History of Mumble Rap
The latest genre I am analysing to be founded, Mumble Rap (closely associated with Trap Rap), was pioneered by artists like Future and carried by artists like Lil Yachty. Around early 2010, Future was hanging out in Atlanta, Georgia with the Dungeon Family. Now the Dungeon Family were a group of Hip Hop/ Alt RnB artists who were known for genre-bending their music. A strong ethos os experimentation and artistic expression. This included the likes of legendary artists like Outkast (meaning obviously still incredibly influential, Andre 3000), Organized Noize, Super Nate, Killer Mike, Cool Breeze, Witchdocter and many more. Future was literally cousins with the owner of the famed studio, Dungeon (obviously where the collective derive their name from), Rico Wade.
After Futures uncle’s death, Rico’s father, Future then stayed at The Dungeon regularly for the next year. He would sleep on the couch regularly, gaining influences and inspirations from the artists around him, all collaborating regularly. Rico Wade is even quoted as to saying “You weren’t even going to be able to go on each other albums unless you had something different.”.
So having all other collaborators influences off the table due to the need for originality, but still have that creative driven creative space made Future take a deconstructed approach to his music. Especially when compared to his musically sophisticated Dungeon counterparts, artists like Andre 3000. Within the years 2010 to early 2011, Future release three mixtapes, 1000, Dirty Sprite and True Story. This would spawn hits in the hiphop community like Tony Montana and his collaboration with YC, Racks.
After hits by artists like Future, Migos, Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug, Mumble rap started to reverberate through the Hiphop community. Drawing both criticisms and praise from the fans and artists alike. The term Mumble Rap even came from fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa using the term in a derogatory way.
Since 2011’s releases the genre has gained the most popularity within the past 3 years. Obviously the subject matter and the musical characteristics impacted large parts of the hiphop fanbase in a positive manner. Still ever as divisive, like the current beef between Pete Rock and Lil Yachty. Pete Rock is an older styled artist, trusting in turntables and other 90’s era techniques. Lil Yachty is the Mumble rapper, below is an example of one of his tracks.
Characteristics of Mumble Rap
So what was this deconstructed approach Future attacked the hiphop industry with? What caused so much conflict in a genre that is already famous for having conflict between its sub-genres?
Well a big clue is in the title of the genre. Mumble rap involves low pronounced lyrics that are heavily processed. With sources like Rolling Stone comparing Mumble Raps use of Auto-tune to T-Pain, in the way they both utilise it like an instrument. This is exactly how they compose their lyricism too, as it is obvious that they have less reverence for lyricism. They rather compose their vocals like another layer of melodies and rhythmic stanzas as alike an instrument.
Future defended the artistic credibility with the following quote to Peter Rosenburg, Hiphop culture icon/ Radio personality, in 2015. “[Listening to Tony Montana] I remember being so f*cking high to this song. Like I couldnt even open my mouth. But when i listening to it back the next morning i was like man, what am i even saying? But i loved it. That sh*t sound raw though, I ain’t going to change it. Its just a moment. A moment, a phrase and it just changes your whole perspective of something. And people forget that, they get caught up in other things. But it is what it is. Its graffiti on the wall. It’s a good picture. Its a word, someone just graffiti that sh*t or pen that sh*t out. And you havent been able to see it in the right spot…That’s what it’s all about to me, thats art.”
Other than this the processing on the vocals also makes it hard to quite understand from a lyrical standpoint. Utilising both Autotune, reverb and highly compressed vocals in new and inventive ways would create some muddiness in clarity. GQ Magazine has described in a suprisingly accurate manner the Autotune effects on the vocals, “[Future] has managed to reboot the tired auto-tune sound and mash it into something entirely new”, [Future] combines it with a bizarro croon to synthesize how he feels, then […] stretches and deteriorates his words until they’re less like words, more like raw energy and reactive emotions” Below is an excellent example of this processed vocals mix in the Mumble Rap trio group, Migos, 2017 release T-Shirt.
With the vocals addressed, the instrumentals tend to be fairly close to Trap Rap (which main difference is just more classic Hiphop vocal influences). The drum kits often are close to Trap Rap, or Trap as in the EDM genre, with high register closed high hats, muted snares and a generally simplistic approach to claps. Especially when you compare it to the often complex high hat patterns. As well as this for the rhythmic section would be heavily processed, normally crushed with distortion and compression, 808’s and rolling basses.
As for the melodic sections of the composition, there were normally soft background pads or other synths that are often composed in “half speed” when compared to the accompanying drum kit, this is evident in the above Migos example. Also another instrument may be utilised as a lead pattern, often a sharp stabbed sound but rarely a sample. An example of this could be found in the keys within Tony Montana – Future (shown at the top of this page).
So to sum up the general flow of discussion through out this piece, as all musical elements have been addressed, the controversy surrounding Mumble Rap can be understood. To those that define Hip Hop as lyrical prowess then this is a big paradim shift. Still its not really musically valid, as Hip Hop very much started by poorer communities in America transcending musical ideals like the transformation from genres like Soul and Disco. This is very close to what Mumble Rap is doing today, only moving away from a lyrical based genre to a melody based one.
REFERENCES
YouTube. (2016). Hip Hop Hates Mumble Rap. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7O9gnurSB8 [Accessed 29 Apr. 2017].
YouTube. (2017). Future & Mumble Rap’s Ironic Origin. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvlDpbxbr38 [Accessed 30 Apr. 2017].
Terry Mooney, O., Kevin Cordon, U., Mary Kiser, T., Tyler Fitch, F. and Daniel Wilcox, U. (2017). A Beginner’s Guide to Mumble Rap. [online] Study Breaks. Available at: https://studybreaks.com/2017/03/29/mumble-rap/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2017].
Serrano, S. (2014). Future’s Reign: How the 30-Year-Old Rules Rap’s New Sound. [online] GQ. Available at: http://www.gq.com/story/future-rap-album-honest [Accessed 31 Apr. 2017].
Billboard. (2016). The Dungeon Family Discusses ONE Musicfest Reunion, Favorite Memories & Future Plans. [online] Available at: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7517898/the-dungeon-family-reunion-favorite-moments-future-plans [Accessed 29 Apr. 2017].
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