Hip-Hop's Most Forgotten Subgenre - A Deep Dive Into Cloud Rap

Hope you all enjoy this video, if you have any questions let me know in the comments and I'll try to reply to them all. Share this video with a friend that needs to get into cloud rap!!
Credit to ‪@Jaiboue‬ for editing this video, go show them some love :)
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[@sonikku956]

I think that cloud rap didn't die, it just evolved into modern subgenres like tread, HexD/Surge, digicore, emo rap (to a degree), and rage.

[@trench900]

Exactly

[@nativeswagho5213]

Absolutely edit: also plugg/pluggnb

[@ryanmoore7283]

How the fuck do y’all know these random stupid ass names for these genres

[@RetroEternal]

Pi’erre still carrying the torch with his euphoric, entrancing trap melodies

[@youngcrickee2201]

Which channels or website can I go to, to consistently hear these music's ?

[@ZyberGotSwag]

Abe James should make a cloud rap mixtape and try to single handedly bring back the genre

[@abejames7529]

Facts!

[@cyphen7879]

@@abejames7529 they ask me how I never miss

[@Blissthree3]

@@cyphen7879 [???] On this lucki type beat spittin musical facts

[@chvrliebrowwn]

That’s what I’m doing

[@b3witthawop64]

Fire vid idea

[@user-pv7vc9kp9k]

cloud rap is a nice way to feel like youre high without taking shidd

[@immcb2812]

I never had listened to cloud rap then randomly found codeine and pizza and it really surprised me how good it is. It is legit perfect music to just chill out and vibe to.

[@rahmafadhil3453]

Damn, is that Chris Travis mixtape right?

[@AdamsLTFC420]

​@@rahmafadhil3453 yeqh

[@Hollowsesh]

Young Kenshin Travis do his thaang, bitch!

[@motoravidaloka4805]

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M LOOKING FOR 2 YEARS OLD FOR A GIRL WHO SINGS CLOUD RAP, SHE SEEMS NOT TO BE VERY FAMOUS. SHE IS VERY SKINNY AND HAS CURLY HAIR IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, AND HAS A DEPRESSED FACE

[@duel2803]

i love cloud rap bruh

[@buck8959]

my favorite rap subgenre

[@scoots6700]

It's not dead the genre has just been elevated into so much more. What Rocky did with cloudrap mixing it with psychedelic rap was genius and I think he truly elevated cloud rap into an entire new level. What XXX and peep did feeding more into the emo rap side. Lucki as well has a very interesting relationship with trap and cloud rap. Carti also has such an interesting relationship with the genre. I think more people should start focusing on the cloud rap genre and acknowledge the elements it has brought into main stream music.

[@yeah6496]

stop dickeating rocky he stole his entire swag from sgp

[@what-rf5kj]

Only Lucki of those you mentioned still makes cloud rap music & respectfully Lucki ain't a good rapper so he can't really keep this genre alive. Peep was never a real hip-hop act. Just a depressed goon who used cloudy beats and had a pop spin on them on occassion which gained him popularity.

[@masterchiefer35]

Dawg cloud rap is already psychedelic rap

[@jameson1465]

@@what-rf5kjLucki is better than Tupac

[@what-rf5kj]

@@jameson1465 Pac is overrated but Lucki definitely isn't clear. Lucki has the most boring delivery of any rapper I've heard

[@NateAlyn]

Yung Lean and Sadboyz era is underrated. I was heavily into the Dota 2 community and a Canadian streamer named Arteezy would constantly stream his music. What an amazing time to be alive.

[@whatburnsneverreturns]

bruh what do you mean we in the sadboyz era still yung lean still makes music

[@ryanmoore7283]

@@whatburnsneverreturns the music is still fire but the sadboyz aesthetic era was nearly a decade ago brother

[@ronaldoZB]

Damn, the Best hc rtz, i never knew this

[@motoravidaloka4805]

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M LOOKING FOR 2 YEARS OLD FOR A GIRL WHO SINGS CLOUD RAP, SHE SEEMS NOT TO BE VERY FAMOUS. SHE IS VERY SKINNY AND HAS CURLY HAIR IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, AND HAS A DEPRESSED FACE

[@Jay-pc2ev]

I honestly love this genre so much. It just feels like I'm ascending out of my body every time I listen. The vibes are so chill and the trap beats are immaculate. Best genre to play at 2 am while sipping on some drink. 🔥

[@motoravidaloka4805]

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M LOOKING FOR 2 YEARS OLD FOR A GIRL WHO SINGS CLOUD RAP, SHE SEEMS NOT TO BE VERY FAMOUS. SHE IS VERY SKINNY AND HAS CURLY HAIR IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, AND HAS A DEPRESSED FACE

[@nick-hw7qv]

You should do another deep dive video. They are entertaining to watch and it puts others onto more music.

[@arthurw1096]

So glad you are back making amazing content!

[@KiddRyzeDaGawd]

Fantastic video. Covered alot of ground and its clear that you're well versed in the topic. Glad people still cover this era. It was a time brimming with creativity and intrigue. There was a certain mystique about the music and the artists while alos maintaining a relatable "basement" feel. A lot of my favorite artists come from this period, and I can only hope the pendulum swings and a resurgence occurs. Only time will tell...

[@wtmusic515]

Beautiful video. It’s been an absolute blast to have listened to trap music’s evolvement, listened since Lil B and Clams Casino first started to pop off🔥

[@gabedepaul5407]

Love your content! A great mind of the internet music community

[@thebalockhead6698]

Listen while cLOUDDEAD isn’t cloud rap like we know it today don’t sleep on there self-titled album. The album is a huge grower and when it clicks, IT CLICKS. It’s almost like ambient music mixed with very abstract rap verses mixed with a very sound collage type of pacing where songs will go in and out very easily. It’s one of the best Hiphop albums of all time in my opinion. The easiest songs to get into this album is Apt A (1) and I Promise (1) they’re by far the most accessible songs on the album

[@endrocreactive]

bro the production is heavenly

[@jimmy-breeze]

perfect album

[@yoooo3263]

great video abe! love the doc-esc style and can’t wait for other videos like this

[@abejames7529]

Glad u like it! The next video I’ll make in this style will be explaining the concept of Almighty So by Chief Keef

[@yoooo3263]

@@abejames7529 bro finally! thought the concept was a myth or something. i found ur channel out from the GKMC concept vid and now we finally getting the concept for almighty so

[@Ggs22]

@@abejames7529 u sure it’s ever gonna actually drop?

[@maikkelimuikkeli471]

Just wanted to say i love your videos Keep it up

[@Xavierhanacki]

Great video man was exactly what I was looking for

[@ovazflame149]

Bro, you literally changed my whole music taste in couple months and im forever grateful for that.You put me on to a lot of great artists that i didnt even know.Cant wait till you gone drop videos more often

[@cuh8571]

Im not gonna lie i feel the same way, but i don't know if i am proud now that i listen to bladee and peggy and shit

[@etmiragexvi2472]

@@cuh8571 bladee is iffy but peggy is literally amazing do not be ashamed

[@cuh8571]

@@etmiragexvi2472 yeh peggy is great but there is no way im gonna tell anyone that i be listening to baby im bleeding or rainbow six lol

[@user-oh4zi3rr2i]

perfect video!!! Thanks so much!!! Also for the suggestions at the end!!!!!

[@lucaskleinbeck]

Great video, Cloud Rap is def one of my favorite sounds. Lil Peep; Part One is such a fire mixtape and a great way to get into Peep.

[@s-amg0delite944]

This was a great video Broo just put me on an educated me on so much music and culture

[@Vos4002]

Another fantastic video

[@grapeswithcapes8314]

finally some new content

[@kevinhirschowitz8550]

THANK YOU, the one day youll see me again shoutout is so sick. such a good compilation of a man delving into a whole new sound by himself, packed with awesome songs

[@since_leo]

Great video, as a rocky and peep fan i can say that rocky is super underrated, people will forever compare it to travis without even understanding that they are different, and if you really want to compare them rocky in my opinion is on another level. Speaking of Peep I will never understand the hate he gets, I understand he made a lot of sad music but it was evolving, on the other hand I am glad you mentioned lil peep part one, that is an album full of bangers.

[@Mr.watashi]

Rocky wayyyy better too

[@yunfun.8893]

Not really. Rocky dug his own grave 🤷‍♂ He wasn't as passionate about music as Travis was and was also tied to a group which was responsible for his fame and then he went back to the group for 2 years and abandoned his solo career. That's why Travis overtook him. Rocky USED to be the "Travis Scott" of the rap game, then after 2016 he generally decided he was more into fashion and only dropped 1 album in 8 years. Even in a 2012 interview, Rocky said his goal was "to be a fashion icon" not to be "the best rapper". That's why when Kendrick name dropped Rocky in the Control verse, Rocky didn't care because he isn't actually hungry about rapping and being the best, he just wants to be seen as a mysterious innovator / influencer that makes music sporadically. So no, Rocky is not "underrated" with his questionable work ethic, especially when his best work is his first mixtape that came out 10 years ago. That being said, Live Love ASAP is far better than Rodeo is. But Rocky completely abandoned the cloud rap sound that was all over that mixtape and made it unique. He went the generic mainstream route when promoting Long Live ASAP by doing that song with Skrillex and making Fuckin Problems a lead single for his album which is just a generic catchy club song. LVL was the only track on the album that was remotely similar to his mixtape work prior.

[@since_leo]

@@yunfun.8893 with underrated i meant an underrated lyricist, he's underappreciated, he should have take music so much seriously cause he's amazing at it. He's one of the better artist of this generation period, so much better than travis and others, he has everything, flow, versatility, lyrics, production and charisma. All that said now he has 30 mln listeners on spotify and that is pretty good, in my opinion he could have a come back with don't be dumb

[@yunfun.8893]

@@since_leo Uhw...Rocky doesn't consistently rap with good lyricism. Many times he prefers to prioritise rap flow over lyricism and whilst that's a better stylistic choice as rhythm is more important than lyrics when making good music, Rocky has not often balanced the two together. It would be delusional to suggest that Rocky has displayed good lyricism on Testing. Tony Tone and Distorted Records for example are lazy lyrically. But I get it, that wasn't what Rocky was going for on the album. But casual listeners who are trying to get into Rocky's music will have to listen to an album to see what he's about and they will not be under the impression that Rocky is a good lyricist because the album isn't accessible to the majority of rap fans. It neither displays any sort of lyrical talent nor does it even showcase how good his rap flow is. Plus the beat selection is not actually impressive like it was with his earlier work. And even lyrically, Rocky has good wordplay but lacks quality rhymes. He also often incorporates redundant lists in his rap lyrics which can be quite repetitive to some listeners. As a lyricist, Rocky is DECENT at best. I watched a 2010 cypher of "female" Rocky freestyling and he was killing it but he's never lived up to his 2010 cypher in his commercial music. It's watered down compared to his freestyles back in the day. Even when he tried to freestyle in 2015 and all that it wasn't nearly as good as how he used to be back in the day. That being said, as a lyricist I do believe Rocky is one of the best of his era, only because the 2010s era is extremely weak lyrically. If Rocky was in the 90s he'd be a below average lyricist for sure because MCs were way better back then. As for the 30m monthly listeners he's only got that because of the Am I Dreaming song which he gained about 5 million listeners off of and a remix of his 2011 track Demons is trending on TikTok and Gen Z is not familar with ASAP Rocky due to a lack of recent material so he will get new listeners off that song trending alone and maybe the rest of the mixtape's streams will improve as well but this has no bearing on how successful his next album will be because I personally think he doesn't really want to actually drop music and is pretty much forced to make it.

[@since_leo]

@@yunfun.8893 man i don't have time to read all that, i'll just say that when he wants he ca be a very good lyricist; he's one of my goats.

[@OhDTEK]

Great vid , wish u touched on Pizza and Codeine more tbh I think it’s extremely influential in todays hip hop as well as Rocky’s discography.

[@rockyrockefeller7159]

Yeah I love that album and pretty much all of SHWB

[@peaks781]

this boutta be a banger vid

[@doctordai-tenshi1405]

Bro thank you for all the recommendations, I'm literally in heaven

[@vincentpaino534]

Yet another classic by Abe

[@mahoi172]

you should do a video on abstract hiphop. great video btw

[@abejames7529]

Thanks! That’s a good idea I love abstract hiphop

[@luca.freestyle]

W video, should’ve talked more about krays influence tho

[@DavidHoughton17]

That's a really good deep dive into Cloud Rap. I do think what was missed here came from the Bay area artist MAIN ATTRAKIONZ & FRENDZONE (producers) If you recall Main Attrakionz were featured in that A£AP Rocky song, "leaf" and yeah i think prodcuers Friendzone and Claims were tight ?? Other notable artist owrthing mentioning . are Flatbush Zombies. and maybe The Underachievers. but i would not class Beast Coast collective as "cloud rap". ~ I use to listen to cLOUDDEAD, but yeah i guess i would bucket them in the "anticon" era of Hip Hop but i can see why they could be this "proto cloud" . anyway nice upload and content on this much loved genre.

[@DavidHoughton17]

also i am happy that Spotify uploaded Freindzone instrumentals under the album "Collection ii! . You will see an early A$AP Rocky tune 🙂

[@paingamingv2208]

Ong bro. There so underrated

[@motoravidaloka4805]

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M LOOKING FOR 2 YEARS OLD FOR A GIRL WHO SINGS CLOUD RAP, SHE SEEMS NOT TO BE VERY FAMOUS. SHE IS VERY SKINNY AND HAS CURLY HAIR IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, AND HAS A DEPRESSED FACE

[@pickleparadox5379]

Incredible video

[@pepejaar702]

$uicideboy$ deserve mainstream appreciation. Their early work such as Soul Seek, Tsunami Saga, Gray/Grey and 7th or St. Tammany are pure cloud rap. Their whole discography is heavily overlooked.

[@dabs.47]

Bones too, idk how you gonna mention cloud rap without G59 and SESH .

[@elijahk.7828]

@@dabs.47 true

[@samurairavo]

Their whole discography has at least millions of streams

[@lilduff]

finally someone talking about cloud rap. this shit was all i listened to a year ago lil b, yung lean, seshollowaterboyz, and raider klan

[@pogga4460]

yabujin is one of my favorite artist rn. do you have any other videos where you talk about him? love the video btw

[@abejames7529]

Nah I haven’t talked about him much but hes fire, thanks for the support

[@rohinsequeira6931]

yabujin is so underrated, havent heard a bad song so far

[@rwy-ug6pl]

W, also do the powers that b concept video bro

[@jayceee23]

you told me to listen to eversince during a stream once and i am forever grateful

[@abejames7529]

Let’s goooooo glad u liked it

[@jayceee23]

@@abejames7529 bladee is my second most listened to artist only behind kanye now😂

[@youssef3341]

@@jayceee23 same bro and I started listening to him like 7 months ago

[@waluigi521]

cloud rap is my favorite subgenre, so many great projects and artist to come out of the scene. incredibly influential

[@SnarledJoker84]

You da man Abe w video essay

[@abejames7529]

Appreciate u

[@cxramelty242]

we needa bring it back

[@silasfloyd5511]

great video

[@FamooWahVe]

Just listened to Yabujin for the first time thanks to u, I think I possibly found another 10 or maybe a 9 idk yet

[@Wallblue21]

BRO THIS VID WAS AMAing

[@lmfao5427]

Bones really influenced yung lean in the beginning

[@ros_berth]

the nasa mixtape by spaceghostpurrp is also a cloud rap classic

[@BasedFrequency]

How was main attrakionz and friendzone not mentioned :(

[@jom4535]

tracy and cartier god definitely deserve mentions, but great vid ‼️

[@yvvngbruh6224]

On squad

[@vampchannel]

Ya gotta bump Gatorade and Hurt by yung lean. Peak cloud rap

[@cmecachin44202I]

tru

[@motoravidaloka4805]

PLEASE HELP ME, I'M LOOKING FOR 2 YEARS OLD FOR A GIRL WHO SINGS CLOUD RAP, SHE SEEMS NOT TO BE VERY FAMOUS. SHE IS VERY SKINNY AND HAS CURLY HAIR IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, AND HAS A DEPRESSED FACE

[@dule5327]

amazing video covering cloud rap. you definetly covered the pioneers and creators of cloud rap but i still believe you missed to talk about people such as black kray, chris travis, yabujin and thaiboy (you did talk about them but i believe not really enough) as theyve also been gods of the genre. overall a great video to inform newcomers to cloud rap

[@zen-xv3wg]

Black kray has to be one of my favorite artists of all time

[@dead_meat8362]

nice haircut boy, yo this cloud rap shit bussin fr fr

[@MrAwesomehappy]

7:16 this transition was crazy

[@wesleygarcia8363]

Mentioning Denzel curry’s early work would’ve been great. His mixtapes before Nostalgic 64 have some great highlights and Nostalgic 64 and even parts of imperial still have cloud rap at its core.

[@superMarwin12345]

nice presentation. I liked it

[@wuspatterwukd9104]

biweekly uploads?!?! Let’s goo

[@Ggs22]

This was great but ima need that almighty so concept video soon

[@youssef3341]

can you do a series where you review old albums?

[@abejames7529]

Yeah I was thinking of making that a series pretty soon

[@ForgivenessOfGodSeeker]

Black kray is just membre of raider klan for skating or so...forgot the info He's literally made the cloud rap as it is + he's like the best lyricist in this wave, weird but beautiful flows, the greatest vocal performances + the most cloud and the catchiest production ever He started the goth era which is one of the best eras oat

[@delvin9425]

Nah fr black kray my fav cloudrap artist and has prolly a top 5 fav voice and delivery in hip hop for me

[@RetroEternal]

Pi’erre Bourne is still keeping cloud rap alive with his next level melodies. His retro, euphoric, spacey melodic beats gives off entrancingly atmospheric and ethereal vibes that sound simultaneously nostalgic yet futuristic. Pi’erre heavily slept on

[@purptube678]

pierre bourne isnt cloud rap, he incorporates nostalgic sounds like some video game type sounds but his sound is trap

[@Demonicintrovert666]

wtf lol what are you on hes not cloud rap

[@purptube678]

@@1997AZ no its not, getting off similar feelings from different genres doesn't mean they're the same, with cloud rap being rather slow, lo-fi and hazy sounding with samples sometimes like listen to ginseng strip

[@matteosposato2688]

How did you not talk about black kray

[@steezgawdextraswa6906]

frrr

[@simonw4683]

Thank you for mentioning Viper ❤️

[@lordfizzz]

Viper is so slept on many memes but Hiram Clarke Hustler is unironically in my top 10 first two tracks are a spiritual experience

[@14thninja]

Shoutout Lil B the Bay Area never gets credit for all the trends in rap that originated from us

[@unkleyungblood]

One producer that NEVER gets his flowers is Key Nyata from raider klan. If you haven’t listened to him please do so

[@izaiyahsmith9423]

Unpopular opinion Houston started cloud rap

[@shaqsfavoritemeal7769]

low key yeah

[@ros_berth]

I keep bumpin cloud rap every day lol

[@manishsashi5420]

Hey abe, can we get a Madness Brackett video(preferably chief keef for me)?

[@yetislasagna7487]

what are the songs used all throughout the video?

[@luca.freestyle]

Best sub genre

[@zekewearscrocs4618]

mr james is back 😈

[@aXeL-qr9xs]

0:01 this Inst is Green Tea - Black Smurf

[@tritont2362]

Main attrakionz, Antwon, and metro zu always get left out but are all super influential

[@GVSHvids]

what about icytwat and thouxanbanfauni

[@ronnie2455]

btw Ik u said u don’t rly like viper but for me it’s atmosphere he creates that makes me like him

[@Blissthree3]

An abe James upload??? i must be dreaming

[@johnwayne7201]

If you think cloud rap is dead, you aint lookin

[@dom9057]

Would you recommend any newer cloud rap projects?

[@Demonicintrovert666]

it is dead unfortuantely imo

[@lamarville221]

What’s the name of the backround beat? 2:52

[@metis7534]

Icytwat revived this genre hard but he ended up switching to a mephis flow

[@epixstarxxv]

the only cloud rap albums i’ve listened to/liked are live love asap, faces, playboi carti self titled, almighty so and suprisingly lil b’s God’s Father. The rest of the genre isn’t rlly for me respectfully but all those albums listed above are absolute gems.

[@pddimez8485]

most of those aren’t cloud rap

[@youssef3341]

almighty so and faces aren't cloud rap

[@beckeu9177]

@@youssef3341 almighty so is

[@youssef3341]

@@beckeu9177 almighty so is trap

[@epixstarxxv]

@@pddimez8485 oh rlly? im just saying it based on the picture of albums he showed

[@einfinity0612]

i really wanna know how carti combines metal and rap into something that bringes the same energy that metal would unlike a corny rap rock type thing

[@sonikku956]

You'd have to look into the history of trap metal/SoundCloud rap for that

[@jlacky303]

Can you do another album tier list but REMASTERED

[@abejames7529]

Yessss eventually I wanna do that and add even more albums

[@Sporkonafork1]

Cashy Kesh, Icytwat & Divine Council, even Spooky Black

[@adielar12]

Some other really good cloud rap artists are main attrakionz, yung bruh and cartier god

[@abejames7529]

Ooh cartier

[@adielar12]

@@abejames7529 hell ya he’s great

[@ovazflame149]

Abe James yeah cartier god and soulja boy are the ogs

[@DavidHoughton17]

Def main attrakionz !!

[@sam_garton3541]

i love you abe

[@abejames7529]

I love you Sam

[@beatsfromjericho9359]

i want to be like abe when i grow up

[@samanthapmaldonado]

They could never make me hate cloud rap

[@YuTiOfficail]

Lil B Also Created Meme Rap

[@benbowkami]

TYBG

[@abejames7529]

TYBGTYBGTYBG

[@robdarlo]

this is a really good breakdown but you definitely missed Main Attrakionz

[@youngcrickee2201]

Any cloud rappers down to collab ?

[@malibumotions]

did not even mention Main Attrakionz Green Ova 4-EVER James Laurence R.I.P Brother we miss you so

[@cheej5529]

Can anyone tell me what the beats in the background are? Especially the 2nd one

[@aXeL-qr9xs]

Very first one is green tea by Black Smurf

[@jdanks]

yo if you are going to look up viper def roll up and put on the song my hops.

[@extherxal]

Yo should do some like this bout Yung Bruh b4 lil Tracy

[@Ali91694]

You still plan on working on an analysis for Almighty So?

[@abejames7529]

Yea I’m like 40% done

[@edattacks]

Thanks for helping me further in my cloud rap travels kind stranger. Great video, and more gems to add to my collection :)

[@Jaiboue]

real

[@abejames7529]

real

[@m6ckm6ckm6ck2]

watch me revive this entire thing give me a year

[@capitxl_mf9649]

Does icytwat and divine council count as cloud rap?

[@purptube678]

vapor trap