Grandmaster Flash - The Message.
 

The Message is a funk/rap/hip hop style classic. :afro:

Definitely one of the most influential hip-hop tracks of all time :afro:

I think you should snag Freestyle Fellowship and Haiku d'Etat and Mikah 9 / Myka 9 and Abstract Rude and Aceyalone.

Start with Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom it May Concern

I think it's just as or more important and entertaining than, say, the Roots' or A Tribe Called Quest's early 'classics'...

Freestyle Fellowship is kind of like the 'Anvil of hip-hop' in that they were kind of forgotten, never got the amount of respect they deserved...

You should probably try to find the album Mikah 9 - Timetable...

Here's a couple tracks from these guys...








radio freestyle

I'm looking for some more alternative and underground acts to check out...

I absolutely love Dälek and Public Enemy. I'm a big fan of the Roots, Beastie Boys (minus the incredibly overrated Licensed to Ill) and Company Flow. I like select stuff from Saul Williams, El-P. I've just started checking out Tech N9ne.

So, any recommendations based off of that...?

Aesop Rock to match your El-P

Freestyle Fellowship, The Goats, Antipop Consortium to go with your Roots

Optimus Rhyme
Afroman
Techno Animal

Tech N9ne. I'm digging it.

Anyways..
P.O.S.

you might also like Dilated Peoples, they did have a mainstream hit but I still consider them underground because they aren't that popular.

Ghostface has always been a favorite of mine, in Wu Tang, Hip Hop, and music generally. His flow is smooth yet unpredictable, his references/allusions/slang are wild, and his songs are always on point. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a soulful and abstract yet still raw side of Hip Hop.

Mighty Healthy
Nutmeg
Apollo Kids
Wildflower
Malcolm
Shakey Dog
The Champ
Poisonous Darts

question...

is this considered hip hop?

Man that's hard to say, but I've been digging him for a while. I think he's clever for doing that the way he does. I'm going to cast a soft no vote on it being hip-hop though. Dubby, dubsteppy, thing. Not so much dubstep but dub I think...