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.
Rich Amiri is a 19 year old rapper from Boston, Massachusetts. While he may be young, he is not so new in the rap scene. After releasing three albums and various singles, he has secured himself as a future face of the rap industry — but as of right now, he is still quite unpopular. With the combination of unique beats and a deep melodic voice, his songs are very distinguishable. His most recent project called “GHETTO FABULOUS” produced multiple hits which popularized his music. Some notable songs on this album are “AINT NOTHING” and “OUTTA HERE,” with the most recognizable piece being “ONE CALL,” which you have most definitely heard if you are on TikTok. Amiri seems to follow a common trend in the new wave of popular rappers where he portrays himself almost as a dark and mysterious figure on social media, or as a well-known term, “underground,” attracting fans of other artists who have done the same and became successful off it — notable artists include Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, and Destroy Lonely. My personal favorite song by Amiri is “MADONNA AND RIHANNA” where he uses an erratic beat and has a catchy flow to make one of his best and most popular tracks. Amiri is definitely an artist you should listen to if you enjoy Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, and other unique rappers.
Ian is another very new artist in the rap scene. He is very young and is taking the rap scene by storm with his unique style of music. He has completely created his own style of music and the people who are on board are loving it. With the recent drop of his first album, bringing the release of great songs like “AirBnb” and “Never Stop,” Ian has started to add to his already solid discography with songs such as “Figure It Out” and “Grand Slam” — these two are his best tracks. While Ian gained his popularity from TikTok, he is starting to break off from the category of “TikTok music,” and beginning to actually create a new style of music. The big reason I believe that Ian is underrated is because people think of him as a “meme” or “TikTok” rapper because he is a young white kid from the suburbs, but with the influence that he brings, I am expecting to see more and more rappers come out who are following in his footsteps. If you already like rappers such as Yeat or Ken Carson, I strongly suggest you look into Ian.
Another rapper who deserves more hype is Babyface Ray. Ray is from the east side of Detroit, Michigan, which is known as a dangerous part of Michigan. We don’t know much about Ray’s childhood, but considering some of his songs like “R.I.P pt.1,” and “Blood, Sweat & Tears” (feat. G Herbo), it is safe to assume he experienced some type of trauma at a young age, and most likely uses this to fuel himself. Ray seems to follow in the steps of nobody, and he makes his own unique music based on the Detroit style of rap. Detroit style of rap is very distinct because it contains fast beats and rhyme-full flow, but Ray also indulges in more mainstream type rap, and also slow rap where he talks about the struggles he has overcome. Some of his most notable songs are “Ron Artest,” “What The Business is” and his best song, “Wonderful Wayne and Jackie Boy,” featuring Lil Durk. These three songs are his top three most popular, and are also great examples of his three different styles, mainstream, sad/laid back, and Detroit. Babyface Ray is a great artist who is up and coming, and you should start listening to him if you are already a fan of other similar rappers such as Peezy or Lil Durk.
G Herbo is a very well known rapper, but he has started to drift past his prime, and I have noticed that he is being underappreciated recently because he hasn’t released many projects in the last couple of years. Going back to old music is something I find myself doing pretty frequently, and every time I do, G Herbo comes on, and it hits every time. Some of these songs include “Sessions,” “Cap Guns” and “PTSD.” All of these are pretty well known, but sadly forgotten. He shows up in many features on multiple songs, and this is where I think he thrives because he is able to work off the other features, but people still look over him because he is on features with big name rappers like 21 Savage and Pooh Shietsy. His best features are on songs like “Switch It Up” and “Who Want Smoke??” Herbo is a similar artist to Babyface Ray in the sense that he grew up in a tough area, and makes music about his past and how he was able to escape the life he was in. I am hoping that he is one day able to make a comeback and drop music more frequently. Give him a listen if you enjoy rappers such as Lil Durk or King Von.
