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Even though there are plenty of hip hop purists that want to separate trap from rap, they will always be connected as trap is a sub-genre of rap. Trap music started to gain traction in the early 90s in Southern America; the signifiers of the trap style became an aggressive sound, and equally as aggressive lyrics which primarily focused on drug dealing and drug use.

Instrumentally, trap separated itself from hip hop with heavier basslines, faster time signatures, prominent 808s, layered synths, and for the more experimental trap artists, cinematic strings. Lyrically, trap artists were even more visceral in their rap bars about the inescapable gang and drug lifestyles (hence, trap) than the original gangster rappers. Atlanta became the capital of trap, while Ghetto Mafia, Goodie Mob, Outkast, Dungeon Family and Cool Breeze became the pioneers.

A decade after the inception of trap, artists such as Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Triple 6 Mafia and Young Jeezy started pushing the genre even further and allowing it to branch out into the diverse scene that it is today. Producers also had a pivotal role in the evolution of trap; the likes of Drumma Boy, Shawty Redd and Mike WiLL contributed to the contemporary trap sound that incorporates a dark atmosphere, street culture and a hard-hitting high-octane sound. At the turn of the century, trap not only dominated the airwaves, but it also became commonplace in strip clubs in the south too.

The first wave of trap broke into the mainstream in 2003 with the release of T.I.’s second studio album; it sold over 2 million copies and T.I. received a sync deal with EA sports. After his success, T.I. explained the motivation behind his career; to help people understand the actions of people that come from a less privileged side of life. A similar ethos is carried by the new generation of trap artists who are often misbranded as brash or crass when really, their music is reflective of their lives. In 2005, Young Jeezy entered the US Billboard Charts at number 2 after selling 172,000 copies of his album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, in the week after its release. It later became a platinum record.

Fast forward to 2012; the trap scene started to merge with the EDM scene as producers and DJs started to weave trap styles into their dance mixes. Many are under the false impression that this was the beginning for trap, and it came along as some new millennial trend, but this is far from the case. In 2021, there are multiple trap sub-genres, even ones as far-reaching as trap metal. The most promising trappers to watch include the likes of Rico Nasty, Nayana Iz, Lil Uzi Vert and Waka Flaka Flame.

Star-rove through the desolation in Othenic’s latest single, SUPERSONIC LIGHTSPEED

By using dark and spacey tones as a metaphor for the desolation of alienation and emptiness and pairing them with pensive lyrical iconography, Othenic proved his worth as an evocateur in his latest single, SUPERSONIC LIGHTSPEED.

The trappy nuances that bleed through the backbeat and the sharp delivery of his quasi-harmonised vocals become a sense of gravity in the reverb-swathed atmosphere of the star-roving single that instantly immerses you within the melancholy of the exposition of how inhospitable Earth can be when you’re forced to go through the motions without another soul as a compass.

Emanating the same sense of heart-on-sleeve deeply affecting appeal of Blue October and Porcupine Tree, the Kentucky/Cincinnati-hailing artist, who is quickly becoming our favourite discovery in 2023, is establishing himself as a song crafter with superlative tenacity when it comes to sonically locking into the darkest facets of the human experience.

SUPERSONIC LIGHTSPEED was officially released on November 2nd; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tony Newbury came in red hot in his latest rap track, FEEL THE HEAT

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For his latest genre-evading urban earworm, FEEL THE HEAT, the virally successful artist Tony Newbury fused the bass of Boom Bap beats with rap bars which run with strikingly sharp reminiscences of Eminem and lush layers of trappy RnB.

To accentuate the sticky-sweet melodic appeal to the nth degree, when Newbury wasn’t blazing through his high-fire rap bars, he was reeling you further into the polished and sun-soaked production with clever pop hooks.

It comes as no surprise that the New Jersey recording artist has made a name for himself in the local scene and beyond since making his debut. In addition to the clear crossover appeal in his sonic aesthetics, which vary from release to release, Newbury remains committed to helping his ever-growing army of fans understand the chaos of the ride we’re all on. Everything is relative, but as his lyrics prove, plenty is universal, including the ability to appreciate the artistry in his uninhibited expression.

FEEL THE HEAT was officially released on September 25; start your obsession with the seminal track by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bigg357 held up a sign of our late-stage capitalist times in his infectiously relatable trap track, Money on My Mind

Money on My Mind is the latest catchier-than-Covid trap track from Bigg357, who has consistently ticked all the right new wave trap boxes with his discography and amassed a staunch following in the process.

Rich or poor, no one can claim that money doesn’t dominate their consciousness, making Money on My Mind one of the most universally relatable hits to drop in 2023.

By keeping the wavy instrumentals simple yet hooky, there’s no denying that Bigg357 unleashed the ultimate urban earworm with this curve-transcending hit that is infectious enough to compel you to sink into the rest of his dynamic discography which brings in the future of trap with the force of an asteroid from space.

Money on My Mind dropped on September 5th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

P wE$t pushed away pretence in his latest trap hit, This Side of Me

Since stepping onto the airwaves in 2020, the trap trailblazer, P wE$T, has run a successful campaign with his singles and debut LP, Permanent Timing. His latest single, This Side of Me, is an aphrodisiacal installation of exotic urban rhythmics, which delivers indie RnB guitars and Afrobeat flavours around his wavy with autotune rap bars that run evocatively hard.

Lyrically, This Side of Me strips away all sense of pretence to introduce the authentic P wE$T, free from facades and guises. The melancholic sting of the candour is potent, but with the intricately melodic Spanish classic guitar motifs, the blows are cushioned by the accordance.

This Side of Me dropped on September 7th; stream it on Spotify and join P wE$T’s 11.5k followers on Instagram to stay up to date with his new releases; there’s always something new in the artist’s dynamic pipeline.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lana Volkov shared her ‘Fast Lane Fever’ in her debut trap track, ft Ayobaro

By putting the melodies in her debut trap pop track, Fast Lane Fever, into first gear, the up-and-coming artist Lana Volkov only needed half the duration of your average pop hit to craft the ultimate driving anthem.

With the collaborating artist Ayobaro in the passenger seat, Volkov orchestrated a sultry testament to her ability to stay in her own lane when it comes to creativity. The hypnotic textures within Fast Lane Fever will pull you right into the alluringly immersive mix that seamlessly progresses from hyper-pop momentum to trippy wavey ambient interludes that allow sensuality to take the wheel.

If her sound is this polished in her debut release, we can’t wait to hear what is in the pipeline; she ticks all the right trap boxes with her intoxicating vocals, absorbing melodies and infectiously siren-esque energy.

Fast Lane Fever hit the airwaves on 11th August; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

3NSTY haunted the trap genre with his latest single, rip/vip

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Bringing an eerie baroque, and almost honkytonk, touch to the trap genre is the latest single, rip/vip, from artist and enigma 3NSTY, who has gained a cult following for the resonance in his lyricism that predominantly traverses themes of alienation and depression.

With the horror-esque sound effects atop the artfully dark piano keys beneath his mumbled with relatable malaise rap bars, the track drips visceral melancholy as it ingeniously explores the juxtaposition between the two anacronyms. Anyone with a proclivity towards ennui and dejection will know that the two statuses are equally desirable when you’re psychologically scraping the barrel for serotonin.

rip/vip is now available to stream on SoundCloud along with the LP from which it was taken, Insomnia. 

Follow 3NSTY on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get your Latin Trap ecstasy hit with FJP’s latest drop, Molly Party

FJP’s latest single, Molly Party, dropped (or should that be came up?) on the 14th of July to blur the boundaries between Latin Trap and the evolution from Jamaican dancehall, Dembow, and to generate a fierce party rocking with conviction and culture hit that could fill any Bronx dancefloor.

With a sound so hedonistically filthy that you’ll get a contact high from your speakers as the bass and harsh snares are blazing through them, there’s no better hit to get your party started – literally.

To create his galvanising distinctive sonic signature, the Dominican Bronx-born-and-raised artist fuses his Latin Caribbean roots with eclectic hip-hop influences to produce riddim-riding anthems that will safely secure his place on the Bronx hip-hop map.

Add Molly Party to your Spotify playlists.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from FJP on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kilabear sang the blasé trap blues in his melodic hit, IDC

The 18-year-old Baltimore-born Gettysburg, PA-raised rap artist, Kilabear, has proven to be one of the most dynamic trap artists in the game since he started releasing his music in 2019. Whether he’s creating adrenalizing high-octane hook-filled hits or getting mellow with his euphonically polyphonic keys & synths, one thing remains a constant – his determination to make each of his projects visceral and emotion-driven.

His standout single, IDC, from his 2022 LP, 101, is an immersive synthesis of blissfully toned chiptune melodies and honeyed harmonies arranged in a sharp killer cadence. While Kilabear signs the blasé trap blues, he invites his listener into a world of escapism, which stems from his tendency to use music as an outlet and sanctuary.

After losing his dad when he was two years old and being passed from domestic pillar to post as his family contended with financial issues, he’s experienced the extreme lows that give him a razor-sharp sense of resonant empathy, which is just one of the reasons why his fans can’t get enough of his relatable, raw, and melancholic tracks.

Stream & purchase IDC on Apple Music or add the track to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

MANTRABLU tripped out trap in his latest juggernaut of a track, NIPTUCK

Brooklyn-based singer, rapper, and producer MANTRABLU has dropped his juggernaut of an experimental trap hit, NIPTUCK; with the razor-sharp wit and equally as cutting trip-hop atmosphere, few urban originators have as much edge as the artist who takes his influence from everything from math rock to neo-soul to jazz-funk.

After a wavy chiptune prelude, MANTRABLU’s rolling-with-the-punches rap bars adrenalize the texturally complex soundscape that stands as a testament to his trailblazing authenticity. Get behind him or get out of the way, because if any contemporary artist has what it takes to make a fresh mark on the Brooklyn hip-hop landscape it is him – especially now he’s breaking away from his production-focused discography and going back to his origins as a songwriter.

Stream NIPTUCK which hit the airwaves in May 2023 on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

THE VISION blurred sonic boundaries beyond definition in his latest rocksteady with vibes production, WANNA KNOW

Sonic boundaries blurred beyond definition in the latest single, WANNA KNOW, from the London-based fusionist artist, engineer, and producer, THE VISION. Instead of pandering to arbitrary stylistic parameters, the alternative artist let rhythm and soul take the wheel and drive with the top down while painting a contemporary love story with more twists than a Shakespearean tragedy.

With so many lyrical layers to unpeel in WANNA KNOW, the trap pop hit spills a narrative that keeps giving with every listen; lock into the lyricism or lose yourself in the steamy synthetics of the hit, that provides the ultimate soundtrack to hazy summer nights with the Afrobeat rhythms, pop hooks, trap beats and deeply reverberant RnB vocal melodies.

WANNA KNOW hit the airwaves on the 14th of July; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast