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Cloud rap

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

Origins

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Cloud rap initially came out of Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis during the late 2000s.[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, can be heard as early as 2001 with Clouddead's self-titled album. Later in 2006 more building blocks, such as hazy and relaxed sounds, can be found in Viper's second album, Ready and... Willing.[7] Some have attributed the term to rapper Lil B. 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]

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.[8]

Characteristics

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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.[9] Such influences include hip hop, drum and bass, grime, and trip hop, R&B, dance, indie, rock, and pop music genres.[9]

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] Frequently vocalists use nonsensical catchphrases and Twitter baits, such as interjections like "swag," and references to being "based," which highlights a sense of self-aware absurdity as an attempt at parody while embracing its genesis in Internet culture.[citation needed]

Cloud rap pulls from a diversity of rap sounds and locales: from both the East and West Coasts and the South.[9] In particular, cloud rap often utilizes looped samples from female singers, and often from those whose voices have an ethereal quality.[9] 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.[10]

Artists and producers

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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.[11][12] 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.[9] The mixtape consists of common cloud rap elements and themes such as drug use, sex, and self-reflection.[13][14] Other artists such as Black Kray as apart of a collective called Goth Money records, have been birthed as a result of the movement who have birthed many other influential artists like Playboi Carti. [15]

Swedish artist Yung Lean became an eminent cloud rap artist in 2013 when the video for his single "Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral.[8]

Swedish rapper Bladee rose as one of the most prominent members of the genre with the release of his 2014 mixtape Gluee as a member of the collective Drain Gang along with British-Swedish singer Ecco2k and Thai rapper Thaiboy Digital.[citation needed]

Chicago rapper Chief Keef’s mixtapes Bang 2, Almighty So, Nobody, Nobody 2 and Two Zero One Seven are all seen as highly influential to the genre.[citation needed]

Memphis rapper Chris Travis’s 2012 mixtape Pizza and Codeine is often seen as one of the most influential albums of the genre and was met to high critical acclaim.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The history of cloud rap | Red Bull Music". Amp.redbull.com. 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'". www.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. ^ Sunbleach (January 2017). "Chamber 38 releases "You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack" by Viper – Sunbleach ☀". Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "Cloud Rap: The Spacey, Cyber-Born Hip-Hop Subgenre". Highsnobiety. June 25, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e "A$AP Rocky: Cloud Rap and Live at the Melkweg". Culturedarm. May 29, 2013. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Musicpublished, Future (March 2, 2022). "The beginner's guide to: cloud rap". MusicRadar. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  11. ^ Green, Dylan (May 6, 2020). "Clams Casino Interview: Lil B, A$AP Rocky, Vince Staples, "Cloud Rap"". DJBooth. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  12. ^ "Sickboyrari".
  13. ^ Lester, Paul (October 12, 2011). "New band of the day – No 1,125: ASAP Rocky". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  14. ^ Live.Love.A$AP - A$AP Rocky | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved October 29, 2020
  15. ^ Patella, Quinn. "Cloud Rap: Maybe One Day We'll See It Again". Paw Prints. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
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