This is that second list – our favorite hip-hop albums from cats you’ve probably never heard of. The list below represents the best albums underground hip-hop had to offer in the year 2007 from what we consider minor independent record labels and unsigned artists. We highly recommend checking them all out!

The Best Underground Hip-Hop Albums of 2007:

1. ScholarMan – Candy Medicine
2. Ohene – Inner City Soul
3. Bisc 1 – The Stay Up Project Mixtape
4. Danny! – Danny Is Dead
5. Andromeda – Blue Collar Music
6. Y Society – Travel At Your Own Pace
7. Panacea – The Scenic Route
8. TrueBless – Mission IsPossible
9. Domer – Work With Me
10. C.O.N.C.E.P.T. – In the Moment
11. Random – Mega Ran
12. Core Rhythm – Nat Turner Reloaded
13. Sirah – Clean Windows Dirty Floors
14. Symmetry – Dusty Pickup
15. Super Chron Flight Brothers – Emergency Powers: The World Tour
16. Amsuno – Animated Stagnation
17. Propaganda Anonymous – Todo Corazon
18. Creature – Hustle To Be Free
19. brokeMC – Make It Better
20. Beyond Reality – A Souls Journey

If you haven’t done so already, pick up each album on this list. They are all examples of dope conscious underground hip-hop! Click here to view our list of the top 10 albums from artists you probably have heard of. Happy new year and PEACE!

Creature is the epitome of a DIY (Do It Yourself) hip-hop artist. After selling more than 12,000 copies of his debut album, “Never Say Die,” directly to fans in less than a year, Creature wrote a book about his experience in order to teach the art of independent entrepreneurship in hip-hop.  

And now he is preparing to do it all over again with the release of his new album “Hustle To Be Free.” I walked up to Fat Beats on my lunch break this afternoon to ask Creature how he does it, and here’s what he had to say:

What is your personal definition of hip-hop?

My personal definition of hip-hop? That’s a pretty good question man. Honest expression. Creativity at the ultimate level. That’s what I feel right now what hip-hop is for me.

You think that’s maybe why it has such a broad appeal?

Yeah. I mean hip-hop is an international phenomenon. Something that started off in one little area is now spread all over the world. And people are actually doing it – artists are doing it in their own native languages. They don’t even speak English, but they’re doing whether it’s in Brazil; in Portuguese; they’re doing it in Japanese; they’re doing it in Russian. That’s beautiful man. And it’s like you can’t tell a kid in Russia that he’s not doing hip-hop. Because he rhymes in Russian. That’s like ‘C’mon man, get the fuck outta here.’

But that’s my definition. Honest expression and being creative. And that funk – that soul man!

If you had to pick your top 5 MCs of all time, who would they be? Why? And how have they influenced the direction you’ve taken with your music?

Wow. I go through eras, but I’m not gonna put a number on the top five. But the top five coming up that helped shape me into the MC I am – G Rap, Ice Cube, Chuck, KRS-One and Kane. But then I got another five – like I said, I’m an era guy. I love Biggie. I love Jay. I love Nas. I love D.O.C. There’s a lot of rappers I think are dope.

But overall, G Rap and Kane. And I gotta put Rakim into it as well. From Rakim I learned the science of rhyming. Everything has an art and science to it. NWA and Public Enemy made me want to rhyme. They made me want to pick up a pen and never put it down. Cube’s shit was just straight up to me – they way he rhymed, the way he flowed. Like if you even listen to the way I rhyme, you can hear it coming from Ice Cube and Chuck D. And that shit was powerful.

Being a kid and hearing Chuck’s voice – as far as content, I was drawn to that. And personally, as an MC I always wanted to be confident and cocky. And Kane was the epitome of that. So I learned the technician aspect from Kane and Kool G Rap. I mean G Rap is a monster! Plus he’s from around the way. His compact rhyme structures were brutal. Like 48 bars of brutal lyricism. I used to listen to G Rap, then Kane, then Rakim – and then try to write. Just so I could be in the right mindstate.

But then I say KRS-One because as much as I like KRS-One on record, KRS-One live is the man. KRS-One is still that rapper doing it. KRS-One would have content and rock a party. You know what I’m saying? Actually talking about something and having it to beats. Those are the cats that coming up I really looked up to.

You sold 10,000 copies of your debut album, “Never Say Die” hand-to-hand to fans in less than a year. How did you find all these people? What do you do to encourage them to buy your album?

It was actually 12,000 copies. The fortunate thing was that a lot of people who actually listen to underground hip-hop knew about me from the MF Doom album. And then the first album had Slug of Atmosphere on it, and he has a huge following. Then it had Bus Driver, Rob Sonic on it. And that made it a little easier. Then I went on tour with Rob Sonic and people knew who I was from that.

And another thing was just being out six, seven days a week – Fat Beats, Broadway, all over downtown. Plus going to everybody’s shows. From Def Jux to Atmosphere shows to Rock Steady to Scribble Jam to whatever. If Joe Schmo just started rhyming and has fifty people at his show, I’m there selling CDs. So doing that album I was actually everywhere – everybody knew me from the Nuyorican to Mercury Café to the Bowery Poetry Club to BB King’s to Irving Plaza to SOBs to out of state – to anywhere, you know? I was there selling my product.

There are a lot of cats selling albums on the streets these days. What sets you apart from the rest? Why are you able to sell so many CDs when most independent artists work jobs?

I think it’s definitely the dedication. The work ethic. And it doesn’t hurt that I’ve worked with people that hip-hop fans are familiar with. And I’m personable. You put someone that’s personable; someone that wants to be out here; and someone with a work ethic; and that does shows – that’s like a decent recipe for success.

What advise would you give someone who wanted to make a living selling records independently?

It’s a job. You know how many people call me? – people that do hip-hop. They call me and ask me, “Yo Creature, what show’s going on tonight?” I know where every show’s at. If I don’t know, I’ll find out. Not because I’m Superman. Because they have it in the newspaper. Because I go to the record stores and pick up fliers. Because I talk to people.

So I feel like it’s an artist’s job to know where people are – no matter what genre of music you’re doing. Go to the shows and hit the line – now I’m not going to tell you how to hit the line. Just find a way to hit them lines because there’s money in those lines.

What is an “artistpreneur”?

Artistpreneur is a term I picked up in Chicago. And artistpreneur is someone that’s more than an artist. Luke was an artistpreneur. Eazy-E was an artistpreneur. E-40, Too Short, Percee P’s an artistpreneur. People who do more than what an artist should do. People that put their balls on the line. You know, putting up over thirteen, fourteen thousand pressing CDs. It’s not the biggest thing in the world but it shows your dedication.

I got shirts, I got books, I got all kinds of shit. That’s money that comes out of my pocket. I could roll up with a thousand dollar chain and Jordans. But a chain could be more albums. It’s basically reinvesting to create an environment where you don’t have to complain. You can be heard. If no one’s giving you shows – make your own shows.

So an artistpreneur is a DIY – do it yourself. A go-getter. Some one who doesn’t sit around waiting for someone to do it, but that’s getting up and doing it.

Your new album is titled “Hustle To Be Free.” How would you describe this album to the listener?

Well, to do that first I gotta tell them about the first album – “Never Say Die.” Coming out, that was like not giving up. You gotta keep going even in the face of disparity – you gotta keep doing it. So being out here on a consistent basis between the first and second albums was like two years. We sold thousands of CDs and did a bunch of shows. But what are we all trying to do? What’s the ultimate goal?

I’m trying to be free from bullshit. Free from the 9 to 5 that I hate. So I made myself free. And everybody’s trying to be free. So it was a definitive moment. And the music just sounded like “Hustle to Be Free.” That was the theme of what we were doing – that was the motivation. Getting out of situations. Expressing the frustrations of working a job. Putting yourself in a position that you are more self-sufficient and self-reliant. And you don’t wobble in these doubts, this “Aww, my career sucks man.”

You know, you work all week – and all you wait for is the weekend to get fucked up and complain about where your career is not going. If that’s the case, a lot of it is your fault. So “Hustle To Be Free” is about that – being free from that, becoming self-sufficient.

Do you plan on selling 10,000 copies of the new album? Are you going to use the same techniques, or have you have you developed new ones?

I really don’t know. Maybe. I’m using the same techniques, but the difference is now I’m looking to get in a distribution situation. Because I honestly feel like I should sell more records than this. I feel like what I do is a lot better than cats – not to disrespect anyone, but I just feel like more people need to hear me. So I’m looking to secure some kind of distribution deal right now – trying to see what’s most advantageous to myself.

I can’t go back to being an artist and waiting for somebody to pay me. I’m looking for someone who understand the vision but at the same time adds to the availability so that you don’t have to see Creature on the street to buy my album. That would allow me to concentrate more on being on stage and new albums. So I don’t plan to be on the street for two years selling this album.

In the past you utilized the European audience to sell a lot of CDs. Where have you been? What are your favorite international hip-hop scenes? Why is it important to appeal to an international audience?

I been to England, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, France, Ireland, Belgium, Wales, and probably a couple more I’m forgetting right now. But my favorite place is Scotland.

I love Scotland. I like the fact that there’s no pretense. We opened up for Blackalicious in ’03 and the show was packed. We gave them the energy and they just brought it back. Other places people will like you but they don’t give much back.

Hip-Hop’s international now – point blank, hip-hop is international. I got a passport with stamps on it and I want to go more places. And then hip-hop is so universal – hip-hop is the only genre of music that you have multi-ethnic people into the same music. People that listen to the same songs. And they don’t even know each other – they’re from different ends of the world. There’s a lot of money to be made and a lot of things to do, and I’m just trying to do it.

You’ve worked with a lot of big names in hip-hop – Percee P, Slug, MF Doom, The Beatnuts. Who were your favorite artists to work with? What artists do you hope to work with in the future?

Honestly, I enjoy working with everybody. Working with Doom is probably what helped me the most. Doing the song with Slug has also helped a lot. And I constantly get compared to Percee because we got similar paths. So above all, the endorsements help.

I wanna work with Andre 3000 – he’s one of my favorite MCs. If I could get Cube, damn right. Brother Ali. Shaun Price is one of my favorite MCs. There are many more people than that, but those are the ones I’d love to work with.

Are you working on anything new? Where do you see your music headed next?

Well, this album is hip-hop, but it’s got a lot of hardcore punk. I grew up doing a lot of hardcore punk and rock. I don’t really perform like a lot of traditional hip-hop acts. A lot of people like the new album better than my old stuff because they’re like, “Yo, this shit is more you.” Because as much as I have a knowledge for hip-hop, I also have a thing for rock music. A thorough knowledge – not just talking about a couple bands. I went to hundreds of rock shows growing up.

So hopefully I’ll just keep making good music. I’m working on my third album now. I’m writing another book too. I got a DVD I’m working on. That’s one thing I’ve learned from the Atmospheres and the Murs type rappers out there. You got to get out there and just keep the cycle going. Keep putting out better music and just keep pushing it. So hopefully, eventually I’ll be headlining my own shows.

I’m already a songwriter. I just want to get better. I want to contribute to music what music did for me. What Sly and the Family Stone did for me. What Bad Brains did for me. What Public Enemy did for me. What Run DMC did for me. So that’s my goal.

Aside from being an MC, what are your interests? Do you have a family? Hobbies? Other job?

I used to play sports and draw before I was actually an MC. But honestly, my hobbies are music, money and women. I do what I love doing. I love making music. So it’s really art – the art of everything. The science of everything. The art of making money. The art of doing quality music. Of not letting people dictate your life. That’s it. Really living and contributing. That’s my hobby. My hobby is trying to be a better person. Not just a better artist, but a better person.

If hip-hop was a person, and you could ask him or her one question, what would it be?

How does it feel to know that you have created something that has given millions of people throughout the world satisfaction and created opportunities beyond their wildest imaginations?

Oh, and when you going to leave the crack house and the whores alone?

Creature “Hustle To Be Free” Album Review
If you were to look up the word “grind” in the dictionary ten years from now, you just might see a picture of Creature – chillin’ outside Fat Beats NYC, talking to a lovely young lady who he charmingly coerced from the sidewalk; with a CD or a book in one hand, a flier for some upcoming performance in another, and a pack strapped to his back with hundreds more inside. When you acknowledge that this is Creature’s daily routine, it becomes clear that this MC is the perfect example of a hip-hop grinder.

After selling more than 10,000 copies of his debut album, “Never Say Die,” directly to fans all over the United States and parts of Europe, Creature wrote a book about his on-the-grind experiences titled “The Underdog’s Manifesto.” And now he has created the perfect soundtrack for that book in his sophomore project, “Hustle To Be Free.”

“Hustle To Be Free” is an exceptional independent release that shares the stories, lessons and beliefs of an MC who has made a living as an “artistpreneur,” making and selling his own hip-hop music without the help of a label, marketing campaign or hundred-thousand-dollar budget. It is a must have for anyone who wishes to do the same.

Hustle Anthems
In “Hustle To Be Free,” Creature offers a handful of songs that introduce himself and his daily grind to the listener. In Not What I’m Here 4, Creature shows pride in a style of music and marketing that he fearlessly creates in disregard for the hip-hop norms:

Mixed a little Rick James with pimp game
Now I’m back slicker than Rick’s chains
It’s sick man the way I spit man
I don’t flip ‘cane – I spit pain
Oh hell they say he won’t sell
If my jeans ain’t tight as Pharrell’s
Who say I gotta start dressing like Lupe?
Or pumpgay or act like Kanye?
My favorite rappers are O’Shea and Andre
They call him OJ when he’s with an Ofay
Okay it’s safe to say he’s a renegade
The pins outta grenade – he’s never been afraid

Lessons of the Grind
Other tracks share experiences Creature has had traveling all over to promote and sell his music. In Mo Greazy, he talks about successful ventures he’s had at hip-hop events all over the country, and how these experiences taught him the need to hustle and sell:

Ain’t you Creature the guy that hustles in front of Fat Beats?
Sells CDs like they crack in the street?
In the flesh yes indeedy – poor not needy
Applaud me when you see me cause I’m raw and greasy
A matter fact the Grizzy Adams of rap
What you want a pat on the back ‘cause you rat on cats?
You a part timer with no heart to be a grinder
We been here from the start, here’s a reminder
To you average preschool rhymers
The streets is savage you vagina
Y’all got bad laid back recliners
It’s a fact I got stacks ‘cause I’m a grinder
I did my thug thizzle man at Scribble Jam
Fam I made about a grand hand-to-hand
I’m always heavy at Rock Steady
I walk the block and got my stocks up already
The best one-man street team
Hustlers on steroids, brains on creatine
So if you’re broke you better find something to sell
Is dying in heaven worse than living in hell?

Stories of a Grinder
And in a couple tracks, Creature tells the stories of people he’s met on his path to hip-hop independence. Ready 2 Explode is packed with different stories about hip-hoppers Creature has run into in his travels. The following verse tells the story of a suburban teenager drawn to hip-hop:

Depressed teen with low self-esteem
Momma thinks rap is so obscene
Awkward nerve with unheard screams
Been in third beat since sixteen
Dying to escape the suburban scene
Influenced by urban kings and queens
When they hear it loud they loose control
I’m ready to explode!

Creature’s “Hustle To Be Free,” has become my early morning favorite – the album I throw in during my daily work grind. It demonstrates a positive can-do attitude that urges the listener to hustle their way to freedom. I highly recommend picking up a copy of the album and the book. And stay on the grind homie – if there’s one thing you can learn from Creature, it’s that anything is possible if you put in a little hustle. Peace.

Album Track Listing:

1. Thump
2. Reckless Eyeballlin
3. His Name Is
4. Love Ya Self Feat Preachermann
5. Not What Im Here 4
6. Mo Greazy Feat 4ron
7. Fryin in the Sun
8. Refuse to Lose
9. Ready 2 Explode
10. Get Up N Go
11. Sidewalk Talk
12. Suck U Dry

Creature “The Underdog’s Manifesto” Book Review
If you turn on the radio or sit down in front of the television, you normally experience a certain perception of hip-hop: Big time rappers and major labels. So it comes as no surprise that most emcees see signing a major deal as the only way to make it as an artist. They don’t want to settle for anything less than being that famous rapper on MTV – nothing less than being a star. But in reality, major deals are few and far between. And in many cases, major label artists are still broke and struggling.  

However, most emcees don’t realize that there are other ways to do what they love and make a living. With dedication, a hard work ethic and a willingness to pass on worldwide fame, a rapper can make his own fortune by doing it all himself. Don’t think so? Well, ask Creature. Creature is a local New York City emcee that personally sold more than 10,000 CDs without the help of a label, a marketing campaign or major distribution. And now he is sharing his story with the world in “The Underdog’s Manifesto: A Guerilla Artist’s Path To Independence.”

The Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Underdog
We’ve all heard stories of underdogs making it big before. After all, our country was founded on the underdog. Creature’s story is no different, and actually reminds me of an underdog story my grandfather used to tell me – a story about his great-grandfather.

My grandfather’s great-grandfather was a poor sharecropper who worked the farms of the Midwest in the mid-1800s, struggling to pay off his debts and provide for his family. In 1848, however, news hit that gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California. Men throughout the Midwest flocked to Cali, making life-threatening journeys across the continent in covered wagons, hoping to find gold and strike it rich. Unfortunately, most of these “forty-niners” returned home with nothing.

My grandfather’s great-grandfather traveled west during the great California Gold Rush – but he did not mine for gold. Instead, he set up shop at a miner’s camp around San Francisco. When miners returned from long and often unsuccessful days in the mountains, he would cook them dinner, do their laundry, fix their equipment, and mail their letters. He never saw so much as a spec of gold, but returned home a rich man. He purchased thousands of acres of farmland outside the little town of Terre Haute, Indiana, the last of which my grandfather sold off shortly before his death.

Now my grandfather would always tell that story gleaming with pride. To him, it was an example not only of the American dream, but also of some kind of underdog entrepreneurial spirit. Instead of being blinded by the hope of striking gold, his great-grandfather was able to read between the lines, see the real opportunity of the Gold Rush, and use his skills to profit and change his own destiny. And in comparison, that’s not much different that what Creature has done.

Instead of following the crowds in being blinded by the hope of signing a major deal and becoming a rap superstar, Creature was able to analyze the situation and see the real opportunity of the great Hip-Hop Rush. While cats were futilely trying to strike major deals, Creature set up shop just blocks away from major record label offices and sold 10,000 copies of his debut album, Never Say Die, directly to hip-hop fans in less than a year. His success has allowed him to make a good living doing what he loves, invest in his future, and get his music to the people, all without having to sacrifice his originality, creativity or ethics by working with a major record label.

The Path to Independence
“The Underdog’s Manifesto: A Guerilla Artist’s Path To Independence” is both the story of Creature’s journey and his manual for Do It Yourself (DIY) artists to find success on their own. It documents his rugged road to self-reliance, and shares the lessons he learned along the way.

In Chapter II, Creature breaks down his strategy for selling music independently to the reader, emphasizing the importance of self-evaluation, being observant and making a connection with the buyer; the importance of being a master communicator and avoiding making assumptions about people; and the importance of keeping it light while finding your inspiration as an independent salesperson. In Chapter III, Creature teaches the necessity of finding the “artistpreneuer within” and transforming that into a legitimate business venture, even going as far as to explain the pros and cons of sole proprietorship verses corporation and limited liability status, and giving important advice on how to blend business with art.

Chapter VI stresses the importance of monetary discipline and of investing your money in tangible pursuits, while Chapter VII urges the reader to recognize the need for teamwork and doing business only with people that are willing to stay on the grind. And Chapter VIII gives step-by-step instructions on the art of performing, booking shows, and choosing competitions, open mic nights and compilation projects with care.

The remainder of the book consists of two in-depth interviews between Creature and co-author Dax-Devlon Ross, both of which effectively serve to give firsthand thoughts and philosophies of a true DIY underdog, and a series of biographical sketches of legendary independent artists, with profiles on Too Short, Eazy-E, RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Master P, among others, which show the reader the possibilities by providing case studies of underdog artists that have traveled the path to independence.

Creature’s manifesto is an enlightening and thought-provoking take on the true meaning of success, and the sacrifices one must make in order to achieve independence as a guerilla artist. It shows that by staying on the grind and taking pride in a modest hard day’s hustle, artists can still stay real, maintain originality and make it big without the help a major label. This book is a must read for any independent artist who can relate. Peace.