Cloud rap

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Cloud rap (also known as trillwave) is a subgenre of hip-hop that emerged in the late 2000s to early 2010s, drawing influences from trap, ambient and new age music to create a hazy, dreamlike, atmospheric and relaxed production style through the extensive use of reverb and ethereal chopped samples. The subgenre was originally pioneered by artists and producers such as Lil B, Clams Casino, Friendzone, Main Attrakionz, Viper, Metro Zu, and SpaceGhostPurrp.

Contents

Etymology

In 2010, music blogger Walker 'Walkmasterflex' Chambliss coined the term "cloud rap" in a blogspot post describing the music of Main Attrakionz member Squadda B, whom he labelled "the king of cloud rap". [5] Chambliss thought he was using a phrase from a 2009 interview by music writer Noz, where 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." [5] [6] He later used the term for the Space Age Hustle blog's compilation album, 3 Years Ahead: The Cloud Rap Tape released in 2010, which helped popularize the genre. [7]

Characteristics

Cloud rap is defined by the use of ethereal, psychedelic and soft samples as well as the inclusion of trap style drums, drawing primary influences from lo-fi hip-hop and chillwave. [5] The genre’s production style draws heavily from general mellow and relaxed sounds that are atypical to traditional hip-hop such as ambient and new age music. While esoteric melodic chopped samples have been lifted from J-pop, video game music and anime soundtracks. [5] [8]

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

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. [9] 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. [10]

Cloud rap pulls from a diversity of rap sounds and locales: from both the East and West Coasts and the South. [8] In particular, cloud rap often utilizes looped samples from downtempo, ambient, new age and chillout music, as well as British female singers such as Sade and Imogen Heap. [8] 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.

Cloud rap production is characterized by ethereal synths, reverb-heavy beats, distorted samples, and a chopped, lo-fi musical style. [11] [6] The genre leans heavily into melody, blending elements from various genres while maintaining a strong connection to hip-hop. 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. [12] [13]

History

2000s–2010s: Origins

Lil B's collaborations with producer Clams Casino were key influences on the development of cloud rap Lil B Nuemos 2012.jpg
Lil B’s collaborations with producer Clams Casino were key influences on the development of cloud rap

Cloud rap originated in the Southern United States during the late 2000's. [5] [7] Elements of cloud rap appear as early as the 1990s, with the influence of the Houston and Memphis rap scene, [14] as well as in the early 2000s with Clouddead's self-titled album which inspired the cloud rap group Main Attrakionz. [15] [16] [17] During the late 2000s, artists such as Lil B and producer Clams Casino, became key influences on the development of cloud rap, with the duo pioneering the sound as early as 2008. [18] Other early developments included the underground Finnish rap scene and the work of Houston rapper Viper. [19]

By 2010, Squadda B of Main Attrakionz, [20] Friendzone and South Florida acts SpaceGhostPurrp [21] [22] and Metro Zu, [23] were tagged cloud rap by online music critics and bloggers, though many artists expressed dislike for the term and distanced themselves from it. [5] [24] Cloud rap garnered mainstream attention in 2011 with rapper ASAP Rocky's debut mixtape, Live. Love. ASAP , which saw partial production credits from Clams Casino. [8] [25] [26]

In 2013, Swedish artist Yung Lean became an eminent cloud rap artist when the video for his single "Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral. [10] [26] Notable producers who worked with Lean such as Yung Gud, Whitearmor and Suicideyear alongside online rap collective Drain Gang, consisting of Bladee, Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor would also be influential in shaping the genre. [27] [28] Bladee has also cited James Ferraro as an influence, noting his work under the pseudonym BEBETUNE$. [29]

Around the same time, other online rap collectives contributed to the genre’s development, such as Raider Klan (featuring SpaceGhostPurrp and Denzel Curry), [14] ASAP Mob led by ASAP Rocky, [8] Black Kray’s Goth Money, [30] Seshollowaterboyz (Bones, Xavier Wulf, Chris Travis and Eddy Baker), [31] and GothBoiClique (including Yung Bruh and Wicca Phase Springs Eternal). [10] Other influential artists include Night Lovell, [32] and the early work of Playboi Carti. [33]

By the late 2010s, the influence of cloud rap splintered off into various other genres such as emo rap, [34] digicore, [35] and rage [34] .

2020s

During the early 2020s, a new wave of artists drew influences from the original cloud rap era merging the sound with contemporaneous styles such as plugg music and various microgenres such as jerk, sigilkore [36] and hexd. The work of artists such as Xaviersobased, [37] Fakemink, [38] smokedope2016 have been described as "cloud rap". [39]

Regional scenes

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. [40]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lyons, Patrick (October 28, 2017). "Crew Love: A$AP Mob". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  2. ↑ read, MagazineNews·1 min (December 18, 2019). "Friendzone's James Laurence Has Died". PLAYY. Magazine. Archived from the original on April 21, 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "The history of cloud rap | Red Bull Music". Amp.redbull.com. April 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  4. ↑ says, Chris Ellenwood (April 10, 2017). "I write raps not tragedies: Finally! The emo-goth-rap hybrid you didn't realise you were waiting for is here". Archived from the original on October 30, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "What happened to the hip-hop micro-genre cloud rap?". Red Bull. April 5, 2018. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Musicpublished, Future (March 2, 2022). "The beginner's guide to: cloud rap". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  7. 1 2 "The FACT Dictionary: How dubstep, juke and cloud rap got their names". FACT Magazine. July 10, 2013. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "A$AP Rocky: Cloud Rap and Live at the Melkweg". Culturedarm. May 29, 2013. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  9. ↑ Wikström, Peter; van Ooijen, Erik (2018). Post-authentic digitalism in cloud rap. Popular Music Discourses: Authenticity and Mediatization. Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "Cloud Rap: The Spacey, Cyber-Born Hip-Hop Subgenre". Highsnobiety. June 25, 2015. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ "What is Reverb in Music?". Andertons Blog. May 11, 2022. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  12. ↑ Green, Dylan (May 6, 2020). "Clams Casino Interview: Lil B, A$AP Rocky, Vince Staples, 'Cloud Rap'". DJBooth. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Sickboyrari". Archived from the original on January 19, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  14. 1 2 Brinkley, Vance (March 19, 2018). "The DJ Smokey Guide to 'Cloud Rap'". Bandcamp Daily . Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  15. ↑ "cLOUDLIFE is Main Attrakionz and cLOUDDEAD | New Music | Impose Magazine". imposemagazine.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  16. ↑ Reeves, Mosi (July 31, 2025). "Remembering Anticon and Hip-Hop's Reckoning With Weirdness". www.kqed.org. Archived from the original on August 9, 2025. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  17. ↑ Quietus, The (March 8, 2024). "Dead Dogs & Beauty: cLOUDDEAD's Ten At 20". The Quietus. Archived from the original on September 21, 2025. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Collect This Rare Clams Casino and Lil B Interview About the New Clams Casino Album '32 Levels'". Vice.com. June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  19. ↑ Sunbleach (January 2017). "Chamber 38 releases "You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack" by Viper – Sunbleach ☀". Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  20. ↑ Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (October 19, 2020). "'Cloud Rap' No More: Squadda B of Main Attrakionz Returns Recharged". Bandcamp Daily. Archived from the original on February 25, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  21. ↑ Staff, Crack. "SPACEGHOSTPURRP". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  22. ↑ Haynes, Gavin (January 27, 2017). "What the phonk? The genre that's gripping Generation Z". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  23. ↑ Fuertes-Knight, Jo (November 5, 2012). "Metro Zu: 'Zuology' Mixtape". VICE. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  24. ↑ "H∆SHTAG$, Episode 3: Don't Call It #CloudRap". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  25. ↑ Lester, Paul (October 12, 2011). "New band of the day – No 1,125: ASAP Rocky". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  26. 1 2 Live.Love.A$AP - A$AP Rocky | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, archived from the original on April 3, 2017, retrieved October 29, 2020
  27. ↑ "Drain gang: the Next step in the evolution of modern music?". The OSA Telegraph. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  28. ↑ Patella, Quinn. "Cloud Rap: Maybe One Day We'll See It Again". Paw Prints. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Being Bladee, a rare interview with the Drain Gang CEO". The FADER. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  30. ↑ Jackson, Af Reed (November 2, 2015). "Meet Goth Money, the Most Positive Crew of Trillionaires on the Internet". VICE (in Danish). Archived from the original on January 19, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  31. ↑ "New LA Collective SESHOLLOWATERBOYZ are redefining success in the rap industry". HS Insider. May 17, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Night Lovell finds success online and returns for hometown love – Apartment613". Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Playboi Carti is a fraction of the rapper he used to be on new album 'MUSIC'". The Signal. Archived from the original on March 24, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  34. 1 2 says, Chris Ellenwood (April 10, 2017). "I write raps not tragedies: Finally! The emo-goth-rap hybrid you didn't realise you were waiting for is here". Archived from the original on October 30, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  35. ↑ Pearce, Sheldon (April 24, 2025). "Anatomy of a microgenre: Hyperpop's next evolution". NPR. Archived from the original on September 22, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  36. ↑ "SA: 9lives inks deal with Pulse Records". Music In Africa. January 17, 2024. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  37. ↑ Lafontant, Olivier. "Xaviersobased: once more EP". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 18, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  38. ↑ Green, Walden (February 13, 2025). "fakemink: "Easter Pink"". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on May 25, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  39. ↑ "smokedope2016 - SOLD OUT". Band on the Wall. November 3, 2021. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  40. ↑ PNL, SNEP certifications, archived from the original on January 21, 2023, retrieved January 8, 2025
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