Last year's hip hop music offerings left many fans feeling hollow and superproducer Murda Beatz thinks it's because fans are looking in the wrong places -- he says the real heat is in the underground scene!
TMZ Hip Hop got MB's take on where he predicts hip hop's heading ... admittedly a tough question, even for a studio wiz accustomed to collecting plaques.
He'll be expecting another soon for his work on Nicki Minaj's now platinum-eligible "Pink Friday 2," but his personal curiosity is focused on lesser-known acts these days.
The way MB sees it, hip hop is hovering over another reset period -- he's seen it before in 2013 when SoundCloud rap began to bubble ... eventually making stars out of XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD and Ski Mask the Slump God.
He's crowning Destroy Lonely and Ken Carson as his leaders of the new school -- both budding stars are known to bring punk mosh pit energy to their rap shows, and he also named up-and-coming eclectic Bronx rapper Cash Cobain as a playlist favorite.
DL and KC will both be playing at this year's Coachella, so fans can see MB's ringing endorsement in person.
Criticisms ran rampant for rap music last year all across the board. Let's see how the new wave handles the spotlight.