music isn't confined to a handful of prominent cities, even if fans and artists sometimes act as though it is. Many of hip-hop's most important, influential, and well-known artists hail from places just slightly off the radar. A number of smaller cities boast their own regional styles, independent labels, vibrant live scenes, or essential mark on hip-hop's history that deserve to be included in any rap conversation.

From the community that introduced us to Midwestern rap to the home of a live scene that helped build one of the moment's biggest stars, these are 10 U.S. cities with underrated hip-hop scenes.

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Notable Artists: Jackie Chain, G-Side (ST 2 Lettaz and Yung Clova), Block Beattaz, Zilla, Jay Dot Rain, 6 Tre G, Bentley
Most Underrated Artist: Jackie Chain
Most Underrated Contribution: Block Beattaz defining the sound of a generation of rap blog favorites

Huntsville's momentum has slowed down a bit in recent years, with breakout star Jackie Chain stuck in label purgatory and critical favorites G-Side parting ways, but the city is still responsible for some of the most compelling Southern rap to come from outside of a main industry hub in the last decade.

That's largely because of production team Block Beattaz, a.k.a. Leigthon "Mali Boi" Hicks and Cory "CP" Parham, who more or less single handedly built Huntsville into a miniature hub of its own through their Slow Motion Soundz production company. Block Beattaz have produced for a range of artists that includes T.I., Mike Posner, and Freddie Gibbs, but, outside of their work with G-Side, they're best known for their extensive collaboration with Maybach Music Group rapper Stalley.

With a firm infrastructure in place, veterans like Jackie Chain and ST 2 Lettaz getting high-profile looks from other artists, and some promising young talent in the pipeline, Huntsville has everything it needs to stay on the map for the long haul.

Notable Artists: Young Buck, Starlito, Pistol, Kool Daddy Fresh, Blow Pop Crew, Quanie Cash, Haystak, Jelly Roll, Dee Goodz, Openmic, Yung Coca, Chancellor Warhol, Stix Izza
Most Underrated Artist: Starlito
Most Underrated Contribution: Blow Pop Crew’s foreshadowing of crunk with “Drop the Bass”

As the center of country music and a hub for rock, Nashville is rarely thought of as a hip-hop city, but Cashville has its fair share of local standouts and rap history. In the ‘80s, a hip-hop scene mirroring the park jams and ciphers of New York emerged, spearheaded by the Blow Pop Crew, who would have a brief moment of national visibility and help spark a regional sound with their song “Drop the Bass.”

Local artists Kool Daddy Fresh and Pistol kept hip-hop culture active in Nashville throughout the ‘90s, but the city saw its first real exposure with the success of its biggest mainstream star, G-Unit member Young Buck. For the past several years, the city’s standout artist has been Starlito (formerly All Star), whose gritty raps have garnered national attention and accolades, particularly on his Stepbrothers collaboration with Memphis rapper Don Trip.

With a strong music industry infrastructure, as well as a burgeoning scene full of promising up-and-comers like Dee Goodz and Stix Izza, the Music City may have the right ingredients to keep drawing attention for its other genre.

Notable Artists: King Los, A$AP Ant, Rye Rye, Caddy Da Don, Smash, Test, Labtekwon, Mullyman, K-Mack, Dboi Da Dome, Kane Mayfield, COMP, Spank Rock, Ddm
Most Underrated Artist: Smash
Most Underrated Contribution: Baltimore club remixes

Natural Born Hitters, the mixtape Pharrell and former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis released earlier this year, may be just about the highest profile rap project to ever come out of Baltimore, which speaks volumes about the level of awareness the city's rap scene generates nationally.

However, Baltimore has long had a solid, if not particularly well-known, lineup of local artists of many different stripes. Dance rap party-starters like Rye Rye and Spank Rock broke out nationally as live sensations a few years ago, while newer, harder artists like A$AP Ant and Test have recently found roles in the crews of two of contemporary rap's biggest stars, A$AP Rocky and Future, respectively. Street rappers like the Rick Ross-evoking Caddy Da Don and the late Smash have been local radio favorites in recent years. And a recent Kendrick Lamar nod is just the latest victory in a string of successes for the city's biggest rapper and potential breakout star, Bad Boy signee King Los.

Furthermore, with the hip-hop-indebted dance genre of Baltimore club, the Charm City has a distinctive sound to call its own. Put all those ingredients together, and it's amazing more people aren't paying attention to Baltimore.

Notable Artists: MC Breed, DFC, Top Authority, The Dayton Family, Gilbere Forte, Lyric Da Queen, 1000 Bars, Jon Connor, Cliff Mac
Most Underrated Artist: MC Breed
Most Underrated Contribution: making Midwestern hip-hop viable

Detroit and Chicago have deservedly become the epicenters of Midwest hip-hop, but in the early '90s the region's scene was actually more indebted to the smaller automobile manufacturing city of Flint. Local artist MC Breed became the Midwest's first breakout commercial success on the strength of his single with fellow Flint natives DFC, the nationally charting hit "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'." Breed would also land another major hit with 2Pac, "Gotta Get Mine," and continue putting out music until his unexpected death in 2008. Along with Breed, the '90s also saw the rise of popular groups Top Authority, who, like Breed, offered a spin on the g-funk of their West Coast contemporaries, and The Dayton Family, who made more bare-bones street rap.

Although Flint's hip-hop scene had waned in prominence by the 2000s, it's experienced a bit of a revival recently with artists like Philly-via-Flint favorite Gilbere Forte, "X Factor" contestant Lyric Da Queen, and go-to scene spokesman Jon Connor all gaining national profiles. Other artists like 1000 Bars and Cliff Mac have gotten some area street buzz in recent years as well, suggesting that Flint is likely to continue as an essential part of the regional hip-hop landscape.

Notable Artists: Kid Cudi, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Mo Thugs, King Chip/Chip Tha Ripper, Machine Gun Kelly, Ray Cash, NicX
Most Underrated Artist: King Chip
Most Underrated Contribution: melodies-n-harmonies, from "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" to "Day N Nite"

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame didn't discover rap until 2007, when it finally inducted Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five as its first hip-hop act, but elsewhere in Cleveland the genre's had a place for a long time, largely through the innovation and tireless work of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and the group's various offshoots. Although they have one of the best singles runs of the '90s ("1st of tha Month") and stand as one of hip-hop's most commercially successful groups ever, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony have never been granted the same place in the canon as many of their coastal contemporaries.

Perhaps it's just the city's disposition: The wave of artists that's seen some success in the past half decade have also staked their reputation on hard work, whether in the form of Kid Cudi's relentless boundary pushing or in King Chip and Machine Gun Kelly's constant touring. They don't tend to ask for attention, but Cleveland's artists consistently show that they deserve it.

Notable Artists: Clipse (Pusha T and Malice), The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo), Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Danja, Lex Luger, Ab-Liva, Nottz
Most Underrated Artist: Clipse
Most Underrated Contribution: Lex Luger inventing the sound of Waka Flocka Flame

As far as regional production styles are concerned, New York has boom-bap, California has G-funk, and one tiny section of Southeastern Virginia has, oh, basically all of urban radio (and much of pop radio) for the past 15 years. Given their long rosters of A-list collaborators, producers Timbaland, Danja, The Neptunes, Lex Luger, and Missy Elliott tend not to be associated with any place at all, but they all emerged from within the same 20-mile radius of Norfolk.

From Timbaland, Missy, and Danja's smooth space-age synths, to The Neptunes' minimalist funk masterpieces, to Lex Luger's dystopian opera scores, they've all pushed hip-hop in new directions and been responsible for some of its biggest artists' biggest hits. And while Pusha T and No Malice's new careers as G.O.O.D. Music pinch hitter and Christian rap standard bearer, respectively, are worth watching, the brothers' work as beloved coke rap duo Clipse is essential enough to justify Virginia Beach's hip-hop pedigree by itself.

Notable Artists: Guru, Statik Selektah, Reks, Termanology, Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, Ed O.G., Slaine, Benzino, Sammy Adams, Cam Meekins, Dutch ReBelle, Charmingly Ghetto, Moufy, Michael Christmas
Most Underrated Artist: Reks
Most Underrated Contribution: The Source

For fans of late '80s and early '90s hip-hop, the Boston area has plenty of significance as the hometown of legendary Gang Starr MC Guru, underground favorite Ed O.G., and groundbreaking magazine The Source. On the other hand, the city's biggest mainstream commercial hope, Benzino, is probably best known now for using that magazine, which he held a stake in, to carry out an extensive campaign slandering Eminem in the early 2000s.

Fortunately, Boston's hip-hop appeal has always been more about its thriving underground than radio spins anyway, with artists like Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, Termanology, Slaine (of La Coka Nostra), and Reks all building sizeable followings for their brand of clever lyricism. The area's massive college community ensures a large, reliable audience for both local shows and touring acts while also serving as an incubator for new talent. With a strong crop of new artists beginning to find some traction locally, Boston's tight-knit scene remains one worth paying attention to.

Notable Artists: Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Rich the Factor, Fat Tone, Mac Lethal, Solé, Skatterman & Snug Brim
Most Underrated Artist: Rich the Factor
Most Underrated Contribution: Strange Music

Far removed from hip-hop's power centers in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles, Kansas City doesn't get a ton of attention, but that suits it just fine. Spearheaded by the tireless work of marquee spitter Tech N9ne and the independent label he founded, Strange Music, the city has created a hip-hop economy of its own, and its scene is one of the most supportive and cohesive in the country.

Kansas City hip-hop simply plays by slightly different rules. By touring underserved Midwestern markets and putting out a reliable, steady stream of music, artists like Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, and Kutt Calhoun have managed to build sizeable fan bases in places where the rappers who dominate radio would never bother to go. Meanwhile, Strange Music has become a home for exactly what its name promises, giving rappers like horrorcore legend Brotha Lynch Hung a platform to release music that wouldn't fit within the sanitized confines of most label rosters or blog favorites.

It's not cool in a "secret show in SoHo" kind of way, but in an era where rap tends to be exclusively the product of major labels or kids trying to get on those labels, it's another way to get by, and that's very cool indeed.

Notable Artists: Sir Mix-A-Lot, Macklemore, Blue Scholars, Dyme Def, Common Market, Jake One, Shabazz Palaces, THEESatisfaction, Sol, Grynch, Grayskul, Nacho Picasso, Blue Sky Black Death, J Pinder
Most Underrated Artist: THEESatisfaction
Most Underrated Contribution: KEXP

Some people might see the recent success of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis as irrevocable proof of Seattle’s corniness (this is, after all, a city whose previous radio rap impact began and ended with the song “Baby Got Back”), but, in reality, the duo’s rise should be attributed largely to the strength of the region’s independent hip-hop scene.

Acts like Blue Scholars, Dyme Def, Grynch, Common Market and Grayskul developed a blueprint for successfully touring the Northwest’s colleges and small market venues, and University of Washington radio station KEXP consistently promoted local alternative rappers, all of which helped set the stage for a larger act to catapult to widespread visibility.

And even as recent years have seen Seattle rap witness its biggest pop moment, it has also been a boom period for experimental sounds. From the freewheeling live scene spearheaded by Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction, to the hazy recordings of blog favorites Nacho Picasso and Blue Sky Black Death, Seattle is putting out some of the most unusual hip-hop of any city in the country, and it seems perfectly positioned to keep the momentum going.

Notable Artists: Erykah Badu, The D.O.C., Fila Fresh Crew, Lil Twist, Vanilla Ice, Dorrough, Cardo, Play-N-Skillz, Snow Tha Product, Black Milk, Big Tuck, Tum Tum, A.Dd+
Most Underrated Artist: Dorrough
Most Underrated Contribution: The D.O.C. writing for N.W.A., Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg

When most people think Texas rap, they think of Houston, while Dallas gets labeled as the city of Vanilla Ice. But the largest metro area in Texas has contributed far more to hip-hop than just the genre's first hit to top the Billboard Hot 100 ("Ice Ice Baby").

In 1989, local rapper The D.O.C. saw breakthrough success nationally as a solo artist with his album No One Can Do It Better, but he was also a key creative force behind West Coast legends N.W.A., Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg, co-writing or ghostwriting many of the tracks that appeared on seminal albums like Straight Outta Compton, The Chronic, and Doggystyle. A decade later, Dallas singer Erykah Badu (who dated and had a child with The D.O.C.) helped define the neo-soul sound as part of the music collective The Soulquarians.

In recent years, the Dallas/Fort Worth area has become a bit of a producers' hub: In addition to Play-N-Skillz, the duo who have produced hits such as Chamillionaire's "Ridin'," it's home to Wiz Khalifa's sonic architect, Cardo, and popular underground producer/rapper Black Milk, who recently moved from Detroit. Meanwhile, "Ice Cream Paint Job" rapper Dorrough has given the city's current scene a public face, and a few other upcoming artists like recent Atlantic signee Snow Tha Product have both local and national buzz.

With a look that's a little more in line with traditional ideas of the Lone Star State—you may see some bull riding in the videos—Dallas/Fort Worth makes a case for different version of Texas rap.