By Alfonso Abreu
Hip-hop is a vast genre with a history spanning over 50 years, including multiple subgenres such as trap, drill, plug, and boom bap. All these subgenres are connected through its shared sonic roots. Despite these varied selections, most fans can list the prominent figures of their respective subgenre, and with the sheer amount of music made available due to streaming and hip-hop’s growing history, many of the genre’s most prominent figures are often overlooked. As a celebration of Black History Month, here are three hip-hop figures that I believe are not given the credit they deserve.
Despite not wanting to be pigeonholed as a “sample drill producer,” Evilgiane, creator of the New York City label Surf Gang, paved the way for how far sample drill can go. For those who are unfamiliar with the genre, it is best explained as the sampling of classic pop, rap, and R&B records coupled with drill production elements of constant snares and heavy bass. It was a sound that took over New York City in the early 2020s, with other producers using iconic yet frequently sampled artists such as Mary J. Blige and Sade, while Evilgiane focused on using songs out of the norm.
The mixtape “PUNK GOES DRILL+**” by former Surf Gang member Polo Perks, with some production handled by Evilgiane, offers the finest sample drill. The tape showcases the untapped creativity of the genre as flips of familiar alternative rock and punk bands like Foo Fighters and Yeah Yeah Yeah establish this. Polo’s deadpan voice carries smoothly over the unpolished flips of punk songs, where he wistfully longs for the simpler days before fame over Evilgiane’s heavy, scattered 808 drums and laid-back snares. It’s a tape that faithfully repackages nostalgia as an expression of Polo and Surf Gang’s youthful projection.
Another essential sample drill project, titled “THISNOTADRILLX2” by former Surf Gang member Moh Baretta, provided a moody atmosphere that can soundtrack the darkest of nights. Giane makes use of faint hi-hat and snares that give the murky 808s breathing room, allowing Moh to fill up the space with unfazed lyrics regarding his ever-changing life.
Surf Gang’s smooth and cloudy take on drill on the aforementioned projects assisted in further pushing the limits of the genre. Now sample drill is bigger than just the typical violent subject and punchy bass. Currently, the genre is sampling everything from ambient nature sounds to emo punk packing them into exuberant dance anthems or sexy odes to their one-night stands. As for Evilgiane, he focuses on opportunities outside of drill production but occasionally steps back into the world that he helped shape.
In the mid ’90s, when southern hip-hop ranged from the syrupy, dirty south gangster talk of the duo U.G.K. to the eccentric, flamboyant, and baller pairing of OutKast, Three 6 Mafia ushered in a cloud of eeriness to the south that would make the Grim Reaper proud. The group’s raw, smoky, and gloomy sound carried through the solo acts of the departing members who pursued their own influential careers, one such artist being the late great Gangsta Boo, dubbed as the “Queen of Memphis”, who passed away in 2023.
Despite the fact that she was the only woman in the group, Gangsta Boo managed to stick out due to her bold and assertive delivery. Following her departure from the pack in the early 2000s, the female prodigy went on to drop many successful projects.
During an era when the number of famed women rappers could be counted on one hand, Gangsta Boo cut through with her distinctive voice and loud untouchable delivery that turned her songs into a declaration of power. Gangsta Boo never had to publicly state she was in such a position of power, you could feel it in her rapping. Gangsta Boo often sounded offended by the fact that she had to remind people who the boss is, like in my personal favorite, “Same Block”. It was the commanding allure in her music that never made listeners question her ability to keep up in such a male-orientated field, instead inspiring hope for other women in the field to do the same.
Gangsta Boo, among other women rappers, helped open a door for like-minded women like Glorilla and Megan Thee Stallion to dominate now. They credit the late rapper as one of their influences; Gangsta Boo may be gone, but the female captains of the rap industry will always take after her.
The rap game in the early ‘90s New York City consisted of constant drum samples and a simple percussion combo of drums and snares often lacking any instrumentation, ‘boom bap’. It was a sound in which Wu-Tang and JAY-Z provided a personal look into their upbringings. The sound phased out as hip-hop evolved, but made a notable resurgence in the 2010s with fellow New York rapper and producer Roc Marciano leading the movement.
Marciano is often credited as a pioneer for the modern underground boom-bap scene and their use of “drumless” beats. His production incorporated sampling and chopping up vintage records, which feature little to no drums. This particular approach to music production was unheard of at the time and helped in further cementing his legacy.
Marciano’s lyrics feature detailed rhymes that aim to coat listeners in the life of hood riches and dusty grandeur. With Marciano taking the helm of production in most of his career, his discography sounds as if it was stored away in vintage Louis Vuitton luggage in a dimly lit basement.
This style of rapping and production has become synonymous with the resurgence of boom-bap. The scene now features street-fueled luxurious lyrics over heavily sampled, minimal drum beats. Main examples would be the rap collective Griselda and superstar artist, Drake. The latter mention hopping on more “drumless” production, and as of late, that was instantly pointed out as a Roc Marciano influence.
With the abundance of content being put out in our current day-and-age, it is easy to overlook those who have revolutionized the sound of music. It is often best to stay knowledgeable about whatever subgenre you’re listening to. To be oblivious to the legacy of hip-hop is to be oblivious to Black history itself.