Twenty

I was in a sharing mood and my iPod happens to be generous in both quality and quantity of what I consider to be good music so.. Here's a bunch of folks from A-Z you’ve probably never heard of (with hopefully and most likely a few that you have). Many haven’t hit mainstream (yet) some have. Nonetheless, all the artists and the albums listed are good to start listening to. Enjoy.
Asher Roth I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, I didn't want him to be the first on the list but our alphabet is just designed that way. Don't expect anything too magnificent from this guy, he's just chill. And he has a slicker flow than half the "professionals" with proper record deals. Listen to "Asleep in the Bread Aisle".
Black Milk is a sick sick sick producer/rapper with a lengthy compilation history and a long list of solo projects that should truthfully have him critically acclaimed by now. He’s produced and spit with big names like the late J Dilla (Rest In Sweet Solitude), Pharoahe Monch, Slum Village, Elzhi, Frank-N-Dank, etc., and every year this guy drops another record to remind us what innovation is.
Blue Scholars an Iranian jazz pianist meets Filipino spoken word poet. Incredibly tasteful hip hop ensues. It would be incredibly difficult to recommend only one album, listen to them all.
Blu & Exile THESE GUYS ARE TOOOO ILL. Going on four years since I first heard the only album they released together and it’s still fresh. Blu hooked up with hip hop producer Ta’Raach and they released an album together, calling themselves C.R.A.C (Collect Respect An’a Check). Then Blu went on to work with a producer called Mainframe and they released an album last year of purely dope tracks. The album was named Most Slept-On Album at the HipHopDX Awards, so if that doesn’t say enough then I obviously can’t. Listen to “Below The Heavens” & “Johnson & Jonson”.
Chicks on Speed are a group born in Munich over ten years ago who consist of electro/punk musicians, graphic artists, videographers, painters, etc., and have now expanded all over the world. Interestingly, group members change quite often and they reinvent themselves so often that it’s hard to keep track of what the fuck they’re doing next. Listen to “Chicks On Speed Will Save Us All”.
Crystal Castles make the kind of music you either wanna completely love or hate. The Toronto band has toured a lot as an opening act and as headliners for festivals, and they’re known for their wild stage performances. If you don’t like retro electronic music with pulsing beats and techno sounds, don’t listen to “Crystal Castles”.
The Decemberists these guys are friggin weird.. in a genius way. They tinker with everything from bass guitars to accordions and they’re actually very established in the US , being that they’ve released six full albums. Listen to the “Always A Bridesmaid” project.
Duffy is famous and yet I somehow only know one who person who knows her lol.. Aimée Ann Duffy is one of the only pretty young things in the industry whose music sounds like it was born in the 60’s, even though she was born long after then. Soulful blues and jazz heartache songs, having something like the Winehouse effect. Listen to “Rockferry”.
Empire of the Sun are two ridiculously fresh Australian guys that are gunna blow up really soon. They have a cool electronic sound and are vocally one of a kind. Their videos are INSANE.. Watch as many as you can find, and listen to “Walking on a Dream”.
Funtouchables are a Detroit hip hop group who are verrrrrrry refreshing. These guys are all about nodding kick/snare beats, hand claps, and original sample chops; their instrumentals speak for themselves.. Really cool, really chill. Listen to “The Funtouchables LP”.
GreyBoy iunno where this guy came from, but hopefully more people pop out because he has such a culturally inclined sound. he spits vintage flows over sophisticated beats he’s made and they’re all bangers. Listen to “Mastered The Art”.
Hezekiah thissssss guy is so dope. A smooth flow and vividly illustrious rhymes have made his name well-known on the Philadelphia underground scene. His music is for much more than headphone play. Listen to “Hurry Up And Wait”.
Illa J better known as J Dilla’s younger brother.. The Yancey bloodline is immaculate and that is all that needs to be said. Pleaseeeee, please, please, listen to “Yancey Boys”.
Jay Electronica is not your average emcee but definitely an incredible wordsmith. He’s one of those dudes that will forever be on some unconventional real shit.. Early works with the late J Dilla and recent production with Nas are bringing a lot of well deserved attention. Listen to his EP’s. All of them.
Kate Nash is another myspace beauty from the UK *sigh*.. Much like Lily Allen when she first started, with more alternative guitar strumming to accompany her otherwise taboo lyrics and personal diary-like songs. Kate’s very far from unknown now.. Listen to “Caroline’s A Victim/Birds”.
Ladyhawke is a New Zealand born all-instrument playing, singer-songwriter who walks around in men’s clothing, hoodies and low jeans , while still maintaining an ultra-feminine style because she’s just that unique. Her music videos are just as illustrious as her lyrics and music. Listen to “Ladyhawke”.
Lykke Li is an intensively sophisticated singer with a distinctive sound and style from Sweden who has a huge little voice that is starting to explode on the mainstream scene. She stepped into the industry last year with the help of Björn Yttling (of PB&J) and she’s managed established a solid fan base that promises expansion. I love her. Listen to “Youth Novels”.
Miike Snow are a Swedish band who are incredibly talented and captivating on stage. They are a team of extraordinary producers with a very unique sound that blends rock music with electronic effects and synthesizers. Their music is brilliant, consisting of metaphoric rhymes laid over full and strategically well-assembled music. Listen to “Miike Snow”.
Nicolay & Kay Nicolay is a master sampler. Kay almost defines underrated. Their abstract style is complimented by genius live instrumental samples and real-life rhymes. Listen to “The Foreign Exchange”.
Oddisee fresh look, fresh sound, fresh rhymes, fresh flow, fresh tracks.. Oddisee’s Philly style has a cool neo soul vibe and a real-life feel that he’s been putting out there for a while now. He gets more recognition for his producing with the likes of Asheru, Kenn Starr, Talib Kweli, J-Live, etc. Listen to the “Odd Summer EP”.
Pacific Division are two brothers and their homeboy who lay down tracks that take listeners back to 90’s hip hop. Early love from Pharrell, Nas and Snoop got these guys off to a sweet start and they’ve been ridin that wave ever since. Listen to “Pac Div”.
People Under The Stairs THES ONE & DOUBLE K!!!! REAL hip hop. I can’t even pick an album, just listen to all of em.
Raashad Ahmad a rapper from the Bay who is so original it’s almost painful. He’s been around for like ten years and his sound has developed brilliantly. He’s well known as the Crown City Rockers front man, but he’s been doing more solo work recently to showcase his own swag on the mic. Listen to “The Push”.
Sene is a Brooklyn born dude whose bars are crafted in an eclectic nature over chill beats. This guy’s just sitting tight on the underground scene and one day he’s gunna make his mark on the industry so loud it really won’t even be funny. Listen to “Pavement Special”.
TiRon fitted wearing, female-loving, Jordan obsessed young dude from LA who rhymes about shit that’s relative to his age bracket and sings most of the hooks on his own songs. He’s a young emcee with some potential.. Kinda lol. Listen to "Handshakes & Pounds 1”.
UNI HOOOOOLYYYYY SHIT. These guys are the best thing that’s happened to the underground hip hop game since 9th was with Little Brother. Listen to “Fried Chicken & Watermelon”, “Before There Was Love” & “A Love Supreme”.
Wiz Khalifa Still don’t know why people haven’t familiarized themselves with this guy because he’s been on the scene for a while now. Charted a few singles, but more importantly he has a meeeeean mixtape game. Listen to “How Fly”.
The XX are four London band members who manage to very successfully merge indie sounding acoustics with mellow vocals, heavy strummed bass lines, and an intensive use of samples and frequencies. Listen to their debut album, “Young Turks”.
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s a simply complex indie band from New York who aren’t new at all to the music industry.. in fact they’ve been kickin around for some six years and they’ve put out three studio albums. They also get quite a bit of radioplay on alternative stations lol, but you should listen to em anyways if you haven’t.