What Is Emo/Sad Rap

The Emo/Sad Rap era is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music, originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s1. The genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals commonly found in emo music1. Emo rap departs from the “traditional” tones found in modern mainstream hip hop in favor of more emotional and personal lyrical content1. Lyrics tend to focus on topics such as depression, loneliness, anxiety, consumption of drugs and alcohol, nihilism, suicide, heartbreak, and self-medication1. Some of the most notable musicians in the genre include Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, and Juice Wrld1.

The SoundCloud Rap era flourished from about 2015 to 2019, birthing a peerless class of artists who refused to fall in line2. These artists preferred to push the needle with their otherworldly artistry, resulting in an immense amount of impact in the rap game2. Artists like Chance The Rapper and Travis Scott were pace-setting superstars, and some of the first to utilize SoundCloud2. By 2016, the game was blessed with the presence of Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti, two boundary-shifting spitters who thrived with their free-flowing melodies and charismatic lyrics with swagged-up personas to match2. A little later, a secondary unit picked up the keys and unlocked the elevator to success. Artists like XXXTentacion and Juice Wrld reigned as a voice of the youth, blending rock, rap, and lo-fi genres into one ear-pleasing potion2.

Both these eras have had a profound impact on the development of hip hop, influencing the music, culture, and artists of subsequent generations1