An Underground Explosion on New Year’s Day 2006
Author: Rasha Sensei
While most of the world was recovering from celebrations on January 1, 2006, the independent hip hop scene was operating at full throttle. Today marks the 20th anniversary of several releases that defined the underground sound of that decade—ranging from raw West Coast gangsta rap to the fastest “chopper” flows.
The highlight of the day is undoubtedly the Thug Lordz. The trio, consisting of legends C-Bo, Spice 1, and Yukmouth, dropped their mixtape “Trilogy“. Bringing these three powerhouses together on one project was a dream for any fan of hard West Coast music, and “Trilogy” delivered exactly what was expected: heavy beats and lyrical warfare.
At the same time in San Diego, Twisted Insane was laying the foundation of his empire with “Shoot for the Face“. Today he is known as one of the fastest rappers on the planet, but back then, this was a raw, dark, and technically flawless introduction to his world.
A similar energy, albeit in a horrorcore style, was brought by Grewsum with “Donnie Darkflow EP“, while The Keepa showed why the underground was such fertile ground for experimentation with “Terror Genius“.
Finally, we cannot overlook Jon Connor. His mixtape “Everybody Hates Connor” was the first clear sign that a lyrical beast was emerging from Flint, Michigan — one that would eventually find its way to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath.
