Duwap Kaine has been a prominent figure in the Underground Rap scene for a little over a decade. His influence is widespread and can be seen in all subgenres in the Underground Rap scene.
Duwap got his start in the rap game early. At the age of 12, in fourth grade, Duwap made his first song that is known of. This song was titled “Elmo Freestyle,” and was posted to YouTube under the name 912djsupastar. Duwap saw a small amount of success with this video as it gained five thousand views. Not much was heard from Duwap until he reached the age of 15. This is when he decided to make music again. He dropped a 20-song project called “After The Storm” Although the mixing on this album was not the best, many people claim that Duwap Kaine was ahead of his time. Some of the beats used on the project were very similar to genres like pluggnb and dark plugg. Both of these genres were not popularized until late 2019. In 2017, Duwap Kaine dropped a song called “Disagree.” This brought his name to the front of the SoundCloud scene at the time. Everyone was watching his next move. Duwap decided to capitalize off of this hit. He soon released an album titled, “Forever Kaine,” which was automatically seen as an amazing album. Duwap refined his sound even more with this album. The poor mixing was no longer a problem, and Duwap’s flows were even more intricate. After this album dropped, he was named as one of Lil Yachty’s favorite artists. This opened many avenues for Duwap and led to him making connections with the likes of Trippie Redd, Playboi Carti and other mainstream rappers.
Following this success, Duwap released another album a year later titled “Underdog.” This was and is still seen as some of Duwap’s best work. Currently, Google Play Music states that 99% of listeners enjoyed this album. This album featured a lot of production from a producer and friend of Duwap: Nine9. This duo pioneered the SoundCloud scene with this album. After the release of the album, Duwap took a two year hiatus. Legal troubles and mental health issues seemed to be the reason. Duwap returned in 2020 with his single “Hobos.” The song was produced by Krone. Fans praise this song because it shares a similar sound with the songs that helped make him more popular. This single was quickly followed by another album called “Bad Kid From the 4.” Duwap went on to release two more albums in 2020. The most popular of the three is called “Thank You Kaine.” This album featured production very similar to his first project, which many fans enjoyed.
Since 2020, Duwap has been fairly active in the music scene. He has since released about an album a year, none of which stood out too much to Duwap fans. This changed in late 2022, a new genre was emerging from the underground labeled Jerk. This subgenre consists of inspiration from old 2000s swag rap. Artists like Soulja Boy and Lil B have been cited as the biggest inspirations. Young artists such as xaviersobased, Siyahxo, and Nettspend are the faces of this subgenre. In early 2023, Duwap released a song in collaboration with xaviersobased called “Material.” This was followed by a collaboration album titled “Duwap So Based”. Many of his fans praised him for switching up his style and for experimenting with other genres. Duwap used the entirety of 2023 to drop music with the jerk style. Three out of seven of his albums dropped in 2023 consisted entirely of jerk beats. The other four albums were mixed with Duwap´s traditional style of plug and jerk.
Duwap Kaine has started 2024 off strong. At the time of writing Kaine has released two singles and one studio album which is called “Family Guy”.
Duwap’s influence can be seen all across the underground scene. Even on his earliest project, it is clear that Duwap has significantly molded underground rap today. This can be seen most apparent in his song “The Benjamin Franklin Love Story.” The song was released in 2015, but is categorized under the genre Pluggnb, which did not gain popularity until late 2019. Artists that are gaining popularity in today’s underground have also stated that Duwap is one of their main influences. Autumn, Summrs, 1oneam, and Okaymar are just a few examples of people who cite Duwap as a main influence.
Overall, Duwap Kaine’s music has had a massive impact on Underground Rap. He has created his own style that nobody can replicate. In result, he has created one of the most solid fan bases in the underground.
