Internet Rap

Internet rap (originally known as blog rap) is a style of hip-hop that emerged in the late 2000s, initially spreading through the online blogosphere, and early social media platforms like Myspace and later Tumblr, as well as mixtape-sharing site DatPiff.

Internet rap encompasses various online microgenres, and aesthetics that are deeply intertwined with internet culture, memes, and digital communities. Unlike traditional hip-hop, internet rap is characterized by music primarily influenced by the internet and born out of online communities. Artists often favor online music distribution platforms such as SoundCloud, with songs frequently promoted and shared through streaming services like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

Though many internet rappers achieve mainstream success, many artists within this label have been described as alternative or "underground rap." The scene was originally based primarily on trap music but later gave rise to several microgenres and internet subcultures, such as cloud rap, plugg, emo rap, phonk, mumble rap, sigilkore, digicore, and jerk.

History

2000s: Blog Era

In the late 2000s, influential rappers like Lil Wayne and Soulja Boy were the first to embrace social media, with the latter being credited as the first rapper to have a Twitter account. Wayne and Soulja Boy helped redefine hip-hop through their approaches to online distribution, as their popularity grew largely from freely sharing songs through online music videos, demonstrating to the hip hop music industry that uploading your songs on the internet could effectively build a fan base and generate profit, which was an unpopular idea at the time. Writer Kyle Kramer of ''Vice'', stated:

Internet rap music was originally referred to as "blog rap" due to hip-hop artists in the 2000s primarily distributing their music through the early online blogosphere, artists in other genres would also proliferate through blogs which led to the emergence of music scenes like blog rock and bloghouse. Early internet rappers operated primarily on the early social media platform Myspace as well as mixtape-sharing site DatPiff, which became an influential hub for the movement. Artists like Soulja Boy drew influence from early 2000s hip-hop subgenres such as crunk and snap rap.

By 2009, influential cloud rap pioneer Lil B emerged, with his success largely linked to internet virality and an embrace of broader online trends. His popularity inspired a generation of internet-based rappers who drew influence from online spaces, movements, memes, and digital culture. Rapper Metro Boomin stated on twitter: "Lil B is responsible for a lot of careers man. A true hip hop pioneer". Lil B has been credited as "the godfather of internet rap" influencing artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti, Young Thug, Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, Chance the Rapper, Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator.

Early 2010s

By the early 2010s, influential rap groups and collectives such as Odd Future, Brockhampton, Migos, A$AP Mob, Metro Zu, and SpaceGhostPurrp’s collective Raider Klan proved highly influential to the development of internet rap. Artists continued to proliferate on blog-related websites like Tumblr, and distributed music through SoundCloud, YouTube, and Spotify. Other influential figures included Danny Brown, Tyler, the Creator, and Yung Lean. The term hipster hop would also emerge to describe some artists from this time period who were making internet rap reflective of hipster culture, applied to artists such as The Cool Kids and Kid Cudi.

Around this time, the broader internet rap scene began to amass wider audiences, following the online virality of Lil B, with rappers drawing influence from Lil B, Waka Flocka Flame and Juicy J. Other pivotal influences included Chicago's Chief Keef who helped popularize and pioneer drill music, with his style significantly influencing both mainstream trap music and internet rap scenes.

In 2012, Black Kray formed Goth Money Records with Karmah and Hunned Mill (a.k.a. Hunned Stackz), Kray and Goth Money alongside cloud rap pioneer Bones, would later draw influences from witch house, subsequently leading to the development of emo rap. Additionally, Kray's early collaborations with Working on Dying contributed to the development of tread music.

In 2013, Swedish cloud rap artist Yung Lean's track ''Ginseng Strip 2002'' went viral online, influencing a new generation of internet rappers. Additionally, internet rap music during this period drew influence from emerging internet aesthetics and microgenres such as chillwave, witch house, seapunk, and vaporwave. Amarco referred to Lean, who visually drew influence from seapunk and vaporwave aesthetics, as "by and large a product of the internet and a leading example of a generation of youths who garner fame through social media." The Swedish online rap collective Drain Gang, consisting of Bladee, Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor, further influenced the development of online rap music.

Contemporaneous developments in online underground rap during this period, included industrial hip-hop artists like Death Grips, JPEGMAFIA, Clipping and Injury Reserve. Alongside, abstract hip hop artists such as Ka, Billy Woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Elucid, the Alchemist, and collective Armand Hammer.

Late 2010s (Soundcloud Era)

During the mid-to-late 2010s, the music distribution site SoundCloud became a central hub for a new style and movement in online hip-hop. South Florida's SoundCloud rap scene proved heavily influential to the sound of this era, drawing heavy influence from South Florida rap collectives like SpaceGhostPurrp's Raider Klan and Metro Zu. Artists like Denzel Curry and Lil Peep would emerge from the scene as well as Lil Pump, who would rise to internet virality through his 2017 single, ''Gucci Gang''.

This era was defined by artists like XXXTentacion, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty and Playboi Carti, who were collectively labeled soundcloud rap. Although internet rappers had been releasing music on SoundCloud for years, it was only during this period that the term "soundcloud rap" became associated with a specific sound. Subsequently, the term "mumble rap" later emerged as a pejorative to describe the off-kilter lyricism and unclear cadence and delivery of these rappers.Additionally, Playboi Carti's label, ''Opium'' became responsible for the emergence of notable artists such as Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely in the late 2010s, who both reached wider popularity in the early 2020s. Artists associated with the label pioneered a fashion style described as "opiumcore", which drew from punk and alternative fashion, with the broader underground rap scene's internet-driven aesthetics being noted as influential to the high fashion world.

2020s

During the early 2020s, many internet rap microgenres emerged or would primarily develop such as sigilkore, digicore, rage, jerk, krushclub, pluggnb, ambient plugg, terror plugg and hexd, with ''Rolling Stone'' describing the 2020s underground rap scene as " extremely online". Additionally, influential collectives during this period include Novagang and Surf Gang.

Notable influential scenes and artists began to gain wider popularity during this period which included Summrs, Tana, Weiland, Kankan, Izaya Tiji and Autumn! in the plugg and pluggnb scene; Yeat, Osamason, and Che in the rage scene; as well as Xaviersobased, Nettspend and Yhapojj in the jerk scene. Although, these artists initially emerged out of these scenes, some later embarked onto other musical styles and movements.

Other influential artists include Yabujin, Jackzebra, 2hollis, Sematary, Rich Amiri, and Lazer Dim 700. As well as UK-based rappers YT, Fimiguerrero, Lancey Foux and Fakemink.

Related genres

Cloud rap

Cloud rap is a subgenre of internet rap that emerged in the late 2000s, characterized by ethereal, ambient production and lo-fi aesthetics. It was popularized by artists like Lil B and producers such as Clams Casino.

Phonk

Phonk is a subgenre of hip-hop that draws heavily from 1990s Memphis rap and horrorcore, pioneered by SpaceGhostPurrp, featuring lo-fi samples, chopped and screwed vocals, and cowbells. The genre later gave birth to new microgenres like drift phonk, which were widely popularized on platforms like SoundCloud and TikTok in the late 2010s to early 2020s.

Drill

Drill music, also known as Chicago drill, drill rap or simply drill, originated in Chicago in the early 2010s, known for dark beats and violent, raw lyrics. Chief Keef is credited with popularizing the genre, which later developed scenes in the UK and Across the United States.

Lowend

Lowend is a subgenre of Milwaukee hip-hop that emerged primarily on the internet, focused on heavy bass, slowed-down beats, fast claps and ambient textures.

Plugg

Plugg music, also known as Plugg or misspelled as Plug, is a subgenre of trap music that developed in the mid-2010s, noted for dreamy, minimal beats often produced with synth pads and bell sounds, emerging around 2013 as a cohesive production style of the collective called Beatpluggz including Atlanta-based producers MexikoDro and StoopidXool. Plugg was inspired by Zaytoven, Project Pat, Juicy J, Gucci Mane, the snap rap group D4L, and the Paper Mario Nintendo soundtrack.

Emo rap

Emo rap combines hip-hop with themes and aesthetics of emo and alternative rock, often featuring introspective lyrics about depression and heartbreak. Artists like Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, XXXTentaction and Juice WRLD helped bring it into the mainstream.

PluggnB

PluggnB is a fusion genre of plugg and contemporary R&B, combining soft melodic vocals, plugg-style instrumentation and dreamy R&B synths. It emerged in the late 2010s and gained popularity on tiktok in the early 2020s, with artists such as Lil Shine, Izaya Tiji, Autumn!, Ka$hdami,$oFaygo, Yeat, Summrs, Weiland, and Kankan and the now-defunct artistic collective known as SlayWorld.

Mumble rap

Mumble rap is a loosely defined term for a genre of hip-hop marked by slurred or unclear vocal delivery. It gained traction in the mid-2010s with artists like Future (rapper), Future, Young Thug, 21 Savage and Lil Uzi Vert.

Digicore

Digicore is a hyper-online, genre-blending form of internet rap that emerged alongside hyperpop in the late 2010s, characterized by digital vocal effects and emotionally charged, high-energy production. It was cultivated by young artists on platforms like Discord and SoundCloud.

Rage

Rage (also known as rage music, or rage rap) is a microgenre of trap music marked by aggressive synths, energetic drums, and distorted vocals. It emerged in the late 2010s, but was popularized in the early 2020s by artists like Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, Mario Judah and Yeat.

Jerk

Jerk is an internet rap microgenre that emerged in the early 2020s, taking from the early 2010s wave of Jerkin', jerk rap, the sound was reimagined by Californian producer kashpaint and New York rapper Xaviersobased alongside his collective 1c34 into a completely different style that incorporated fast tempos, melodic synths, and off-kilter lyricism, while blending elements of cloud rap, digicore, Lowend, Milwaukee lowend and plugg.

Sigilkore

Sigilkore is a microgenre and electronic music movement that started on SoundCloud in the late 2010s and combines aspects of cloud rap and trap music, contrary to its sound, derived from hyperpop. Digital stereo effects and incredibly intricate DJ mixing, frequently applied in-post over recorded vocals, are often its defining characteristics. Lyrical themes in the genre revolve around dark themes, including occultism, blood and vampires.

HexD

HexD (also known as surge) is an internet rap microgenre that emerged in the late 2010s to early 2020s, characterized by heavy use of Bitcrusher, bitcrushing mixed with sped-up and Pitch (music), pitched-up vocals. Originally pioneered by West Coast of the United States, West Coast-based producer she_skin. The term was coined by Hexcastcrew member Stacy Minajj, who released the DJ mix ''Rare RCB hexD.mp3'' in late 2019, which samples and remixes songs from the influential online rap collective Reptilian Club Boyz.

Krushclub

Krushclub is a subgenre of sigilkore, originating in the early 2020s, mixing Jersey club elements with electronic sound qualities. Blending hyperpop and dance music, known for bitcrushed sounds, cartoonish lyrics, and video game-like energy. Popularized by artists like Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Luci4, and Lumi Athena. The genre draws influence from hexD and sigilkore, reaching wider recognition on online platforms like TikTok.

Dark plugg

Dark plugg is a microgenre which grew out of the DMV trap scene, originally pioneered by Surreal Gang producers like XanGang, Orcery, and Eddie Gianni, as well as rappers Slimesito and Fluhkunxhkos. Notable artists include Glokk40Spaz, elijhxwtf and Smokingskul.

Ambient plugg

Ambient plugg is a microgenre blending plugg percussion with atmospheric textures, glitchy ad-libs, and meditative synths. Pioneered in the late 2010s by artists like wifi and Izaya Tiji, the style emphasizes mood and texture over lyricism, creating soft, surreal soundscapes. It later gained traction through collectives like Shed Theory and artists like Babyxsosa.

Terror plugg

Terror plugg is a microgenre characterized by its use of distorted 808s, eerie melodies, and intense vocal delivery, originally pioneered by producers and rappers Squillo, tdf, marrgielaa and boolymon. Due to unconventional 808 production, terror plugg experienced a wave of online virality between 2024-2025 through internet meme, internet memes on TikTok and Instagram. Notable artists include boolymon, Lazer Dim 700, twovrt, and savage.

See also

* Alternative hip-hop
* Underground hip-hop

References

{{Reflist

2000s in music
2010s in music
American styles of music
Hip-hop genres
Lo-fi music
Trap music
Microgenres
Cloud rap,
Generation Z music genres