SoundCloud rap

English

Etymology

After the audio streaming platform SoundCloud, where this genre initially spread.

Noun

SoundCloud rap (uncountable)

1. (music) A short-lived subgenre of hip hop mixing trap, lo-fi, and electronic music.

   Coordinate terms: emo rap, mumble rap

   • 2017 June 22, Jon Caramanica, “The Rowdy World of Rap’s New Underground”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     It was just another unpredictable, bruising night in the world of SoundCloud rap — a swelling subgenre that takes its name from its creators’ preferred streaming service — which in the last year has become the most vital and disruptive new movement in hip-hop thanks to rebellious music, volcanic energy and occasional acts of malevolence.

   • 2018, Vanessa Oswald, Hip-Hop: A Cultural and Musical Revolution, Greenhaven Publishing LLC, →ISBN, page 80:

     SoundCloud rap is characterized by its distinct sound, which is typically a mix of trap, lo-fi, electronic, and hip-hop music. Artists of this genre are also known for the short length of their songs, their popular social media presences, and sometimes their dangerous drug use, especially Xanax.

   • 2018 December 6, Lauren Levy, “The Gatekeepers of SoundCloud Rap”, in Vulture‎^[2]:

     SoundCloud rap moved from the more hidden corners of the internet into mainstream consciousness in June 2017.

   • 2021, Louis Theroux, Theroux The Keyhole: Diaries of a grounded documentary maker, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 67:

     More than a year on from when we actively began the research into SoundCloud rap, nearly four years on from my first impulse to make a programme about the subject, we've finally embarked on a wholly new project, […]