History and character
Origins
A current born online between 2009 and 2012. The starting point is the meeting of Lil B (The Based God) and the producer Clams Casino, who with "I'm God" (2009, sampling Imogen Heap's "Just for Now") created ethereal beats full of reverb and pitched vocals. The term "cloud rap" circulated among blogs and critics around 2011.
Development
A$AP Rocky brought the sound to success with the mixtape "Live. Love. A$AP" (2011: "Palace" and "Peso" produced by Clams Casino and others); followed by Main Attrakionz, Spaceghostpurrp in part, Friendzone, with Imogen Heap sampled everywhere. In Sweden Yung Lean and the Sad Boys (Yung Sherman, Yung Gud; "Ginseng Strip 2002", 2013) and then Bladee, Ecco2k and the Drain Gang created an even more digital and melancholic version.
Legacy
Cloud rap is the direct ancestor of much emo rap, SoundCloud melodic trap, dreamier plugg and melodic hyperpop. The aesthetic (vaporwave, anime, 2000s internet) and the sound (reverb as an instrument, vocals drowned in the beat) are now part of the common language.
Scales and keys
Major (Ionian) and Lydian
- Major: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (2-2-1-2-2-2-1). In D: D E F# G A B C#.
- Lydian: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7. In F: F G A B C D E. Characteristic note: #4 (B), which gives a sense of suspension and "floating."
- Use: bright but melancholic pads and vocal samples (Clams Casino often uses slowed major samples); Lydian is perfect for the "cloud" air.
- Lydian chords in F: F (I) – G (II) – Am (iii) – Bdim (#iv°) – C (V) – Dm (vi) – Em (vii).
Natural minor (Aeolian)
- Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. In B: B C# D E F# G A.
- Use: the most melancholic strand (Yung Lean, Bladee), i–VI–III–VII progressions.
Dorian
- Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. In A: A B C D E F# G.
- Use: suspended pads, nostalgic but not tragic.
Major pentatonic
- In C: C D E G A (1 2 3 5 6).
- Use: simple, childlike synth bell and vocal melodies, very "internet."
How to choose
- Ethereal and dreamy: Lydian or major with maj7.
- Sad, introverted: Aeolian.
- Nostalgic: Dorian.
The very long reverb adds the notes together: choose melodies with few dissonances (or deliberate dissonances such as ambient clusters).
Harmony
Ambient harmony
Loops of 2–4 long-held chords, often with extensions (maj7, add9, sus2) and no cadences; many beats are built on a single slowed, reverberated sample that creates a continuous harmonic "pad."
Sample as harmony
Female vocals, new age synths, soundtracks: slowed down (−3/−7 semitones, sometimes with time-stretch), filtered and drowned in reverb, they become blurred chords.
Harmonic rhythm
Slow: one chord every 2–4 bars at 65–75 felt BPM.
Voicing
Wide and open (fifths and ninths), mid-high register; little harmonic bass, left to the soft 808.
Typical progressions
| Name | Key | Chords | Degrees | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lydian dream | F Lydian | Fmaj7 G | Imaj7 II | The major II shows the #4: pure floating, typical of ethereal beats. |
| Aeolian melancholy | B minor | Bm G D A | i VI III VII | Slow Aeolian progression, played by pads and pitched vocals: Yung Lean, early emo rap. |
| Major suspension | D major | Dmaj7 Bm7 Gmaj7 Gmaj7 | Imaj7 vi7 IVmaj7 IVmaj7 | Three soft chords, two bars of IV: no dominant, no closure. |
| Nostalgic Dorian | A minor (Dorian) | Am9 D6 | i IV6 | The IV6 (D F# A B) highlights the Dorian 6 F#: nostalgia without tragedy. |
| Slowed sample | Eb major | Abmaj7 Gm7 Fm7 Ebmaj7 | IV iii ii I | Diatonic descent typical of the pop/new age samples slowed by Clams Casino; the I arrives but the reverb makes it blurry. |
Rhythm and groove
Feel
Slow perceived tempo (60–80), relaxed and sparse trap drums; many beats have light swing or none. The reverb lengthens everything and makes the groove "floating."
Hi-hat
Trap-style but less dense, with occasional rolls; sometimes absent.
Flow
Relaxed, monotone, almost whispered or sing-song; the rapper "floats" on the beat rather than locking into it.
Drums
Kick
Soft, short 808 or a kick with little attack; sparse pattern (steps 1, 11).
Snare / clap
On 3 (half-time) or on 2 and 4 at 70 BPM; clap with long reverb (1.5–3 s) that becomes part of the atmosphere.
Hi-hat
Eighth or sixteenth notes at low velocity; rolls rare; often filtered.
Percussion
Few: snaps, rim, chimes; reverses and cymbal swells.
Interaction
The drums sit under the sample: it is the sample's reverb that leads. The bass is soft, the 808 long but not aggressive.
Sections
Minimal variations; breakdown with only the sample; drums that enter after 4–8 bars.
Typical mistakes
Drums that are too dry and present (they break the atmosphere); long reverb on the kick and 808 as well (mud).
Bass
- Soft 808, long and lightly distorted, or a clean sine wave; follows the tonic with few movements.
- Register 40–80 Hz, with few harmonics: cloud rap has no aggressive bass.
- Relationship with the kick: often coincident; light sidechain.
- Notes: tonic and fifth; glides rare.
Harmonic instruments
- Vocal samples (especially female) slowed, pitched and reverberated: the main instrument.
- Ambient pads, new age synths, guitars with delay and reverb.
- Soft bells and arpeggios.
- Mid-high register, very wide stereo.
Melody and vocals
- Vocals: relaxed, sing-song rap, sometimes deliberately off-key; light or pronounced Auto-Tune (Yung Lean and Bladee use Auto-Tune as a color).
- Effects: long reverb (hall 3–6 s), delay, chorus, pitch shift; the voice is "inside" the beat rather than on top of it.
- Hooks: simple and repetitive, often sung.
- Backing vocals: doubles and reverberated stacks, no traditional choir.
Instruments
Slowed vocal and pop/new age samples, ambient pads, synths, electric guitar with effects, soft 808, light trap drums, vocals with reverb and Auto-Tune.
Drum patterns
Synths and sounds
- Jup-8 V — Ethereal pads: Pad with slow attack (800 ms–1.5 s), long release, chorus; with a shimmer reverb on top for the cloud effect.
- Augmented Voices — Sampled voices and choirs: It replaces female vocal samples: slowed 'ahh' textures, filtered and reverberated.
- CS-80 V — 'Blade Runner' lead and pad: The CS-80 with ribbon and soft brass gives the melancholic, cinematic air; excellent for slow melodies.
- DX7 V — FM bells and electric pianos: 1980s e. piano and FM bells for the internet/vaporwave aesthetic.
- Solina V — String machine: String ensemble with deep chorus, blurry and nostalgic.
Song structure
| Section | Bars | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | 4–8 | sample alone, reverberated |
| Hook | 8 | light drums enter |
| Verse | 16 | |
| Hook | 8 | |
| Verse 2 / bridge | 8–16 | often only sample and vocal |
| Outro | 8 | sample fading into the reverb |
Length 2:30–3:30. Static arrangement, with dynamics provided by filters and reverbs.
Mixing and mastering
Sonic goal
Atmosphere above all: wide, reverberated samples and pads, vocal integrated into the beat (not "in your face"), soft drums, clean bass. References: A$AP Rocky "Live. Love. A$AP" (2011), Clams Casino "Instrumentals" (2011), Bladee "Eversince" (2016). Balance: sample/pad 0, vocal −1/−2 (almost level), 808 −4, clap −6.
Kick
HP 30 Hz, body 60 Hz, LP 6 kHz (soft); mono; dry.
Clap / snare
HP 200 Hz; hall reverb 2–3 s at −10/−14 dB, pre-delay 30 ms; the tail is part of the ambience.
Hi-hat
HP 600 Hz, LP 10 kHz; low level; pan ±20.
808
HP 25 Hz, LP 200 Hz (clean); slow compression; mono; little saturation.
Samples and pads
- EQ: HP 150–250 Hz; slight cut at 2–4 kHz.
- Space: long reverbs (Valhalla Supermassive, Shimmer, hall 4–8 s) even at 30–50% wet on the channel; long filtered delays.
- Stereo: very wide (±100), possibly with mid/side (mid −2 dB).
- Modulation: chorus, slow wow (pitch LFO ±5–10 cents).
Vocal
- EQ: HP 100 Hz, cut 300 Hz, slight presence at 3 kHz, air at 12 kHz.
- Compression: 4–6 dB (less than trap).
- Space: hall 2–4 s at −12/−16 dB, 1/4 delay at −16 dB; Auto-Tune.
- Stack: wide, reverberated doubles.
Buses and groups
Music bus with light glue; vocal bus with a shared reverb (creates cohesion).
Sidechain
Kick → pad (1–2 dB); 808 → low samples (dynamic EQ below 200 Hz).
Master
Target −11/−9 LUFS integrated, true peak −1 dBTP. PLR 9–11 dB: don't crush the atmosphere.
Common mistakes
Reverb below 200 Hz (mud); vocal so buried it becomes unintelligible; too many pad layers masking each other.
Reference tracks for the mix
- Lil B — I'm God (2009)
- A$AP Rocky — Palace (2011)
- Yung Lean — Ginseng Strip 2002 (2013)
- Bladee — Be Nice 2 Me (2018)
Reference listening
- Lil B — I'm God (2009)
- A$AP Rocky — Palace (2011)
- A$AP Rocky — Peso (2011)
- Main Attrakionz — Chandelier (2011)
- Yung Lean — Ginseng Strip 2002 (2013)
- Bladee — Be Nice 2 Me (2018)