Boom bap

In hip-hop music, boom bap is a subgenre. "Boom bap" is an onomatopoeia for the drum sounds prominent in boom bap. It is usually recognized by an acoustic drum loop/break and a chopped up sample style that became widely used in the early 90's as opposed to the old school type synth beats. The term was popularized by the album Return of the Boom Bap by KRS-One.

Overview

It is associated with producers from New York City in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, KRS-One, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, EPMD, Marley Marl, Large Professor, Prince Paul and Scott La Rock as well as legendary Detroit producer J Dilla and RZA's classic Wu-Tang sounding style. However, it spread far and wide. For example, boom bap is made by People Under The Stairs in Los Angeles. Although it is still made, boom bap is no longer the dominant style of hip-hop production, remaining somewhat prominent in alternative hip hop but rarely appearing in Top 40 hip hop singles. In March 2013, Busta Rhymes claimed his next album would bring the Boom Bap back to hip hop. Joey Bada$$, Capital Steez and Pro Era are more examples.