Emerging Hip Hop Artists in Buffalo

Excited chatter fills the lobby of the Shea’s 710 Theater, while many of Buffalo’s hip-hop fans patiently wait for the show to start. The only issue? The headliner can’t make it. On Friday night, April 12, 2019, WBLK 93.7  put together a show branching off of their radio segment “716 Spotlight”. Hosted by DJ Steel of WBLK, 716 Spotlight is a radio segment that shifts the focus to the emerging artists across Buffalo, allowing us to get to know these Buffalo artists. To help aspiring up-and-coming Buffalo hip-hop artists get recognition and love, the radio station put together the 716 Spotlight Showcase.  The showcase featured rising star rapper Megan Thee Stallion as the headliner, along with eight other local artists. After learning that the headliner, couldn’t make the show, the spotlight shifted all of its focus towards the emerging Buffalo hip-hop artists. The artists couldn’t have been more ready. Method Baba, a founder of Method Boyz and a member of the Good Neighbor...

Every minute, 12 hours worth of music is uploaded to Soundcloud, according to DMR Statistics. The oversaturation of the hip-hop genre is a direct byproduct of the growth of Soundcloud and the internet. Never before has hip-hop been such a prominent piece of the American Culture as it is now. According to Business Insider, Nielsen reported in 2017 that hip-hop had overtaken rock music as the most popular genre. Soundcloud provides artists the accessibility and platform to be able to put their music and sound out there. Soundcloud estimates that there are around 20 million music creators on the platform, so it’s definitely a little cramped. Despite the overflow of artists trying to find their way in Hip-hop, the oversaturation of artists is beneficial for the genre and the culture. Freak the Mighty, (Namic, Suskingbrad, Neftali and Karma Beads) are shaping their own genre in Buffalo Nathalie Navarrete, an avid listener of Soundcloud and close friend of local Hip-hop group, Fre...

            Coffee shop music fiddles on as Kevin Spears snaps and taps on the table, unintentionally providing a rhythm to help provide additional insight into the mind of an emerging hip-hop artist and producer. The sound, rhythm and beats surround the young producer, displaying his words like lyrics over a beat. Spears, pictured above, is one of the most prominent artists in the growing culture.             Buffalo has never been a city known for its hip-hop community and Spears is apart of the movement that seeks to change that. The 20 year old Buffalo native, has helped mold the formation of a new hip hop culture in Buffalo. Last week, Spears released Cold Cuts, a wide ranged four song EP that encapsulates this forming culture. When you see “new hip hop culture in Buffalo,” you most likely aren’t sure of what that is. With the help of the internet and Sound...

Hip-Hop culture has never been so prominent in America and there’s a culture growing here in Buffalo. The internet has made music much more accessible, whether it be listening, publishing or making your own. Many artists are able to put their music onto platforms for free, like Soundcloud, which has over 175 million users, including artists and listeners. It makes it easier for their music to be heard and their names to become known. This has led to an influx of new artists from all across the country, in places not traditionally known for hip-hop. Buffalo is one of those places. For the past decade, Buffalo has been creating and solidifying an identity and unique style in Hip-Hop and its nearing fruition. This blog aims to document and cover this emergence of a new hip-hop culture in Buffalo. The main goals are to learn and understand the hardships and joy that come with being an up-and-coming artist while maintaining your originality. The blog will also explore how artists try t...