Cloud rap

Not to be confused with Soundcloud rap.

Cloud rap is a subgenre of hip-hop and internet rap music that has several sonic characteristics of trap music with a hazy, dreamlike and relaxed production style.^[3][4] Rapper Lil B and producer Clams Casino were early pioneers of the style.^[3][4] The term "cloud rap" is derived from its internet origins and ethereal style.^[5]

Cloud rap
Sample of a cloud rap instrumental in the style of Clams Casino
Other names	Trillwave
Stylistic origins	Hip hop lo-fi music chillwave[1] trap[1]
Cultural origins	Late 2000s, Southern United States
Typical instruments	Vocals (Auto-Tune) Synthesizer
Derivative forms	Emo rap[2] rage rap
Other topics
Chopped and screwed phonk plugg witch house

Etymology

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.^[3] Producer Clams Casino has also been credited with pioneering the cloud rap sound as early as 2010 through collaborations with Lil B.^[4]

History

Origins (2000s)

Cloud rap originated in Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis during the late 2000's.^[6] The term "cloud rap" is popularly used in reference to lo-fi, hazy rap.^[3] 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.^[7] Other artists who contributed to the development of cloud rap include Main Attrakionz^[8] and South Florida artists SpaceGhostPurrp^[9][10] and Metro Zu.^[11]

The term was also used in the Space Age Hustle blog's compilation of songs, 3 Years Ahead: The Cloud Rap Tape.^[3] The compilation consists of songs that fall in the cloud rap genre.^[3] The genre garnered mainstream attention in 2011 with rapper ASAP Rocky's debut mixtape, Live. Love. ASAP.^[12]

Characteristics

Cloud rap is melodically similar to lo-fi and chillwave but distinguishes itself with distorted, psychedelic samples and the inclusion of trap style drums.^[6] The genre takes inspiration from the "diversity of influences and the easy accessibility" that cloud computing entails.^[13] Such influences include hip hop, drum and bass, grime, and trip hop, R&B, dance, indie, rock, and pop music genres.^[13]

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.^[5] 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.^[12]

Cloud rap pulls from a diversity of rap sounds and locales: from both the East and West Coasts and the South.^[13] In particular, cloud rap often utilizes looped samples from female singers, and often from those whose voices have an ethereal quality.^[13] Often, cloud rap is released independently of record labels, and cloud rap artists rely on internet services (such as SoundCloud, YouTube, and Twitter) to distribute and promote their music.^[14]

A Vermona synthesizer that can commonly be found in use by producers such as Clams Casino, Lil B, and SpaceGhostPurrp.

Cloud Rap production^[15] is characterized by ethereal synths, reverb^[16]-heavy beats, distorted samples, and a chopped, lo-fi 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 chillwave, many artists have producers in common like Clams Casino, 90's Bambino, and SpaceGhostPurrp.^[17][18] In 2011, Clams Casino assisted ASAP Rocky in producing Live. Love. ASAP, one of the most listened to mixtapes in cloud rap with 1,164,114 listeners.^[13] The mixtape consists of common cloud rap elements and themes such as drug use, sex, and self-reflection.^[19][20] 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.^[21]

Swedish artist Yung Lean became an eminent cloud rap artist in 2013 when the video for his single "Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral.^[12]

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 "Deux Frères" (2019) went double diamond.^[22]

See also

• Lo-fi hip hop