Acid rap

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Acid rap is a subgenre of abstract hip hop in which lyrics are often cryptic, abstract or abnormal, trippy or psychedelic, spacey, dark or sinister, and sometimes drug or science fiction-related, with eerie or spaced-out drumbeats and instrumentation. It can sometimes include direct or indirect references to science fiction, outer space, and futuristic themes, such as Afrofuturism, space or time travel, and extraterrestrials. However, acid rap usually encompasses a wide variety of strange or abstract themes.

This form of "acid rap" is not directly related to the Bristol-based genre of trip hop, but shares many similarities, especially in instrumentation. In fact, the two genres often overlap.

[edit] History

A pioneer in "acid rap" is the alternative MC Kool Keith, especially as Dr. Octagon on the 1996 album Dr. Octagonecologyst. Dr. Octagon's "Blue Flowers" is often thought of as defining the acid rap genre. Another acid rap landmark in Kool Keith's career was the 1999 album Black Elvis/Lost in Space, though Kool Keith has featured acid rap themes on much of his work. Del tha Funkee Homosapien (who has stated his love for psychedelic drugs) and his super-group Deltron 3030 are known for their "acid rap" music. Dan the Automator is responsible for much of the music production on the Dr. Octagon album and Deltron 3030 project, and he has featured acid rap on the album So... How's Your Girl?, the debut album of his side project Handsome Boy Modeling School. The alternative rap group The Pharcyde are also credited with "acid rap" tracks in their 1992 acclaimed album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde.

DJ's and producers that commonly create acid rap beats include DJ Q-Bert, DJ Spooky, DJ Shadow, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Kid Koala, and occasionally Mix Master Mike. Edan's Beauty and the Beat also has some acid rap elements, as does much of Cage Kennylz's and El-P's work. Aesop Rock, another Definitive Jux artist, also has intensely abstract lyrics that can be considered acid. The British artist Tricky is often considered trip hop, but fits easily within the acid rap genre as well due to his unique trippy rapping style. Many rap artist who sample space rock or psychedelic music can also be considered acid rap.

Esham, an underground Detroit rapper, specializes in a genre of rap he has dubbed "acid rap." He even collaborated with Kool Keith on his 2001 release, Tongues. Esham's self-proclaimed acid rap shares many similarities with the genre commonly known as acid rap, such as eerie and dark subject matter and trippy beats. Esham's genre of "acid rap" also fits comfortably in the hardcore hip hop and horrorcore categories, as it often involves eerie mind-bending lyrics about sex, drugs, paranoia, murder, gore, and the occult.

The popular hip hop artist Eminem, though no longer associated with acid rap, was often considered an acid rap artist during his early work, due to his raps about various bizarre and farout themes as well as references to LSD, pills, and psilocybin mushrooms. Even on his breakout hit single, "My Name Is," Eminem raps about strange themes and talks about trying "'cid" (or "acid"). Following his rise in popularity, Eminem is not usually considered "acid rap."

Alternative names for acid rap include "space rap," "stoner rap," and "trip hop," though trip hop usually refers to the ambient Bristol music genre.