Short answers, pulled from the story.
Canibus dropped the track DJ Clue Freestyle in 1997 and declared he would battle opponents on the net as well as in the flesh. This moment marked one of the first times a hip-hop artist explicitly referenced internet culture within their lyrics.
By 1998, Canibus launched his own website at www.canibus.com to promote his debut album Can-I-Bus. He continued this digital integration by creating MicClub.net in 2002 where fans could access music and lyrics directly from him.
During the late 2000s Soulja Boy became the first rapper to open a Twitter account while Lil Wayne embraced social media platforms with equal fervor. Writer Kyle Kramer noted that these artists distributed their music through the online blogosphere creating scenes like blog rock and bloghouse alongside traditional hip-hop.
Swedish artist Yung Lean released Ginseng Strip 2002 in 2013 which went viral and influenced a new generation of online rappers. Amarco described Lean as largely a product of the internet and a leading example of youths gaining fame through social media.
Lil Pump rose to virality with his 2017 single Gucci Gang while South Florida became a central hub for soundcloud rap during the mid-to-late 2010s. XXXTentacion, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, and Playboi Carti were collectively labeled soundcloud rap artists during this era.
Platforms such as TikTok allowed microgenres like terror plugg to experience waves of online virality between 2024 and 2025 through memes on Instagram and TikTok. Squillo tdf marrgielaa and boolymon pioneered terror plugg which used distorted 808s and eerie melodies.