Melodic Pop Rap
tagStarted 2008Peak 2015-2020Last big hit still active
Rap and singing blur into one Auto-Tuned, half-sung flow over hazy, melodic 808 production. Verses glide rather than punch; hooks are crooned and reverb-soaked, often melancholy. The texture is soft synths, muted guitars and warm bass, prioritizing mood, melody and earworm cadence over hard bars.
History
Kid Cudi's hummed-rap and Drake's confessional sing-rap on 'So Far Gone' (2009) defined the template, with Auto-Tune (post-Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak) as the binding agent. Post Malone, Juice WRLD and Travis Scott carried it to streaming dominance in the late 2010s, making melodic rap the default sound of crossover hip-hop pop.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodic_rap
- https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-rise-of-melodic-rap/
- https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/