The Knux

If it had first surfaced in 2011, The Knux—composed of New Orleans exiles Joey and “Krispy” Lindsey—would probably be making weird rock/rap mix-tapes while getting mentioned in massive roundups of “underground” hip-hop in Spin. But because the group first surfaced in early 2008—before the major-label rap bubble almost entirely burst—The Knux somehow found its way onto the roster of hip-hop powerhouse Interscope, which released the group’s two genre- and expectation-bending albums (2008’s Remind Me In 3 Days and 2011’s Eraser). The Knux self-produces all of its music, which can sound like ’80s rap throwback on one cut and punk-rap on another. The group members play all the instruments, and are just as likely to name-drop the Pixies as Rakim in interviews.

Updated 03/15/2012