Cloud rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that has several sonic characteristics of trap music and is known for its hazy, dreamlike and relaxed production style.^[3][4] Rapper Lil B and producer Clams Casino have been identified as the early pioneers of the style.^[3][4] The term "cloud rap" is derived from its internet origins and ethereal style.^[5]

Cloud rap initially came out of Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis during the late 2000s.^[6] The term "cloud rap" is popularly used in reference to lo-fi, hazy rap.^[3]

Elements of cloud rap, like lo-fi and dreamy atmospheres, can be heard as early as 2001 with Clouddead's self-titled album. Later in 2006 more building blocks, such as hazy and relaxed sounds, can be found in Viper's second album, Ready and... Willing.^[7] Some have attributed the term to rapper Lil B. In a 2009 article, music writer Noz wrote that rapper Lil B showed him a CGI image of a castle in the clouds and said "that's the kind of music I want to make," crediting Lil B with the coining of the term.^[3] Producer Clams Casino has also been credited with pioneering the cloud rap sound as early as 2010 through collaborations with Lil B.^[4]

The term was also used in the Space Age Hustle blog's compilation of songs, 3 Years Ahead: The Cloud Rap Tape.^[3] The compilation consists of songs that fall in the cloud rap genre.^[3] The genre garnered mainstream attention in 2011 with rapper ASAP Rocky's debut mixtape, Live. Love. ASAP.^[8]

Cloud rap is melodically similar to lo-fi and chillwave but distinguishes itself with distorted, psychedelic samples and the inclusion of trap style drums.^[6] The genre takes inspiration from the "diversity of influences and the easy accessibility" that cloud computing entails.^[9] Such influences include hip hop, drum and bass, grime, and trip hop, R&B, dance, indie, rock, and pop music genres.^[9]

The label "cloud" denotes distinct characteristics of the genre such as its "hazy," ethereal aesthetic (in terms of both aural and visual expression) and its ambiguity as a genre without clearly defined borders.^[5] Cloud rap's lyrics sometimes revolve around themes of love and betrayal, as well as more typical themes found in popular music such as sex, drugs, and alienation.^[8] Frequently vocalists use nonsensical catchphrases and Twitter baits, such as interjections like "swag," and references to being "based," which highlights a sense of self-aware absurdity as an attempt at parody while embracing its genesis in Internet culture.^{[citation needed]}

Cloud rap pulls from a diversity of rap sounds and locales: from both the East and West Coasts and the South.^[9] In particular, cloud rap often utilizes looped samples from female singers, and often from those whose voices have an ethereal quality.^[9] Often, cloud rap is released independently of record labels, and cloud rap artists rely on internet services (such as SoundCloud, YouTube, and Twitter) to distribute and promote their music.^[10]

With many of the genre's pioneers taking major influences from witch house and chillwave, many artists have producers in common like Clams Casino, 90's Bambino, and SpaceGhostPurrp.^[11][12] In 2011, Clams Casino assisted ASAP Rocky in producing Live. Love. ASAP, one of the most listened to mixtapes in cloud rap with 1,164,114 listeners.^[9] The mixtape consists of common cloud rap elements and themes such as drug use, sex, and self-reflection.^[13][14] Other artists such as Black Kray as apart of a collective called Goth Money records, have been birthed as a result of the movement who have birthed many other influential artists like Playboi Carti. ^[15]

Swedish artist Yung Lean became an eminent cloud rap artist in 2013 when the video for his single "Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral.^[8]

Swedish rapper Bladee rose as one of the most prominent members of the genre with the release of his 2014 mixtape Gluee as a member of the collective Drain Gang along with British-Swedish singer Ecco2k and Thai rapper Thaiboy Digital.^{[citation needed]}

Chicago rapper Chief Keef’s mixtapes Bang 2, Almighty So, Nobody, Nobody 2 and Two Zero One Seven are all seen as highly influential to the genre.^{[citation needed]}

Memphis rapper Chris Travis’s 2012 mixtape Pizza and Codeine is often seen as one of the most influential albums of the genre and was met to high critical acclaim.^{[citation needed]}

French rap duo PNL are pioneers of this genre in the french-speaking hip-hop sphere, with 1 triple platinum, "Le Monde Chico", 1 diamond "Dans la légende", one double diamond "Deux Frères" for their 3 only albums,^[16] they're part of the most successful french rappers ever.

• Lo-fi hip hop