There’s a ton of overlap with cloud rap but I guess the most defining aspect is Memphis rap samples and a darker emphasis and usually a slow early trap drum machine tempo

Cloud rap probably uses some of those references points at times too but I think cloud rap has a wider definition. Phonk is more specific

yeah its similar, comes from the same family tree, cloud rap, memphis revivalism, phonk all have crossover

what defines phonk, at least to me would be

• less sparse/ambient, uses more jazzy type of samples often
• harder/more modern trap drums
• vocal samples, often from more modern songs rather than just using old memphis songs
• primarily instrumental music

How I Roll slaps first of all, great shout I forgot about that song

Second, hyperpop was and is a fascinating little scene. It can be anything as long as it’s vaguely maximal and derivation is not only accepted but encouraged as a show of appreciation for the original styles. Imo it came at the right time to transition from indie sleaze/pop edm via “ironic” enjoyment in the mid 10s (never forget how Pitchfork slandered Vroom Vroom) to the full blown Y2K revival we’re getting today.

Sophie is obviously the GOAT (RIP) but I love how much she influenced outside of the main hyperpop canon post-PRODUCT imo. Her legacy lives on in experimental pop like Arca, experimental sound design like Jlin or Skee Mask or GRRL, or subversive alternative like Jane Remover or Caroline more than what we now see as hyperpop. But her early work especially with A. G. Cook is such a blueprint for everything from Underscores to 100 Gecs to Flume’s newer stuff.

Drift phonk and whatnot feels significantly less substantial to me in comparison to its source material. Hyperpop feels like it’s pushing forward and reclaiming the essence of pop, whereas phonk feels like a distillation of a very specific sound without any reference to its southern roots. I could be wrong, though; I’m definitely not tapped in like that to that scene. Would love some reccs if anyone itt is a big fan of phonk or has any up and comers to shout out.

You fw or know of soudierre, Mythic (rip), n holy mob etc ?

i think u hit it on the head, hyperpop as a "genre" is so poorly defined that it encompasses a huge array of sounds, it's really more of a scene or ethos than a sound

whereas phonk, especially drift phonk, has come to mean something very specific (cowbell melodies) in people's eyes, even though that's not even close to what it started as, that it's become a parody of itself

It seems like there’s a whole new wave of Phonk compared to a few years ago

Cause at that time idk if the modern samples were as much of a thing. And it feels like more vaporwave elements have crept in too

why do they call it phonk

it doesn't sound like tiktok phonk or sgp phonk at all really

idk, even in 2013, smokey was sampling migos and gucci songs, this was before versace was even out and migos even really made it big

other producers like soudiere and dj yung vamp do it more than smokey though i would say

came itt fully ready to hate but that song definitely is the blueprint for the A.G / Sophie sound

at the same time though while Britney’s deep cuts are a little odder and more forward thinking than i think a lot of people will give her credit for, i definitely think that underground scene took that less commercial sound and took it further than anyone with mainstream appeal ever could’ve - 100 Gecs is a direct result of the pipeline going from Britney and M.I.A to AG and Sophie to them, and i don’t think they (or other acts like Umru, Brakence, etc) exist without that intermediary

i do wish it caught steam in the mainstream though, thinking about the work Sophie did with Rihanna, Madonna, and Gaga and how little of it made it to the public bc it was probably deemed too strange makes me sad. charli tryna make it happen and turned an easyfun track into a top 40 hit so i still feel like it’s got a shot

pc music is all i listend to in 2015/2016 was a very good era rip sophie

dj smokey was producing for raider klan artists like chris travis and xavier wulf back in 2012, the influence is more obvious on the older tracks, he definitely cleaned up his sound as time went on

i don't really know when exactly the cowbell 4 on the floor style stuff took over, that was after i fell back from being into this type of music

I think PC music is just the natural trajectory of where pop music was going before Miley Cyrus and trap beats/Taylor Swift on rolling hi hats lol

I'll make you a lil playlist when i get a sec bc it kinda goes deep, tho I'm about to hit a movie

Best direction is stuff like DJ Smokey/DJ Yung Vamp, as well as take into consideration that drift phonk was originally another genre before they rebranded under phonk. Some early drift phonk was hard, but I hate how it's people's main idea of phonk.

A.g. Cooks entire production style is meant to be based off 90s/00s pop nostalgia so I don’t think it’s supposed to be some big secret

It derived from some type of Russian dance music, I forget which specific sub genre tho. But all I know is the “phonk” today is barely phonk at all. I’ll even accept Memphis Cult phonk over whatever the phonk playlists on Spotify are atleast s*** like 9mm stays true to the Memphis sound