Cloud Rap roundup
The Best Cloud Rap Artists to Know
A guide to the essential cloud rap artists: from Lil B and SpaceGhostPurrp's originating work to Clams Casino's production, Yung Lean's global reach and Bones.
Cloud rap produced a distinct set of artists whose work defined the genre's sound and aesthetic. This guide covers the key cloud rap figures, from the originators who shaped the genre's identity to the acts who extended it internationally.
Lil B
Oakland-based rapper Lil B is one of the most cited originating figures in cloud rap. His prolific SoundCloud and Tumblr output from around 2009 onwards — characterised by hazy production, philosophical non-sequiturs and deliberate lo-fi aesthetics — established the template for internet-native atmospheric rap. His mixtapes I'm Gay and Blue Flame are considered foundational texts in the genre's development.
SpaceGhostPurrp and Raider Klan
SpaceGhostPurrp, a Florida-based producer and rapper, was central to developing the atmospheric production aesthetic through the Raider Klan collective. His beats and those of his Raider Klan affiliates defined the dark, reverb-saturated production style that became central to the genre. His influence on A$AP Rocky's early work cemented the sound's wider spread.
A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky is the artist who brought cloud rap production into mainstream visibility. His 2011 mixtape Live.Love.A$AP, produced largely by Clams Casino and SpaceGhostPurrp, presented the genre's hazy aesthetic at commercial scale. Rocky himself moved toward a more varied style in subsequent releases, but his early work remains the most-cited introduction to the sound for many listeners.
Clams Casino
Producer Clams Casino is the key production architect of the the genre aesthetic. His work for Lil B and A$AP Rocky, combined with his own instrumental mixtapes, codified the genre's signature sound: washed-out vocal samples, slow drum programming and deep reverb. His production approach has been widely imitated and remains a reference point for producers working in atmospheric hip hop.
Yung Lean
Swedish artist Yung Lean and his Sad Boys collective brought the this style sound to a European and global audience from 2013 onwards. His early releases — Unknown Memory and Warlord — combined the atmospheric production of American precursors with an aesthetic drawn from early internet culture, anime and outsider art. His influence extended the genre's reach significantly beyond its American origins.
Bones
Prolific American artist Bones operates across a range of aliases and has released hundreds of projects across the spectrum of atmospheric rap, incorporating metal, punk and noise influences. His consistent output and uncompromising lo-fi aesthetic have made him one of the most respected figures in the underground. He is a key link between early the sound and its harder, more extreme descendants.
For key albums, see the albums guide. For an overview of the genre, see the complete guide.
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