Always Hustle

So, Christmas has passed, Hanukkah has been over for a some time, and who knows when Kwanzaa is (but I’ll assume it’s over too), which means the new year is upon us. I was going to do some more old school picks, but until the turn of the new year I’ll reach back only over the last 10 years for some of what I consider the best moments of the decade. This is in no way an actual top 10 list or anything, just some picks from some of the best artists in the underground over the past 10 years. One thing you will notice is that it may be heavily biased, so what. I moved to LA in 1999 and went to college during a time when the westcoast underground movement blew up (e.g., Dilated, Ugly Duckling, Visionaries, J5); so, I admit my bias because I was living in what I feel was the hotbed of the underground movement, if not hip hop in general during the 2000-2009 decade.

The first is The Platform remix from Dilated Peoples off the The Platform LP. I chose this because it may not be as well known from them, but it not only showed their talent but also how dope they were. Having Eric Sermon on a remix of yours on your first album ain’t bad. Say what you may about all their albums, but they have persevered and continue to put it in work, whether collectively or individually. From Ev’s solo album and his highly anticipated drop on Rhymesayers to Babu’s Duck Season albums (Iriscience please drop something…), they are still around dropping classics going forward into the next decade!

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