Midwestern Hip Hop Blog

Nathan Maloy
Sep 3, 2018 · 3 min read

For my blog, as well as my opinion piece, I’ve decided to make it on the underground hip hop scene in the midwest. The states included in the midwestern region are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North/South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the state that I plan on moving to, Minnesota. I’d personally like to move to Minnesota because of a specific hip hop label stationed there known as “Rhymesayers Entertainment.” The Rhymesayers are an underground, yet very prominent record label who’ve made their name with rappers like Atmosphere and Aesop Rock. I will be covering a lot of album releases and new titles and such from the entire midwest area, but for the most part I am going to focus on the Rhymesayers label, Minnesota, and most major releases of their indie rap scene.

It was Atmosphere that originally got me into this label, and rap music as a whole. I feel like I owe a lot to them, despite taking music influences from all over the globe and all different cultures and genres. The Rhymesayers are stationed in Minneapolis MN, but they are far from the only major label to come out in the midwest. Chicago, Illinois is another powerhouse of the hip hop scene, with names as major as Kanye West growing up and originating there. Though there are many big names like this, plenty of great rap music comes from the midwest. I plan to mostly just stay focused on artists that interest me, of course I’m also going to be reviewing albums I don’t like and giving examples as to why. I think I’ll be primarily going over fun and interesting new albums.

Over the past few years the Rhymesayers have reminded the nation of their definite and powerful location among the hip hop community. 2016 was a major year for RSE because two of their biggest names both released albums. These were “The Impossible Kid” by Aesop Rock, and “Fishing Blues” by Atmosphere. They also had a few of their more minor artists release things, such as a free mixtape called “Mf Dem” by 30 year old Dem Atlas, where he raps his own lyrics over previously released beats by MF Doom, a very large underground rapper. MF Doom has also previously released albums under the Rhymesayers Label, but hasn’t for a long time. MF Doom’s second album “MM… Food” was a huge success and helped bring him a lot of prominence in today’s underground rap music culture.

Since then the Rhymesayers have only released a few major albums, one from a relatively new artist from theirs “Prof” who has only released one album with them in the past, after previously being a part of the underground label “Stophouse Music.” Another larger artist of theirs by the name of “Grieves” released an album called “Running Wild.” He’s made many albums with the Sayers and was returning yet again, trying to step away from his previously more emotional songs, with catchy tunes and fun club music. I managed to get to see both Prof and Grieves during their tours promoting these new albums. I saw Prof twice, once in Sacramento and once in Reno, and Grieves at the same Reno venue.

The Rhymesayers have continued to further the name for themselves in the hip hop community with no plans of stopping soon. With a new Atmosphere album coming later this year and many singles from Grieves Aesop Rock and local feminist and all around queen Sa-Roc. The label does what it needs to do to get by, especially in a pool with such an enormous competition. But the Rhymesayers have never tried to be something their not. They’ve always been content with their underground status, and despite some people thinking their older artists are now being drawn out and losing their talents. They continue to prove they deserve to hold their name and their position in midwestern rap, and hip hop as a whole.