March 21, 2023 • Ohad Tal

How Soundcloud Launched a Whole Generation of Rappers

Juice WRLD, Doja Cat & Post Malone: The streaming platform Soundcloud has given rise to a whole generation of rappers. While many have pronounced the era of “Soundcloud Rap” as over, the phenomenon shows us that times have changed: Streaming platforms have officially replaced radio as the space where artists make (or break) their careers. 

In this article we will show you how Soundcloud became THE place for a new generation of underground talent and what you as an artist can learn from the phenomenon.

A short history of SoundCloud

Swedish streaming service SoundCloud was established in 2007. Its low entry hurdle set it apart from other streaming providers in important ways. [1]

There are no monthly costs, and unlike Apple Music, Spotify, and other streaming services, no middleman is required.

Hip-hop, which began as a subculture in 1970s New York, has long since made it into the mainstream, as you are surely aware. It is currently regarded as the most popular musical style. In spite of this, SoundCloud's underground beginnings are arguably what made it so appealing to young hip-hop artists.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SYNC UP SOUNDCLOUD PROMOTION

The rise of SoundCloud rap  

When SoundCloud was launched, DJs dominated its user base and shared their shows there. All of that changed in the early 2010s when a whole generation of hip-hop artists began sharing their (sometimes unfinished) tracks on the platform. The phenomenon expanded, eventually becoming the "SoundCloud rap" or "mumble rap" subgenre. Although there is no definitive definition of SoundCloud rap, it is typically distinguished by muttered delivery, an unpolished recording style, and themes of drug use, loneliness, and suicide. [2]

"It was basically the worst recording setup, but that was the wave we were riding because you could set it up anyplace... Rapper Ski Mask the Slump God says, "The raw intensity of that—the distortion—is our speciality and we used that to our advantage.

While critics debate whether SoundCloud rap is a genre, a cultural phenomenon, or just the work of any rapper who happens to start out on the platform, one thing is for certain: What began as an underground movement associated with face tattoos, emo lyrics, and a rock-star lifestyle, quickly became THE thing everyone was talking about...

Is SoundCloud Rap dead? 

It only took a few years for the phenomena to become widely known after the chatter began to intensify. The SoundCloud rap movement was referred to as "the most vibrant and disruptive new movement in hip-hop" by New York Times music writer Jon Caramanica in 2017. But, things quickly began to fall apart after Lil Peep, XXXTentaction, and Juice Wrld passed away. Many, including Rolling Stone Magazine, declared the movement to be dead.

Famous SoundCloud Rappers 

The movement played a crucial role in the democratization of music that resulted from the development of the internet. It therefore attracted to a group of hip-hop performers that didn't want to follow the established rules in a rock'n'roll fashion. Bbymutha, Lil Yachty, Rico Nasty, Doja Cat, Lil Uzi Vert, Speak!, Lil Peep, 21 Savage, Ashnikko, Ghostemane, Lil Dicky, Playboi Carti, Quay Dash, Dai Burger, Lil Pump, Chief Keef, XXXTentacion, and Yung Baby Tate are just a few of the artists connected to the craze.

Post Malone, whose song "White Iversion" went viral in 2015, is undoubtedly SoundCloud's biggest success story. He has since released two number-one albums and most recently joined the club of YouTube users with 1 billion views.