I Might’ve Just Found Hip-Hop’s Most Underrated Group in 2026.

Fifteen years is a long time to keep creating with somebody.

Long enough for the initial excitement to wear off. Long enough for “we should make something together” to either become real work or one of those conversations nobody brings up anymore.

That’s the detail that caught my attention about Rooted In Power. Joshua Dunn, from Tiffin, Ohio, and MrGrippz, from Hollywood, Florida, spent 15 years collaborating across state lines before fully committing to the duo and the name they now share. These aren’t two strangers putting together a project and hoping chemistry shows up. There’s history here. Rooted In Power Media Info

Their debut album, Side By Side, arrives with that history behind it. The surprise release brings together 14 tracks, accompanied by a video for the title song. A new name for some listeners, sure. But hardly a first attempt at making something together. musicwire.popfiltr.com

And that distinction is worth paying attention to.

A Debut Doesn’t Always Mean Beginners

The part of Rooted In Power’s story I keep coming back to is how much responsibility these two have taken for the music.

Dunn and MrGrippz wrote, produced and arranged the entire album themselves. Both are emcees and producers, making this a partnership that extends beyond trading verses. They’re responsible for what gets said, what sits underneath it and how the songs come together. Rooted In Power Media Info

There’s something appealing about that level of involvement. Not because outside collaborators are a problem. Great records get made that way every day. But when two people handle the writing, production and arrangements, those credits give you a very clear place to look for the identity of the project.

The decisions belong to them.

For a listener discovering Rooted In Power, that’s a useful introduction. You’re getting a body of work shaped by the same two people whose names are on the front. There’s room to get acquainted, rather than trying to figure out who an artist is from one isolated single.

“Side By Side” Takes Commitment Seriously

The title track offers an especially human way into their world.

The duo describes “Side By Side” as a rough-edged love song about the push and pull of a romantic relationship. Co-produced by Dunn and MrGrippz, it centers loyalty and passion without pretending that staying together comes without struggles. Rooted In Power Media Info

That’s a subject with some life in it.

Falling for somebody is one story. Figuring out how to keep choosing each other is another. The second one has less room for fantasy and a lot more room for pride, patience and uncomfortable conversations.

A love song doesn’t have to ignore those things to be romantic. Sometimes acknowledging the difficult parts makes the commitment mean more.

That’s also what makes Side By Side such a fitting title for this introduction to Rooted In Power. The song concerns a romantic relationship, but there’s an interesting parallel in the group’s own history: two people continuing to make things together over a substantial stretch of their lives.

Different kinds of relationships, obviously. Still, the connection gives the title another layer. Commitment isn’t an abstract idea in their story. Their working relationship gives it a timeline.

There’s More To This Introduction

The title video is also the beginning of a larger visual rollout. Rooted In Power says additional videos have already been prepared, with each release intended to develop the album’s visual story further. Rooted In Power Media Info

So there’s somewhere to go after the first click.

For me, that’s the appeal of discovering an act like this. There’s a partnership to learn about, a full project to spend time with and a song built around something recognizable outside of music.

No elaborate explanation required. Two people. Years of work. A record with their fingerprints all over it.

“Underrated” is ultimately a judgment listeners get to make. Rooted In Power has given them something to judge.

Start with the “Side By Side” video. Then give the album some room.

The name might be new to you. The work behind it isn’t.