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underground boom bap

Underground Boom Bap

United States · 1990s
DarkIntenseSentimentalChillSad

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Description

Underground Boom Bap is a subgenre of hip hop that strictly adheres to the production and lyrical aesthetics of the East Coast's 'Golden Age' (late 80s to mid-90s), operating independently of mainstream commercial trends. Musically, it is defined by hard-hitting, acoustic-sounding drum breaks (specifically the kick-snare pattern), heavy usage of soul, jazz, and funk samples, and gritty, lo-fi textures. Lyrically, it emphasizes complex rhyme schemes, storytelling, social commentary, and 'street' authenticity, often rejecting the polished sounds of pop-rap or the triplet flows of trap.


Sources: Spotify, Wikipedia, Discogs, RYM, MB, user feedback and other online sources

History

The roots of Underground Boom Bap lie in the 'Golden Age' of Hip Hop in New York City during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pioneered by producers like Marley Marl, DJ Premier, and Pete Rock who emphasized hard drums and sampling.

The Split

As Hip Hop exploded into the mainstream in the late 1990s (often referred to as the 'Shiny Suit Era'), a divergence occurred. While commercial rap embraced polished production and R&B hooks, a dedicated underground scene coalesced to preserve the raw, sample-based sound. Independent labels like Rawkus Records, Definitive Jux, and Stones Throw became the new bastions for this aesthetic during the late 90s and 2000s.

The Modern Resurgence

In the 2010s and 2020s, the genre experienced a massive renaissance, often dubbed the 'New Wave' of Boom Bap. Spearheaded by artists like Roc Marciano and the Griselda collective (Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, Benny the Butcher), this modern iteration often features darker, more minimalist loops (sometimes drumless) and gritty 'coke rap' narratives. This era has solidified a thriving ecosystem of independent vinyl releases and boutique labels that cater to purist fans worldwide.

How to make a track in this genre

The foundation is the drum beat: use hard-hitting, acoustic drum samples (not 808s). Program a kick on the 1 and 3, and a sharp snare on the 2 and 4. Crucially, apply 'swing' or play the drums by hand to avoid a robotic, quantized feel.

Sampling

Dig for obscure samples from 70s soul, jazz, or progressive rock records. Chop these samples on an MPC or DAW to create a 2-4 bar loop. Filter the low end of the sample to create a bassline, or layer a simple upright bass tone underneath.

Lyrics and Flow

Vocals should be dry and upfront, without auto-tune. Focus on multi-syllabic rhyme schemes, internal rhymes, and vivid storytelling. The delivery should be confident and gritty, often reflecting on urban life, struggle, or lyrical supremacy.

Best playlists

The Sound of Underground Boom Bap
The Sound of Underground Boom Bap
Every Noise at Once
Underground Boom Bap
Underground Boom Bap
Chosic
Underground Boom Bap Mix
Underground Boom Bap Mix
Spotify
Best of Underground Boom Bap
Best of Underground Boom Bap
volt.fm

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in this genre
Influenced by
Rap Conscient
Rap conscient (French for “conscious rap”) is a socially and politically aware branch of francophone hip hop. It centers on message-driven lyricism: denunciation of racism and inequality, critique of consumerism and state violence, reflections on identity, immigration, and life in working-class neighborhoods. Musically, it often favors clear vocals and intelligible mixes, with boom-bap or soulful backdrops that support the text rather than overpower it. Compared to party rap or purely technical “ego rap,” rap conscient prioritizes substance, storytelling, and moral or civic engagement.
Wu Fam
Wu fam refers to the extended Wu‑Tang Clan musical "family"—the constellation of affiliated crews, solo MCs, producers, singers, and regional chapters who developed around the core group beginning in the mid‑1990s. Sonically, the style is rooted in rugged East Coast boom‑bap: dusty drum breaks, chopped soul and jazz samples, grimy bass, and tense minor‑key pianos or strings. It often features kung‑fu movie dialogue drops, Five‑Percent Nation references, street reportage, cryptic slang, and posse‑cut structures with multiple MCs trading verses. Production emphasizes head‑nod swing at roughly 86–96 BPM, sharp DJ cuts on the hook, and a cinematic, martial atmosphere sometimes nicknamed the "Killa Beez" sound. Culturally, Wu fam doubled as a platform—labels, imprints, and mixtape circuits—through which affiliated acts amplified the Wu aesthetic across the U.S. and internationally, influencing underground/indie rap well beyond Staten Island.
Boom Bap
Boom bap is a foundational East Coast hip hop style defined by hard, punchy drums—“boom” for the kick and “bap” for the snare—laid under sample-based loops from jazz, soul, and funk records. It typically runs around 85–96 BPM, favors gritty, minimally processed textures (often associated with SP‑1200 and early Akai MPC samplers), and foregrounds lyrical skill: multisyllabic rhyme schemes, internal rhymes, storytelling, street reportage, and battle bars. DJ techniques such as scratching and cut‑choruses are common, and arrangements emphasize head‑nod grooves, sparse basslines, and tight bar structures that give MCs room to “sit in the pocket.”
Hardcore Hip Hop
Hardcore hip hop is a confrontational, uncompromising strain of rap defined by aggressive vocal delivery, hard-hitting drum programming, and stark, sample-driven production. It prioritizes intensity over gloss, often minimizing melody in favor of dense drum breaks, sirens, noise textures, and dissonant stabs. Lyrically, it spans street reportage, social realism, political critique, and battle-ready braggadocio. The aesthetic foregrounds rawness—distorted drums, clipped samples, shouted hooks, and posse energy—while drawing deeply from funk and soul breakbeats, DJ techniques, and the boom-bap tradition.
Jazz Rap
Jazz rap is a hip hop subgenre that fuses the rhythmic delivery and sampling aesthetics of rap with the harmonies, timbres, and improvisational spirit of jazz. Producers typically build beats from jazz records—especially 1950s–1970s hard bop, soul jazz, cool jazz, and jazz-funk—chopping horn stabs, upright bass lines, brushed drums, and electric piano loops into laid‑back, head‑nod grooves. Lyrically, jazz rap often leans toward socially conscious themes, storytelling, and playful wordplay, delivered with a cool, conversational flow. The result is a warm, swing‑inflected sound that sits between boom bap hip hop and jazz tradition: sample‑centric but musical, relaxed yet deeply groove‑driven, and frequently enriched by live instrumentation.
Underground Rap
Underground rap is hip‑hop created and distributed outside the commercial mainstream, prioritizing lyrical depth, experimental production, and DIY ethics over radio formats and chart ambitions. It typically features dense wordplay, multisyllabic and internal rhyme schemes, social critique, and introspective storytelling over gritty sample-based beats. Production often embraces lo-fi aesthetics—dusty drums, chopped jazz/soul/psych samples, and minimal hooks—while releases are commonly self-financed, issued via indie labels, or shared directly with fans. Culturally, underground rap is a networked movement of ciphers, open mics, college radio, indie record shops, message boards, and Bandcamp scenes that values authenticity, craft, and community.
East Coast Hip Hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional style of hip hop that emerged in New York City and the surrounding Northeastern United States. It is characterized by complex lyricism, dense rhyme schemes, gritty urban storytelling, and sample-heavy production that draws from funk, soul, and jazz records. Rhythmically, the sound is often associated with "boom-bap" drum patterns—hard-hitting kicks and crisp snares at moderate tempos—alongside chopped breakbeats, basslines, and DJ techniques such as scratching. The approach places the MC’s voice, cadence, and wordplay at the center, while the producer crafts a textured, crate-dug backdrop. Culturally, East Coast hip hop foregrounds authenticity, social commentary, and competitive MCing, while its crews and collectives (from Juice Crew to Native Tongues and Wu-Tang Clan) helped define hip hop’s golden age and set standards for lyrical excellence and sample-based beatmaking.
Coke Rap
Coke rap is a hip hop substyle whose lyrics center on street-level cocaine trafficking and the economy, risks, and status dynamics surrounding it. It is not defined by a single exclusive sound palette, but it is commonly delivered with a cold, minimal, and tense atmosphere that supports detailed “hustle narratives,” vivid imagery, and morally complex storytelling. Coke rap often overlaps with gangsta rap and mafioso rap in subject matter and tone, but it is more narrowly focused on cocaine dealing (bricks, re-up cycles, supply chains, surveillance pressure, and profit calculus) as the organizing theme of the writing.
Soul
Soul is a genre of popular music that blends the spiritual fervor and vocal techniques of African‑American gospel with the grooves and song forms of rhythm & blues and the harmonic palette of jazz and blues. It is defined by impassioned, melismatic lead vocals; call‑and‑response with backing singers; handclaps and a strong backbeat; syncopated bass lines; and memorable horn or string riffs. Typical instrumentation includes drum kit, electric bass, electric guitar, piano or Hammond organ, horns (trumpet, saxophone, trombone), and sometimes orchestral strings. Lyrically, soul ranges from love and heartbreak to pride, social commentary, and spiritual yearning. Regionally distinct scenes—such as Detroit’s Motown, Memphis/Stax, Muscle Shoals, Chicago, New Orleans, and Philadelphia—shaped different flavors of soul, while the style’s emotional directness and rhythmic drive made it a cornerstone of later funk, disco, contemporary R&B, and hip hop.
Jazz
Jazz is an improvisation-centered music tradition that emerged from African American communities in the early 20th century. It blends blues feeling, ragtime syncopation, European harmonic practice, and brass band instrumentation into a flexible, conversational art. Defining features include swing rhythm (a triplet-based pulse), call-and-response phrasing, blue notes, and extended harmonies built on 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. Jazz is as much a way of making music—spontaneous interaction, variation, and personal sound—as it is a set of forms and tunes. Across its history, jazz has continually hybridized, from New Orleans ensembles and big-band swing to bebop, cool and hard bop, modal and free jazz, fusion, and contemporary cross-genre experiments. Its influence permeates global popular and art music.
Has influenced
Lo-Fi Hip Hop
Lo-fi hip hop is a mellow, sample-driven offshoot of hip hop that emphasizes warm, imperfect textures, simple loops, and relaxed grooves over virtuosic rapping or dense production. Producers often foreground tape hiss, vinyl crackle, and bit-depth artifacts to evoke a cozy, worn-in feeling that complements the genre’s minimal, repetitive structures. Built from boom-bap drum programming, jazzy chord progressions, and short melodic motifs, lo-fi hip hop typically functions as instrumental background music for reading, studying, or unwinding. Its aesthetics are closely tied to internet culture—especially 24/7 livestreams and anime-inspired visuals—making it one of the most recognizable “ambient hip hop” sounds of the streaming era.
Dark Jazz
Dark jazz is a moody, slow-burning strain of jazz that blends late-night noir atmospheres with ambient, drone, and doom-influenced pacing. It favors minimal harmony, cavernous reverbs, and an emphasis on space and texture over virtuosic solos. Smoky saxophones, bowed double bass, brushed drums, piano or Rhodes, vibraphone, and guitars drenched in delay are common timbral anchors. Rather than bebop’s momentum or swing’s buoyancy, dark jazz lingers on hushed dynamics and sustained tones, creating a cinematic, often melancholic aura reminiscent of urban rain, deserted streets, and after-hours solitude.
Abstract Hip Hop
Abstract hip hop is a deliberately experimental, left-field branch of hip hop that emphasizes mood, texture, and unconventional structures over radio-oriented hooks. Beats are often off-kilter, skeletal, or rhythmically unstable, with heavy use of negative space, collage-like sampling, noise, and ambient wash. Production draws from IDM, illbient, trip hop, and dub, favoring granular edits, tape hiss, vinyl crackle, and detuned or atonal timbres. Vocals, when present, lean toward stream‑of‑consciousness poetics, surreal imagery, dense internal rhyme, and non-linear narrative, frequently eschewing traditional verse–chorus formats. The result is a challenging but evocative sound world—introspective, cinematic, and sometimes abrasive—that reshaped the possibilities of underground hip hop in the late 1990s and 2000s.

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