Experimental Hip Hop

Experimental hip hop is an umbrella term for Hip Hop music that pushes the constraints and boundaries of the genre by incorporating experimental and eccentric musical elements considered unconventional or unorthodox compared to the more traditional music of the genre. This can include unconventional song structures; odd rhythms; eclectic instrumentation; unorthodox sampling sources and methods; dissonant and atonal sounds; and incorporating other elements of genres not typically associated with hip hop. Some of the earliest boundary-pushing hip hop artists in the late 1980s incorporated the atonal and distorted sounds of Industrial & Noise in what became known as Industrial Hip Hop, a style that grew significantly in popularity by the 2010s. Experimental hip hop artists often use abstract lyricism to match their unconventional beats that frequently crossover into Abstract Hip Hop. Both styles became fixtures of many underground hip hop scenes and acts.