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Rage (music genre): the story on HearLore | HearLore
Rage (music genre)
The first person to use the word rage in the context of hip-hop was Kid Cudi, who created the alter ego Mr. Rager, a persona that would eventually influence Travis Scott and shape the aesthetic of a genre that did not yet exist. This sonic identity emerged from the United States in the late 2010s, evolving from a specific set of production techniques that combined the bouncy, overdriven 808 bass notes of trap music with short, looping synthesizer hooks that sounded like video game soundtracks from the 1980s and 1990s. The genre, now known as rage music, rage rap, or rage beats, is defined by stereo-widened, future bass-influenced leads that repeat throughout a song, creating a hypnotic and often emotional atmosphere that contrasts with the basic, energetic trap rhythms underneath. While the term rage originally referred to the mosh pits that happen at rap concerts, the musical style itself was born from a convergence of electronic dance music and hip-hop, with producers like Mike Will Made It, Dun Deal, and C4 laying the groundwork in the mid-2010s. The sound is so distinct that it has been described as a hybrid genre of trap music and EDM, where the synthesizer hooks play such a dominant role that the entire track feels like a glitchy, psychedelic, and futuristic explosion of energy.
The Architects of Chaos
Playboi Carti stands as the primary architect of this movement, having laid the foundation of the genre on his 2018 album Die Lit, which was mostly produced by Pi'erre Bourne, and later solidifying it with the 2020 album Whole Lotta Red, produced largely by F1lthy. Before Carti, the production styles of Pi'erre Bourne, Maaly Raw, and F1lthy had already begun to integrate trap music with synthesizer melodies derived from video game music, but it was Carti who turned these elements into a cohesive aesthetic. The album Whole Lotta Red, despite its initially mixed reception, came to largely define the genre, with much of what followed either heavily influenced by or trying to directly replicate its style. The concept of rage in music also traces back to the 2015 and 2017 releases Luv Is Rage and Luv Is Rage 2 by Lil Uzi Vert, which used the word to refer to overdriven energetic sound. The genre's pioneers include rappers like Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie Redd, and XXXTentacion, with Trippie Redd specifically crediting XXXTentacion as an influence on the genre. The production lineage extends back to Wiz Khalifa and producer Sledgren, who incorporated video game samples, and further to early attempts to fuse European synthesizer-based music with hip-hop during the 2000s by Polow Da Don and others.
The Song That Named It All
The term rage in reference to the microgenre comes from Miss the Rage, a genre-pioneering track made in 2021 by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti, whose title references mosh pits during rap concerts that Trippie Redd longed for during COVID-19 lockdowns. Without an established term for its specific musical style, Miss the Rage was initially described as trap metal and, by Trippie Redd himself, hyperpop, but it became the catalyst for the genre's explosion. The main loop for the instrumental of Miss the Rage was based on a royalty-free melody loop from the Cymatics Odyssey EDM Sample Pack, a guitar-driven EDM loop that became the blueprint for countless copies. Rapper Mario Judah went on to release his reproduced version of Miss the Rage, highlighting how the genre's core sound was often built from pre-packaged EDM melody packs. The single's influence was so profound that it led to the release of Trip at Knight, a primarily rage album by Trippie Redd, and inspired major artists like Drake to release the rage-influenced track What's Next in 2021 on his EP Scary Hours 2. What's Next, produced by Maneesh and Supah Mario, reached the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, proving that the rage sound had moved from the underground to the mainstream.
Playboi Carti stands as the primary architect of the rage music genre, having laid the foundation of the genre on his 2018 album Die Lit. The genre emerged from the United States in the late 2010s, evolving from production techniques that combined trap music with video game soundtracks. Producers like Mike Will Made It, Dun Deal, and C4 laid the groundwork in the mid-2010s before Carti solidified the movement.
When did the rage music genre emerge?
The rage music genre emerged from the United States in the late 2010s, with key developments occurring between 2018 and 2021. Playboi Carti released Die Lit in 2018 and Whole Lotta Red in 2020 to define the style, while the term rage in reference to the microgenre comes from the 2021 track Miss the Rage by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti. The genre continued to evolve in 2021 and 2022 with artists like Yeat releasing albums such as Up 2 Me and 2 Alive.
What are the defining characteristics of rage music?
Rage music is defined by stereo-widened, future bass-influenced leads that repeat throughout a song to create a hypnotic atmosphere. The sound combines bouncy, overdriven 808 bass notes of trap music with short, looping synthesizer hooks that sound like video game soundtracks from the 1980s and 1990s. The genre is described as a hybrid of trap music and electronic dance music where synthesizer hooks play a dominant role.
Where did the rage music genre originate?
The rage music genre originated in the United States in the late 2010s. The sound spread globally with artists from the United Kingdom, such as Lancey Foux, releasing albums like Live.Evil in 2021 that mixed rage elements with UK hip-hop. The genre's evolution demonstrates its ability to adapt to different cultural contexts beyond its American origins.
Why is the song Miss the Rage important to the rage music genre?
Miss the Rage is a genre-pioneering track made in 2021 by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti that became the catalyst for the genre's explosion. The main loop for the instrumental was based on a royalty-free melody loop from the Cymatics Odyssey EDM Sample Pack, which became the blueprint for countless copies. The single's influence led to the release of Trip at Knight by Trippie Redd and inspired major artists like Drake to release What's Next in 2021.
How did the rage music genre evolve after 2021?
The rage music genre evolved after 2021 with artists like Yeat releasing a more chaotic and dark version of rage rap that utilized abundant bell samples. Underground rappers such as Yung Fazo, SSGKobe, and KayCyy emerged to use rage in experimental fashion, sometimes stripping the genre down to core elements. The genre continued to develop with artists like Yeat releasing albums in 2021 and 2022, proving that the movement was not just a fleeting trend.
Playboi Carti's record label Opium has been an influential force in the genre, with artists such as Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang signed to the label, creating a collective that pushed the genre to the mainstream. The label has had several notable rage releases, such as Ken Carson's 2021 album Project X and Destroy Lonely's 2022 mixtape No Stylist, which have had commercial success and have received a positive reception from fans. SoFaygo, another early adopter of the rage sound, released his 2020 single Off the Map, which has been described as either closely resembling rage rap or being a proper rage song, and later collaborated with Trippie Redd on MP5 and with Lil Yachty on Solid. The genre's popularity and breakthrough is also attributed to the 2021 single Miss the Rage, which helped define the rage genre, with multiple producers and rappers adopting the style after the single was released. The label's influence extends to the way the genre is consumed, with artists like Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely continuing to push the genre to the mainstream, creating a distinct sonic identity that separates them from other hip-hop artists.
The TikTok Bell Sound
Later in 2021, thanks to TikTok, Yeat started releasing a more chaotic and dark version of rage rap, noted for abundant use of bell samples, after multiple of his songs, including Sorry Bout That and Mad Bout That, became popular on the platform. Yeat's music was noticed by the likes of Lil Yachty and Drake, and he went on to release two rage albums in 2021 and 2022, titled Up 2 Me and 2 Alive, showcasing his signature darker rage sound. Underground rapper Yeat has also made it popular to use chiming bell sounds, once popular in earlier trap and drill music, in rage beats, adding a layer of chaos to the genre. The genre's popularity and breakthrough is also attributed to the 2021 single Miss the Rage, which helped define the rage genre, with multiple producers and rappers adopting the style after the single was released. The genre's evolution continued with artists like Yeat, who brought a new dimension to the sound, making it more chaotic and dark, and proving that the genre was not just a fleeting trend but a evolving movement.
The Formulaic Dead End
Although rage has been referred to as formulaic and been deemed a probable dead-end subgenre by some critics, many lesser-known rappers emerged, using rage in their music, sometimes in experimental fashion, among them artists like Yung Fazo, SSGKobe, Ken Carson, TyFontaine, Snot, Cochise, KayCyy, and Ka$hdami. KayCyy performed his rage-influenced Okay single to a mere chiptune-influenced synth loop, disregarding trap beat altogether, showing that the genre could be stripped down to its core elements. Matt Ox, an experimental rapper, has also been described as a rager for releasing rage tracks such as Live It Up, while Rapper KanKan's 2021 album RR has been described as heavily influenced by the rage sound. Yung Kayo, Young Thug's protégé, was noted for mixing rage with hyperpop and pluggnb, along with other influences, on his 2022 DFTK album. The genre's evolution continued with artists like Yeat, who brought a new dimension to the sound, making it more chaotic and dark, and proving that the genre was not just a fleeting trend but a evolving movement.
The Global Echo
In the United Kingdom, Lancey Foux, a British rapper, released the album Live.Evil in 2021, which contained rage elements mixed with UK hip-hop, showing that the genre had spread beyond its American origins. Foux' earlier mixtape, First Degree, was also described as containing rage elements, proving that the sound was not limited to the United States. The genre's popularity and breakthrough is also attributed to the 2021 single Miss the Rage, which helped define the rage genre, with multiple producers and rappers adopting the style after the single was released. The genre's evolution continued with artists like Yeat, who brought a new dimension to the sound, making it more chaotic and dark, and proving that the genre was not just a fleeting trend but a evolving movement. The global spread of rage music demonstrates its ability to adapt to different cultural contexts, with artists from the United Kingdom and other regions incorporating the sound into their own unique styles.