Alternative hip hop (also known as
alternative rap) is a subgenre of
hip hop music that encompasses the wide range of styles of hip hop that have not become identified as mainstream.
AllMusic defines it as follows: "Alternative rap refers to
hip hop groups that tend not to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as
gangsta,
bass,
hardcore,
pop, and
party rap. Instead, they blur genres – drawing equally from
funk and
rock, as well as
jazz,
soul,
reggae,
country,
electronic, and even
folk."