Artists like Strong Arm Steady

Byron Dwayne "Guilty" Simpson is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan whose recording career spans more than 30 years. He is signed to Stones Throw Records, and is known for being one of the late producer J Dilla's favorite rappers.

Jason Green, better known as Planet Asia, is an American rapper from Fresno, California. He is prominent for being one half of the hip-hop duo the Cali Agents and is also well known for his vast discography of mixtapes.

Michael Woodrow Jackson, known professionally as Oh No, is an American rapper and record producer who has released several albums on Stones Throw Records. He is half of the hip-hop duo Gangrene along with The Alchemist. He is also half of the hip-hop duo The Professionals with his brother Madlib.

Percee P is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York. He first gained recognition in the hip-hop community in the early 1990s for his fast-paced, intricate rhymes and unique flow. He is known for his collaborations with other notable hip-hop artists, including Lord Finesse and Madlib. Percee P has released several albums throughout his career, including Perseverance in 2007. He continues to be a respected figure in the underground hip-hop scene.

Dilated Peoples is an American Los Angeles-based hip-hop trio, composed of rapper and record producer Evidence, rapper Rakaa, and Beat Junkies deejay and record producer DJ Babu. The group is better known in the UK, where they reached the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart with two tracks, "This Way" and "Worst Comes to Worst". Their songs were featured in the 2003 video games Need for Speed: Underground and NBA Street Vol. 2, as well as MLB 06: The Show.

John R. Austin II, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The Hrsmn, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the group Golden State Warriors with Xzibit and Saafir. About.com ranked him No. 30 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while Pitchfork Media called him "one of the best rappers of all time".

Quasimoto was a side project of American hip-hop producer Madlib, from Oxnard, California. Quasimoto is composed of Madlib and his animated alter ego Lord Quas. Lord Quas is known for his high-pitched voice, which often interacts with Madlib's regular voice. Quasimoto was conceived one day in the studio, when Madlib decided to rap to his own beats. Madlib did not like the sound of his voice, so he decided to slow his recorder down, rap slowly, then speed the recording back up to produce Lord Quas' distinctive high-pitched sound.

Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah, known professionally as Jay Electronica, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he first saw recognition with his single "Exhibit C" (2009), which led fellow American rapper Jay-Z to sign Electronica to his Roc Nation label following a multi-label bidding war in 2010.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, sometimes known as MadGibbs, is an American hip-hop duo formed in San Francisco, California, in 2011. The duo is composed of Gary, Indiana native Freddie Gibbs rapping and Oxnard, California native Madlib producing. The duo has released two studio albums, Piñata in 2014 and Bandana in 2019. They have also released five extended plays (EPs) together.

Rahkeim Calief Meyer, better known by his stage name Roc Marciano, is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his intricate internal rhymes and wordplay detailing mafioso and pimp themes over sample based production. He has been called the "Godfather of the Underground" for pioneering the resurgence of gritty, lyrical rap and use of drumless sample loops in the early 2010s with his highly influential debut album Marcberg (2010).

Blu & Exile are an American hip-hop duo, formed in 2007, composed of rapper Blu and hip-hop producer Exile.

Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper. He is one half of the hip-hop duo Black Star, which he formed in 1997 with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def. Their 1998 single, "Definition", entered the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded their eponymous debut album (1998), which entered the Billboard 200. The duo then began pursuing solo careers, although one further Black Star album — No Fear of Time (2022) — was released thereafter.

Santiago Leyva, better known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American rapper from Fresno, California. He first gained recognition for his debut studio album Boy Meets World (2009), which received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. He signed with Nas' record label Mass Appeal Records in 2014 to release his similarly-acclaimed second album and major label debut, The Ecology (2015).

Phonte Lyshod Coleman, known mononymously as Phonte, is an American rapper, singer, producer, actor, and voice over artist. He is a member of the North Carolina hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. His music spans multiple genres including R&B, hip-hop, house and electronic music.

Slum Village is an American hip-hop group from Detroit, Michigan. The group was formerly composed of the rappers Baatin (1974–2009), T3, and rapper / producer J Dilla (1974–2006). J Dilla left in 2001 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records. Elzhi joined in his absence, after which Baatin also left due to health complications.

Angel Del Villar II, better known by his stage name Homeboy Sandman, is an American rapper from Elmhurst, Queens in New York.

Gavin Christopher Tennille, known as Quelle Chris, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He has released over 15 albums as a solo act and with his collaborative projects.

Patrick Owen Baril, known professionally as Statik Selektah, is an American DJ and record producer from Boston, Massachusetts. He is also the founder of Showoff Records. In 2010, he formed the hip hop group 1982, alongside American rapper Termanology. He has resided in New York City since 2004.

Smif-N-Wessun, also known as Cocoa Brovaz and Tek-N-Steele, is an American hip hop duo from Brooklyn, New York City. It is composed of rappers Tekomin "Tek" Williams from Bedford–Stuyvesant and Darrell "Steele" Yates from Brownsville. The duo comprise one quarter of supergroup Boot Camp Clik, together with Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz. Both members are known for their Jamaican Patois during their raps, which was more evident during the earlier stages of their career.