You hear it everywhere but what actually is trap music? It's getting more popular each day and it seems like every artist is leaning more towards the trap and leaving the pop genre behind. So here is all you need to know about this trendy genre brought to you by TempoBar.
Trap music is believed to be the most popular subgenre of rap music, but actually trap has been redefined and re-created multiple times until its reached its phase today. While Atlanta rappers like T.I. and Gucci Mane are known to be the biggest names in the genre, trap was created long before those two names were even born. The rap style is popularly known for its grim lyrics and gritty vocals. Common themes include the hardships and struggles associated with poverty, drugs, gang violence and sex.
Trap music originated in the South of the US during the 90s, with most rappers of the genre hailing from Atlanta. Artists lyrically reflect on the issues they faced in their urban neighborhoods and how fame has changed their circumstances. The word trap comes from traphouse, a word from the 1930s that was used to describe a hiding place for liquor. In the 1960s the spot became a hiding place for drugs and since has been known as a place where drugs are sold or made.
In the early 1990s, groups such as the Atlanta-based rap collective Dungeon Family began rapping about drug use.
A new hybrid of trap music has grown in popularity since the 2010s when producers started combining trap and EDM sounds, calling it trap EDM. Beats feature a mix of pipe flutes, drums, hip-hop samples, light piano chords and dance tunes. Razzled vocals and less grim lyrics tie it all together. Some descendants of this new form of trap include Waka Flocka, 2 Chainz, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage and Flosstradamus.
According to Urban Dictionary, this is the perfect formula for a trap song:
One-third hip-hop (but vocals are usually pitched lower or higher) One-third dubstep (similar drum arrangements, different builds and drops) One-third dub (low-frequency focus and strong emphasis on repetitiveness)
Preserving the legacy of trap remains an important objective in hip-hop culture.
The styles and formulas of trap music continue to change, but its influence in hip-hop culture and music will forever remain. The subgenre is responsible for some of today’s most popular rappers and has shaped a new wave of music that combines two genres on opposite sides of the classification spectrum: rap and EDM.
Trap has been a way for rap artists to tell their stories and resonate with fans who have similar experiences. The honesty, conflict and overcoming story lines in trap lyrics are inspirational for listeners and aspiring artists in similar situations. Only time, and many more releases, will tell where trap music will be ten years from now.
Must songs to listen to from this genre:
Migos - Versace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF-hq_CHNH0
Desiigner - Panda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ONTXHS2mM
Postmalone - rockstar ft. 21 Savage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UceaB4D0jpo
Drake - Nonstop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJTRVX9R5EA
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