The genre garnered mainstream attention in 2011 with rapper A$AP Rocky's debut mixtape, Live. The compilation consists of songs that fall in the cloud rap genre.
The term was also used in the Space Age Hustle blog's compilation of songs, 3 Years Ahead: The Cloud Rap Tape. Producer Clams Casino has also been credited with pioneering the cloud rap sound as early as 2010 through collaborations with Lil B. In a 2009 article, music writer Noz wrote that rapper Lil B showed him a CGI image of a castle in the clouds and said 'that's the kind of music I want to make,' crediting Lil B with the coining of the term. Some have attributed the term to rapper Lil B. Later in 2006 more building blocks, such as hazy and relaxed sounds, can be found in Viper's second album, Ready.and Willing. Įlements of cloud rap, like lo-fi and dreamy atmospheres, can be heard as early as 2001 with cLOUDDEAD's self-titled album. The term 'cloud rap' is popularly used in reference to lo-fi, hazy rap. Origins Ĭloud rap initially came out of Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis during the late 2000s. The term 'cloud rap' is related to its internet birth and its ethereal style. Many music experts credit rapper Lil B and producer Clams Casino as the early pioneers of this style. Cloud rap is a subgenre of rap that has several sonic characteristics of trap music and lo-fi in its hazy, dreamlike and relaxed sound.
