Throughout the last decade and a half, we have seen underground rap music undergo several transformations. In today’s landscape of sounds, the pioneers who sketched out the blueprint for the stars we know and love tend to go unnoticed far too often. Now I think it’s time we honor those who crawled so our favorite artists could walk.

Exhibit A. SpaceGhostPurrp

SpaceGhostPurrp has seriously tainted his legacy as of late with his unapologetic persona, but if we’re talking about influence, I don’t think there’s someone who deserves more recognition than him. His atmospheric production choice paired with his deep, drawn out vocal delivery generated a sound that countless artists would emulate and make their own. He rose to popularity in 2011 when his debut studio album, “Blvcklvnd Rvdix 66.6” gained traction for its old-school thrill. He would eventually tribute the album to his own inspirations, naming Three 6 Mafia and Wu-Tang Clan.

Additionally, his collective “RVIDXR KLVN” would gain notoriety as they released stylistically similar music. This popularity led to SGP meeting A$AP Rocky in New York. The 2 along with their collectives would do a show there, and it seemed like the sky was the limit. 

All of a sudden and without real explanation, things got ugly for SGP. A very senseless fight between SGP’s friends and A$AP Twelvyy broke out over some disrespect on Twitter. Then, SGP would accuse Rocky of stealing lyrics from him, and that relationship would completely fall out. Purrp made a diss track against A$AP Yams, a deceased member of Rocky’s collective, and other rappers would turn on Purpp and retaliate with diss songs of their own. At this point, Rvidxr Klvn members would disassociate themselves from him and the group. Xavier Wulf, Chris Travis and Eddy Baker would team up with Bones to form “SeshHollowWaterboyz”.  Denzel Curry would find success pursuing a career as a solo act, and Black Kray, now more commonly known as Sickboyrari, would do the same, simultaneously beginning “Goth Money Records”. 

Today, SGP is talked about like people wish he didn’t exist. While a lot of rap fans have forgotten about him or simply don’t know who he is, I don’t think anything can subtract from the effect he’s had on music.

Exhibit B. Chief Keef

Undeniably more of a household name than SpaceGhostPurrp, Chief Keef can be accredited with pioneering more than just mumbly delivery and delinquent subject matter . He also developed the image for young gangster rappers we see popping up nonstop. He dropped out of high school as a freshman to start his rap career, recording his premier works in his neighbor’s bedroom, and early music videos in his beloved grandmother’s house. This work was far from ordinary. The melodies on the early instrumentals, commonly produced by the aforementioned neighbor, DJ KENN, were revolutionary for rap. They could be described as sparkly, aggressive, some even evil. The percussion, heavy on snare rolls and ferocious kicks, drags you into an infectious rhythm which compliments Keef’s voice perfectly. Behind the momentum Keef was creating with his unique sound, an entire movement began in Chicago, and Chicago Drill music was born.

He was among the first musicians to have an incredibly unapologetic quality about him. He would broadcast his daily life to the globe, whether he was making music in his home, linking up with female fans, or just hanging out smoking weed. This type of self-publication has been something that’s been picked up on by virtually every popstar since then. Without Keef, I don’t think many rappers would have the same virality that elevated them into fame, and I don’t think aspiring artists would understand how to market themselves. Ultimately, Chief Keef did things in 2012 which will continue to echo through the music scene forever.

Exhibit C. Yung Lean

The most recent figure on this list to rise to fame, Yung Lean is still quite commonly celebrated among the underground rap community.

His career recently took another jump when his song “Ginseng Strip 2002” boosted in popularity on TikTok, but it appears the trend was only temporary as his streaming numbers have gone down since. Aside from a gimmicky trend, Yung Lean brought loads of innovation to the table. His laid back delivery, his love for simple pleasures, and the apparent amateur quality about his sound are all what makes it so special. He was just a kid in Sweden doing what he thought was awesome, and the culmination of these aspects made him a musical genius. I think that by bringing very raw and wistful subject matter into his songwriting. he paved the way for the outbreak of sad rap. He also presented himself in a quite mysterious and rare manner, which many artists replicate today.

Throughout his discography he’s done loads of experimenting, starting out with multi-layered cloud rap, before moving into a more synth heavy and  melody focused sound. In 2016, he released “Warlord,” which many of his fans agree is his Magnum Opus. It contains some of the greatest instrumentals you’ll ever hear, and songs like “Pearl Fountain” and “Hocus Pocus” have verses that are nothing short of hypnotic. Last week a friend of mine noted that Yung Lean is the artist he would recommend to anyone interested in digging into underground rap, and I couldn’t agree more. His bodies of work cover so many bases, I find it hard to imagine anyone not liking a single song of his.

All in all, it can be forever debated who had the most influence on underground music.

But rather than arguing over who did what first, I think above all else it’s important to appreciate individual greatness. These 3 guys undeniably caused shifts in the music scene, but what makes them all great is how they all took their own approach.

Paradoxically, individuality is, in my eyes, the single most unifying aspect of music. The feeling of relating to a creative work that would seem so far removed from yourself is nothing short of magical, and that’s what I think these 3 guys captured best.