![[Column] History and development of Vaportrap/Cloud Rap](/../assets/images/column-vaportrap-cloud-rap.webp)
Prologue: What is ?
Text: mmr｜Theme: About the genealogy of cloud rap that intersects with Lo-Fi Hip Hop
Cloud Rap arose around 2010, centered around the Bay Area and U.S. Internet Underground, and developed while connecting with post-vaporwave subculture aesthetics, Chopped & Screwed, Lo-Fi Hip-Hop, and modern emo rap. In particular, the activities of Lil B, Clams Casino, and Main Attrakionz symbolized the early days, forming the basis of a lineage that would later lead to Lil Peep, XXXTENTACION, Bones, and Yung Lean.
Cloud Rap was far more ambient-oriented than traditional Hip Hop, featuring a more ambient-oriented sound, vocal processing with strong reverb, and dreamy textures with spatial FX, and later evolved into Vaportrap, absorbing electronic music and Vaporwave meme culture.
I. Preparatory steps before Cloud Rap (2000–2008)
● Hip-hop and mixtape culture from the internet
In the late 2000s, MySpace and DatPiff expanded the mixtape culture of Internet distribution, allowing collaboration without geographical constraints. This became the soil that gave rise to Cloud Rap’s ““liberation from geography.’’
● Influence of Chopped & Screwed
Screw processing (slowing speed, changing pitch, emphasizing reverberation), derived from DJ Screw’s method, greatly contributed to the ““ethereal tempo’’ of later Cloud Rap.
II. Formation of Cloud Rap (2009–2012)
● Cultural area of Lil B and Based World
Around 2009, Lil B developed a rap style that was highly compatible with Internet culture, and the producers who supported his music formed the prototype of Cloud Rap.
● Introducing Clams Casino
Clams Casino”s instrumental collection released around 2011 and the music they provided to A$AP Rocky determined Cloud Rap”s sonic image, with its ““misty pads,” ““ambient melodies,” and ““deep spatial processing.’’
● Main Attrakionz and Scene Expansion
Main Attrakionz established the word “cloud” as their own style, expanding the non-commercial, DIY cultural sphere of artists of the Bandcamp generation.
III. Emergence of Vaportrap (2013–2016)
Vaportrap is a style that combines the methodology of vaporwave (sampling, reconstruction of 80s-90s consumer culture, ambient textures) with the beat structure of trap.
● Aesthetic features
- Textures of 90s consumer culture (CMs, late-night shows, virtual spaces, etc.)
- Spatial processing using extreme reverb and delay
- BPM is almost the same as Trap (120–150), but the texture is similar to Vaporwave
● Deepening producer culture
Centered on SoundCloud, high-speed production and high-speed consumption occurred at the level of personal home recording, and the flow from Cloud Rap to Vaportrap was formed.
IV. Connection between Lo-Fi HipHop and “Cloud Rap”
● Lo-Fi HipHop methodology
- Sampler culture such as MPC
- Noise, analog texture, cassette tape distortion
- Expansion of streaming culture as Chillhop / Study Beats
Cloud Rap’s vocal processing easily mixes with Lo-Fi Hip Hop, and the works of Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION combine guitar sound x Lo-Fi processing x Cloud Rap-like floating feeling.
V. The Rise of Emo Rap/Sad Rap (2016–2018)
● Lil Peep influence
Lil Peep developed a style that mixed elements of emo, punk, and cloud rap, forming the core of the post-SoundCloud Rap aesthetic. In particular, the combination of guitar sample x reverb x sad melody had a strong influence on subsequent songs.
● Diversity of XXXTENTACION
XXXTENTACION has practiced a wide range of styles, from cloud rap to hardcore, R&B, and alternative. The minimal sound structure, emphasis on low frequencies, and ambient elements were all in line with Vaportrap’s direction.
VI. Modern Vaportrap / Cloud Rap (2019–2025)
● Internationalization and eliminating regional differences
With the rise of YouTube, SoundCloud, and TikTok, Cloud Rap techniques are spreading to all parts of the world. Similar production methods have become common in Asia and Europe.
● Changes in beat culture due to generative AI (fact-based)
In the late 2020s, cloud-like pads and ambient texture generation using diffusion and generative models have become commonplace, making production faster in the home environment.
Sound structure analysis
● Typical beat elements of Vaportrap / Cloud Rap
- Pad: Deep reverb synth, ambient chords
- Drums: Trap target (808, hi-hat roll, deep kick)
- BPM: 120–150
- Vocal processing: Deeper reverb, Auto-Tune, dub processing
- Texture: 90s/Y2K Culture Quotes
Below is a relationship diagram illustrating the sound structure:
Chronology: Vaportrap / Cloud Rap Timeline
Conclusion: Where is “cloud rap” headed?
Cloud Rap is not just a genre, it has become a symbol of post-internet hip-hop production methods, aesthetics, and distribution culture. The fusion with Vaportrap continues to indicate a direction in which music revolves around the online aesthetic sphere rather than the physical context.
In the future, by linking with generation AI, it is expected that the Cloud Rap-like texture will become even more abstract, expanding into a more ambient and “inhuman” sound image.
