In recent years, trap music has become the music of our generation. From Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen" to Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode", this new style of rap is what we blast at parties, at the gym, on our way to those 8a.m. classes, or whenever else we want to get pumped up. Who can hate it? A lot of people, apparently. There are lots of people who say that trap music is absolute trash. Several critics and rappers have spoken out against trap music, claiming that rap is going downhill.
In an Instagram post from September 2016, producer and rapper Pete Rock says "... I'm obviously very passionate about good music and good lyrics... Can't understand the mumble rap s--- da hell is that?" And he's not completely wrong. At the end of the day, most trap music consists of very basic songs with heavy trap drums and meaningless lyrics. "Trap" rather than rap music is the primary genre of music that is popular amongst millennials, gen X and gen Z kids. Many of the more well-known and successful rap songs these days are just rappers mumbling through an auto-tuned microphone over a heavy-bass, catchy beat.
Our obsession with these types of songs comes from our admiration of the lavish lifestyle that the rappers rap about combined with the catchy trap beats backing them up. With this simple formula and with today's technology, anyone can become a rapper and create songs that we enjoy blasting through big speakers at parties or in our earphones while we're just walking down the street. As most of you guys know, a few of the most well-known artists who follow this formula are artists such as Migos, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Yachty.
Now, let's get the negative stuff out of the way for all the skeptics. As Pete Rock pointed out, the lyrics of most of these songs are, to be quite honest, ridiculous and uninventive. For example, in Travis Scott's 2016 hit "Coordinate" from his album "Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight" (I know, it confuses me too), Scott raps in the first verse after the chorus: "Highway, dip in traffic/2 gears, automatic/Leave the strip club, traffic/2 broads going at it". Now, some might look at these lyrics and see them as poetic…..but even I find them to be plain and unoriginal. Another popular song, "Flatbed Freestyle" by Playboi Carti goes: "Pussy man, I smoke that orange, yeah/Fendi down I'm smoking oregan/Effin and I'm smokin oregan/She menaging, need some more breath" behind a high-tempo, bass-boosted beat…....see what I mean? Great beat, terrible lyrics.
…..Or are they?
The first thing I love about trap music is what I like to call the "tale of riches" rather than a tale of rags to riches. Many older rap songs (which I also have a very deep appreciation of) from the late 80's and the 90's tend to follow the rags to riches story of a rapper from a poor urban area lifting themselves out of poverty with their hustle and with their talent. Contrarily, [t]rappers of today rap about having already made it to the top. They don't burden their audience with the story of how they made it to the top, they just talk about how good it is to be there.
Another great thing about Trap that we all can agree on is the importance of the beats in trap music. The heavy bass and catchy tunes are what somehow possess us to nodding our heads, tapping our feet, Milly Rocking or going all out with the Orange Justice at parties. But they have more effect on us than just being able to make us want to dance. They, like all music, convey feelings.
Just listen to Carti's "Flatbed Freestyle". An upbeat, happy tune in the key of A major plays as trap drums blast at a fast pace in the background. Not only does the song make us feel happy and want to dance, it reflects what Carti is talking (or mumbling) about in the song. His song describes a fun night enjoying his money (which he made, presumably, from rapping). In this song, Carti's in the strip club and he maybe had a bit too much to drink: "too much lean, too much ice/I'ma bite, one more bite/one more pint, one more pint…" Here, we see a love of the wealthy rap life and strong beats coming together to create a song about enjoying the rap life. In all trap songs, catchy beats and fun lyrics that convey what it's like to have "made it" combine into something that we all can appreciate, understand and dance to.
See? Trap music = art.
Told ya.
