The Rise of Trap

Trap, a hip-hop subgenre has been around for decades now and it is not likely to go off the charts any sooner. Read on to know all about it.

The popular culture is literally intoxicated on hip-hop. Musicians associated with the genre not only have a massive number of followers but an army of stans. An army big enough to have very few not at least familiar with it. At present, associating hip-hop with its socio-political context can be difficult as the genre has evolved into several sub-genres and has given rise to new meanings. However, the only reason we now enjoy the lyrics and beats of hip-hop is because Black people decided to tell their story which had long been snubbed.

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Trap music, a subgenre of Hip-hop, although popularised by the Trap’s Holy-trinity, T.I, Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy in the 20s, emerged way before the audiences learned about the genre by its name.

What is trap music ?

In 1980, Ikutaro Kakehashi manufactured a new drum machine called TR-808. This is what forms the basis of trap music at large. The genre is filled with rhythmic lyrics where artists pour out their experiences of drug infested lifestyle accompanied by electronic beats and enriched with what is called the “ decay knob”. The word trap comes from the trap houses in old african-american communities where drug business used to take place. As many Black residents of those communities struggled to come out of the vicious circle of survival and crime, they found themselves trapped in those houses. Only after the artists such as OutKast’s Big Boi in 1998 started speaking out about that side of the cities, people started to get informed and as the politics of reclaiming goes, the bad boys, drug peddlers and pimps got humanised.

History

Reportedly, Ronald Reagan’s presidential term in the 90s brought a massive crackdown of drug mules in Atlanta.It was aggravated due to the government’s housing scheme during that decade. After the public housing plan got scrapped, the landlords simply refused to take in people with drug history. This made lives of marginalised Black communities even harder hence there was no choice but to fall back in the drug circuit as the only source of employment. Atlanta is the place where trap music was popularised.

Dungeon Family, a rap-collective , started spitting verses about drug use and the way of under the shadows of trap houses. However the term picked up when Goodie Mob, another Atlanta based group,used the word in his “Thought Process” track, “ “When I was out in the trap or when I was goin’ / Through one of our episodes, only God knows.” Many other producers like Dj Screw, Cool Breeze, Goodie Mob and Ghetto Mafia made contributions to make the genre rise above and beyond.

What we really picked up was Trap Muzik by T.I and Trapoholics by Gucci Mane in 2003 and 2007 respectively. Their music essentially made Trap a mainstream phenomenon. So much so that the two have been quotes claiming that it was them who founded the genre. Even critics didn't completely deny what they claimed but they highlighted how Mannie Fresh and Shawty Redd as producers --and former revolutionaries of the genre--with T.I and Gucci Mane played their part in their respective albums.

The MVPs

For the listeners born in the 20s, names such as Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West , Young Thug and Snoop Dogg are more than just familiar. If the drug struggle reminds you of Eminem, then you might be wrong because Eminem is considered too white to join the trap league ( sorry but not sorry ). What all of these aforementioned artists have in common is their producer -- Lex Luger. He shot to fame after the 2010 Waka release and his work with OJ Da Juiceman didn't go unnoticed either. Popular charts show and the Guardian says that the recent hit in trap music genre has been Trap Queen by Fetty Wap.

“ I stopped committing crimes/ Today I’m in music, sheguey my life is getting better/ I dream of leaving my slum-fleeing this fran for Miami / No longer seeing my parents suffer/ My god give me the opportunity to see mama smile”

The lyrics represent the true essence of the genre as the artist rhymes his suffering with hip beats. This however sounds totally different from the earlier versions of the sub-genre. A lot of trap music at present is directed to the EDM style of music which makes it less and less closer to its original context. Earlier when the stories got hold of people, it is the personalities that build admirers now. Think about it, “ Dope” clothes, gold chains , snazzy cars, women and cash is all that the trap music should be seen as ?

From the October 2020 issue of FHM India.