Underrated Music Artists/Groups...
 

Excuse the Long Intro...

Many times in the music industry, if you don't sell THIS many units, of if you don't have THIS image, the record company doesn't feel that you are "worthy" on their label. Yet, these are the MOST talented singer, songwriting, and or producers out there.

As I looked through the lastest posts of the Music Hitting the Streets thread, I thought about someone mentioning Angie Stone and if her latest CD would be released. The release was contingent upon the success of her single. I was like WTF? Angie has it going on!

I remember hearing Jill Scott say that when she was looking for a deal, she didn't send a picture of herself to the companies. She went on to say that the companies would call up about her demo she had sent. BUT, she would hang up on the ones that asked her how she looked, FIRST. NOW, what if she would have sent EVERY DEMO she had WITH a picture? WOULD WE HAVE ASKED, "Who is Jill Scott"?

So, I want you all to name some of the most underrated music artist (dead or alive), regardless of genre that you believe does not get the "props" he or she deserves. Someone who is very talented, but doesn't always get nominated for the Grammy's and other awards, they don't receive the SAME notariety as Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child, etc.

Nas - he's never nominated for any awards, never gets to preform at the award shows.


112 - just starting to get the recognition that they deserve.

Jon B. - rarely recognized as being a great talent.

[This message has been edited by Miss. Mocha (edited August 17, 2001).]

Good topic!!!

Angie Stone is on Arista, which is a major, mainstream label. Although she is, as you correctly stated, on POINT (!), Arista and its distributor, BMG, are concerned with maintaining their reputation as the number one label/distributor in the nation, respectively. Alicia Keys album release, for example, was scheduled tentatively at first to allow the industry folk to see if all of Clive Davis' hype would pay off and result in mainstream acceptance. Definitely NOT saying that these artists aren't talented, but for the most part if you are signed with a major label that is distributed by the "Big 5," as they are called, your talent will be measured in how much buzz you create within the industry and, later, how many albums you sell.

Jill Scott is on an independent label (Hidden Beach), and she is actually their debut artist. Since the label is an upstart, they don't have to be as concerned with image and everything industry. They had nothing to lose by promoting an unknown artist and most of the publicity for Jill's album was word-of-mouth. I think that now, with her MUCH DESERVED success, that more artists will decide to go independent rather than be pigeon-holed by mainstream labels (not saying this happens in every case, but we know that most acts are studio-produced and manufactured!)

NOW...sorry for that long post, here are my choices...

Underrated artists:
- I am the Blu Cantrell hype machine!! LOL http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif
- Mystic - I think I mentioned her on the New Music thread
- dead prez - probably too political/controversial for most mainstream America, but they are the BOMB to me!

[This message has been edited by librasoul22 (edited August 17, 2001).]

I like this one! My choices are:
Mint Condition--gotta love Stokely!
Silk-yes, they always sing "bump & grind" type music...but they can SANG!
Amel Larrieux--She put the Groove in "Groove Theory"!
Dead Prez--they have a song on their "let's get free" cd called "discipline"...it's a short little piece, but I love it!
Those guys from Brand New Heavies & those guys from Sweet Back!
Mos Def--I REALLY don't think he gets as many props as he truly deserves.
Talib Kweli--same as above!

I will second this one! And pretty much all of your choices were on point to me. Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek's CD was OFF THE CHAIN, but it got no where near the recoginition it deserved.

BTW, AKA2D '91, who are your picks?

[This message has been edited by librasoul22 (edited August 18, 2001).]

This is a GOOD topic, Soror!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

My picks:

Kelis. People straight slept on her, I think. She got no hype whatsoever, and only two videos. Her CD is pretty nice. A little different, but pretty nice.

Timbaland: No one ever gives him props for his beats. Except him, lol! But they are tight. That's why Missy's albums are so nice, cuz she's clearly not a lyricist.

Speaking of lyricists...

Most of the underground hiphop artists.

dead prez. love 'em. librasoul, you are right, AmeriKKKa is HARDLY ready for them.

Royce 5'9: I heard a song of his on the 2nd lyricist lounge cd, and I love it! When I was in Cleveland, I heard him on the radio, I was in SHOCK!!! So maybe he'll start to get recognition.

Guru (of Gangstarr): Man, this 3rd Jazzmatazz CD is the BOMB!!!

I agree about Amel Larrieux and Talib Kweli.

I'm sure I'll have more.

This is such a good topic!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

I am a big Jill Scott fan...but if you think for a minute that Hidden Beach did n't consider the risk in terms of promoting her image I think you have underestimated the business savvy of HB. The risk was greater. What Hidden Beach did was BRILLIANT...they used mystery to promote her. Only half revealing her face on the cover...asking the question...Who is Jill Scott?...intriguing. It worked. ALL METICULOUSLY PLANNED.

The truth is, it is very difficult for music/film industry folks to think outside of the box when it comes to marketing and promotions...the artist either fits a type, or you create the type. Jill is a big girl...beautiful yes, talented yes...but look what happened to Jennifer Holiday, Kelli Price, Faith Evans etc...none of them have come close to their potential. Whats the solution? Work around it. Jill is without question a GIFTED artist. And we are happy Hidden beach made it work.

Going independent is the way...especially if you are trying to make $$$$. Hopefully, up and coming artists are taking notes from the winning circle of artists who are doing it. Its not an easy road. Unfortunately, many artists are just that...artists...ignoring the business. The artists want the fat advance more only afforded from a label...but they get cut on the back end. Go figure.

Anyhoo, I went off on a tangent there.

Underrated artists pick:
Chante' Moore..a real chanteuse.

Upcoming STARS:
Naviv...(those of you on the East coast will hear and see her in October!!!)She's on MP3.com

15/20 Management...My company... http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif check for her!

Sarah Divine & Anthony Mills...2 more off the chain up and coming stars...again if you are in the NYC area...check for them!



------------------
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated...Every Finer Woman's Dream!

Amel Larrieux
N'Dea Davenport

[This message has been edited by CelestialBlu1 (edited August 18, 2001).]

Definitely Mint Condition. Their whole vibe is just wonderful.

Back in the day JOE was underated.

FinerWoman10-A-91, your post was on point and very well-put. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Did y'all know that Talib Kweli and Mos Def made an album together under the name Black Star? It, IMO, is a classic record. I think it was released in like '97, and I still, to this day, wear it out.

Royce da 5'9 is tight Ideal, his song "Boom" is cool to me. He needs to stop trying to promote himself as Eminem's protege and stand on his own...he has enough talent to do so.

Whoever likes underdround hip hop should check out the first Soundbombing compilation.

Some more artists who are underrated are:
- N'Dambi
- Pru,
and even to a lesser degree, India.Arie. She doesn't get enough credit for her songwriting and the fact that she plays the acoustic guitar...no small feat.

Maze Feat. Frankie Beverly
Will Downing
Brian McKnight
Rachelle Farrell
Lala Hathaway
Randy Crawford

these are a few that come to mind.

Sorry about the double post, but I had to come back to say that Kelis' CD WAS tight, Ideal. I especially liked the last song with Marc Dorsey. THE BOMB.

Also, Missy is kinda underrated as a producer, too. For those that have Aaliyah's new CD, Missy produced what is, IMO, the best song on there, "I Care 4 U." She produced this track some years ago (it was supposed to be on "One in a Million," but was left off for some reason), and to me it shows her range as a producer - street beats, club beats, jungle beats, and ballads.
Tim is starting to get his props, as many artists outside of the hip-hop/R&B genre are asking him to produce tracks for them (Beck, No Doubt, et. al.)

[This message has been edited by librasoul22 (edited August 19, 2001).]

I agree with all of the above, particularly Lalah Hathaway. If you listen to her Dad's songs & her songs, they have some of the same inflections in their voices. I thought it was eery, but nice!

I was hanging out with N'Dea last night...stay tuned. It ain't over! I agree, she is a sorely underrated artist.




------------------
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated...of course!

That CD gets heavy rotation in my car...I love the song "Certified", and I like the beat to the song that starts off..."Why she bugging if I told her I would call her back..." (don't know the name off hand, but the one with Macy Gray) Love it!!!

[This message has been edited by onesavvydiva (edited August 19, 2001).]

N'Dea, yeah she was/is cool.
Brand New Heavies...definately
R. Kelly... the man is a dayum good songwriter/producer, but...

Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore. I think their "looks" are hurting them, so to speak. I believe that folks think that since they are "appealing" that they shouldn't be taken seriously as TRUE vocalists/songwriters, THAT'S MY OPINION.

Remember Siedah Garrett? I didn't really like her personaliity, but she CAN sing, write and produce. She did alot of work(songwriting, producing etc) with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson (duet, I Just Can't Stop Loving You) and that duet with Dennis Edwards, "Don't Look Any Further"). She never received the props she deserved.

Angela Winbush

Awwwwwww yeah...Angela Winbush is a BIG one!!! Does anyone remember that song she & Ronald Isley did called "Spend The Night"?..Maaaaaaaaan, I loved that song...and, it got mad play in the student union at my school (we had jukebox)...Now, I'm gonna have to track down what cd this song is on or buy one of those greatest hits joints!

Soror,
You GOTTA take it back, wayyyyyyy back with Angela Winbush (HU alum). To the Renee and Angela days.
"You Don't Have to Cry" and all those hits she wrote or co-wrote. Sistagirl, was doing it for herself BEFORE she married Mr. BIGGS! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

I didn't know she went to Howard! (I won't hate only b/c she can SANG, as I went to Hampton) http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif Anyways, oh YES, I have many a 45 from those Renee & Angela days..Renee was NOT very nice to her http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/rolleyes.gif..he & Ike Turner seem to be in the same boat (they hated on the sistahs & then IMMEDIATELY fell off)...For anyone who might be interested, they have several of her cd's on Amazon.com (although none of them has "spend the night" on it)...Does anyone know the title of that album/cd? Also, was it a cd under Angela's name or Ronald Isley's? Please, please help!! Well, goodnight!

The Isley Brothers, Soror, The Isley Brothers?

Great Topic! Undrated- without a doubt it is AFTER 7! Think of all the great songs they came up with, all the remakes they did! And they always with class:

ie
Ready or Not
Sara Smile
Till you Do Me
Baby I'm for Real
A Damn Thing Called Love

and it Goes on and ON!

The Sphinxpoet

Has anyone ever heard the remake Adina Howard did? It actually wasn't too bad.

I will admit (in a low, low voice http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif ) that I was feeling Adina's CD "Do You Wanna Ride." In my opinion, if she stepped out of the character she is currently portraying (or was before she fell of the map) and sang some SOUL, she wouldn't be at all bad. But then again, I doubt I would be able to take that much of a 180 too seriously... nevermind. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

Man librasoul!! We have VERY similar tastes in music. Each cd you named, Black Starr, Sound Bombing, I want to get!! A friend of mine has them, along with Hi-Tek's CD, and they are all the bomb.

You are so right. I loved loved loved AFTER 7. They were TERRIFIC.

Although they were nominated for a few Lady of Soul awards, I think Jazzyfatnasties is a very underrated group. I also agree with those who named N'Dambi and Dead Prez.

I agree with you and Sphinx. Kevon Edmonds CD is pretty nice, too. But yeah, After7 is definitely up there.

Someone mentioned Silk. I like them, too. My favorite song by them is Sexcellent. Love it!

I believe Maxwell is highly underrated. I strongly believe that his music won't be appreciated until long after he's gone, like a Bob Marley or Jimi Hendrix...(IMHO).

Others who I believe will become legends in the music industry...

Lenny Kravitz
N'Dea Davenport
Me'Shell N'????? (you know who I mean) the girl is BAD though!
Jill Scott

I have more, but those are the main ones.

Yay!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif I AGREE!

Maxwell has the whole Anita Baker vibe going on... only like 11 songs on the CD, but ALL are on point. BTW, where is my girl Anita?!? http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/confused.gif I miss her and "Rapture" is still on my top 5.

I thought of another artist last night... Tamia. I thought "A Nu Day" was a pretty nice effort, but not too many people seemed to actually buy it.

Y'all have great taste in music! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

My goodness yes Tamia is phenomenal. Her first CD was great. I used to listen to it soo much.

I really think Jill Scott and India Arie are not getting the props they deserve. Their music is creative and comes with a message.

I miss Anita and Intro as well. I was just talking about Come Inside http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif the other night.

What about Shai? Their 2nd CD was wonderful but it did not catch everyone like the first one.

Remember KUT KLOSE, I saw Athena Cage (leader singer for KK) has a single out but I refused to pay $7 for it. . .I used to like their one tape.


FORGOT ONE: ZHANE!!!! Those were my girls. That FIRST CD was great.

Also I think Tony Toni Tone was underrated as well although they were my favorite group.

Tamia's first CD WAS great! "Loving You Still" was my favorite song for like a year!!

The song I most like by Lalah was "When your life was low" with Joe Sample. Also I wanted to add "SPEECH" to the list, he had an excellent album back in 1999 called HOOPLA. He use to be the lead singer in the group "Arrested Development".

[This message has been edited by Peace (edited August 21, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Peace (edited August 21, 2001).]

I like all of those artist especially Randy Crawford and Rachelle Farrell. Another artist I feel that is underrated is Oleta Adams this woman has a beautiful alto voice, not appreciated.

I thought of another artist yesterday, DEBORAH COX. That girl can sing and I have loved both of her CDs.

Libra Soul, I see we were vibing on the same song. My favorites, I cannot remember every single one, but I know #3 was one of them.

i agree w/you all about Will Downing, Rachelle Ferrell, Mint Condition, and Meshelle Ndegeocello since i have all their works. i wished that people paid attention to Adrianna Evans, her cd was out about 2-3 years ago and was fabulous. i hope folks check out Res, from Philly. her cd is nice w/a mix of r&b and alternative. she doesn't fit the "black music" mold so she's not talked about much. well, not in "slow"-nati, anyway http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

I agree on:
Kut Klose
After 7, what about "One Night"? THA BOMBIGGIDY! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif
Oleta

and there are some others that you all mentioned on this page, that I have forgotten, but I agree with the choices.

I thought of another one...Caron Wheeler! I really wish she'd make a come back or somethin'...I mean, I love Mary J & all, but she should have left the acapella for "back to life" right where she found it..she can't compare to Caron...Caron also did this one song that Puffy remixed (it was on the very first VIBE cd) called Soul Street...If I play that song once, I play it a thousand times.

Res sorta reminds me of Tracy Chapman (musically). I like the fact that her songs are backed by INSTRUMENTS and not synthetic beats.

ditto...

Royce Da 5'9"- He is about to blow up; but right now he is being snored upon.

Musiq Soulchild- I don't think he is getting the props he deserves.

Jill Scott - Same as above.

Common - Very talented. He should be getting a lot more props than say....Cash Money?

Random others:

Hi-Tek
Mos Def
Pharoahe Monch
Talib Kweli
Big L (R.I.P.)

[This message has been edited by KnowledgeEternal (edited August 22, 2001).]

THANK YOU!!! I have been trying to figure out what the second part of his name was!!! My friend kept saying it, but I thought he was saying "Munch," and I was like, that can't be right, lol.

I think it goes without saying that all underground hiphop is underrated. I really thought that Common's newest CD would put him in the mainstream, but I guess not.

What is the name of the Royce Da 5'9" song that is being played on the radio now? Is he coming out with a CD? Or is this song going to be on some type of compilation as well?