Kanye-Arc / Soul-Sample / Maximalist Rap
The lineage radiating from Kanye West's production sensibility: pitched-up soul samples and chipmunk vocals, gospel choirs, full orchestras and heavy-metal guitars stacked into stadium-scale beats, Auto-Tuned heartbreak, and restless genre mutation. Sound runs from warm vinyl-crackle soul loops to glacial 808 minimalism to baroque, opulent excess - emotional, grandiose, maximalist.
History
Crystallized when Kanye West, schooled on RZA and Just Blaze's sped-up soul, made his sample-driven sound the center of mainstream rap with The College Dropout (2004). Across Late Registration, Graduation, 808s & Heartbreak and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy he pivoted from chipmunk soul to maximalism to Auto-Tuned melody, seeding gospel-rap, melodic rap and luxury-rap descendants.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Beautiful_Dark_Twisted_Fantasy
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipmunk_soul
- https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/08/chipmunk-soul/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/808s_%26_Heartbreak