Boom bap | |
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Etymology | Onomatopoeic; from the characteristic kick-snare pattern |
Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Late 1980s – early 1990s, Northeastern United States |
Subgenres | |
Boom bap is a subgenre and music production style that was prominent in East Coast hip hop during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.[1]
The term "boom bap" is an onomatopoeia that represents the sounds used for the bass (kick) drum and snare drum, respectively. The style is usually recognized by a main drum loop that uses a hard-hitting, acoustic bass drum sample on the downbeats, a snappy acoustic snare drum sample on the upbeats, and an "in your face" audio mix emphasizing the drum loop, and the kick-snare combination in particular.[2]
Prominent hip hop artists who incorporated "boom bap" in their music include Craig Mack, Run-DMC, Nas, LL Cool J, Gang Starr,[3] KRS-One, MF Doom, Mobb Deep, R.A. the Rugged Man, Big L, Boot Camp Clik, Griselda, Wu-Tang Clan, Jay-Z, Common, Yasiin Bey, A Tribe Called Quest[4] and The Notorious B.I.G.[5]
Key producers include DJ Premier,[6][7] Easy Mo Bee, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, J Dilla, Statik Selektah, RZA, Q-Tip, The Alchemist, Daringer, Black Milk, Apollo Brown, 9th Wonder, Havoc, Da Beatminerz, Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Diamond D, and Showbiz.
Sometimes rendered boom-boom-bap, it's a phonetic evocation of hip-hop's classic drum pattern. The booms are the kicks, the bap is the snare, and the combination is that loping midtempo groove that tugs at your neck and your head, not so much at your hips or your feet.