cloud rap
{{Short description|Music genre}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name = Cloud rap
| other_names = Trillwave
| image = Cloud rap beat.ogg
| caption = Sample of a cloud rap instrumental in the style of Clams Casino
| stylistic_origins = * Hip hop
- lo-fi music
- chillwave{{cite web|url=https://www.redbull.com/se-en/whatever-happened-to-hip-hop-sub-genre-cloud-rap |title=The history of cloud rap | Red Bull Music |date=April 5, 2018 |publisher=Amp.redbull.com |access-date=April 2, 2019}}
- trap
| derivatives = *Emo rap{{cite web|url=http://www.highclouds.org/i-write-raps-not-tragedies-finally-the-emo-goth-rap-hybrid-you-didnt-realise-you-were-waiting-for-is-here/|title=I write raps not tragedies: Finally! The emo-goth-rap hybrid you didn't realise you were waiting for is here|first=Chris Ellenwood|last=says|date=April 10, 2017}}
| cultural_origins = Late 2000s, Southern United States
| instruments = {{flatlist|
- Vocals (Auto-Tune)
- Synthesizer
}}
| subgenres =
| other_topics = * Chopped and screwed
}}
Cloud rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that has several sonic characteristics of trap music with a hazy, dreamlike and relaxed production style.{{Cite web|date=July 10, 2013|title=The FACT Dictionary: How dubstep, juke and cloud rap got their names|url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/07/10/the-fact-dictionary-how-dubstep-juke-cloud-rap-and-many-more-got-their-names/|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=FACT Magazine|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Collect This Rare Clams Casino and Lil B Interview About the New Clams Casino Album '32 Levels'|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/6e4evj/clams-casino-lil-b-interview-32-levels|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=www.vice.com|date=June 3, 2016 |language=en}} Rapper Lil B and producer Clams Casino were early pioneers of the style. The term "cloud rap" is derived from its internet origins and ethereal style.{{Cite conference |last1=Wikström |first1=Peter |last2=van Ooijen |first2=Erik |date=2018 |title=Post-authentic digitalism in cloud rap |conference=Popular Music Discourses: Authenticity and Mediatization |location=Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333422124|access-date=October 29, 2020|language=en}}
Origins
Cloud rap originated in Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis during the late 2000's.{{Cite web|title=What happened to the hip-hop micro-genre cloud rap?|url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/whatever-happened-to-hip-hop-sub-genre-cloud-rap|access-date=October 7, 2023|website=Red Bull|date=April 5, 2018 |language=en}} The term "cloud rap" is popularly used in reference to lo-fi, hazy rap.
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.{{Cite web|last=Sunbleach|title=Chamber 38 releases "You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack" by Viper – Sunbleach ☀|date=January 2017 |url=https://sunbleach.net/2017/01/01/chamber-38-releases-youll-cowards-dont-even-smoke-crack-by-viper/|access-date=October 7, 2023|language=en-US}} 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. Producer Clams Casino has also been credited with pioneering the cloud rap sound as early as 2010 through collaborations with Lil B.
The term was also used in the Space Age Hustle blog's compilation of songs, 3 Years Ahead: The Cloud Rap Tape. The compilation consists of songs that fall in the cloud rap genre. The genre garnered mainstream attention in 2011 with rapper ASAP Rocky's debut mixtape, Live. Love. ASAP.{{Cite web|date=June 25, 2015|title=Cloud Rap: The Spacey, Cyber-Born Hip-Hop Subgenre|url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/cloud-rap-yung-lean-lil-b/|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=Highsnobiety|language=en-US}}
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. The genre takes inspiration from the "diversity of influences and the easy accessibility" that cloud computing entails.{{Cite web|date=May 29, 2013|title=A$AP Rocky: Cloud Rap and Live at the Melkweg|url=https://culturedarm.com/aap-rocky-cloud-rap-and-live-at-the-melkweg/|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=Culturedarm|language=en-US|archive-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509104413/https://culturedarm.com/aap-rocky-cloud-rap-and-live-at-the-melkweg/|url-status=dead}} Such influences include hip hop, drum and bass, grime, and trip hop, R&B, dance, indie, rock, and pop music genres.
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. 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.
Cloud rap pulls from a diversity of rap sounds and locales: from both the East and West Coasts and the South. In particular, cloud rap often utilizes looped samples from female singers, and often from those whose voices have an ethereal quality. 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.{{Cite web |last=Musicpublished |first=Future |date=2022-03-02 |title=The beginner's guide to: cloud rap |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-beginners-guide-to-cloud-rap |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}}
File:Vermona Synthesizer Harmonikamuseum Zwota.jpg synthesizer that can commonly be found in use by producers such as Clams Casino, Lil B, and SpaceGhostPurrp.]]
Cloud Rap production{{Cite web |last=Musicpublished |first=Future |date=2022-03-02 |title=The beginner's guide to: cloud rap |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-beginners-guide-to-cloud-rap |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}} is characterized by ethereal synths, reverb{{Cite web |date=2022-05-11 |title=What is Reverb in Music? |url=https://blog.andertons.co.uk/learn/what-is-reverb |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Andertons Blog |language=en}}-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.{{Cite web|last=Green|first=Dylan|title=Clams Casino Interview: Lil B, A$AP Rocky, Vince Staples, "Cloud Rap"|url=https://djbooth.net/features/2020-01-24-clams-casino-interview-lil-b-asap-rocky-vince-staples|access-date=October 29, 2020|website=DJBooth|date=May 6, 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/artists/Sickboyrari |title=Sickboyrari}} 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. The mixtape consists of common cloud rap elements and themes such as drug use, sex, and self-reflection.{{Cite news|last=Lester|first=Paul|date=October 12, 2011|title=New band of the day – No 1,125: ASAP Rocky|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/12/new-band-asap-rocky|access-date=October 29, 2020|issn=0261-3077}}{{Citation|title=Live.Love.A$AP - A$AP Rocky {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/liveloveaap-mw0002544931|language=en-us|access-date=October 29, 2020}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Patella |first=Quinn |title=Cloud Rap: Maybe One Day We'll See It Again |url=https://qchspawprints.com/3292/entertainment/cloud-rap-maybe-one-day-well-see-it-again/ |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=Paw Prints}}
Swedish artist Yung Lean became an eminent cloud rap artist in 2013 when the video for his single "Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral.
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 double diamond for "Deux Frères" (2019).{{Citation|title=PNL, SNEP certifications|url=https://snepmusique.com/les-certifications/?categorie=Albums&interprete=Pnl}}