Trap music

Trap Music
Stylistic origins	Southern hip hop, crunk
Cultural origins	2000s, United States
Typical instruments	Sequencer, drum machine, synthesizer, keyboard, digital audio workstation

Trap music is a music genre that originated in the early 2000s from Southern hip hop and crunk in the Southern United States. It is typified by its lyrical content and trademark sound, which incorporates 808 sub-bass kick drums, sped-up hi-hats, layered synthesizers, and "cinematic" strings.

In 2012, a new movement of electronic music producers and DJs emerged who began incorporating elements of trap music into their works. This helped expand its popularity among electronic music fans. A number of stylistic offshoots of trap developed, which in the latter half of 2012 gained a rise in viral popularity and made a noticeable impact on dance music.

History

2000s: Beginning and origins

The term "trap" was literally used to refer to the place where drug deals are made. Fans and critics started to refer to rappers whose primary lyrical topic was drug dealing, as "trap rappers." David Drake of Complex wrote that "the trap in the early 2000s wasn't a genre, it was a real place", and the term was later adopted to describe the "music made about that place."

UGK and Three 6 Mafia were among the first rappers to introduce trap music. The lyrics covered topics about life in "the trap", drug dealing and the struggle for success. Local Southern rappers, such as T.I., Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy helped expand the popularity of the genre and trap records started to appear on local mixtapes and radio stations.

In 2003, trap began to emerge after the success of a number of albums and singles released at the time. T.I.'s second studio album Trap Muzik achieved major commercial success, selling over 2.1 million copies and receiving favorable reviews. The album's lead single, "24's", was featured on EA's popular video game Need for Speed: Underground. In 2005, trap music broke in the mainstream with the release of Young Jeezy's Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, with 172,000 copies sold in its first week of release and was later certified platinum by the RIAA for shipment of over 1 million copies. Some of the first trap producers include Drumma Boy, Shawty Redd, Zaytoven and DJ Toomp.

2010s

By 2010, trap records were around the mainstream hip-hop charts. Producer Lex Luger gained huge popularity and went on to produce over 260 songs between 2010 and 2011, including a number of popular artists singles, such as Rick Ross' "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" and "MC Hammer," Kanye West's "H•A•M" and "See Me Now" and Waka Flocka Flame's "Hard in da Paint". Luger's trademark sounds have since been widely adopted by rap producers, trying to replicate his success, and he is often credited with popularizing the modern trap sound.

Since 2011, a number of other modern trap producers have gained popularity, most notably 808 Mafia, Southside, Sonny Digital and Young Chop. Some producers expanded their range to other genres, such as R&B (Mike WiLL Made It) and electronic music (AraabMuzik).

In 2012, trap songs, released by rappers such as Chief Keef and Future, went viral. Keef's "I Don't Like" and "Love Sosa" gained over 30 million views on YouTube. "I Don't Like" inspired notable producer and rapper Kanye West to create a remix of the song, which was included on his label GOOD Music's compilation album Cruel Summer. Stelios Phili of GQ called trap music "the sound of hip hop in 2012."

Electronic developments

In 2012, new styles and developments of electronic music which incorporated elements of trap music, such as "acid trap," "trap-ah-ton," and "trapstep" began gaining popularity. Most of these sub-genres combined trap-style drum patterns with EDM synths, creating "dirty, aggressive beats [and] dark melodies." Electronic producers, such as Diplo, TNGHT, Baauer and Flosstradamus expanded the popularity of these developments of trap music, gaining the attention of electronic music fans.

Labeled as the "new dubstep", trap music continues to expand its popularity. The music was initially dubbed simply as "trap" by producers and fans, which led to the term "trap" being used to address the music of both rappers and electronic producers, to much confusion among followers of both. Instead of referring to a single genre, the term "trap" is used to describe two separate genres of rap and dance music.

In 2013, a fan-made video of electronic trap producer Baauer's track "Harlem Shake" became an internet meme, propelling the track to become the first trap song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Five popular EDM trap producers were set to perform at the 2013 Ultra Music Festival - Carnage, UZ, DJ Craze, Baauer and Flosstradamus. Did you know trap is the number one song to dance to?