The Most Intriguing Hip Hop Artists Creating New Subgenres.

Over the years, many genres of music have undergone total overhauls. Electronic dance music, for example, originated in the seventies with disco, developed into electronica in the eighties, and became rave in the nineties; now, several years on and the ‘dance’ genre is wider than ever. Hip hop, on the other hand, is a genre that has remained fairly stable; traits of modern hip hop are still akin to those exhibited in the genre’s earliest days. However, hip hop is not without its subgenres and its has been the influence of many later genres such as trip hop and modern RnB. Some artists are taking the genre a step further, displaying such uniqueness and creativity that they are making their own subgenres. Here’s a look at some of the most unusual new acts to have emerged from the hip hop scene.

Die Antwoord – Zef

A brilliant example of a band that has created not only a genre, but a new culture, is South African creation, Die Antwood. According to the band’s Wikipedia page, Die Antwoord is “a futuristic rap-rave crew from South Africa who represent a fresh new style called zef.” The zef movement was built entirely by Die Antwoord; the meaning of the genre is derived from the Africaans word, zef, which is basically a word similar to the English word, “chav”, but with more positive connotations. Traditional hip hop artists will rarely ever have to worry about taking out poor credit loans. However, zef is meant to be a celebration of the cheap, vulgar and fake. Die Antwoord’s style takes inspiration from many genres – electronic, rap and hip hop. One of the band members, Yo Landi Vi$$er said the music is based on out-of-date and trashy cultural elements. Describing the type of people it represents, he said: "It's associated with people who soup their cars up and rock gold… Zef is, you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style." Lyrics are blunt and style is confrontational, as the band frequently addresses very specific and taboo subjects. An example is the song, ‘Evil Boys’, which is all about mandatory circumcision in South Africa. It confronts the notion that boys are “made into men” by being taken into a bush and involuntarily circumcised. Those that refuse are branded as gay or evil, hence the song’s title.

Check out Die Antwoord’s video, Evil Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbW9JqM7vho

MC Frontalot – Nerdcore

MC Frontalot is flying the flag for a new wave of music that, while a subgenre, could also be considered an antonym of hip hop. In contrast to the hard, gritty, sexy and violent subjects often referred to in the hip hop genre, MC Frontalot – also known as Damian Hess – raps about Star Wars, Star Trek, technology blogs, Commodore 64 and science. He takes the hip hop style and completely turns it around into something that is “white and nerdy” to create a subgenre that is as amusing as it is representative of a whole group of people that couldn’t normally be further associated with the genre. Comic, bright and colorful videos make give MC Frontalot’s genre even more narrative and appeal.

Check out MC Frontalot’s video, Stoop Sale, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFOPwL32UvI

Political hip hop – Skinnyman

UK hip hop artist, Skinnyman, takes political and Governmental issues and asks questions that are on people’s minds. His work questions the reasons behind certain laws (for example the smoking ban, imposed in 2007) and protests against them. Skinnyman addresses everyday issues and debates through lyrics, using his music as a medium through which to convey a message and an opinion.

Check out Skinnyman’s video, Smoking Ban, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFjdjOB3DVA

Horrorcore – Odd Future

Horrorcore is a subgenre of hip hop that has lyrical content and imagery inspired by horror films. Imagery is often graphic and subjects include those that the mainstream hip hop genre might consider too gruesome, such as self-mutilation, cannibalism and Satanism. One group that is pushing the boundaries of horrorcore is Odd Future. Although the hip hop subgenre of horrorcore has been around for quite a while, Odd Future’s videos and lyrics continue to shock the recipient. Frequent explicit and graphic reference to taboo topics creates a feeling of discomfort, yet enough intrigue to carry on watching. The band uses enough humour to dilute the horror slightly though, bringing the subgenre slightly more into the mainstream than ever before.

Check out Odd Future’s Orange Juice here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhycjXvFDy8