Lowend is a subgenre of

Milwaukee hip hop Milwaukee hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop that specific to the state of Wisconsin, and its largest urban center, Milwaukee in particular. The genre is said to have came to prevalence in the hip hop community in the early 1990s, with th ...

, which is a regional subgenre of hip hop, that originated in Milwaukee in 2020s. Defined by uptempo,

metronome A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...

-like clapping rhythms, heavy bass, and snares, lowend emerged in the early 2020s out of

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

lower east side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

and was pioneered by artists such as Certified Trapper and AyooLii. The genre found wider national success through the virality of J.P.'s songs "Juicey Ahhh" and "

Bad Bitty "Bad Bitty" is a song by American rapper J.P., released on February 9, 2024, as the lead single from his fifth studio album ''Coming Out Party'' (2024). It went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok and is considered his breakout hit. Produced by ...

" on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

in 2023 and 2024, respectively, by which point it had begun receiving attention from music-focused media outlets such as ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''.

Characteristics

Lowend is defined primarily by a steady,

-like rhythm of synthesized

eighth note 180px, Figure 1. An eighth note with stem extending up, an eighth note with stem extending down, and an eighth rest. 180px, Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together. An eighth note ( American) or a quaver ( British) is a musical note pla ...

handclaps, as well as snares on the first and third counts of its beats, rumbling bass, fast tempos, and brief runtimes, typically not exceeding two minutes in length. Lowend beats are also known for being danceable and relatively minimalistic, while lyrics in lowend songs generally focus on partying,

twerking Twerking (; possibly from 'to work') is a type of African-American dance, dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving Pelvic thrusting, throwing or thrusting the hips back or shaking the buttocks, often in a Partial squat, ...

, and cars. It takes influence from other hip hop genres such as bounce,

ratchet Ratchet may refer to: Devices * Ratchet (device), a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction * Ratchet effect in sociology and economics * Ratchet, metonymic name for a socket wrench incorporating a ratcheting device * Ratc ...

hyphy The term hyphy ( ) is an Oakland, California, slang meaning "hyperactive". More specifically, it is an adjective describing the hip-hop music and the culture associated with the Oakland area. The term was first coined by rapper Keak da Snea ...

, and twerk music.

History

Following the local success of

Detroit hip hop Detroit, Michigan, is a major center in the United States for the creation and performance of music, and is best known for three developments: Motown, early punk rock (or proto-punk), and techno. The Metro Detroit area has a musical history sp ...

-influenced

rappers Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing b ...

like Mari Boy Mula Mar, Chicken P, and MT Twins in the late 2010s and Milwaukee rapper

Lakeyah Lakeyah Danaee Robinson (born February 28, 2001), known mononymously as Lakeyah, is an American rapper, singer, and television personality. Born and raised in Milwaukee, she began rapping at the age of 15. At 18, she moved to Atlanta and was si ...

's signing to

Quality Control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach plac ...

in 2020, lowend first arose in the city's

, also known colloquially as the "lowends" for its street numbers being the lowest in the city. Certified Trapper, who has been described as the genre's "standout star", began releasing lowend music in 2021. "Like Yhop" by Esco and Shawn P, which heavily utilizes a sample of

Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British and New Zealand singer, songwriter and record producer. She released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R& ...

's song " Unwritten", was released in March 2021 and became one of the first notable lowend songs. Big Wan, an early figure in lowend, was shot and killed in November 2021 at 19 years old. Lowend first rose to popularity on

with the viral success of J.P.'s lowend song "Juicey Ahhh" in 2023. His 2024 lowend song "

" was described by Piet Levy of the ''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...

'' as "the biggest hit from a Milwaukee-based rapper since 2001, and possibly ever" and preceded his signing to

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...

. Other lowend artists, including SteveDaStoner, 414BigFrank, and AyooLii, all of whom became popular on TikTok through dance and comedy videos, and women rappers such as

Myaap Amaiya Spain (born May 4, 2006), known professionally as Myaap, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Milwaukee, she began rapping while in high school and her 2023 singles "HTS" and "Getting to It" both went viral on TikTok. Career Amaiya Sp ...

, Lonni Monae, and Yonaa have also been considered instrumental to its rise. Lowend began receiving media attention in late 2022 and early 2023, with articles from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and on ''

'' discussing its merits. By 2023, lowend artists became known for their extensive and rapid musical outputs. In early 2024, Nadine Smith wrote for ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' that lowend had become "one of the most inventive and hyper-active rap scenes in the country", while Alphonse Pierre of ''Pitchfork'' called it "low-stakes, low-budget, high comedy dance rap" that was "heavily rooted it is in specific, hyperlocal Milwaukee sounds of the past".

References

{{hiphop 2020s in American music 21st-century music genres Culture of Milwaukee Hip-hop genres Midwest hip-hop Music of Wisconsin