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scream rap

Scream Rap

United States · 2010s
IntenseDarkDancingSadEpic

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Description

Scream rap is a high-intensity rap style defined by screamed, shouted, or harsh-vocal delivery over trap-leaning beats. Rather than relying on metal-style guitars, it typically keeps a hip-hop rhythmic core—808s, rattling hi‑hats, and booming sub-bass—while pushing vocals and drums into aggressive saturation and intentional clipping.

The result is a cathartic, visceral sound that fuses the emotional volatility of screamo and hardcore punk with the swagger, rhythm, and production grammar of contemporary rap. Lyrical themes often center on rage, alienation, mental health, and internet-era nihilism, but also on boastful energy designed for moshpits and explosive live shows.


Sources: Spotify, Wikipedia, Discogs, RYM, MB, user feedback and other online sources

History

Origins (early–mid 2010s)

Scream rap emerged in the 2010s as a vocal-forward offshoot of trap, drawing heavily on the catharsis of screamo and the physicality of hardcore punk and metalcore. Early experiments by underground rappers who shouted or screamed over blown‑out 808s established a template: keep the beat hip‑hop, but push the voice into extreme distortion and emotional volatility.

The SoundCloud era (2015–2018)

DIY platforms—especially SoundCloud—accelerated the style. Minimal gatekeeping, cheap home setups, and a taste for clipped mixes let artists publish raw, high-gain recordings that would have been rejected by traditional studios. Producers associated with the online underground used overdriven 808s, crushed drum buses, and simple but hard-hitting motifs to foreground a screamed delivery that read as both punk and rap.

Notable flashpoints and codification (late 2010s)

As the style spread, it fragmented alongside related aesthetics—trap metal, punk rap, and industrial-tinged hip hop—yet the core idea remained: screamed verses over trap frameworks. Viral singles and abrasive live performances (with moshpit energy more akin to hardcore shows) helped cement scream rap as a recognizable lane rather than a one-off gimmick.

Globalization and hybrids (2020s)

In the 2020s, scream rap diversified globally. UK, European, and Latin American artists mixed the delivery with local scenes, while producers borrowed from industrial hip hop, rage rap, and hyperpop/digicore, further emphasizing saturated synths, glitchy FX, and tempo-flexible drum programming. The style’s live potency—circle pits, call-and-response hooks, and chantable refrains—kept it a fixture at clubs and festivals.

Today

Scream rap now functions both as a stand-alone tag and as a vocal technique artists deploy within broader trap or alternative rap projects. Its impact is visible in adjacent micro‑genres (trap metal, rage rap) and in the normalization of intentionally "broken" mixes, where clipping and distortion are aesthetic choices rather than errors.

How to make a track in this genre

Core rhythm and tempo
•   Start with trap foundations at 130–160 BPM (often felt in double-time). Program tight, syncopated hi‑hats (rolls, triplets, stutters) and a punchy kick/snare grid that leaves room for vocals. •   Use 808 bass as a lead character: long glides, pitch bends, and deliberate overdrive or soft‑clipping to make subs feel physical.
Sound design and production
•   Embrace saturation: drive the drum bus and/or master into gentle clipping; commit to a gritty, blown‑out edge without losing groove. •   Layer one or two stark motifs (e.g., a detuned bell, guitar stab, or distorted synth) rather than dense harmony—space magnifies the vocal impact. •   Use industrial textures (noises, metallic hits, risers) sparingly to heighten tension before drops or hook entrances.
Vocals and delivery
•   Technique: employ controlled vocal fry or false‑cord screaming for power without wrecking your voice; warm up, hydrate, and use proper breath support. •   Tracking: double the main line with a slightly different take; add ad‑libs (panned, pitched, or distorted) to create a chaotic, live feel. •   Processing: high‑pass mud, hit a fast compressor for control, then saturate/distort in parallel. Don’t fear intentional clipping—just keep consonants intelligible.
Harmony, melody, and hooks
•   Favor dark minor tonalities; keep chords minimal (i–VI–VII or i–VII loops). Let tension come from timbre, rhythm, and dynamics more than harmonic twists. •   Write chantable hooks with short phrases, repeated words, and strong downbeat placement—designed to be shouted back by a crowd.
Lyrics and themes
•   Tap into catharsis: anger, release, alienation, mental health, battle‑ready bravado. Keep lines direct, percussive, and image‑driven. •   Contrast: use quieter, spoken bars before a screamed hook to magnify impact.
Arrangement and performance
•   Structure around energy arcs: a stark intro → explosive hook → verse with dropouts → bigger hook → short bridge → final peak. •   Live translation: leave instrumental gaps for call‑and‑response; rehearse mic control (distance and angle) to manage feedback and plosives under high SPL.
Mixing tips
•   Prioritize transients of the snare and the top end of the scream so they cut through heavy 808s. •   Clip in stages (channel → bus → limiter) rather than one brickwall at the end for more musical grit.

Best playlists

The Sound of Scream Rap
The Sound of Scream Rap
Every Noise at Once
Scream Rap
Scream Rap
Chosic
Best of Scream Rap
Best of Scream Rap
volt.fm

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in this genre
Influenced by
Trap
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop that emerged from the Southern United States, defined by half-time grooves, ominous minor-key melodies, and the heavy use of 808 sub-bass. The style is characterized by rapid, syncopated hi-hat rolls, crisp rimshot/clap on the backbeat, and cinematic textures that convey tension and grit. Lyrically, it centers on street economies, survival, ambition, and introspection, with ad-libs used as percussive punctuation. Production is typically minimal but hard-hitting: layered 808s, sparse piano or bell motifs, dark pads, and occasional orchestral or choir samples. Vocals range from gravelly, staccato deliveries to melodic, Auto-Tuned flows, often using triplet cadences.
Screamo
Screamo is an emotionally charged offshoot of emo and hardcore punk characterized by cathartic, screamed vocals, dynamic extremes, and a blend of melody with discordance. Songs often move rapidly between fragile, clean passages and explosive, chaotic climaxes, emphasizing tension-and-release. Guitars favor octave runs, tremolo-picked melodies, and dissonant chord voicings, while drums switch from driving d-beats to blast beats and spacious half-time drops. Lyrics are typically confessional, poetic, and socially aware, delivered with a visceral intensity that foregrounds vulnerability and urgency. Early recordings embraced raw, DIY production and intimate, basement-show energy; later waves incorporated post-rock atmospherics and more expansive songwriting.
Metalcore
Metalcore is a fusion of hardcore punk’s urgency and ethos with heavy metal’s riff language and technicality. It is defined by tightly palm‑muted riffs, rapid double‑kick drumming, and frequent breakdowns—rhythmic, syncopated passages written to accentuate impact and crowd movement. Vocals typically alternate between harsh screams or growls and, in many bands, soaring clean choruses—a contrast that emphasizes both aggression and catharsis. Harmony and melody often borrow from melodic death metal, yielding minor‑key leads, harmonized guitars, and hook‑driven refrains. Modern production favors precise editing, dense guitar layering, and punchy drum sounds that keep complex rhythms clear at high intensity.
Emo Rap
Emo rap blends the confessional lyricism and melodic sensibility of emo and pop‑punk with the rhythms, production techniques, and flows of contemporary hip hop and trap. Songs often feature sung‑rap deliveries, heavy use of Auto‑Tune, minor‑key progressions, guitar loops or samples, and 808‑driven drums. Themes typically center on heartbreak, loneliness, anxiety, substance use, and self‑reflection, presented in direct, diary‑like writing. The sound crystallized on platforms like SoundCloud, where artists embraced lo‑fi aesthetics, short song lengths, and highly personal cover art and branding. Emo rap’s crossover appeal brought rock textures back into mainstream rap and helped pave paths for a new wave of genre‑fluid pop, punk‑rap energy, and internet‑native micro‑scenes.
Industrial Hip Hop
Industrial hip hop is a fusion genre that threads the rhythmic backbone of hip hop with the abrasive textures, mechanical timbres, and confrontational aesthetics of industrial music. It typically features heavy, distorted percussion, metallic hits, harsh noise layers, and sample collage techniques, while retaining MC-driven vocals or spoken-word cadences. The style leans into sonic extremity: detuned or bitcrushed drums, re-amped breaks, atonal drones, and saturated bass coexist with turntablism, dub-informed space, and politically charged lyricism. Tempos often sit in the 80–110 BPM range, but feel lurching and monolithic due to swung grooves, halting gates, and heavy compression. Lyrically and thematically, industrial hip hop embraces dystopian urban imagery, media critique, and social protest, mirroring its rugged sound design with stark, incisive narratives.
Cloud Rap
Cloud rap is a hip hop microgenre defined by ethereal, reverb‑drenched textures, soft pads, and minimal drum programming that creates a floating, dreamlike atmosphere. Beats tend to be sparse and space-conscious, with airy synths, distant vocal samples, and gentle 808s supporting raps that are often introspective, deadpan, or emotionally detached. The sound crystallized online in the early 2010s through platforms like DatPiff, Tumblr, and SoundCloud, pairing Southern rap rhythms with ambient and chillwave aesthetics. Rather than virtuosic density, cloud rap prizes mood, negative space, and a sense of weightlessness, translating internet-era solitude and nostalgia into hazy, pastel-toned hip hop.
Trap Pesado
Trap pesado is a Brazilian substyle of trap characterized by hard‑hitting, saturated 808s, clipped kicks, and ominous, minor‑key melodies. It emphasizes density and impact: dark pads or detuned synth leads sit under tight snare rolls and rapid, syncopated hi‑hats, while bass slides and distortion push the low end to the front. Lyrically it leans toward street realism, braggadocio, and nightlife imagery, often reflecting Brazil’s contemporary urban scenes. Compared with more melodic or plug‑influenced variants, trap pesado favors an aggressive, weighty mix and a colder, grittier mood designed for both club sound systems and headphone impact.
Scenecore
Scenecore is a net-native microgenre that revives mid‑2000s “scene kid” aesthetics—neon hair, slasher/gore imagery, and MySpace-era melodrama—inside a 2020s hyperpop/digicore production framework. Sonically it blends sped‑up, pitch‑shifted “kawaii” vocals with harsh, clipping drums and distorted 808s, breakcore-like edits, trancey supersaws, and nintendocore/Video‑game timbres. Hooks are chantable and meme-ready, lyrics swing between confessional emo and tongue‑in‑cheek horror, and the entire presentation is designed for short‑form virality on TikTok, SoundCloud, and Discord-driven micro‑communities. The result is an aggressive, glossy, and maximal style that feels simultaneously nostalgic and ultra‑online: part nightcore rush, part screamo‑rap catharsis, part cyber‑club euphoria.
Has influenced
Trap Metal
Trap metal is a fusion of contemporary trap production and the aggression of metal and hardcore. It typically pairs distorted 808 bass, half‑time trap drums, and rapid hi‑hat rolls with screamed or harshly delivered vocals, down‑tuned guitar riffs (live or sampled), and industrial textures. Aesthetically, it emphasizes raw intensity, mosh‑pit energy, and abrasive sound design while retaining hip‑hop’s hook‑driven song structures and lyrical cadences. Themes often revolve around alienation, rage, nihilism, and personal struggle, delivered with a visceral, cathartic tone.
Rage Rap
Rage rap is a high-energy, synth-forward strain of contemporary trap characterized by distorted 808s, fast rolling hi‑hats, and bright, detuned supersaw or arpeggiated lead lines borrowed from EDM. The beats are usually minimal in harmony but maximal in timbre, building intensity with looping motifs, risers, and dramatic filter sweeps. Vocals tend to be shouted or projective rather than whispered, with catchy, repetitive hooks and ad‑lib heavy delivery. Lyrical themes often center on flexing, hedonism, designer fashion, and internet-native lifestyle signifiers. Typical tempos land in the 130–150 BPM range, favoring short, loop-driven structures that explode quickly and end before the energy dips, making the style highly viral and performance-ready.
Digicore
Digicore is a Gen Z–native, internet-bred pop-rap microgenre that emerged from SoundCloud and Discord communities. It blends hyperpop’s maximalist sound design with emo rap’s confessional songwriting, trap drum programming, and nightcore-style pitch-shifting. Songs are typically short and hook-forward, with heavily processed, Auto-Tuned vocals, clipped or bitcrushed textures, stutter edits, and glossy but intentionally digital artifacts. The palette often includes bright synth bells, plugg/pluggnb-inspired 808 patterns, widescreen OTT compression, and glitchy micro-cuts that highlight the music’s online, DIY origin. Lyrically, it leans into adolescent angst, online identity, relationships, and self-reflection, mirroring the hyper-connected culture that birthed it.
Punk
Punk is a fast, abrasive, and minimalist form of rock music built around short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and confrontational, anti-establishment lyrics. It emphasizes DIY ethics, raw energy, and immediacy over virtuosity, often featuring distorted guitars, shouted or sneered vocals, and simple, catchy melodies. Typical songs run 1–3 minutes, sit around 140–200 BPM, use power chords and basic progressions (often I–IV–V), and favor live, unpolished production. Beyond sound, punk is a cultural movement encompassing zines, independent labels, political activism, and a fashion vocabulary of ripped clothes, leather, and safety pins.

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