Cloud rap

Not to be confused with Soundcloud rap.
Cloud rap
Sample of a cloud rap instrumental in the style of Clams Casino
Other namesTrillwave
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsLate 2000s, Southern United States
Typical instruments
Derivative forms
Other topics

Cloud rap (also known as trillwave) 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]

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]

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.[7] Such influences include hip hop, drum and bass, grime, and trip hop, R&B, dance, indie, rock, and pop music genres.[7]

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.[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.[8]

Cloud rap pulls from a diversity of rap sounds and locales: from both the East and West Coasts and the South.[7] In particular, cloud rap often utilizes looped samples from female singers, and often from those whose voices have an ethereal quality.[7] 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.[9]

Cloud Rap production[10] is characterized by ethereal synths, reverb[11]-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. 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

Cloud rap originated in Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis during the late 2000's,[6] with the term being used to refer to lo-fi, hazy rap.[3] Elements of cloud rap appear as early as the 1990s, with the influence of the Memphis rap scene,[14] as well as in 2001 with Clouddead's self-titled album.[15][16] By the late 2000s to early 2010s, artists such as Lil B and producer Clams Casino became key influences on the development of cloud rap alongside Main Attrakionz[17] and South Florida artists SpaceGhostPurrp[18][19][20] and Metro Zu.[21] Subsequently, the sound of Viper's early work was later noted as an early progenitor of cloud rap.[22]

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, which saw partial production credits from Clams Casino.[8][7] The early work of Black Kray and Playboi Carti have been described as cloud rap, alongside Swedish artist Yung Lean who became an eminent cloud rap artist in 2013 when the video for his single "Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral.[8][23][24][25]

Regional scenes

In Sweden, rapper Yung Lean alongside online rap collective Drain Gang, consisting of Bladee, Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, and Whitearmor, further influenced the development of cloud rap .[26]

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.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The history of cloud rap | Red Bull Music". Amp.redbull.com. April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  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".
  3. ^ a b c d e f "The FACT Dictionary: How dubstep, juke and cloud rap got their names". FACT Magazine. July 10, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Collect This Rare Clams Casino and Lil B Interview About the New Clams Casino Album '32 Levels'". Vice.com. June 3, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Wikström, Peter; van Ooijen, Erik (2018). Post-authentic digitalism in cloud rap. Popular Music Discourses: Authenticity and Mediatization. Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "What happened to the hip-hop micro-genre cloud rap?". Red Bull. April 5, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e "A$AP Rocky: Cloud Rap and Live at the Melkweg". Culturedarm. May 29, 2013. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Cloud Rap: The Spacey, Cyber-Born Hip-Hop Subgenre". Highsnobiety. June 25, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  9. ^ Musicpublished, Future (March 2, 2022). "The beginner's guide to: cloud rap". MusicRadar. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Musicpublished, Future (March 2, 2022). "The beginner's guide to: cloud rap". MusicRadar. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  11. ^ "What is Reverb in Music?". Andertons Blog. May 11, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  12. ^ Green, Dylan (May 6, 2020). "Clams Casino Interview: Lil B, A$AP Rocky, Vince Staples, "Cloud Rap"". DJBooth. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Sickboyrari".
  14. ^ "The DJ Smokey Guide to "Cloud Rap"". Bandcamp Daily. March 19, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  15. ^ Reeves, Mosi (July 31, 2025). "Remembering Anticon and Hip-Hop's Reckoning With Weirdness". www.kqed.org. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  16. ^ Quietus, The (March 8, 2024). "Dead Dogs & Beauty: cLOUDDEAD's Ten At 20". The Quietus. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  17. ^ ""Cloud Rap" No More: Squadda B of Main Attrakionz Returns Recharged". Bandcamp Daily. October 19, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  18. ^ Staff, Crack. "SPACEGHOSTPURRP". Crack Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  19. ^ Haynes, Gavin (January 27, 2017). "What the phonk? The genre that's gripping Generation Z". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  20. ^ "H∆SHTAG$, Episode 3: Don't Call It #CloudRap". daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  21. ^ Fuertes-Knight, Jo (November 5, 2012). "Metro Zu: "Zuology" Mixtape". VICE. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  22. ^ Sunbleach (January 2017). "Chamber 38 releases "You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack" by Viper – Sunbleach ☀". Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  23. ^ Patella, Quinn. "Cloud Rap: Maybe One Day We'll See It Again". Paw Prints. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Lester, Paul (October 12, 2011). "New band of the day – No 1,125: ASAP Rocky". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  25. ^ Live.Love.A$AP - A$AP Rocky | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved October 29, 2020
  26. ^ "Drain gang: the Next step in the evolution of modern music?". The OSA Telegraph. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  27. ^ PNL, SNEP certifications
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