Trap Music: What does that even MEAN?

F

florida_power

New member
Disclaimer: This post is completely my opinion and I may be off on my understanding of the following topics.

I grew up listening to all types of music and all types of rap. I remember when I first bumped UGK Dirty Money for like 6 months straight. I remember when I thought I was so up on music no one in my city heard about when I always had the latest DJ Jelly and Big Oomp tape rockin. And thinking about the evolution of southern rap, I wonder how the word "Trap" became a name for a sub-genre of music on a mainstream level.

First off, let's talk about what a trap is. A trap is a dope house or a place a drug dealer uses to run their business. Nothing more. I don't know how long it's been around but always assumed it came from Atlanta slang. I remember Outkast on Aquemini's SpottieOttieDopaliscious (1998) saying:


"United Parcel Service & the people at the Post Office
didn't call you back because you had cloudy piss
So now you back in the trap just that, trapped
Go on and marinate on that for a minute."

Let's talk about the actual style of music it denotes: somewhere between 130-170bpm, 808's a common theme, synthesizers and digital instruments opposed to sampling a common theme, common to hear hi-hat triplet fills and such...pretty much a continuation of what was "Crunk" in the 2000's. That's my interpretation at least. It's a style who's lineage came from southern rap styles that became mainstream in an era where music is less regionalized.

For whatever reason, America has always had a thirst for action movies. What's action without sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll at least somewhere incorporated? The same applies to music and I have a feeling record companies saw that records with such themes generated appeal. That's why you hear "trap" this and "kilo" that. It's Pablo Escobar on wax! It's Scarface (the movie) in music arrangements. These rappers who embraced that, happened to use those southern-influenced beats as their framework. Next thing you know, the next generation of producers piggy-back off that sound and everyone starts calling the style "Trap".

It has nothing to do with an actual crack house so the parallelism could not be more inaccurate. If you walk into a real trap, you might just find some classic soul, 80's pop, old Cash Money playing if there was music playing. I'm not judging those involved in a life of drugs, I'm just saying- to tie a new generation of rap music directly to crack houses is ignorant.

I really wish when we sat down and chose a name for this sub-genre, we could of went a different direction. And for the record, I like action movies. I still play "The Dopeboys in the Trap", and I will conform, to not confuse people while discussing music. I just hate to say to people when they ask what kind of music I make, "I don't like to be put in a box but it's a unique style of what you might call Trap."


 
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florida_power said:
Disclaimer: This post is completely my opinion and I may be off on my understanding of the following topics.

I grew up listening to all types of music and all types of rap. I remember when I first bumped UGK Dirty Money for like 6 months straight. I remember when I thought I was so up on music no one in my city heard about when I always had the latest DJ Jelly and Big Oomp tape rockin. And thinking about the evolution of southern rap, I wonder how the word "Trap" became a name for a sub-genre of music on a mainstream level.

First off, let's talk about what a trap is. A trap is a dope house or a place a drug dealer uses to run their business. Nothing more. I don't know how long it's been around but always assumed it came from Atlanta slang. I remember Outkast on Aquemini's SpottieOttieDopaliscious (1998) saying:


"United Parcel Service & the people at the Post Office
didn't call you back because you had cloudy piss
So now you back in the trap just that, trapped
Go on and marinate on that for a minute."

Let's talk about the actual style of music it denotes: somewhere between 130-170bpm, 808's a common theme, synthesizers and digital instruments opposed to sampling a common theme, common to hear hi-hat triplet fills and such...pretty much a continuation of what was "Crunk" in the 2000's. That's my interpretation at least. It's a style who's lineage came from southern rap styles that became mainstream in an era where music is less regionalized.

For whatever reason, America has always had a thirst for action movies. What's action without sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll at least somewhere incorporated? The same applies to music and I have a feeling record companies saw that records with such themes generated appeal. That's why you hear "trap" this and "kilo" that. It's Pablo Escobar on wax! It's Scarface (the movie) in music arrangements. These rappers who embraced that, happened to use those southern-influenced beats as their framework. Next thing you know, the next generation of producers piggy-back off that sound and everyone starts calling the style "Trap".

It has nothing to do with an actual crack house so the parallelism could not be more inaccurate. If you walk into a real trap, you might just find some classic soul, 80's pop, old Cash Money playing if there was music playing. I'm not judging those involved in a life of drugs, I'm just saying- to tie a new generation of rap music directly to crack houses is ignorant.

I really wish when we sat down and chose a name for this sub-genre, we could of went a different direction. And for the record, I like action movies. I still play "The Dopeboys in the Trap", and I will conform, to not confuse people while discussing music. I just hate to say to people when they ask what kind of music I make, "I don't like to be put in a box but it's a unique style of what you might call Trap."


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maybe if you walk into the trap house of an older person, but if you're walking into one of a person younger than 30 my bet is you're more likely to find trap music playing. Gucci, Migos, Travis Scott, Young Scooter, Lil Durk, Kevin Gates etc.
 
To me Trap music is like when Gangsta rap formed and later mafioso rap. Basically its people that aren't emcees who want to rap and have something to say, usually people who are or were dealers or from gangs. They don't have great rapping skills but get a lot of help from the beat and make the lifestyle seem "cool".

Though people find it entertaining, it dumbs down the genre (rap) and eventually becomes popular music (pop) because of the fascination of the lifestyles. There are a lot of studio gangstas and people trying to live up to these personas, which probably only 1% of the rappers are actually "real".

Talking about slinging drugs and shooting people may seem "cool" to listen to but in reality do we really need to glorify these topics? Yeah they happen but we have enough exposure from the news about acts of violence and don't need songs with catchy hooks stuck in our heads to promote violence, murder and dealing. Though we don't need more Will Smiths walking around, there needs to be more variety in rap nowadays.

To each is own though. People love this stuff and I don't knock another man on how he makes his money. Another "keeping it real" sub-genre will come out after trap and another etc. That's just how it goes.
 
Exactly

funnymoney said:
To me Trap music is like when Gangsta rap formed and later mafioso rap. Basically its people that aren't emcees who want to rap and have something to say, usually people who are or were dealers or from gangs. They don't have great rapping skills but get a lot of help from the beat and make the lifestyle seem "cool".

Though people find it entertaining, it dumbs down the genre (rap) and eventually becomes popular music (pop) because of the fascination of the lifestyles. There are a lot of studio gangstas and people trying to live up to these personas, which probably only 1% of the rappers are actually "real".

Talking about slinging drugs and shooting people may seem "cool" to listen to but in reality do we really need to glorify these topics? Yeah they happen but we have enough exposure from the news about acts of violence and don't need songs with catchy hooks stuck in our heads to promote violence, murder and dealing. Though we don't need more Will Smiths walking around, there needs to be more variety in rap nowadays.

To each is own though. People love this stuff and I don't knock another man on how he makes his money. Another "keeping it real" sub-genre will come out after trap and another etc. That's just how it goes.
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And I will say this: the biggest shame is that a good amount of underground rappers are trying to emulate pop trap. If anyone has a voice it's someone cutting tracks with no strings attached, yet many acts you hear are in the booth basically doing karaoke. But FWIW while we're on a matter of opinions I will say there are SOME good original acts stepping out the box. That's what makes music interesting to me- there's so much uncharted territory; the skies the limit with what you can do. My guess is the listeners will love it too, if it's original and good.
 
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"Trap" music is nothing new - talkin about the trap, hustlin and clubs over beats with that 130-170 BPM has been done since the '90s. Snare and hi hat rolls with 808s? Trap didn't invent this, but people on here under the age of 30 truly believe it's new and "theirs". This is what happens when you allow kids to try and create their own "sub-genres" and history.
 
I agree with the comment about trap being nothing new for the most part

maybe a redundant rap style and mechanical hi hats became a trend, but everything else is nothing new, and just pretty much regressed
 
you expect a clever name from a genre that basicly revolves around being as retarded as possible
 
I agree with all the comments here, trap evolved from Crunk which originated from the Atlanta area, I remmeber listening to Lil John and the eastside boyz, yung joc, T.I all these are basically predecessors to trap. Like everything that becomes populer with the people it has gained some attention with the record label who are intrested in making money like evryone else, and when you have massive labels with endless money marketing this type of music peoples preception changes of Hip-Hop. I dont agree when people say Hip-Hop is dead, it is alive and kicking but mainly in the underground scene. Look at Kenderick lamar for example, true he does mainstream songs but To Pimp a Butterfly and GKMC are some of the deepest album that have been released during the past few years and Lupe Fiasco with Tetsuo and Youth, another album filled with fire. Its just what people choose to pay attention to and when you are bomabred with it in social media and stuff it will gain popularity with the younger audiences.

I do think though it probablu started gaining popularity in the streets coz you know people like what they can relate to and fair enough if you are a hustler and in the trap game you will ike thsi type of stuff because that is what your accustomed to but its not my cup of tea personally.
 
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To be blunt, it's just a modernized version of gangster rap. It leans toward the digital side of things. Plain and simple.
 
OP do you actually have a question?

You made a thread about what Trap means...

Then broke it down in depth in the post...

What is your question? lol.

The ghetto mentality, its hard to escape it, aka its a "trap" therefore trap music aka mixtape music. Its just another slang for ghetto and came about at a time when electronic music was taking over so there was a new term to differentiate from previous styles of rap.
 
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