History of The Trap
Trap music is a genre of music that has held the world in a grip. Trap music emerged from the south in the early 2000’s and is a genre filled with attitude that is heard throughout the brass, hi hats, kicks, synthesizers, and snares. The originators of trap music are southern rappers such as: Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Three 6 Mafia, and Migos. Trap Music is called trap music because the idea of the word “trap” is more about a place and not necessarily the genre of music as it is referred to now. Trap music reveals the darkness and the poverty that so many artist and ordinary people experience. Its definition is a “device or enclosure designed to catch and retain typically by allowing entry but not exit.” When reading more deeply into this definition, the trap is usually an African American neighborhood where drugs are cooked, distributed, and illegal deals are made.
Trap is a lifestyle that people are in born into and that is a climate that is difficult to escape. Many songs on the surface level often only talk about sex, drugs, and money but trap music goes deeper. It is really focused on the cultural and economic disparities that exist within the Black community.
Characteristics of Trap Music
Trap music consists of the following combinations:
1/3 hip hop (tempo and song structure are similar, most tracks are usually between 70 -110 bpm) – with vocals sometimes pitched down
1/3 Dance Music – High pitched Dutch synth work, Hardstyle sampling, as well as a plethora of trap remixed of popular EDM songs
1/3 dub (Low frequency focus and strong emphasis on repetitiveness throughout a song)
Shift In Trap Music
As subgroups of the genre of rap continue to grow, there has been a shift from the true lifestyle of those who were raised in the trap and those who have now entered trap music for the aesthetic that the genre encompasses. Many of the newer generartions of trap artist are critized for a lack of authenticity and individuality. As the years progress, trap music is still popular but is now in competition with new subgroups such as Drill music that has taken this former audience into this new fold.
Artist Known In Trap Music
Future-
The rapper Future was born Nayvadius Cash on November 20, 1983 in Atlanta, Georgia. Future gained much of his popularity by becoming known as one of the most famous trap artist that has worked on numerous projects and won Grammys.
Lil Baby-
Lil Baby was born Dominique Jones in Atlanta in 1994. He grew up with friends like Young Thug and Coach K. He would lead a life of petty crime and street hustling while his friends went on to thrive in the music industry. In 2015, at age 19, he went to prison for two years for a probation violation. Upon his release in 2017, he jump-started his rap career and has since become one of the most famous of the decade.
2 Chainz-
2 Chainz was born Tauheed K. Epps on September 12, 1977 in College Park, GA. He gained recognition by first being a part of a duo titled “Dolla Boyz” that would place 2 Chainz on a national platform., He would eventual become a solo artist and make name for himself in the world of trap music.
Legacy of Trap Music
On the westside of Atlanta, visitors of the Trap Museum can experience and pay tribute to trap music. The museum originally opened up as a pop up museum but has since stayed and attracts numerous visitors o a d daily base. The museum includes details exhibits of hat life was like in the trap and also features an exhibit dedicated to educating visitors on the inequalities within the judicial systems such as the mass incarceration of Black men and women.
Link To Presentation
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BqrSb35BmhYOSrtF8EXaT852xOGyR4CK8KhzNV7-C-8/edit?usp=sharing
