Cloud rap is a

subgenre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

that has several sonic characteristics of

trap music Trap music, also known simply as trap, is a subgenre of hip-hop music which originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from t ...

with a hazy, dreamlike and relaxed production style. Rapper Lil B and producer Clams Casino were early pioneers of the style. The term "cloud rap" is derived from its

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

origins and ethereal style.

Origins

Cloud rap originated in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, and Memphis during the late 2000's. The term "cloud rap" is popularly used in reference to

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...

, hazy rap. Elements of cloud rap, like lo-fi and dreamy atmospheres, appear as early as 1996 with N.O.D.'s self-titled album, as well as in 2001, with Clouddead's self-titled album. Later in 2006 more building blocks, such as hazy and relaxed sounds, are on Viper's second album, ''Ready and... Willing''. In a 2009 article, music writer Noz wrote that rapper Lil B showed him a CGI image of a castle in the clouds and said "that's the kind of music I want to make", crediting Lil B with the coining of the term. Producer Clams Casino has also been credited with pioneering the cloud rap sound as early as 2010 through collaborations with Lil B. The term was also used in the Space Age Hustle blog's compilation of songs, ''3 Years Ahead: The Cloud Rap Tape''. The compilation consists of songs that fall in the cloud rap genre. The genre garnered mainstream attention in 2011 with rapper ASAP Rocky's debut mixtape, '' Live. Love. ASAP''.

Characteristics

Cloud rap is melodically similar to

and

chillwave Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It is characterized by evoking the popular music of the late 1970s and early 1980s while engaging with notions of ...

but distinguishes itself with distorted, psychedelic samples and the inclusion of trap style drums. The genre takes inspiration from the "diversity of influences and the easy accessibility" that cloud computing entails. Such influences include

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

, grime, and

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

, R&B,

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, indie, rock, and pop music genres. The label "cloud" denotes distinct characteristics of the genre such as its "hazy," ethereal aesthetic (in terms of both aural and visual expression) and its ambiguity as a genre without clearly defined borders. Cloud rap's lyrics sometimes revolve around themes of love and betrayal, as well as more typical themes found in popular music such as sex, drugs, and alienation. Cloud rap pulls from a diversity of rap sounds and locales: from both the

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and West Coasts and the South. In particular, cloud rap often utilizes looped samples from female singers, and often from those whose voices have an ethereal quality. Often, cloud rap is released independently of

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

s, and cloud rap artists rely on internet services (such as

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

, and

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

) to distribute and promote their music. Vermona Synthesizer Harmonikamuseum Zwota

Cloud Rap production is characterized by ethereal

synths A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...

, reverb-heavy beats, distorted samples, and a chopped,

musical style. The genre leans heavily into melody, blending elements from various genres while maintaining a strong connection to hip-hop.

Artists and producers

With many of the genre's pioneers taking major influences from witch house and

, many artists have producers in common like Clams Casino, 90's Bambino, and

SpaceGhostPurrp Markese Money Rolle (born April 1, 1991),Fri, Crossfade. (June 8, 2012Best of Miami 2012 – Best Solo Musician: SpaceGhostPurrp Blogs.miaminewtimes.com. Retrieved on November 4, 2013. known professionally as SpaceGhostPurrp, is an American rapp ...

. In 2011, Clams Casino assisted

ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...

in producing ''Live. Love. ASAP'', one of the most listened to mixtapes in cloud rap with 1,164,114 listeners. The mixtape consists of common cloud rap elements and themes such as drug use, sex, and self-reflection. Other artists such as Black Kray as a part of the collective Goth Money records, have been created as well as artists like

Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...

. Swedish artist

Yung Lean Jonatan Aron Leandoer Håstad (born 18 July 1996), known professionally as Yung Lean, is a Swedish rapper. Widely cited as one of the most influential figures in the early cloud rap era, Yung Lean rose to prominence in 2013 with his song " Gins ...

became an eminent cloud rap artist in 2013 when the video for his single " Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral. French rap duo PNL are pioneers of this genre on the francophone hip-hop scene; their first single" Le Monde Chico" (2015) going triple platinum, " Dans la légende" (2016) diamond, and double diamond for " Deux Frères" (2019).

References

{{Hip hop, state=collapsed 2000s in music 2010s in music 2010s fads and trends American styles of music Hip-hop genres Lo-fi music Cloud Trap music Microgenres

Origins

Characteristics

Artists and producers

See also

References