Students find mumble rap’s beats to be on par with lyrical rap’s bars

“Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang.”

That’s really all rapper Lil Pump says in his recent hit song. The words “Gucci Gang” are repeated 53 times in the song.

Lil Pump is one of many artists of the new “mumble rap” generation sweeping the hip hop genre — a generation whose lack of lyricism and often indecipherable pronunciation have prompted critics ranging from old-school rappers and modern listeners to label the trend as inauthentic rap.

Mumble rap’s popularity increased dramatically in 2016 and continued into 2017. Mumble rap mainly differs from more classic rap because of its reliance on hard beats and heavy bass rather than lyricism to create a more catchy and energetic feel, making it popular at parties and clubs. The lyrics are more slurred and sung to harmonize with the melody; lyricism itself takes a backseat in mumble rap songs, with the “vibe” that the songs make listeners feel taking priority.

Other popular mumble rappers include Desiigner, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Future, Playboi Carti, Lil Yachty and the trio Migos. The majority of these rappers are relatively new to the rap game, emerging in the past few years and quickly moving to the forefront of rap.

“Mumble rap” was first coined by rapper Wiz Khalifa while referencing rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty in a 2016 interview with Hot 97 host Ebro Darden, and the term has come to define more than just a subgenre of hip hop; now, it is used regularly as a way to express disapproval about up-and-coming rappers who do not focus as much on their lyrics.

In fact, even old-school rappers such as Eminem have publicly denounced this new wave of rappers. In one 2017 episode of his co-hosted podcast, record producer Rick Rubin said that for Eminem, mumble rap “is a little bit of a culture shock because there’s a new wave of hip-hop that’s not really what he’s about.”

For Eminem, the rhythm and lyrics need to “bounce off of the beat” in a certain way, Rubin said. Mumble rap’s takeover of hip hop, to Eminem, undermines the importance of lyricism.

Nonetheless, many YouTubers and celebrities have jumped on the mumble rap wave.

YouTube mogul Tana Mongeau recently released a music video for her first rap song, “Hefner,” in November, and the video has since garnered over 5 million views. Out of 246,000 reactions to the video, 100,000 are dislikes.

Because the rap genre has been saturated with many wannabe rappers such as Mongeau and Team 10, these artists, who do not have much talent, have resorted to mumble rap.

With all the heat they take from critics, mumble rappers have responded by defending their music.

In a 2017 interview with the Rolling Stones, 21 Savage said that he felt not everyone who is called a mumble rapper actually mumbles in their music.

"They don't understand my slang or my accent,” 21 Savage said. “They don't know how to categorize it, 'cause it's art. They're just trying to bring it down."

Like most forms of artistical expression, rap has found a way to permeate the lives of students all around the country, including many Saratoga students who follow the trend.

Sophomore Ronak Pai is one such student who began listening to mumble rap after his sister showed him the song “Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap.

“I like mumble rap because the beat and tune are addicting and easy to enjoy,” he said. Some of his favorite songs are “Lifestyle” by Rich Gang, “March Madness” by Future and “Lemonade” by Gucci Mane.

Pai agrees with some of mumble rap’s critics as he believes the rappers themselves do not deserve as much fame as, say, the producers who make the beats and do most of the behind-the-scenes work to make the song what it is.

However, he also said that mumble rappers do not deserve all the criticism they get.

“They're doing what they enjoy and other people like me enjoy it so I don't see the reason or need to hate on them,” Pai said.

Senior Sahm Rafati said that the beats of his favorite artists including Nav, Famous Dex and Ski Mask “are hype.”

“I don’t really care about the lyrics because they are all essentially the same,” Rafati said. “Old-school songs have better lyrics; mumble rap has better beats.”

Nevertheless, as the face of rap continues to evolve, the artists and songs on the forefront of the change will undoubtedly receive criticism as well as support.

“I think the genre is going to continue to grow,” Rafati said. “And I’ll continue to listen because of the beats.”