Internet rap (originally known as blog rap
Internet rap encompasses various online , and aesthetics that are deeply intertwined with internet culture, Internet meme, and digital communities. Unlike traditional hip-hop, internet rap is characterized by music primarily influenced by the internet and born out of online communities. Artists often favor online music distribution platforms such as SoundCloud, with songs frequently promoted and shared through Online streaming services like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Though many internet rappers achieve mainstream success, artists within this label have been described as Alternative rap or underground rap. The scene was originally based primarily on trap music but later gave rise to several and internet subcultures.
History
1990s–2000s: Forerunners
During the mid-to late 1990s,
Canibus became the first rapper to make references to the
internet in
hip-hop. On the track "DJ Clue Freestyle" released in 1997, Canibus stated, "I'll battle you on the net, I'll battle you in the flesh."
He later created his own website, known as "www.canibus.com", which was promoted alongside his debut album
Can-I-Bus in 1998.
In 2002, he launched "MicClub.net", named after his second album
, where he shared music, lyrics, and interacted with his fans, which made him one of the earliest rappers to own a personal website and use the internet as a creative and promotional platform.
In 1998, Florida rapper Trick Daddy also made reference to the internet and its visual aesthetics, with the release of his album www.thug.com, which was the URL of his official website.
2000s–2010s: Blog Era
In the late 2000s, influential rappers like
Lil Wayne and
Soulja Boy were the first to embrace
social media, with the latter being credited as the first rapper to have a
Twitter account.
Wayne and Soulja Boy helped redefine
hip-hop through their approaches to online distribution, as their popularity grew largely from freely sharing songs through online
, demonstrating to the hip hop music industry that uploading your songs for free on the
internet could effectively build a fan base and generate profit, which was an unpopular idea at the time. Writer Kyle Kramer of
Vice, stated:
Internet rap music was originally referred to as "blog rap" due to hip-hop artists in the 2000s primarily distributing their music through the early online blogosphere, artists in other genres would also proliferate through which led to the emergence of early online music scenes like blog rock and bloghouse.
By 2009, influential rapper Lil B
Early 2010s: Cloud rap
By the early 2010s, influential rap groups and collectives such as
Odd Future,
Brockhampton,
, A$AP Mob,
Metro Zu,
and
SpaceGhostPurrp’s collective
Raider Klan proved highly influential to the development of internet rap.
Artists continued to proliferate on
blog-related websites like
Tumblr, and distributed music through
SoundCloud,
YouTube, and
Spotify. Other influential figures included
Danny Brown,
Tyler, the Creator, and
Yung Lean.
The term
hipster hop would also emerge to describe some artists from this time period who were making internet rap reflective of hipster culture, applied to artists such as The Cool Kids and
Kid Cudi.
Around this time, the broader internet rap scene began to amass wider audiences, following the online virality of Lil B, with rappers also drawing influence from Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane and Juicy J.
Contemporaneous developments in online underground rap during this period included experimental and industrial hip-hop artists such as Death Grips, JPEGMafia, Clipping and Injury Reserve.
Mid–late 2010s: SoundCloud Rap
During the mid-to-late 2010s, the music distribution site
SoundCloud became a central hub for a new style and movement in online hip-hop.
Florida's SoundCloud rap scene proved heavily influential to the sound of this era, drawing heavy influence from South Florida rap collectives like
SpaceGhostPurrp's
Raider Klan and
Metro Zu.
Artists like
Denzel Curry,
Lil Tracy (
Yung Bruh) and
Lil Peep would emerge from the scene as well as
Lil Pump, who would rise to internet virality through his 2017 single,
Gucci Gang.
This era was defined by artists like XXXTentacion, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty and Playboi Carti, who were collectively labeled soundcloud rap. Although internet rappers had been releasing music on SoundCloud for years, it was only during this period that the term "soundcloud rap" became associated with a specific sound. Subsequently, the term "mumble rap" later emerged as a pejorative to describe the off-kilter lyricism and unclear cadence and delivery of these rappers.
2020s: TikTok
During the early 2020s, many internet rap microgenres emerged or would primarily develop such as
sigilkore,
digicore,
Rage music, jerk,
krushclub,
pluggnb, ambient plugg, terror plugg and
HexD,
with
Rolling Stone describing the 2020s underground rap scene as "
extremely online".
Additionally, influential collectives during this period include Novagang
and Surf Gang.
Online platforms such as
Discord and
like
Roblox have been noted as influential.
Notable influential scenes and artists began to gain wider popularity during this period which included Luci4, islurwhenitalk, subiibabii, Odetari, 6arelyhuman, kets4eki, cade clair and asteria in the sigilkore and krushclub scene, Summrs, Tana, Kankan, Iayze and Autumn! in the Plugg music and pluggnb scene;
Other influential artists include Yabujin,
Related genres
Cloud rap
Cloud rap is a subgenre of internet rap that emerged in the late 2000s, characterized by ethereal, ambient production and lo-fi aesthetics. It was popularized by artists like
Lil B and producers such as Clams Casino.
Phonk
Phonk is a subgenre of hip-hop that draws heavily from 1990s Memphis rap and
horrorcore, pioneered by
SpaceGhostPurrp, featuring lo-fi samples, chopped and screwed vocals, and cowbells. The genre later gave birth to new microgenres like drift phonk, which were widely popularized on platforms like
SoundCloud and
TikTok in the late 2010s to early 2020s.
Drill
Drill music (also known as
drill rap or simply
drill) originated in
Chicago in the early 2010s, known for dark beats and violent, raw lyrics.
Chief Keef is credited with popularizing the genre, which later developed scenes in the
United Kingdom and across the
United States.
Lowend
Lowend is a subgenre of Milwaukee hip-hop that emerged primarily on the internet, focused on heavy bass, slowed-down beats, fast claps and ambient textures.
Plugg
Plugg music (also known as
Plugg) is a subgenre of
trap music that developed in the mid-2010s, noted for dreamy, minimal beats often produced with synth pads and bell sounds, emerging around 2013 as a cohesive production style of the collective called Beatpluggz including Atlanta-based producers MexikoDro and StoopidXool.
Plugg was inspired by
Zaytoven,
,
Juicy J,
Gucci Mane, the
snap rap group D4L, and the
Paper Mario Nintendo soundtrack.
Emo rap
Emo rap draws influences from
Trap music and
cloud rap merging with the themes and aesthetics of
emo and
alternative rock. Originally pioneered by Bones and
Black Kray. Artists like
Lil Peep,
XXXTentacion and
Juice WRLD helped bring it into the mainstream.
PluggnB
PluggnB is a fusion genre of plugg and contemporary R&B, combining soft melodic vocals, plugg-style instrumentation and dreamy R&B synths. It emerged in the late 2010s and gained popularity on
TikTok in the early 2020s, with artists such as
Lil Shine, Izaya Tiji, Autumn,
Kashdami,
SoFaygo,
Yeat,
Summrs,
Weiland, and Kankan
and the now-defunct artistic collective known as SlayWorld.
Digicore
Digicore is a form of internet rap that emerged alongside
hyperpop in the late 2010s, characterized by heavy
Auto-Tune, sped-up and pitched-up vocal effects, centered around online platforms like
Discord and
SoundCloud. Collectives such as novagang and helix tears have been considered influential.
Rage
Rage (also known as
rage music,
or
rage rap) is a microgenre of
trap music marked by aggressive synths, energetic drums, and distorted vocals. It emerged in the late 2010s, but was popularized in the early 2020s by artists like
Yung Fazo,
Playboi Carti,
Trippie Redd,
Ken Carson,
Destroy Lonely,
Mario Judah and
Yeat.
Jerk
Jerk (also known as
jerknb) is an internet rap microgenre that emerged in the early 2020s, taking from the early 2010s wave of jerk rap, the sound was reimagined by Californian producer kashpaint and New York rapper
Xaviersobased alongside his collective 1c34 into a completely different style that incorporated fast tempos, melodic synths, and off-kilter lyricism, while blending elements of
cloud rap,
digicore,
Lowend and
Plugg music.
Sigilkore
Sigilkore is a microgenre and electronic music movement that started on
SoundCloud in the late 2010s and combines aspects of
cloud rap and
trap music, contrary to its sound, derived from
hyperpop.
Dark synth melodies, effects and DJ mixing are frequently applied in-post. Lyrical themes in the genre revolve around dark themes,
including
occultism,
blood and vampires.
HexD
HexD is an internet rap microgenre that emerged in the late 2010s to early 2020s, characterized by heavy use of
Bitcrusher mixed with sped-up and pitched-up vocals. Originally pioneered by West Coast-based producer she_skin. The term was coined by Hexcastcrew member Stacy Minajj, who released the DJ mix
Rare RCB hexD.mp3 in late 2019, which samples and remixes songs from the influential online rap collective Reptilian Club Boyz.
Krushclub
Krushclub is a subgenre of sigilkore, originating in the early 2020s, mixing
Jersey club elements with electronic sound qualities. Blending
hyperpop and dance music, known for bitcrushed sounds, cartoonish lyrics, and video game-like energy. Popularized by artists like
Odetari, 6arelyhuman, Luci4, and
Lumi Athena. The genre draws influence from hexD and
sigilkore, reaching wider recognition on online platforms like
TikTok.
Dark plugg
Dark plugg is a microgenre of plugg which grew out of the DMV trap scene, originally pioneered by Surreal Gang producers like XanGang, Orcery, and Eddie Gianni, as well as rappers Slimesito and Fluhkunxhkos. Notable artists include Glokk40Spaz, elijxhwtf, and Smokingskul.
Ambient plugg
Ambient plugg is a microgenre of plugg blending original plugg's 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 like
Babyxsosa.
Terror plugg
Terror plugg (also known as
alarm plugg) is a microgenre of plugg characterized by its use of distorted 808s, eerie melodies, and intense vocal delivery, originally pioneered by producers and rappers Squillo, tdf, marrgielaa and boolymon. Due to unconventional 808 production, terror plugg experienced a wave of online virality between 2024 and 2025 through
on
TikTok and
Instagram.
Notable artists include boolymon, Lazer Dim 700, twovrt, and savage.
See also
Bibliography
