Alternative Hip-Hop

Hip-Hop isn't just a straight-from-the-streets movement. It's a state of mind — a morning-noon-and-night lifestyle rooted in the four elements of MCing, DJing, graf-writing, and break dancing. This is especially true in the "backpack rap" realm of alternative hip-hop, where reinventing the wheels of steel (and its complementary mic) is an art form, from the thorny tongue twisters and scattershot drum 'n' bass beats of "B.O.B." to the laidback jazz-cat delivery of "Excursions," "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)," and "Can I Kick It?"

Things get even nuttier in our Next Steps, too, as old-school icons like Brand Nubian brush up against the future-forward tracks of Missy Elliott and jolly ol' England (the Streets, Dizzee Rascal).

Don't get too distracted by the well-groomed afro of ?uestlove, the Roots' time-keeping drummer/part-time producer. It's far from the most interesting element of hip-hop's longest-running live band, whether we're talkin' the twinkling keys and championship-level beat-boxing of "The Next Movement" or the brain-burrowing snake-charmer melodies of "Do You Want More?!!!??!" Other Next Steps come straight out of left field as well, including the joy ride head-rush of "Fit But You Know It," the 8-bit smart bombs of "Stand Up Tall," and the dueling, wailing throwback samples of "Who's Who."

That's nothing compared to our Deep Cuts, though, a collection of change-the-game experiments that happen to bang harder than 100 pirate ship canons.

Judging by its name alone, "I Promise Never to Get Paint On My Glasses Again" sounds like it's on some next-level tip. And it is, from the freaky, downright frightening free verse of Doseone to the pensive, drone-on production of Odd Nosdam. We've got a lot more head-scratching hip-hop where that came from, too, including the scat/rap delivery of Busdriver, the split personalities of Kool Keith, and the many creative faces of El-P (the apocalypse-now production of "Deep Space 9mm," the modest, melancholic jazz loops of "When the Moon Was Blue," and the roasted rhymes of "Megaton B-Boy 2000," which also features Alec Empire of Atari Teenage Riot infamy).

While he might be better known for acting (Chappelle's Show, Be Kind Rewind) as of late, no starring role can dilute the raw power of Mos Def's music, from the Hitchcock-caliber score of "Sex, Love & Money" to the spare, speaker-imploding beats of "Ghetto Rock." No wonder why he's an honorary member of the legendary Native Tongues collective, right alongside such seminal hip-hop artists as Black Sheep, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and Common. Together, they're just a taste of our ear-opening Alternative Hip-Hop history lesson, a thorough overview of every underground era and scene, including the L.A. uprising of the Pharcyde, Dilated Peoples, and Jurassic 5; the Bay Area broadcasts of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and the Hieroglyphics crew; and the volatile crossover roster of Definitive Jux (featuring Aesop Rock's wicked wordplay, RJD2's beat poetry, and El-P's fearless leadership).