How Lil Jon And Lil Wayne Paved The Way To Trap Music

Trap music is a subgenre of music that originally came from hip hop and steadily became its own genre around the early 2000s.

Its name, in particular, is a reference to areas where drug deals are being held as an homage to the origins of hip hop and how much of a social issue it was in poor neighborhoods.

Just like rap and hip hop, the trap has the aim to inform its listeners to how the hardships of life have affected not only the artists but also their surroundings, friends, and the city overall. These hardships consist of mainly drugs, violence, poverty and harsh lifestyles that lead to the “street life” attitude. In contrast to the other genres, trap uses synth and electronic sounds to provide more appeal to the lyrics but still maintain dark and harsh melodies in order to not underestimate the message.

Two artists, in particular, have changed the scene and brought trap music to popularity as it is now among the most popular styles in the music scene: Lil Jon and Lil Wayne.

Lil Jon belongs to the first wave of the trap and has topped the charts over a period of almost two decades and has been nominated and won prestigious awards such as the MTV Video Music Awards, the Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards for Best Direction and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Tracks such as “Yeah!”, in collaboration with Ludacris and Usher, and “Turn Down for What”, have charted successfully reaching #1. This consolidated Lil Jon in being an influence to many other artists such as Machine Gun Kelly and others.

Another influential act that brought change and inspiration within not only the trap environment but also rap and hip hop is Lil Wayne. With the release of “The Block Is Hot”, reaching #1 and #3 in different U.S. charts, the artist consolidated his name in the music industry immediately. Other subsequent releases such as “I Am Not a Human Being” and “The Carter IV” proved that he is a talent that can stand time as his career spans twenty years and have topped the charts many times. His latest album, “The Carter V”, peaked #1 in the USA and Canada and reached the Top 5 in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Lil Wayne and Lil Jon are undeniably very influential as rappers and rap artists such as Drake, Post Malone, Chance the Rapper, Future, and many more. Furthermore, Lil Jon has since become also a producer and has discovered and developed talents such as Ciara and her #1 hit “Goodies”, most of Pitbull’s hits such as “Anthem”.

Who will they influence and discover next?

Popnable /Popnable Media