Letter To the Editor: Why We Like SoundCloud Rap

By Griffin Forbes and Sascha Miller

Music taste plays a big part in how students express themselves, and we believe melodic rap should be more popularized because it blends so many different genres instead of sticking to just one. Rock, hip hop, rap, punk rock, and other smaller subgenres were and still are some of the most inspirational influences on this style of music.

Instead of keeping the same melodic and lyrical feel, these genres were altered and mixed with rap, creating a melodic, upbeat trap sound. We like how this genre has something for everyone because the different subgenres still share a similar melodic style. This genre is generally known as SoundCloud rap.

Some of the most prominent artists of this era include Lil Uzi Vert, Kodak Black, Trippie Redd, XXXTentacion, Juice Wrld, Post Malone, Lil Peep, Lil Yachty, and many more. Some of the earlier artists who helped create cloud rap were Lil B, Yung Lean, Viper, and Black Kray. They were among the first to shape the sound and inspired the artists who would dominate the era in its prime from 2015 to 2018.

This era experienced a drastic change when many of its most popular rappers sadly passed away, including Juice Wrld (Jarad Anthony Higgins, 1998–2019), Lil Peep (Gustav Elijah Ahr, 1996–2018), and XXXTentacion (Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, 1998–2018). Many more were also lost. These tragedies brought major changes to the scene but also paved the way for new artists to emerge, such as Bladee, Smokedope2016, and Ecco2k, who have been growing rapidly and keeping the same vibe alive.