Welcome to “Underrated Artists,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering unpopular and unknown artists. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role of writer, reviewing single releases and albums from four underrated artists.
One criminally underrated artist who I love is Autumn! Many people know a couple of his songs because they have been popular on social media apps such as TikTok. His well known songs are “One Way!” and “Still the Same,” but he is much more as an artist than just those songs. Some more of his great pieces that aren’t as known are “Still the Same! 2,” “Illustrations!” and “Company!” Autumn! uses immaculate beats on all of his songs, and the lyrics that he raps in his songs are inspiring and motivational to live a more successful and exciting life. He has released eight total albums since he started making music in 2019, and he just recently released a new song on Feb. 15. called “Uptown Coolin!” I hope to see him continue to make music for as long as I live, and I will always be one of his biggest fans.
Another incredibly underrated artist that I am a huge fan of is Lud Foe. He’s a young rapper from the city of Chicago with only about 300,000 monthly listeners. He doesn’t have many well known songs — the only two big songs being “In and Out” and “I’m Da Man,” which wasn’t even officially released. He’s released five albums since his start in 2017, but he hasn’t dropped any music since 2020. His music is filled with an aggressive flow and lyrics, but it’s complemented by dreamy production. To say that I love his music is an understatement — his rhymes get me hyped up and make me feel like I’m ready for anything. Most rap fans would like his music, although it is very unique and nothing like I have ever heard from anyone else, which is one reason I love his songs. I will always be a Lud Foe fan.
Another enormously underrated artist that I love who has been around for a while is Lil B. Another rapper, he grew up in California and draws inspiration from Prince and 2Pac to create his beautiful and intriguing flow and unique style. So far, he has seven studio albums and a crazy 71 mixtapes since his debut in 2009. Two of my favorite songs, and probably his most popular, are “I’m God” and “B.O.R. (Birth of Rap)” — both from his second album, “6 Kiss.” I believe that the fact that he releases so much music contributes to him being not highly listened to and underrated because all of the music that he makes that isn’t that good dilutes the better songs in his discography. Nevertheless, I am, and always will be, a huge Lil B fan, and I hope he continues to create his whimsical, beautiful music for as long as he lives.
The last artist that I want to highlight is Kenny Rogers. While many people haven’t heard of the singer and songwriter, he has been incredibly influential in the country community. I’m not a big fan of country music in general, but when it comes to Kenny Rogers, he will make even the largest country music hater turn into a fan. My all time favorite song of his is “The Gambler.” This song puts me in a good mood every time I hear it. It is a catchy tune about the ups and downs of gambling. Any time I play cards with someone it is always fun to listen to this upbeat song and sing along. Sadly, Kenny passed away in 2020 at the age of 81, but will always be remembered for his country songs and his impact on the music industry.
