{"id":1996,"date":"2020-12-11T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T15:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/5fd24e73abe04c190a8cc0ac"},"modified":"2020-12-11T07:00:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T15:00:51","slug":"a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Michigan Rap, 2020\u2019s Most Exciting Regional Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

In familial terms, when it comes to Michigan\u2019s rap scene, Detroit is the older sibling with trophies on the shelf, and Flint is the step-sibling who rips the heads off Barbie dolls, feeds junk food to the pets, and skips school to have cyphers in the park. Together, these two cities, and their surrounding areas, have made Michigan hip-hop flourish this year, forcing the traditional rap hubs to pay attention or be left behind.<\/p>\n

Since the early aughts, when influential rap crews the Street Lord\u2019z<\/a> and Eastside Chedda Boyz<\/a> were making moves, Detroit has been the home to one of hip-hop\u2019s most thrilling and competitive rap scenes. But aside from superstars like Eminem<\/a> and Big Sean<\/a>, the majority of the scene has been limited by a Midwest bubble. It\u2019s most likely because the rap music in Detroit has rarely tried to sound like it\u2019s from anywhere else. The city\u2019s rappers and producers often feel completely removed from bigger trends, as if they exist below the surface, like the underground rebels<\/a> in Demolition Man<\/em>. No matter what, though, the beats will be composed of funky basslines, hectic drum patterns, and ominous piano melodies, and the raps will be filled with reckless verses heavy on non-sequiturs. For Detroit hip-hop artists, their city is the center of the world.<\/p>\n

But slowly the larger rap universe has begun to appreciate the Detroit scene. The foundation of its current popularity was laid in the early 2010s through the emergence of groups like Team Eastside and Doughboyz Cashout<\/a>. It then exploded in the second half of the decade with records that were inescapable to anyone paying attention to hip-hop, like Tee Grizzley<\/a>\u2019s \u201cFirst Day Out<\/a>\u201d and Sada Baby<\/a> and Drego<\/a>\u2019s \u201cBloxk Party,\u201d both of which broke through without sacrificing the groovy Detroit production or the darkly humorous\u2014and probably offensive\u2014punchlines. This groundwork set the scene up for a breakthrough, which finally happened in 2020, though it was pushed over the edge by the emergence of a smaller rap city about an hour north via I-75.<\/p>\n

In 2018, longtime Detroit staple and Team Eastside head honcho Peezy<\/a> heard a verse from roughhousing and hilarious (that is, if you think Joe Pesci smashing a bottle<\/a> on the waiter\u2019s head in Goodfellas<\/em> is funny) Flint rapper Rio Da Yung OG<\/a> for the first time. Peezy immediately brought Rio to the Eastside of Detroit, where he helped him hone his aggressive, shit-talking style.<\/p>\n

Rio helped introduce a pack of over-the-top rappers that were previously either floundering in Flint\u2019s underdeveloped hip-hop ecosystem or not taking the artform seriously. Animated rappers like RMC Mike, Louie Ray, YN Jay, and more emerged alongside beats similar to those in Detroit, except faster-paced and with a lot more Chicago drill-influenced church bells. The flows were clearly influenced by Detroit rap, too, but the punchlines were decidedly edgier: On Rio\u2019s 2019 single \u201cLegendary<\/a>\u201d he told a story about how he got so fed up at a woman\u2019s son for interrupting them during sex that he stole his video game console and put it up for sale.<\/p>\n

At this point, Detroit and Flint are mutually beneficial to each other, which is a key reason why Michigan rap has been such a force this year. Flint was introduced to Detroit\u2019s resources, structure, and a game plan built on a never-ending stream of DIY music videos and thrown together mixtapes; Detroit got a stylistic jolt of energy from Flint\u2019s fresh blood. Almost every day this year, a memorable song or mixtape had been uploaded to YouTube by artists from the two cities. At the same time, the Midwest bubble has become more porous, as viral moments, modest hits, and the welcomed presence of major voices in the rap zeitgeist like Lil Baby<\/a> (who signed<\/a> Detroit\u2019s 42 Dugg<\/a>) and Lil Uzi Vert<\/a> (who has built a relationship<\/a> with Flint\u2019s YN Jay<\/a>), continue to proliferate far and wide. The center of the rap world may still be Atlanta, but the most exciting rap this year came from Michigan. Here are just a few reasons why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In familial terms, when it comes to Michigan\u2019s rap scene, Detroit is the older sibling with trophies on the shelf, and Flint is the step-sibling who rips the heads off Barbie dolls, feeds junk food to the pets, and skips school to have cyphers in the park. Together, these two cities, and their surrounding areas,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene.png",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-300x300.png",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene.png",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene.png",1280,720,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-80x75.png",80,75,true],"goodlife-thumbnail":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-80x75.png",80,75,true],"goodlife-grid":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-320x270.png",320,270,true],"goodlife-latest":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-320x225.png",320,225,true],"goodlife-latestshort":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-320x170.png",320,170,true],"goodlife-vertical":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-320x420.png",320,420,true],"goodlife-gallery":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-320x150.png",320,150,true],"goodlife-galleryvertical":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-320x350.png",320,350,true],"goodlife-poststyle1":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-770x433.png",770,433,true],"goodlife-thumbnail-small":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-40x150.png",40,150,true],"goodlife-thumbnail-2x":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-160x150.png",160,150,true],"goodlife-thumbnail-mini":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-20x18.png",20,18,true],"goodlife-grid-small":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-160x540.png",160,540,true],"goodlife-grid-2x":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-640x540.png",640,540,true],"goodlife-grid-mini":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-20x16.png",20,16,true],"goodlife-latest-small":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-160x450.png",160,450,true],"goodlife-latest-2x":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-640x450.png",640,450,true],"goodlife-latest-mini":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-20x14.png",20,14,true],"goodlife-latestshort-small":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-160x340.png",160,340,true],"goodlife-latestshort-2x":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-michigan-rap-2020s-most-exciting-regional-scene-640x340.png",640,340,true],"goodlife-latestshort-mini":["https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/a-guide-to-mich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O'Connel","author_link":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/author\/laura\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In familial terms, when it comes to Michigan\u2019s rap scene, Detroit is the older sibling with trophies on the shelf, and Flint is the step-sibling who rips the heads off Barbie dolls, feeds junk food to the pets, and skips school to have cyphers in the park. Together, these two cities, and their surrounding areas,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1996"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authoritydaily.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}