The Song Planner

Melodic Trap

tagStarted 2013Peak 2016-2022Last big hit still active

Located in 1 route

Hip-Hop / Rap → Trap / 808 Rap

Trap that foregrounds sung, Auto-Tuned melody over rapping. Airy minor-key synth and guitar loops, rolling 808s and triplet hats prop up hook-driven, hummable vocal lines that blur singing and rap. The mood runs dreamy, lovelorn or triumphant, and the catchiness of the topline carries the song over lyrical density.

History

Grew from Future's drugged, melodic Auto-Tune (2013-15) and the Migos/Young Thug melodic-flow boom, then crystallized through Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Lil Baby and Roddy Ricch in the late 2010s. By 2019-2022 it was the commercial default of rap radio, with hooks engineered for streaming playlists and TikTok virality.

Defining artists

Essential listening

← Explore Hip-Hop / Rap

Sources

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Box_(Roddy_Ricch_song)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XO_Tour_Llif3
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_Too_Hard
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_(Young_Thug_song)