The Song Planner

Cloud Rap

tagStarted 2009Peak 2011-2016Last big hit still active

Located in 2 routes

Hip-Hop / Rap → Cloud / Lo-Fi / Ambient RapHip-Hop / Rap → Internet / DIY / Scene Rap

Vocal-led rap floating over weightless, ethereal beats: reverb-drowned chopped samples, glassy synth pads, drifting trap hi-hats and 808s buried in fog. Rappers deliver loose, druggy, often deadpan flows that smear into the haze. Hypnotic and dreamlike, the focus is mood and atmosphere over hard-hitting punch.

History

Pioneered c.2009 by Lil B and producer Clams Casino, whose airy 'I'm God' set the template. The name's origin is contested: writer Noz's 2009 Lil B interview (the 'castle in the clouds' quote) is often cited, while blogger Walker 'Walkmasterflex' Chambliss popularized 'cloud rap' in 2010. SpaceGhostPurrp's darker palette fed A$AP Rocky's 2011 'Purple Swag'; Sweden's Yung Lean carried it global by 2013.

Defining artists

Essential listening

← Explore Hip-Hop / Rap

Sources

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_rap
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Swag
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng_Strip_2002
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumentals_(Clams_Casino_album)