25 Best Underground Hip Hop albums of 2023
aka the Old Head/Backpacker guide to Hip Hop in 2023. 25 albums + 10 honorable mentions
Ok guys, I worked SUPER hard on this list!!!
I wanted to do my Top 10 Hip Hop albums of 2023, but honestly just too much dope Hip Hop was released in 2023. So I had to do a Top 25 (+ 10 honorable mentions lol). For context; I grew up on 90’s/early 2000’s Underground Hip Hop. For a few years there; to me, current Hip Hop felt like it was in a bit of a slump . I feel like some time around 2016 Hip Hop was taken over by “clout” culture, and everything was sounding very pop (and very much all sounding the same) - but the last few years Underground Hip Hop has really taken a turn. Dare I say, real Hip Hop is back!? Feels like it. What is really interesting is that a lot of Hip Hop artists from a decade or two ago released albums in 2023 that’s some of the best music they’ve released since back then. But also there are PLENTY of new artists who are bringing back Underground Hip Hop, Raw Street Rap, Boom Bap, and Weirdo Alternative Abstract Rap. 2023 truly was a fantastic year for Hip Hop. I’m excited to share this list with you. You could probably call this list The Old Heads/Backpacker guide to 2023 Hip Hop lol
Click HERE for the master playlist with all of the albums mentioned below. But also you can click on each album title to be linked directly to the album on Spotify.
Without further ado…
Rome Streetz - Noise Kandy 5 (& Wasn't Built in a Day)
I don’t know where I’ve been, but I completely slept on Rome Streetz up until now. I am beyond impressed. Raw New York rap. As hard as it is lyrical. I cheated and put both his 2023 releases here, but I mean the two together total just over an hour. But yeah, both albums are INCREDIBLE!
Elzhi and Oh No - Heavy Vibrato
Elzhi the Detroit MC that was formally part of Slum Village. I loved Elzhi on mixtapes and features. Always thought he was an extremely dope and underrated MC. But none of his actual projects really connected with me. I feel like they were all lackluster compared to the mixtapes and features. But wow, in being a fan of Elzhi for literally two decades, this is hands down his best project. Handling the production is Oh No (Madlib’s younger brother). A fantastic Hip Hop album!
Conway the Machine - The Ghronic: Speshal Machinery
Conway put out A LOT of music in 2023 (literally 7 projects). My two favorites were his collab project with producer 38 Spesh; Speshal Machinery and his project with producer Wun Two; Palermo (I really loved Wun Two’s production. Dusty boom bap beats, and Conway sounds incredible over them). But with these two projects Conway was much further down my list. Not in my top 10); BUT then producer Big Ghost Ltd remixed the Speshal Machinery album with these West Coast Gangsta rap sounding beats; a lot of times using samples from Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. Conways sounds SO DOPE over these West Coast Gangsta Rap beats. This jumped up to number 3 on my list. But still also listen to the original Speshal Machinery, and definitely listen to Palmero.
Estee Nack - BRAP ( & Live at the Tabernackle)
Estee released 6 projects in 2023. Honestly all of them are dope. But these 2 stood out to me the most. Estee really had a fantastic year. Him and Mickey Diamond (who you’ll see on my list shortly) both had such a wild run of releasing so much dope music in 2023. But yeah, check out all the 2023 releases from Estee tbh. Raw New York Street rap at it’s finest!
Black Thought & El Michels Affair - Glorious Game
Black Thought from the almighty Roots crew. 30 years in and Black Thought still sounds as fresh as ever. I think when it comes to the conversation of best lyricists dead or alive; Black Thought is unfairly left out of the conversation. Incredible album.
Flow, lyrics, concepts, production. This is an incredible album! It’s giving odern day Native Tongues or Soulquarians.
Mach-Hommy and Tha God Fahim - Notorious Dump Legends: Volume 2
Short project; just under 30 mins. But I love Mach and Fahim together. They really compliment each other. (Although Mach is definitely who shines here). Also can’t get “bad hands: outta my head.
ICECOLDBISHOP - Generational Curse
Newer rapper from South Central LA. I was blown away. This is how I felt when I first heard Kendrick’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City! One of the best debut albums in recent time. This album is probably a bit of an outlier in comparison to the rest of this list, but Bishop can RAP RAP!
Aesop Rock - Integrated Tech Solutions
Aesop Rock was one of my heroes from my late 90s/early 00’s weirdo underground alt Hip Hop days. But I kinda fell off the Aes Rock train around 2007’s None Shall Pass (Although I did dabble into his 2016 Impossible Kid). IMO this is Aes Rock’s best project in two decades. I definitely didn’t have Aes putting out a top 20 album on my 2023 bingo card, but here we are. Also, it’s largely self-produced, and the production really is stellar. Aes is on top of his game.
Buck 65 was another one of those emcee’s I loved in the 90’s/Early 2000’s. A mainstay in the weirdo underground Anticon sect of indie Hip Hop. But admittedly I haven’t really cared about one of his albums since 2002. That was until his 2022 album King of Drums; which I loved. Well this 2023 release is even doper. Buck 65 did all the raps, all of the beats, and all of the scratches/cuts. The raps are on point, his styles and delivery are a masterclass in MCing, the production sound like really hard old skool breakbeats, the scratching is dope. This feels like a love letter to true skool Hip Hop! Also in 2023, Buck released Punk Rock B-Boy. It had leftovers from Super Dope that he didn’t use, plus some new tracks. Also a really dope album. Give both a listen)
Boldy James - Prisoner of Circumstance
There was a lot of hype around Boldy in 2020 with his The Price of Tea in China album; I’m embarassed to say that I didn’t get the hype. Something about his delivery and cadence, I just found…..kinda boring. But I completely loved this EP. Every song was a banger. I really loved him over this kinda production. I wish the tape was twice as long! Can’t believe I slept on Boldy smh!
Mickey Diamond - Nobody Bleeds Like Flair (& Oroku Saki EP)
Mickey Diamond’s output in 2023 was INSANE! He literally released 8 projects! And this isn’t a quantity over quality thing either. All of these projects are extremely dope. It was super hard (& honestly overwhelming) to narrow it down to only two of his 2023 releases. But I loved Nobody Bleeds like Flair. His wife Mallori Knox produced this project in its entirety. He production is really dope. She has a really cool way of flipping old soul samples, and I love hearing Mickey Diamond over those soul beats. Then his EP Oroku Saki was a short project paying ode to MF DOOM; where Mickey raps as another masked villain; Shredder. Very dope lil project. Again, all of this releases were pretty fantastic. But those two are probably the stand outs for me. But for good measure, let me also mention my third favorite; it’s Gucci Ghost 3; produced by Griselda-affilated producer Big Ghost LTD. I thought Mickey’s bars on this project were extremely clever and witty. Those 3 projects above are all each projects with a single producer. But as far as projects with a variety of producers; I really liked Bangkok Dangerous 4. Also Mickey is part of Umbrella Collective. And they might be my new favorite modern day rap collective. In fact, I think they had a better 2023 than everyone’s currently favorite rap collective; Griselda Records. You’ll be seeing a few more Umbrella Collective artists on my list.
Recognize Ali - Back to Mecca 2
As someone who grew up on raw boom bap hip hop this album scratches an itch for me. I would totally believe this album was from 1994, if no one told me otherwise. But I definitely enjoyed this album way beyond just the nostalgia
Incredibly dope female duo. Brooklyn rapper & New Jersey producer. The beats definitely have a Jersey Club influence. A lot of people are heralding Danny Brown & Jpeg’s Scaring the Hoes or Armand Hammer’s We Buy Diabetic Test Strips as the best “experimental” hip hop album(s) of 2023; but tbh Headspace takes the crown for me.
Like a few rappers from this list; Ill Bill was someone I dug in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. I really dug his first rap group Non Phixion, and imo their 2002 album Future is Now is an underground hip hop classic. But I really didn’t follow Ill Bill into the La Coka Nostra stuff or the Heavy Metal Kings stuff. Just wasn’t for me. So an Ill Bill album being on my top 20 was def not on my 2023 bingo card, but this record is dope. Raw Brooklyn hip hop! Also i’d be remiss not to also mention this lil promo “mixtape” style release he did right before this; Billmatic. It’s Ill Bill spitting verses over Nas instrumentals. Very dope!
Jay Royale - Criminal Discourse
Reminds me of Reasonable Doubt era Jay-Z; if he was from Queens. Speaking of Queens; some incredible features on here like Havoc of Mobb Deep & Kool G Rap. Also features by Styles P, Az, & Saigon. New rap for old heads! Jay Royale is also a member of the aforementioned Umbrella Collective
Josiah the Gift - God is Gracious
Another member of the Umbrella Collective. I loved this album. The raps are dope, and I LOVE the production; not just soul samples; but like, oldies samples. So dope!!!
Substance810 - The Lion's Share
And yet another member of the Umbrella Collective. Are they my favorite rap collective right now? lol. Again, very ill soul sampled beats and very dope rhyming. Substance810 put out a few projects in 2023 (5 projects to be exact); but this one was my favorite. Sub has a few projects drop in 2023; I also really dug Makin Waves 2
Jae Skeese - Abolished Uncertainties
Jae is a member of Conway the Machine’s Drum Work Music Group; but he definitely doesn’t make Conway or Griselda type street rap. Jae is definitely more traditional lyricism. I feel this album is criminally underrated.
Al-Doe & Spanish Ran - Holy City Zoo
Raw Hip Hop with really interesting (and mega dope) production!
I wish this project was longer. I really love Asun’s voice/delivery. Kinda reminds me of Young Zee from the Outsidaz or like early Cage. Hope we get a full length from him in 2024
billy woods & Kenny Segal - Maps
This album got a lot of critical acclaim from indie music circles….and for good reason. billy is a dope rapper and Kenny’s production is incredible. Really dope album!
Pro Dillinger & Snotty - The Steiner Brothers
Two members of Umbrella Collective trading super hard bars back and forth. Raw East Coast hip hop!
Jamil Honesty & Machacha - Give Us Our Daily Bread
And yet another member of the Umbrella Collective. Super underrated MC from Staten Island; and you can hear the influence from Staten Island legends; the almighty Wu Tang. Also Machacha’s production on this is super dope!
Jay Nice is another incredibly slept on lyricist. This album is really dope. I also want to shout out the Famili 5 EP that jay put put with Ru$h. Whereas this Rise & Shine album is more introspective; the Famili 5 EP is a lot more braggadocios; and really just two ill MC’s trading bars. I think listening to both projects shows you Jay’s range as an MC.
10 other Hip Hop albums from 2023 that I really dug (aka honorable mentions):
Up above was a playlist with all of the albums mentioned above. But if you’d like a sampler playlist with a couple songs from each album, click HERE