![]() ![]() The genre represented the anxieties of a highly online generation disillusioned with the world they inherited. The popularity of these teenagers solidified SoundCloud rap as the sound of Gen Z. Many SoundCloud rappers, such as Tekashi69, Lil Peep and Ski Mask the Slump God, all gained tremendous fame before their 18 th birthdays. ![]() ![]() Similar to punk, SoundCloud rappers are overwhelmingly young. SoundCloud rappers are much more likely to write songs about taking drugs than dealing them, and the content of their songs is centered around depression and self-destruction, unlike mainstream rap’s obsession with ego inflation. Where punk was a stripped-down, aggressive and often nihilistic response to the maximalism of mainstream rock, SoundCloud rap responded similarly to the excess of mainstream hip-hop with hostile, anti-authoritarian attitudes. ![]() Rather ironically, most SoundCloud rappers have ditched the platform of their namesake and got snatched up by large record labels, leaving SoundCloud rap to embody the spirit of the early punk scene. These rappers, boasting ostentatious personalities, mind-numbing music and underground origins may elicit strong parallels to the punk movement of the late ’70s and early ’80s. For outsiders of the genre, this style of production may make SoundCloud rappers seem lazy and their music seem inaccessible, but for fans, this amateur aesthetic only heightens the listening experience. Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang” (which peaked at number three on Billboard’s Hot 100) trades songwriting for the repetition of the phrase “Gucci gang” 53 times. Songs like XXXTentacion’s “Look at Me” (which currently has over 189 million plays on SoundCloud) contain blown-out vocals and very minimal mixing. With harsh, raw instrumentals, SoundCloud rap embodies the DIY nature of its platform. What we think of as SoundCloud rap is emblematic of the platform it spawned from. Behind the scenes, SoundCloud’s unprecedented success shook the music industry to its core. This gave a massive advantage to musicians who interacted with their fans online. SoundCloud’s design is more aligned with social media websites than streaming services, which lowers the barrier between artist and audience. New musicians, without ever having to leave their bedroom, gained stratospheric stardom, circumventing the conventional methods of going to professional studios and working with record labels. With a utopian vision of accessible music creation for the people, SoundCloud became a champion for any up-and-coming artist. However, though mentions of the genre are a staple in music discourse, defining the short-lived moment of SoundCloud rap (often derogatorily referred to as mumble rap) is a task ranging from arduous to impossible.ĭuring the last decade, the audience for the music streaming service SoundCloud exploded into the hundreds of millions. Regardless of your relationship to the genre, it seems that this simple two-word phrase elicits strong reactions from every Gen Z, tech-savvy music listener. It could remind you of your own blunders and self-produced lo-fi beats you wish will never see the light of day. Maybe the term connotes a sense of rebelliousness that brings to mind exciting, unfiltered discoveries found on the internet. What first comes to mind when you hear the term SoundCloud rap? Perhaps you envision an immature group of teens with colorfully-dyed hair and face tattoos, rapping about prescription drugs. ![]()
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