Read Harpsichord’s Comprehensive Guide on all genres relevant to the state of current pop, R&B, hip hop, and dance music.
Trap&B/Trap-Pop/Trapsoul
Umbrella Genre: R&B
Stylistic Origins: Trap, Cloudy R&B, Hip Hop Soul, Contemporary Pop
Date and Location of Development: Early 2010’s in Atlanta, Georgia
Trap&B
The Proto Era
In the 1990’s hip hop experienced the subtle rise of songs and albums that focused on the trapping lifestyle of southern cities such as Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas. UGK released “Pocket Full of Stones” in 1992, which is credited by many music outlets as the first trap song. During the mid-90s, the production trio Organized Noize developed a sound that would not only be implemented by hip hop acts such as OutKast, but also can be traced to Atlanta R&B talent such as TLC during the hip hop soul craze.
“Trap music” got its coining from T.I. due to his 2003 album, Trap Muzik . On “24’s,” the rapper sang the hook, “Money, hoes, cars and clothes, that's how all my n!ggas roll / Blowing dro on 24's, that's how all my n!ggas roll.” More than a decade later, more southern R&B acts incorporated tales about sex and love in the trap into their music. From Tallahassee, Florida’s T-Pain recalling how “I’m In Luv (Wit A Stripper)” on his 2005 album Rappa Ternt Sanga to The-Dream becoming a mainstay on urban radio thanks to his 2007 album Love/Hate . The-Dream, in particular, developed a following thanks to his pioneering of cloudy R&B and his songwriting talents for the likes of Rihanna.
Those crossover acts were starting to depend more on how hip hop could go pop in the new millennium. In 2008, Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak , as well as Lil Wayne’s No. 1 single, “Lollipop” indicated how artists known primarily for rapping were taking over the spots of traditional R&B. An influx of pop stars were rebranding themselves as ones capable of rapping to keep up with the trend. Beyoncé (and her Destiny’s Child groupmates) have been credited for showcasing their rap-sung style on LPs in the 90s into the early aughts. By her 2006 album, B’Day she flexed that style on tracks like “Upgrade U;” and in 2008 audiences received “Diva” where she described being a “hustla.”
T-Pain during his ‘Rappa Ternt Sanga’ era in 2005.
Beyoncé in the music video for “Diva” in 2009.
Trap&B’s Pioneering
While a lot of R&B songs occupied the space of blending with hip hop, the first distinct song that indicated a new era would be Future’s “Turn On The Lights.” In 2012, Nayvadius Wilburn had the scene a buzz with his debut album, Pluto . Although he was acknowledged as a rapper, Future crooned on his records that had a cloudy design. “Turn On The Lights” had a particular style because it discussed searching for love in a nightclub (“is that her in the VIP lounge?”). What made the song special was the incorporation of hi-hats in the production done by Mike Will Made-It. Future took on the persona of being a trapper discussing more explicitly drugs, violence, and love on R&B styled songs that were appreciated by the new era of hip hop fans. “Turn On The Lights” went No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, but also peaked at No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Also on Pluto : “Magic” which finds Future singing “sipping on the purple,” while T.I. delivers on his style of trap rapping on the remix.
Trap&B became more defined in the mainstream upon the release of Rihanna’s 2012 studio album, Unapologetic . On the project, Rihanna delves into a persona of being a madame in the pop world who is balancing a toxic love and constant nights of partying. On “Phresh Out The Runway” which is produced by The-Dream, she discusses rolling up to the bank to deposit big checks from her fashion endeavors. On “Pour It Up,” she offers an answer to Mike Will Made-It and Juicy J’s stripper anthem “Bandz A Make Her Dance.” But it's on “Loveeeeeee Song” – a duet with Future – where listeners of the mainstream first experience a slow jam of trap elements that is strictly about what happens in romance. The song became a sleeper hit, resonating primarily on urban radio, and setting forth a precedent.
Future and Rihanna should be regarded as the King and Queen of 2010’s Trap&B.
Trap-pop
Trap-Pop’s Commercial Rise
Due to Rihanna’s unprecedented success as a trendmaker, a lot of labels took notes from the popularity of Unapologetic. Pop stars who were her peers and competitors started implementing trap&B into their records– albeit they were done to appeal to more pop fans.
Beyoncé’s self-titled 2013 album had “Drunk In Love,” which became one of the first authentic trap&B records to successfully crossover into pop. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and offered lingo to pop audiences with “surfboardt” and “I been drankin’ watermelon.” However prior to that, particularly white superstars were utilizing trap&B as a means to seem edgier. This modeled after the same effect of the “hip pop soul” phenomenon transpiring in the late 90’s well into the early aughts. Miley Cyrus benefited from this the most with the release of 2013’s ‘Bangerz,’ where she collabed with Mike Will Made-It for the majority of the album. Her image involved twerking and rowdiness, which many labeled as cultural appropriation. Her most resounded trap-pop song happened to be a collaboration with Mike Will Made-It, Juicy J, and Wiz Khalifa called “23” — a salute to “J’s on my feet" or rather the Nike shoes of Jordans from the NBA legend Michael Jordan.
As the decade progressed, trap-pop worked as a simpler, tamer version of trap&B. Practically any song with a fluttering hi-hat drum beat intended to be trap-pop. Pop stars started skating more with rap-sung vocals, borrowing from the template of Beyoncé, while imitating the attitudes of Rihanna (for women) and Chris Brown (for men). Katy Perry went No. 1 with her Juicy J collab, “Dark Horse.” Justin Bieber announced he was growing up on his 2013 compilation, Journals , which was heavily praised by R&B fans while dissed by pop fans. He’d find a way to meld his world of pop with R&B by mixing more EDM soundscapes into his brand of trap-pop on 2015’s Purpose . For his 2020 era of Changes he wanted to be acknowledged more as an R&B singer– even expressing discontent that entities would not recognize the controversial single, “Yummy” as such.
Miley Cyrus twerking at the 2013 VMA’s.
Demi Lovato looking “savage” in 2017, while Ariana Grande performs at the 2020 Grammys.
Just as Rihanna’s Anti from 2016 was being acknowledged as a success once the consumership era transitioned into streaming, pop stars went full throttle with the embrace of trap. Taking after the BadGalRiri’s “Needed Me,” Demi Lovato addressed herself as “a savage” on “Sorry Not Sorry” in 2017 for her Tell Me You Love Me era. Taylor Swift would embrace the sound once she was deemed a pop villain on her 2017 opus, Reputation . However, no one found as much success as did Ariana Grande during her edgy rebrand from 2016’s Dangerous Woman to 2020’s Positions . In that time frame, she scored a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album thanks to 2018’s Sweetener . She also secured two trap-pop No. 1 records on the Billboard Hot 100 with “7 rings” (where she raps during the bridge “receipts be looking like phone numbers”) and the title track of Positions .
Key Music Video
“7 Rings” - Ariana Grande (2019)
Director: Hannah Lux Davis
Four Key Tracks
“Do My Thang” - Miley Cyrus (2013)
“Dark Horse” - Katy Perry featuring Juicy J (2013)
“Yummy” - Justin Bieber (2020)
“Met Him Last Night” - Demi Lovato featuring Ariana Grande (2021)
essential Pioneers and influenced artists
Miley Cyrus
Justin Bieber
Ariana Grande
Two Key albums
Bangerz
Miley Cyrus
2013
Thank U, Next
Ariana Grande
2019
Trapsoul
The Evolution of Trapsoul
In October 2014, Louisville, Kentucky native, Bryson Tiller uploaded a wonky ballad on his SoundCloud entitled “Don’t.” Fusing cloudy aspects with the chopped-n-screwed origins of trap music, the song became popular in the underground before receiving an official release in May 2015. A few months later, the R&B world would forever be changed by his debut album, Trapsoul . While the soundscape included trap production, it emphasized how the vocal technique and lyricism would be reminiscent of hip hop soul.
The name of Trapsoul coined what had already been taking place. While trap&B got criticized for the lack of emphasis on vocals, and trap-pop for the race of the artists partaking in making the music, “trapsoul” embraced authentic vocals by Black artists with an underlying trap hi-hat production in the background. Hip hop soul artists that experienced their heydays in the 2000s were experimenting with the sound. Examples include: Keyshia Cole on her 2014 album, Point of No Return , where she collabs with 2 Chainz on “N!gga Like U” (with Faith Evans doing background vocals) and Juicy J on “Rick James;” Lil Mo rapped as “Money Moet” on that year’s The Scarlet Letter ; while Mariah Carey had the production help of Mike Will Made-It on “Faded.”
Adult R&B stations that catered to older audiences, slowly implemented trapsoul on their rotation. The No. 1 year-end song on the 2018 chart of the format was Tank’s “When We” where he called himself a “savage” in 2017. Mary J. Blige transitioned into trap production while keeping her ideations of hip hop soul alive on Strength of a Woman , with leading singles “Thick of It” and “U + Me (Love Lesson)” both going No. 1 on the Adult R&B Songs chart. “Glow Up” in particular showcased this the best. She’d return to the genre on 2022’s Good Morning Gorgeous .
Tank in the video for “When We.”
Key Music Video
“Don’t” - Bryson Tiller (2015)
Director: Cris
Four Key Tracks
“Exchange” - Bryson Tiller (2015)
“Phone Down” - Erykah Badu (2015)
“When We” - Tank (2017)
“Amazing” - Mary J. Blige (2022)
essential Pioneers and influenced artists
Bryson Tiller
Keyshia Cole
Summer Walker
Two Key albums
Trapsoul
Bryson Tiller
2015
Milestone
Chrisette Michele
2016
Trap&B
The New Age of Trap Infused R&B
Trap infused R&B and pop is now commonplace in the market today thanks to new artists. Just as Bryson Tiller had his come up, so did Summer Walker and SZA. Both ladies implemented neo soul and cloudy R&B into their sounds, being compared to legendary artists that existed before them. Also on this list: Sevyn Streeter, who crossed over onto Adult R&B stations with her 2017 debut Girl Disrupted . While Fetty Wap received a dominant run in 2015 upon releasing “Trap Queen,” “My Way,” and “Again.” “Trap Queen” particularly became an anthem that really laid out the archetypes of the genre such as “cooking” up drugs, going to the stripclub, and the ups and downs of trap-oriented romances; reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100.
A major component that became apparent with trap music is the lyricism that revolved around basketball. In a way, that played into the idea of ‘Love & Basketball’ a romcom that explored the themes of ego in Black Love. Mila J released her 2017 mix-tape, ‘Dopamine,’ where she sang on “Move,” “Kyrie Irv with the moves” and “balling like Jordan.” There’s also Rihanna name dropping Lebron James on her rap anthem, “Bitch Better Have My Money” in 2015.
Over the period of trap&B’s commercial dominance, listeners started to hear regional interpretations of the sound. For example, Chris Brown’s “Loyal” showcased the West coast sound of LA hip hop. While “***Flawless” from the Matriarch known as Queen Bey repped H-Town. Today, trap&B has been blamed for the saturation of R&B music. Many feel as though male artists are trying too hard to be like the pioneering forces of Chris Brown and Bryson Tiller. It’s blamed for the perceived lack of passion and true romantic feelings. Still, the sound remains commercially responsible for the success of those who appeal to the younger generations of music listeners.
Fetty Wap in the “Trap Queen” music video.
Chris Brown in the “Loyal” music video.
Key Music Videos
“Turn On The Lights” - Future (2012)
Director: Bryan Barber
“Pour It Up” - Rihanna (2013)
Director: Vincent Haycock
Six Key Tracks
“Loveeeeeee Song” - Rihanna featuring Future (2012)
“7/11”- Beyoncé (2014)
“Drunk Texting” - Chris Brown featuring Jhené Aiko (2014)
“My Way” - Fetty Wap featuring Drake (2015)
“Love Galore” - SZA featuring Travis Scott (2017)
“Ex For A Reason” - Summer Walker featuring JT (2021)
essential Pioneers and influenced artists
Future
Rihanna
Fetty Wap
three Key albums
Unapologetic
Rihanna
2012
X
Chris Brown
2014
Over It
Summer Walker
2019