Phonk

Phonk (/fɒŋk/ ) is a subgenre of hip hop and trap music directly inspired by 1990s Memphis rap.^[1] Mostly present on the SoundCloud platform, the music is characterized by nostalgic funk samples, often accompanied by vocals from old Memphis rap tapes. The genre typically takes samples from early-1990s hip hop, combining them with sounds from jazz,^[2] and deploys distorting techniques such as chopped and screwed to create a darker sound.^[1][2]

History[]

Phonk took inspiration from trap roots in the Southern United States in the mid 1990s.^[2] Artists or musical groups like DJ Screw, X-Raided, , , and the collective Three 6 Mafia all helped pioneer the foundations for the genre to emerge many years later, with the Houston chopped and screwed seen as the precursor to the genre.^[2] While phonk died down at the end of the 2000s, it saw a resurgence in the early 2010s. A darker, ominous take on the 1990s trap music emerged from key producers such as SpaceGhostPurrp, , and .

The word "phonk" was popularized by SpaceGhostPurrp, who released tracks such as Pheel Tha Phonk, Bringin' Tha Phonk, and Keep Bringin' Tha Phonk.^[3][4] YouTube channels, such as TRILLPHONK,^[5] Emotional Tokyo, Ryan Celsius, and rare also helped popularize the genre.^[6] The music featured eerie samples, distorted snares, and a low end that dominated the mix. Phonk producers continued to push this sound in the underground, before the genre gained real momentum during the mid-2010s.^[2]

By the end of 2017 phonk had evolved to become more contemporary,^[7] moving away from the "gritty, dark, Memphis-oriented sound" and including more modern vocals, bringing to light more jazz and classic hip hop.^[2] Between 2016 and 2018, phonk was one of the most listened genres on SoundCloud, with the hashtag #phonk among the most trending each year.^[8][9][10]

Characteristics[]

A peculiarity of phonk is the fact that it is not anchored to a regional "scene":^[1][2] this is tied with the nature of SoundCloud itself as an online platform, which highlights subgenres derived from hip hop and experimental pop.^[11] Indeed, phonk artist stated in an interview in 2017: "What is fascinating about [phonk] is that these artists come from all over the world: you can find producers of phonk in Canada, in the United States, in France, and even in Russia!"^[12] Other artists associated with phonk include , , , DJ Yung Vamp,^[13] , and .^[3][12]

Subgenres[]

"Drift phonk", a subgenre of phonk, emerged in the late-2010s in Russia.^[14] It is characterized by the use of high bass, cowbells and distorted sounds,^[15] making the lyrics of the samples often unrecognizable.^[14] Drift phonk videos often use clips of drifting cars,^[14] making it popular in car culture.^[16] The genre quickly gained traction through the TikTok app.^[14] Prominent producers include , , and , all Russian.^[14]

References[]