Born out of Trap and having firmly found its place in modern hip-hop, mumble rap is a genre that’s been met with both skepticism and intrigue in recent times.
Based on the repetition of often incoherent words, it’s either considered as an art or a complete lack of lyrical prowess–depending on who you listen to, that is.
With a focus on vocal harmonies and melodies rather than memorable lyrics, it’s difficult to ignore the amount of backlash the genre has received from artists and fans alike.
In fact, the term “mumble rap” itself is increasingly being used as a way of dismissing the capability of these rappers to achieve anything of significance in the music industry–all except a few.
First coined by Wiz Khalifa during his 2016 interview with Hot 97, this is what the rapper had to say about artists like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert: “We call it mumble rap. It ain't no disrespect to the lil homies, they don't want to rap. It's cool for now, it's going to evolve. Those artists, if they want to stay around, they'll figure out the next thing to do. But right now, that's what's poppin."
Mainstream hip-hop has undergone a major transformation over the course of several years with the emergence of distinct sub-genres such as Trap and Soundcloud rap.
Mumble rap, however, struggles to take precedence over the genres mentioned above for the simple reason that it challenges the core element of hip-hop itself–namely, intellectual songwriting.
Say whatever you will about the genre–the marketing appeal of mumble rap does not seem to be dying down anytime soon, with clubs and radio stations picking up on its commercial value.
Will it be as big as hip-hop itself? Depends on whether young rappers will be able to sustain their audience over a long period of time quite like legends Jay Z or Kanye West.
Maybe it is time for the newer generation to let their voices be heard, even if it involves reducing it to a..mumble.
**Picture courtesy of The Ringer**
Based on the repetition of often incoherent words, it’s either considered as an art or a complete lack of lyrical prowess–depending on who you listen to, that is.
With a focus on vocal harmonies and melodies rather than memorable lyrics, it’s difficult to ignore the amount of backlash the genre has received from artists and fans alike.
In fact, the term “mumble rap” itself is increasingly being used as a way of dismissing the capability of these rappers to achieve anything of significance in the music industry–all except a few.
First coined by Wiz Khalifa during his 2016 interview with Hot 97, this is what the rapper had to say about artists like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert: “We call it mumble rap. It ain't no disrespect to the lil homies, they don't want to rap. It's cool for now, it's going to evolve. Those artists, if they want to stay around, they'll figure out the next thing to do. But right now, that's what's poppin."
Mainstream hip-hop has undergone a major transformation over the course of several years with the emergence of distinct sub-genres such as Trap and Soundcloud rap.
Mumble rap, however, struggles to take precedence over the genres mentioned above for the simple reason that it challenges the core element of hip-hop itself–namely, intellectual songwriting.
Say whatever you will about the genre–the marketing appeal of mumble rap does not seem to be dying down anytime soon, with clubs and radio stations picking up on its commercial value.
Will it be as big as hip-hop itself? Depends on whether young rappers will be able to sustain their audience over a long period of time quite like legends Jay Z or Kanye West.
Maybe it is time for the newer generation to let their voices be heard, even if it involves reducing it to a..mumble.
**Picture courtesy of The Ringer**
Article published: 26th September, 2019