Denver’s hip-hop scene is constantly evolving and is quickly becoming much more prominent in the national conversation. We have a ton of talented artists in the city and our collection of venues is ever growing and very accepting of the hip-hop genre. On just about any night in the Mile High city, you’re likely to find a hip-hop show going down somewhere. We have artists like Trev Rich — who recently signed to Cash Money Records and is making waves on a national level — but we also have smaller acts like AP and Reason the Citizen, who are still looking for that opportunity to break out to the national spotlight.

Reason The Citizen. Photo by Meg O’Neil

One of the coolest things about Denver’s music scene is its progressive and unique sound, one that really doesn’t resonate with any one single hip-hop fan, but instead transcends to be relatable to people from all over the country. When you think of hip-hop hubs like Atlanta or Los Angeles, you can usually also identify the sound in which that part of the country creates. Denver doesn’t have a specified sound as of yet, so the doors wide open for people to experiment.

We have some artists sticking to the trap inspired style of hip-hop, Ray Reed or Doobie Newton for example, while others are branching out into extremely creative and innovative outlets. Just take a look at Wheelchair Sportscamp, the experimental jazz inspired hip-hop group is very creative with their musical approach and happens to be fronted by a talented wheelchair bound emcee. From there you can check out the soulful melodies of Kid Astronaut or the dark and bassy vibes that Ransteez provides. Denver has a fix for every type of rap fan and the talent is only getting better. Below you can check out a playlist that features some of the best tracks in Denver’s local hip-hop community. Not only showcasing the immense amount of diversity we have, but also the undeniable talent that our great state is capable of. You can also stream the playlist on Spotify here. Stay tuned for our SoundCloud playlist for artists that have yet to make it to Spotify.