"Backpacker" hip hop refers to a particular brand of underground Hip-Hop which is so-named because of its backpack-sporting listeners. Backpackers are stereotypically educated, liberal elitists who desire hip hop to be free of all materialism that they claim mainstream rap propagates. They prefer hip hop that they claim is more intelligent and complex, which is often underground.

An example of an album that has received immense praise from backpackers is Nas's debut Illmatic; his subsequent efforts, such as It Was Written and I Am... have often been labelled as overly commercial by those same backpackers. An example of an album that has received a great deal of criticism from such fans is 50 Cent's successful debut Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Such fans further dislike networks such as MTV and BET for what they see as their negative impact on hip hop; they generally dislike rap artists promoted by said networks and sometimes label them as "hip pop."

Knowledge of Hip-Hop

Backpackers tend to have a more sincere appreciation for hi phop than the average rap fan. They also tend to have more knowledge about the genre overall (such as history, rapper bios, rivalries, production technique, and lyrical content).

Sense of Balance

Many backpackers believe there should a balance between the different genres of hip-hop. Rapper KRS-One stated during the taping of Beef II that there should be "half KRS-One, Half Nelly" on the radio- (in reference to their short-lived rivalry based on the denigration of the current hip-hop scene[1845])

Local Hubs

Underground Hip Hop has commonly been associated with The San Francisco Bay Area and The Pacific NorthWest, with smaller hubs in New York. Labels such as Anticon, Quannum Projects (both out of the Bay Area), Battleaxe Records and Stones Throw Records all contribute to this particular reputation. Rhymesayers Entertainment (out of Minnesota) has formed a hub in an unlikely location with its solid line-up of artists.

Famous Backpackers

Dave Chappelle

Kanye West

Talib Kweli

Pharrell Williams (admitted he was the "biggest backpacker" alive)

Common

Little Brother

MF Doom