⁘ㅤ ୧⠀゚﹒ 󠄀 ֹ underrated black artists you should check out ࣪ ˖ ♥︎ ⣼⣄
* especially artists influenced by, or are part of, or pioneered experimental/alternative scenes
primary genre: trip hop, art rock
secondary genre: post-rock, dream pop, slowcore
descriptors: ethereal, poetic, female vocalist, abstract, lush, psychedelic, surreal, nocturnal, male vocalist
2. LONG FIN KILLIE ~ HOUDINI (1995)
primary genre: post-rock, experimental rock, indie rock
secondary genre: art rock, math rock, post-punk, ambient pop
descriptors: LGBTQ, atmospheric, hypnotic, male vocalist, sexual, romantic, melancholic, uncommon time signatures, lush, passionate, eclectic, technical, nocturnal, political, introspective, anxious
primary genre: dream pop, experimental rock, neo-psychedelia
secondary genre: shoegaze, ambient pop, dub, post-rock, space rock revival
descriptors: psychedelic, surreal, atmospheric, abstract, mysterious, ethereal, male vocalist, noisy, avant-garde, aquatic, nocturnal, hedonism
ⓘ FUN FACT! member alex ayuli coined the term "dreampop" in the late 1980s to describe their eclectic sound
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4. BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND ~ SELF TITLED (1971)
primary genre: singer-songwriter, contemporary folk, progressive folk
secondary genre: psychedelic folk, jazz fusion, chamber folk, avant-folk, progressive folk
descriptors: male vocalist, progressive, ethereal, passionate, mellow, lush, forest, warm, psychedelic, poetic, nature, improvisation, uplifting, atmospheric, melancholic, nocturnal, eclectic
5. THE VELDT ~ AFRODISIAC (1994)
secondary genre: neo-psychedelia, alternative dance, dream pop, psychedelic soul, baggy
descriptors: ethereal, sentimental, rhythmic, melodic, male vocalist, urban, psychedelic, uplifting, happy, warm, sampling, passionate, bittersweet, playful, conscious, sensual, melancholic, mellow, breakup
6. OXBOW ~ AN EVIL HEAT (2002)
primary genre: experimental rock, noise rock
secondary genre: drone, sludge metal, post-metal, punk blues, post-hardcore, drone metal, avant-garde metal
descriptors: dissonant, ominous, heavy, noisy, avant-garde, raw, dark, misanthropic, anxious, lethargic, chaotic, manic, male vocalist, repetitive, disturbing, suspenseful, atmospheric, abstract, cryptic, infernal
7. DEAN BLUNT ~ BLACK METAL (2014)
primary genre: art pop, neo-psychedelia
secondary genre: minimal wave, dream pop, dub, post-punk, hypnagogic pop, ethereal wave
descriptors: nocturnal, lonely, sampling, eclectic, sombre, atmospheric, apathetic, melancholic, male vocalist, deadpan, lethargic, misanthropic, mysterious, longing, depressive, alienation, drugs, breakup, lush, introspective, hazy, pessimistic, regret, infidelity, lo-fi
8. JUNE MCDOOM ~ SELF TITLED (2022)
primary genre: art pop, singer-songwriter, psychedelic pop
secondary genre: hypnagogic pop, psychedelic folk, dream pop
descriptors: psychedelic, lo-fi, atmospheric, nocturnal, melancholic, ethereal, lush, warm, hypnotic, female vocalist, surreal, mellow, bittersweet
9. SPELLLING ~ THE TURNING WHEEL (2021)
primary genre: art pop, baroque pop
secondary genre: progressive pop, psychedelic soul, neo-psychedelia, darkwave, progressive soul, art rock
descriptors: lush, fantasy, female vocalist, triumphant, ethereal, melodic, surreal, nature, passionate, psychedelic, cryptic, love, soothing, atmospheric, suspenseful, longing, epic, progressive, sombre, orchestral, bittersweet, playful
10. NICOLETTE ~ LET NO ONE LIVE RENT FREE IN YOUR HEAD (1996)
primary genre: trip hop, IDM
secondary genre: breakbeat, art pop, glitch pop, post-industrial, neo-psychedelia
descriptors: female vocalist, cryptic, surreal, cold, dissonant, eclectic, mysterious, futuristic, mellow, quirky, playful, anti-authoritarian, minimalistic, hypnotic
11. ITAMAR ASSUMPÇÃO ~ SAMPA MIDNIGHT: ISSO NÃO VAI FICAR ASSIM (1986)
secondary genre: art rock, funk rock, reggae, poetry, experimental rock, jazz-rock
descriptors: nocturnal, urban, mysterious, manic, cryptic, playful, quirky, sarcastic, poetic, introspective, male vocalist, humorous, monologue, protest, aliens, satirical, bittersweet, chaotic, existential, avant-garde, lush, dense
ⓘ FUN FACT! assumpção was one of the biggest contributors in "vanguarda paulista”—a brazilian avant-garde scene that emerged in são paulo during the late 1970s and early 1980s, which united artists who operated involuntarily outside of the commercial music industry
12. TOUMANI DIABATÉ & BALLAKÉ SISSOKO ~ NEW ANCIENT STRINGS (1999)
primary genre: mande music, griot music
descriptors: calm, meditative, peaceful, instrumental, acoustic, soothing, mellow, melodic, warm, spiritual, technical, uplifting, ethereal, hypnotic, minimalistic, repetitive, twinkling
13. MAJESTY CRUSH ~ LOVE 15 (1993)
primary genre: shoegaze, dream pop
secondary genre: post-punk, jangle pop, space rock revival
descriptors: passionate, ethereal, love, sexual, male vocalist, crime, atmospheric, violence, sensual, longing, dark, alcohol, death, anxious, homicide, drugs, lonely, melancholic, noisy, psychedelic
14. SANTIGOLD ~ SANTOGOLD (2008)
primary genre: indietronica, indie rock, post-punk revival
secondary genre: alternative dance, new wave, dance-punk revival, art pop, reggae rock, reggae
descriptors: eclectic, quirky, energetic, female vocalist, melodic, rebellious, playful, summer, rhythmic, raw, warm, hypnotic
15. ANNAHSTASIA ~ TETHER (2025)
primary genre: singer-songwriter, contemporary folk
secondary genre: chamber folk, indie folk, soul
descriptors: female vocalist, longing, lush, soothing, passionate, sentimental, poetic, melodic, existential, introspective, compassionate, bittersweet, melancholic, soft, bright, warm, love
16. ERIC LOU ROOT ~ DON'T WORRY (1987)
primary genre: dub, neo-psychedelia
secondary genre: minimal synth
descriptors: psychedelic, surreal, lo-fi, warm, quirky, playful, uplifting, male vocalist, passionate, happy, hypnotic, mellow, progressive, melodic, lush, improvisation, spiritual, polyphonic, summer, mysterious, suite, Rastafari, muffled, avant-garde, atmospheric, conscious, hazy, love
ⓘ FUN FACT! eric lou root crafted his one and only record as a teenager
primary genre: witch house, chillsynth
secondary genre: chopped and screwed, cloud rap, glitch, hypnagogic pop, indietronica
descriptors: nocturnal, ethereal, female vocalist, drugs, lethargic, hypnotic, mellow, rhythmic, male vocalist, calm
18. WICKED WITCH ~ CHAOS 1978-86 (2008)
secondary genre: synth funk, experimental rock, funk rock, p-funk, jazz-rock, progressive rock
descriptors: lo-fi, psychedelic, surreal, sexual, vulgar, mysterious, dense, rhythmic, cryptic, avant-garde, atmospheric, quirky, cocaine, dark, drugs, chaotic
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happy black history month! btw I’m aware a few artists like santigold and dean blunt aren’t obscure by any means, but I still feel like they’re overlooked at least on tumblr so including them anyway
also sorry in advance if some of the descriptors are weird, I got them from RYM if that wasn’t obvious enough 😭. It’s mainly just to give ppl a rough idea of what the music sounds like
PLEASE LIKE, REBLOG, AND COMMENT
