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| Plugg music | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 2010s, United States |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | Rage[1] |
| Subgenres | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Regional scenes | |
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| Local scenes | |
| Atlanta,Houston | |
Plugg music is asubgenre oftrap music that emerged in the mid-2010s via online distribution on theSoundCloud platform. It was popularized by melodicSouthern hip hop artists, and is characterized by deep808 basslines, sparkly melodies, and melodic vocals.[2]
Unlike mainstreamtrap, which is defined by bombastic production and rattlinghi-hat drum patterns, plugg is said to be dreamy,[3] laidback, atmospheric, spacey, airy, and minimal. The genre is also described as having an overall lush andjazzy atmosphere; ethereal, luscious multi-instrumental harmonies and melodies; sparse, disjointed, and relaxed drum programming with few hi-hats; and thickbasslines.[4] Instead of the hi-hats in mainstream trap, plugg beats mainly employ beat skips,crash cymbals, and punctuated accentsnares on half-beats. As described by a critic, plugg is best intended to be heard alone, "experience[d] .. [in] the way it's intended: as a day-long trance in your isolated abode".[5]
Vocally, plugg ranges from instrumental beats without vocals, to songs with eitherrapping or mellow singing. Rappingflows used in plugg range from aggressive to relaxed and mellow.
The genre derives its name from the "Plug!" producer tag on SoundCloud used by the members of theBeatPluggz collective since 2013.[6][7][8] MexikoDro of the Beatpluggz collective claimed that fellow collective member StoopidXool or someone else from Beatpluggz recorded the vocals for the tag.[9] At first, their tag used the word "Plugs!", but later they shortened it to "Plug!"[10]
Both variants "plugg" and "plug" are used to describe the genre. Other names for the genre include descriptive terms such as "new wave"[11] and "smooth jazz"[5] (not to be confused withnew wave andsmooth jazz genres).
Plugg music is typified by the production style of Beatpluggz, originated by MexikoDro. According to CashCache, "simple chords, hard-hitting 808s and repetitive, thoughtful, addictive melodies" typify plugg music.[8] According to trap producer Popstar Benny, the foundation of plugg is "Zaytoven['s] 'street' Atlanta drums, and melodies, [which are] ... a little more 'internet' and little morevideogamey".[8]
Multiple sources pinpoint the foundation of plugg drumming to Zaytoven's percussion style andsamples.[6][8] Zaytoven's percussion style was influenced byWest Coast hip hop of the late 1990s.[12] Many drum samples used by Zaytoven were provided to him by his beatmaking mentor, JT the Bigga Figga,[12] and have continued to be used by him ever since.[12]
Zaytoven's drum technique has been described as sparse,[6]bouncy[8] andswinging.[12] The sparse style of production served the purpose of freeing up acoustic space for the rapper's presence.[6] Zaytoven's beats are primarily centered around heavy 808bass notes, and, as Zaytoven put it himself,
As long as the 808 was nice and bumping, everything else was just extra to me. It's almost like icing on the cake[12]
— Zaytoven
Zaytoven credits the swinging feel of his typical rhythms to theMPC2000hardware sampler, which he has used throughout his career.[12]
808bass notes used in plugg have been described variously as thick,[4] hard,[citation needed] steady[citation needed], bumping[12] and deep.[13]
Zaytoven's drumming is inherentlypolyrhythmical. Second to the 808 bass notes is usually aclap falling on every 2nd and 4thpulse in ameasure. Another rhythmic line is usually added by several sparse lines of hi-hats, which only mark every8th note and otherwise come and go in dense, occasional clumps. The next percussive line is formed by occasional ornamental accented snares.[13] Zaytoven also usually employs various additionalpercussive elements in his rhythms, such as occasional vocal "ahh" samples,bongos,shakers (the so-called "Zaytoven shaker"), and so on, and according to Zaytoven, many of the later beatmakers mainly tried to emulate his drumming by re-using his percussive drum sounds.[12] The complete rhythm usually employs several minor variations throughout the song; and it might be turned on and off throughout the song, creating "beat cuts" or "beat skips".[13]
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Plugg music is characterized by its distinctive melodies, which often draw inspiration from retro Nintendo-style video game sounds. These melodies are typically multi-layered and feature heavy use of lush chords, xylophone tones, and soft synthesizer presets, such as synth pads. The drum programming in plugg music tends to be sparse, with frequent use of crash cymbals, TR-808 rimshots, maracas, accent snares, and occasional hi-hats. Instead of traditional kick drums, producers often rely on 808s. Claps in plugg beats are usually heavily low-pass filtered and muffled, serving as a substitute for conventional snares.
Plugg production evolved from the style popularized by Zaytoven, who was known for incorporating piano and organ riffs alongside minimal drum arrangements. Beatpluggz, a prominent production collective, retained the minimalist and airy tone of Zaytoven's style while shifting the emphasis from organic instruments to synthetic sounds. They also expanded the rhythmic elements by introducing a wider variety of hi-hats, snares, and other percussion samples. Additionally, the 808s used in Beatpluggz-style production are generally harder and more prominent than those in Zaytoven's beats.
One of the defining features of plugg music is the use of the "Plug!" vocal sample, which originated as a producer tag for the Beatpluggz collective. Over time, this tag became widely adopted by producers influenced by the Beatpluggz style, even those unaffiliated with the collective.
Vocally, plugg performers employ a range of styles, including aggressive and mellow rapping, whispering flows, DMV-style delivery, and melodic singing.
Plugg beats are often created quickly and are considered relatively easy to replicate. Numerous tutorials on YouTube claim to teach producers how to create plugg beats in as little as six minutes. Before the rise of these tutorials, MexikoDro, a notable figure in the plugg scene, stated in an interview that he typically spends about 15 minutes on a beat—10 minutes for production and five minutes for mixing and mastering. Similarly, Zaytoven was known to complete beats within 5 to 10 minutes.
The origins of plugg music are traced to thegospel andsoul-influenced production style ofZaytoven,[14] and othersouthern rap influences, such asOutKast,[14] as well as to a loosely related subgenre of hip-hop called Chicago bop, which is a euphoric, fast-paced subgenre ofdrill music.[15] Plugg first emerged around 2013 as a cohesive production style of the collective called Beatpluggz including Atlanta-based producers MexikoDro and StoopidXool.[14][2] Plugg was inspired byZaytoven,[10]Project Pat,Juicy J,Gucci Mane, thesnap rap groupD4L, and thePaper Mario Nintendo soundtrack.[7] MexikoDro and his fellowBeatpluggz members gained viewership via theSoundCloud platform, where plugg picked up anunderground following.[7][11] Plugg has been described as "near-ambient and intoxicating", a strong departure from the popular styles of the day.[6]
From around 2014 on, rappers likePlayboi Carti,[5]Rich the Kid, Diego Money,[14]Kodak Black,Lil Yachty,[11]Famous Dex,Yung Bans,Thouxanbanfauni,D Savage, and Reese LaFlare[6] brought mainstream attention to plugg for the first time by working with Beatpluggz and releasing tracks such as "Broke Boi" (by Playboi Carti),[11][5] "Plug" (by Rich the Kid, Playboi Carti and Kodak Black),[14] "Hella O's" (by Lil Yachty), "New Wave" (by Rich the Kid and Famous Dex), "Harrassin Me" (by Kodak Black and Humble Haitian),[16] "Dresser" (by Yung Bans),[8] and "No Cap" (by Yung Bans and Reese LaFlare). Around the same time, rapperNebu Kiniza recorded hisviral hit single "Gassed Up" (later certifiedplatinum) over the same plugg beat that was used in "Plug!" by Rich the Kid.[6] Among them, Carti was the first one to appreciate the production style of Beatpluggz, and also recorded other plugg records, such as "Money Counter", "Don't Tell Nobody", "Smash Pt.2" and "Chill Freestyle", around that time.[7][11] Despite "Broke Boi" being his breakthrough hit, Playboi Carti never actually paid back to MexikoDro for these plugg beats,[17] as MexikoDro later claimed in interviews. Whether or notRich the Kid paid for the beat for his "Plug!" song, which was one of the biggest plugg hits of the day,[14] also remains uncertain.[6]
During the first wave, plugg beats, mainly made by Beatpluggz, also helped to shape the careers ofUnoTheActivist,Thouxanbanfauni, and Yung Gleesh.[6]
The first mainstream wave of plugg was mainly afad and quickly faded away as the rappers (Famous Dex, Rich the Kid, Lil Yachty) moved on to work with other producers.[7][6] Playboi Carti had a creative break-up with MexikoDro, which was described as "ugly", and moved on to work withPi'erre Bourne, who wasn't making plugg.[6] Despite the aforementioned developments, in the underground during that time, plugg maintained a consistent following and continued to evolve, mostly due to the online-centric nature of the subgenre.[11][6][15]
The new wave of plugg started in 2017–2020 and stemmed mainly from several sources. First, a new style of plugg emerged, calledpluggnb, which combined plugg production with melodic, dreamycontemporary R&B synths.[7][18] Among the originators of this new style wereXanGang, producer collective Surreal Gang, producers CashCache, Dylvinci,[16][11] and various rappers, such as rapper-producer Corey Lingo, rapperLil Shine, rapper-producer Neiburr, and the now-defunct artistic collective known as SlayWorld, whose roster included some of the names most associated with the pluggnb scene, such as rappersSummrs,[5]Autumn! andKankan.[15]
At the same time, a new wave of primarily plugg-oriented rappers emerged, many of whom grew up listening to plugg, including BoofPaxkMooky,[7][5][15] who has been rapping since the early era of plugg and whose 2021 mixtape produced byStoopidXool called "Four Seasons" was regarded as one of plugg's purest, according to a critic;[15]Tony Shhnow,[7][5] described as the one bringing the influence of the1990s R&B and earlierSouthern hip-hop into plugg;[6] 10kdunkin[7][6][5] and others. A new pleiad of plugg producers also emerged closer to 2020, most notable of them being CashCache[5] and Cash Cobain.[7] CashCache was described as a "primary architect" of the plugg sound used by Mooky, Shhnow, and 10kdunkin.[6] He is also regarded as the person bringing morelounge music and morejazz[19] influences in plugg,[15] making a style of plugg dubbed "sleepy plugg".[20]
Around that time in 2020, StoopidXool and Cash Cobain collaborated on an album with a New York City plugg rapper FLEE, and that release included the viral pluggnb hit "SWISH / USE 2" recorded in collaboration withBrent Faiyaz.[7][6]
While BoofPaxkMooky, Tony Shhnow, 10kdunkin, and FLEE were described as "bringing the most true-to-the-form plug back" into rotation,[6]Lil Tecca,Autumn!,SSGKobe, andSoFaygo helped to popularize the pluggnb sound by releasingTikTok hits "Show Me Up", "Knock Knock", and "Thrax", respectively.[6]
At the same time, new names kept entering the scene: Summrs and Autumn! brought in influences from the sound typical for "SadBoys" led byYung Lean into plugg, while other noted new names in the genre includedKa$hdami, 1600J and RewindRaps,tana, among others.[6]
At the same time, plugg gained attention fromDrake. Drake first recorded a song called "Plug" on a plugg beat around 2017, allegedly for hisScorpion album, but the song was later removed from the tracklist and only resurfaced online in 2020.[21] Later, also in 2020, Drake included a plugg track produced by MexikoDro titled "From Florida with Love" on hisDark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape.[7][22] The purported reason for the inclusion of a plugg song in the tracklist was speculated to be the second wave of underground plugg that Drake was aware of.[6]
In 2021, rapperRXK Nephew released over 400 songs, some of which were described as "pluggnb."[23]
In 2022, Atlanta artistGlokk40Spaz started gaining attention for his hardcore plugg rap style. This style had emerged in theDMV area, where it was given the name dark plugg.[24] Standing in contrast to the dreamy and melodic atmosphere of plugg, dark plugg (also known as DMV plugg and evil plugg) emphasizes an ominous and aggressive sound, with widespread use of the DMV flow.[25]
By the end of 2021, the plugg sound was flourishing[25] and developing further, with multiple artists starting to add moredigicore influences into their sound, a genre which drew from plugg music; examples of this being Daesworld's "2003" andJaydes' "Highschool".[15]
In 2022, the hyperpluggmicrogenre began trending onSoundCloud andTikTok, when producer-artist Myspacemark started adding influences ofhyperpop into his plugg sound, to the point of claiming to have invented the "hyperplugg" subgenre. It was unclear whether the subgenre was intended as an ironicmeme or not, but after videos on the microgenre amassed tens of thousands of views onTikTok, many fans of Myspacemark took the idea more seriously.[26]
Ambient plugg is a microgenre of plugg music, blending plugg percussion with atmospheric textures, glitchy ad-libs, and meditative synths. Pioneered in the late 2010s by artists like wifi and Izaya Tiji, the style emphasizes mood and texture over lyricism, creating soft, surreal soundscapes. It later gained traction through collectives like Shed Theory and artists likeBabyxsosa.[27]
Diary plugg is a microgenre of pluggnb, named after the visual iconography associated with theVampire Diaries andTwilight Saga, originally coined by rapper kynlary who formed the Twilight collective. The style is characterized by soft and relaxed production,pitched-up vocals,sing-rapping, and lyrics focused on teenage romance.[28]
Apart from the United States, by the mid-2010s to the early 2020s, plugg took root in Europe, particularly in France and the post-Soviet countries, where local plugg scenes were formed thanks toskate videos,fashion trends and the growing popularity ofhip-hop music.[11]
Parisian rapperSerane [fr][6][14] first learned about plugg after listening to "Broke Boi" by Playboi Carti, which changed the way he looked at music and he started producing plugg himself and formed a crew of designers and artists, who developed the localaesthetic of mixing plugg sounds with their reverence forJapanesedesigner clothes.[7] The crew of Serane, dubbed "#OneTruePath", was noted as somewhat similar toYung Lean and his SadBoys crew from Sweden,[6] who were also largely influenced by imported American hip-hop subgenres during their time.[11]
To Serane's surprise, Atlanta plugg producers were supportive of his crew's efforts. After he collaborated with various American plugg artists, including rappers ATL Smook, BeezyB, 10kdunkin, Tony Shhnow, and Dylvinci, and producers CashCache, MexikoDro, and StoopidXool themselves contacted him and offered to collaborate on music.[7]
At the same time, Serane met a great deal of criticism at home in France, where, in a musical environment dominated by aggressiveUK drill, he was often dismissed as trash, mainly for his "off-beat" flow.[29]
Besides Serane, other French plugg artists include rappers Southlove, Kasper!, Prince K., Yuri Online (all belonging to #OneTruePath), 8Ruki, and Lil Sandal, and producers TTDafool, Voidd, Chenfol (also from #OneTruePath), and others[7][11] Of them, Chenfol (also variably spelled Chenpol) is described as the originator of the plugg sound in France.[6]
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At first, plugg was dubbedminimalistic trap inRunet.[30]Face is commonly cited as the first rapper from Russia to start rapping over plugg beats in 2016, with songs such as "Кот" ("Cat") (produced by MexikoDro), "Vans" (produced by MexikoDro),[30] and the "Revenge EP" (2017).Boulevard Depo [ru] was another early proponent of plugg in Russia, with songs such as "Проснись и пеки" ("Wake and Bake") and "Rare First Basement" (both produced by FrozenGangBeatz in 2016), "Burnout", and "Snake In The Snacks"[30] (both produced by NastyBoy Boo in 2018).
Big Baby Tape was also among the first rappers from Russia to put plugg into the spotlight, with the release of his debut EP, "Hoodrich Tales", in 2018,[30] which he described as having "the essence of plugg music".[31][32]
InUkraine, plugg was pioneered by the044 KLAN music collective, particularly by rappers 044 ROSE and 044 yakata.[30]
Rocket, another Russian rapper, further popularized plugg in Russia with his "Supreme Swings" EP in 2020.[30][33]
Some artists such as AgusFortnite2008 and Stiffy of the hip-hop group Swaggerboyz have developed a regional variant of hyperplugg, referencing series such asSouth Park, as well as outdated internet memes.[34][35]
After all, rage beats are just plug beats with more electronic influence (take it from MexikoDro and Popstar Benny)
Arshan Jawid: "I mean, you created the plugg sound [...]" MexikoDro: "[...] I am notfinna say that I created this [plugg] sound. You gotta tell people. Pluggz created this sound. [I mean] BeatPluggz: me, dashawn, StoopidXool, PoloBoyShawty and all that were doing this sound. I ain't even gonna take full credit"
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