Underground music refers to artists and songs that differ from mainstream music. It consists of artists who focus on authenticity, creativity and experimentation rather than popularity or commercial success. Often, artists in the underground scene produce music around raw emotions with a mix of personality and are open to experimenting, something mainstream artists avoid to keep a consistent fan base and music listeners.

Underground music typically includes styles like cloud rap, a subgenre of hip-hop characterized by its dreamlike production heavily influenced by trap and lo-fi music. Pluggnb, a genre that blends the production style of plugg trap with elements of R&B. Rage, a subgenre focused on high energy and aggressiveness or hyperpop, an electronic music genre characterized by its deconstructed approach to pop by blending elements of electronic, rock and hip-hop.

These music styles have been pushed by artists who made it popular, such as Playboi Carti, Lil B, UnoTheActivist, Drain Gang, Thouxanbanfauni and Lil Uzi Vert. During the era when these artists embraced this new sound, it was also known as “SoundCloud rap”, SoundCloud is an online audio streaming platform where artists share their music and fans can interact with creators. 

Though these artists popularized it, a new wave of artists are working towards reconstructing the underground scene. Artists like Summrs, Che, OsamaSon, Destroy Lonely, Molly Santana, Fakemink and Nettspend have influenced the latest of this scene in different ways with new music styles, beats and lyrics. Due to this, freshman Briana Muro favors underground music artists for the way they express themselves. 

“Even though it still talks about like, clothes, money, whatever it gives like a new type of, new type of feeling, in a way, and it expresses more like inner situations,” Muro said.  

Beyond music, these same artists have found ways to express their own personalities through fashion, films and merchandise. For example, Molly Santana released 1 to 3 minute clips to tease her latest album “Molly and Her Week of Wonders”, inspired by the movie “Valerie and Her Week of Wonders” that follows a teenage girl whose beginning of her menstrual cycle leads her into a dreamlike world of sexual awakening, patriarchal control and vampires.

In addition to films, unique merchandise adds to an artist’s persona and fan base. OsamaSon has drawn heavily on brands such as Vetements. 

With all the unique aspects of the underground scene, the frequent common ground is fashion. Artists don’t just focus on the music they produce; they encapsulate their persona with fashion. Brands such as Rick Owen, Maison Margiela, Chrome Hearts, Supreme, Helmut Lang, Hood By Air (HBA) and Balenciaga are often worn by artists and styled in different ways that contribute to their underground persona.

“It doesn’t really matter, I guess, how you dress, it’s how you view and the mentality you have behind it… feel like they have a more open, open mind to different areas,” Muro said. 

The underground scene isn’t just based in the United States; it has spread to other countries and flourished in different ways, finding collaborations with mainstream artists. Born in Basildon, United Kingdom, Fakemink (previously known as 9090gate) is a rapper and producer known for his genre-blending music. During Wireless Festival on July 12, an annual music festival in London, Drake brought out Fakemink as a surprise guest, where he performed “LV Sandals” and “Music and Me”. Despite being newer in the scene, Muro favors him. 

“I love his way of expression in his songs, his voice and his accent, his London accent. It’s so catchy,” Muro said. 

All in all, though underground music isn’t as well-known as other genres, it’s slowly making a mark on music, reshaping the music industry for the better and embracing creativity with individualism. 

“This new generation I’ve known a lot of like, teens, going out there and just just just rapping and saying,  how they feel and everything,” Muro said. 

To discover more of this music, click the Spotify playlist link below. Songs may contain explicit content. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist