Abstracthiphop is a genre of music that combines elements of hip hop with more experimental and avant-garde sounds. It is characterized by unconventional production techniques, abstract and often surrealistic lyrical content and the use of samples from a wide range of sources.
This style of hip hop has been around since the early 2000s and is a much more conscious, abstract, and artistic form of rap than most traditional rappers. The lyrics tend to focus on existentialism, social institutions, and more abstract ideas than everyday problems and braggadocio.
In terms of musical styles, the sound is very much influenced by jazz, funk and soul music. It also incorporates some electronic elements.
Artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, Lupe Fiasco and Billy Woods have been experimenting with this genre. Their songs have a lot of emotion, are deeply personal and have lots of meaning. It is more lyrically complex and abstract than most typical rap but still very direct and straight forward in terms of what the artist wants to say.
This style of rap has been very popular with the younger generation in New York City and has been steadily growing since 2017. It is a loose group of artists who have been working together as a collective and refining the sound over time. Their most famous member and founder MIKE has played a big role in birthing the style, with a tight network of rappers, poets and producers constantly developing the sound.
