Trap-Pop
tagStarted 2012Peak 2016-2021Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
Trap's rattling hi-hat rolls, booming 808 sub-bass and triplet flows wrapped around bright, hooky pop toplines. The rhythmic skitter and dark low-end come from Atlanta trap, but melodies are major-key and chorus-driven, with sung or chanted hooks engineered for crossover radio and TikTok virality rather than the mixtape circuit.
History
Producers like Mike WiLL Made-It and Metro Boomin moved trap's sonic signature into the pop mainstream around 2012-2015, with Migos' 'Bad and Boujee' and triplet flows going viral. Cardi B, Travis Scott and DaBaby pushed trap textures to No. 1, while pop stars borrowed the hi-hats wholesale, making trap-pop the dominant chart rhythm of the late 2010s.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_music
- https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-story-of-trap/
- https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/