Practically since hip-hop was invented, its lyrical content has been the subject of much debate. But while mainstream hip-hop offers much about which to raise eyebrows, underground rap is really where the craziness begins.
Not that that's all bad. Where mainstream rap is constrained by certain radio-ready formulas, underground rap needs to worry about no such rules. In underground rap, artists can be as creative, clever, or just as crazy as they want.
In certain underground rap circles, shocking, outrageous content is prized -- no subject is too taboo. Here are five underground rap artists whose lyrics often aren't for the faint of heart.
Cage: The underground rap artist born Chris Palko was known at the beginning of his career for broaching uncomfortable subjects and often being "Crazy for the sake of being crazy," as he himself put it in interviews. Much of his early material told long, involved tales of drug use and included violent fantasies.
Cage has much matured as an underground rap artist, these days, and often draws from his own uncomfortable personal history for lyrics. He never shies away from taboo subjects when discussing them, though, and Cage songs still broach subjects like child abuse, mental illness, and addiction.