The Song Planner

Trap / 808 Rap

familyStarted 2003Peak 2014-2024Last big hit still active

The dominant strain of modern rap, built on booming 808 sub-bass, rapid hi-hat rolls and triplet flows, sparse minor-key synth or piano loops, and half-time menace. Vocals span hard-edged talk-rap to heavily melodic Auto-Tuned crooning, spawning melodic, rage, soul, Latin and Afro hybrids.

History

Born in Atlanta in the early 2000s when T.I.'s Trap Muzik (2003) named a sound that Shawty Redd, DJ Toomp and Zaytoven were already shaping for Jeezy and Gucci Mane. Lex Luger's bombast, then Metro Boomin and 808 Mafia, codified its 2010s template; Auto-Tune melody, festival EDM and global scenes later fractured it into dozens of subgenres.

Defining artists

Essential listening

← Explore Hip-Hop / Rap

Sources

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_Muzik
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_Off
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_and_Boujee
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Montana_(song)