Tropical Pop-Rap
tagStarted 2015Peak 2016-2018Last big hit 2019
Located in 1 route
Sun-bleached, dancehall- and tropical-house-tinged pop-rap: lilting half-sung melodies riding dembow and Afro-Caribbean grooves, plucked marimba-and-flute synths, and breezy four-on-the-floor warmth. Laid-back, summery, and built for festival and radio crossover. Rap softened into vacation-mode melody, where the rhythm bounces and the hook glides rather than hits.
History
Surging in 2016 - 'the year of dancehall domination' - the style crystallized as Drake's 'One Dance' and Justin Bieber's Major Lazer-assisted hits ('Cold Water') topped global charts. Following Major Lazer's 2015 smash 'Lean On,' rappers and pop acts chased the breezy soca/dembow/tropical-house blend, making it the defining summer sound of the mid-2010s.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- One Dance — Drake feat. Wizkid & KylaSpotifyYouTube
- Cold Water — Major Lazer feat. Justin Bieber & MØSpotifyYouTube
- Unforgettable — French Montana feat. Swae LeeSpotifyYouTube
- Wild Thoughts — DJ Khaled feat. Rihanna & Bryson TillerSpotifyYouTube
- Controlla — DrakeSpotifyYouTube
- Come Closer — Wizkid feat. DrakeSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- https://www.factmag.com/2016/12/06/2016-dancehall-domination-charts-underground/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Dance
- https://www.cbc.ca/music/read/dancehall-the-sound-of-summer-16-has-always-been-hot-1.5084929