Drug Use and Suicide: Welcome to SoundCloud Rap

SoundCloud Rap has enjoyed major success recently, but not only is some of the music distasteful, it’s flat out dangerous.

A relatively new genre of rap has taken the world by storm, and in turn, has brought dark clouds over the industry. With its origins stemming from the SoundCloud audio distribution and music sharing website, “SoundCloud Rap” epitomizes music made in the social media era with its hyperfocus on branding. “SoundCloud rappers” sell more than music; they craft an image designed specifically for social media and the influencer status that can follow. Their overwhelming portrait of preference is a mosaic of drug use, suicide, violence, and other morbid topics. Also referred to as “Emo Rap”, SoundCloud Rap has recently conquered the attention of millions, primarily those in the teenage and 18–25 year old age ranges (i.e., Generation Z). According to Spotify, “Emo rap grew 292 percent in 2018 over last year.” This latest strand of hip-hop refuses to be ignored. As a child of the 90s though, and someone who grew up listening to Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Eminem, Nas, Jay Z, Kanye, and a whole host of other artists and groups (Souls of Mischief, Jurassic 5, The Pharcyde, the list goes on…), not only do I find Soundcloud Rap distasteful, I find it dangerous.