A slight cheat entry, as Awful Records is a label rather than a single artist, but it's home to such an exciting and strange set of artists that it merits inclusion. Awful is based in Atlanta (where else?) and has gained a reputation over the last 12 months for being not only the most exciting underground hip-hop label, but also the most eclectic. Its roster currently stretches to 17 artists: Father, Abra, Ethereal, richposlim, Archibald Slim, Keithcharles Spacebar, GAHM, Pyramid Quince, Dexter Dukarus, Slug Christ, Stalin Majesty, Lord Narf, LuiDiamonds, Micah Freeman, Playboi Carti, Tommy Genesis and Alexandria. They're all worth hearing. Check out Father's hazy flow on Who's Gunna Get F*cked First?, or Abra's gorgeous R&B stylings on Rose. Alexandria's EP Bad, produced by beats-master Ethereal, is another highlight, as is pretty much anything Slug Christ (the real avant-gardist of the group) puts out. The likes of Lord Narf, GAHM and Micah Freeman have created some stunning vocal pieces, frequently soundtracked by producer-extraordinaire Keithcharles Spacebar, while The Brothers Slim (Archibald and richposlim) display arguably the most impressive flows as yet released on the label on Dichotomy. All of the label's releases are put out for free via SoundCloud and Bandcamp, which gives you no excuse but to go and check out the lot. You definitely won't be disappointed.
