Trap music is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States in the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is characterized by complex hi-hat patterns, tuned kick drums with a long decay (originally from the Roland TR-808 drum machine), and lyrical content that often focuses on drug use and urban violence. Trap music employs multilayered thin- or thick-textured monophonic drones with sometimes a melodic accompaniment expressed with synthesizers; crisp, grimy, and rhythmic snares, deep 808 kick drums, double-time, triple-time, and similarly divided hi-hats, and a cinematic and symphonic use of synthesized string, brass, woodwind, and keyboard instruments to create an energetic, hard-hitting, deep, and variant atmosphere.
According to Two Story Melody, trap music is a combination of various styles blended together, mostly hip-hop, rap, dubstep, electronic house, and EDM. Though still considered a sub-genre of Hip-Hop, it’s common to find EDM producers and even Pop and R&B artists adding the characteristic trap vibe to their hits. The genre has been one of the most popular genres since the early 2010s, and it’s perhaps the most influential genre, too, inspiring new generations of rappers and producers worldwide.
