Jerk is a microgenre of hip-hop that emerged in New York City during the early 2020s, drawing inspiration from the original wave of jerk rap, known as jerkin' in the street dance culture, that gained popularity in the early 2010s. The scene later saw wider prominence in the United Kingdom.
Notable artists involved with or who have contributed to the genre include Xaviersobased, Nettspend, Yhapojj, Fakemink, brodiebased, Tenkay, phreshboyswag, st47ic, Subiibabii, len333, ksuuvi, YT, Len, Fimiguerrero, and feardorian. Works by producers cru, 444jet, noli, s3bby, bbuggin, cranes, elibanss, nyli, kenocide, cj808 also helped popularize the genre.
In 2020, New York rapper Xaviersobased alongside his collective 1c34 reimagined the sound of jerk rap into a completely different style, adapting its framework to fit the evolving aesthetics of hyperpop and underground rap. They are credited with spearheading and popularizing the movement which was then further developed by Californian producer kashpaint. This new style of jerk rap blended elements of cloud rap, digicore, Milwaukee lowend and plugg, with songs being released and proliferated on music streaming services like SoundCloud, and on social media platforms such as TikTok.[1][2][3][4]
Xavier's 2022 track “Patchmade” produced by kashpaint is widely regarded as a foundational moment. The movement was later carried forward by artists such as Yhapojj and Nettspend. Notable underground rappers like Duwap Kaine later drew influence from the style, releasing the album DuwapSoBased in 2023.[1][5] Artists Islurwhenitalk and Subiibabii were later credited for pioneering the "vampjerk" style.[1]
While rooted in the US, the jerk scene gained further momentum in the UK, with the movement being regarded as a "new UK rap revolution".[6][7] Although originally pioneered in the early 2020s by British rapper Phreshboyswag,[8][9][1] who had previously been a member of 1c34, the UK's jerk scene only saw further proliferation in late 2024, as spearheaded by artists like YT[10][11] with the singles, "Black and Tan" and "Prada or Celine,"[12][13] both of which experienced brief internet virality. These singles were later followed by releases in the genre by artists such as Fakemink,[14][15][16] Len and Fimiguerrero.[8][17][18]
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