| Mumble rap | |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 2010s,[1]Southern United States, especiallyAtlanta |
| Typical instruments |
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| Regional scenes | |
| Southern United States | |
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Mumble rap (also known asnon-lyrical rap) is a loosely defined[1] style and era ofhip hop that emerged and proliferated via the online audio distribution platformSoundCloud during the mid-to-late 2010s.[3] The term originated as a pejorative used to describe a vocal style characterized by unclear or incoherent enunciation, often described as "mumbling", which represented a shift away from traditional hip-hop conventions centered around complex or meaningfullyricism,[4] and instead emphasizing other aspects of delivery like melody, mood, and tone.[5]
While "mumble rap" originated as a pejorative,[6][7] some havereappropriated the label,[8] with various critics and artists defending the style as a new phase in the evolution of hip hop.[9][10][11]
The earliest known usage of the term "mumble rap" was in 2014 byVladTVbattle rap journalist Michael Hughes, in an interview with battle rapper Loaded Lux about the style's emergence in mainstream hip hop.[12] There is disagreement over who first rapped in such a style, although its creation has been attributed to rappers such asLil Wayne,Gucci Mane,Chief Keef,Young Thug,Rich Homie Quan,Migos,Sahbabii,Playboi Carti, and most notablyFuture, whose 2011 single "Tony Montana" is often cited as the first mumble rap song;[1] however, there have been sources dating as far back as October 2011 of even older releases by other artists. Artists such asDas EFX andFu-Schnickens may have rapped in a similar style years before the term was created.[13] The term was first used to describe rappers whose lyrics were unclear, but the use of the term has expanded to include rappers that some critics claim "generally put little emphasis on lyricism or lyrical quality".[14][15]
Mumble rap is used mostly as aderogatory term, in reference to a perceived incoherence of the artist's lyrics.[16][17] Oscar Harold of theCardinal Times stated that "mumble rap" is misleading, arguing that the rappers such asFuture rely more upon pop melodies and vocal effects, such asauto tune, than mumbling.[18] Justin Charity, a staff writer atThe Ringer, argues that the term is unnecessarily reductive and does not in fact refer to one specific type of rapping. He wrote that many of the artists often scapegoated in conversations about the subgenre do not actually mumble, which "is the red flag that the term isn't a useful subcategorization."[8]
There are disputes as to whether some rappers are mumble rappers or not. There is also conflation between mumble/SoundCloud rap and other new generation-led evolutions or niches such astrap andcloud rap.The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Troy L. Smith writes that21 Savage unfairly gets classified as a mumble rapper.[19]
In 2017, music criticJon Caramanica ofThe New York Times opined that SoundCloud rap "in the last year has become the most vital and disruptive new movement in hip hop".[20]Todd Moscowitz, the founder of Alamo Records, called the scene a "lo-fi movement" noting the heavily distorted bass and intentional lack of polish in the sound. WhenSki Mask the Slump God discussed the genre's lo-fi sound and recording techniques, he noted, "It was like the worst recording set up, [but] you could set it up anywhere and that was the wave we were on... The raw energy of that—the distortion—is our speciality, and we used that to our advantage."[21]Spin noted that the SoundCloud company has not been able to leverage the popularity of SoundCloud rap to improve its financial problems.[22] In January 2019, Stephen Witt ofRolling Stone magazine argued that the SoundCloud rap wave was in decline, citing the death ofLil Peep in 2017 andmurder ofXXXTentacion in 2018, as well as6ix9ine's legal troubles.[23] The death ofJuice Wrld in 2019 has been attributed as the moment SoundCloud rap died.[24][25]
In defense of the style, Justin Charity ofThe Ringer suggested that the debate is "really about discomfort with how a generation of young musicians has chosen to use their voices in strange, unprecedented ways, and against the wishes of their parents and forefathers."[8]The Guardian compared the style to the first wave ofpunk, noting a shared "sonic simplicity, gleeful inanity, and sense of transgression."[26]The Vibe linked mumble rap to earlier forms of hip hop, as well asjazz scatting.[10] ForThe Conversation, Adam de Paor-Evans disputed the idea that mumble rap is a reflection of laziness, suggesting instead that it is an accurate reflection of boredom resulting from the immediacy and speed of contemporary cultural life."[27]Red Bull Music Academy stated that "however they're labeled—SoundCloud rap, emo-trap, mumble rap—one thing's for sure: these rappers are forging new paths, once again pushing the boundaries of what rap is, who it's for and how it's distributed."[28]
Rap pioneerGrandmaster Caz expressed acceptance of the style, stating: "It's all good. They’re a different generation, they do a different thing, they have a different agenda, and their influences come from different places. So I’m not mad at them."[29] Funk pioneerGeorge Clinton ofParliament-Funkadelic declared himself a listener of mumble rap, stating "we try to pay attention to whatever the new music is that gets on your nerves."[30] Podcaster and television hostThe Kid Mero dismisses criticisms of the style, stating: "Sonically if your shit is wack, why am I gonna listen to what you gotta say? If I turn it on, and the beat is kind of annoying, I’m not gonna sit through that just to hear you say 'lyrical, metaphysical, giftical…' I don’t want to do all that."[10]
Rappers who have voiced discontent with mumble rap includeJ. Cole,[9]Hopsin,[31]Chris Webby,[32]Logic,[33]Russ,[34]Joyner Lucas,[35]Taboo ofBlack Eyed Peas,[36] andEminem.[37] After declaring that the "boom bap is coming back with an axe to mumble rap" inRoyce da 5'9"'s song "Caterpillar", Eminem criticized multiple mumble rappers on his albumKamikaze.[38] Eminem's diss track "Killshot", which was targeted atMachine Gun Kelly, included a line where he insults MGK, calling him a mumble rapper.[39] Noted rap artistPete Rock prominently criticized the style for abandoning hip hop tradition.[10]
Dr.Heidi R. Lewis publishedMake Rappers Rap Again: Interrogating the Mumble Rap "Crisis" in theOxford University Press Theorizing African American Music Series. In the book, which features an interview withDJ Drama, Lewis "contrarily and perhaps controversially...argues Mumble Rap is real Hip Hop. Relying primarily ondiscourse analysis, [she examines] Mumble Rap’s congruence with oft-forgotten or subjugatedHip Hop cornerstones like illegibility, melody, the DJ, and the subgenre, as well as the ways most mumble rappers practice citational and collaborative politics that are congruent with real Hip Hop. [Lewis also takes] a critical approach to examining the Mumble Rap sound, arguing it's much more complicated than it’s often characterized, especially concerning flow and production. To explain the subjugation of Mumble Rap, [she situates] the subgenre as southern and examines the ways it challenges dominant notions about real Hip Hop masculinity vis-à-vis mumble rappers’ attention to the mental and emotional, drug use and addiction, and the fallacies of gender and sexuality norms."
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