10 Emo Rap Artists To Know

There have always been elements of emo in rap. We can go all the way back to 1991 where the Geto Boys blended horror with pessimistic themes to make the classic We Can’t Be Stopped. But rap’s current emo revival is much different. It stems from a movement that peaked in the mid 2000s where bands like Panic! At The Disco reigned supreme. It was an era where if you were caught wearing a shade that even resembled black you were accused of being emo, and you wouldn’t deny it because it was the cool thing to be. The emo boom ultimately passed, and although it still retained a core audience, the mainstream had moved onto the next fad. It wasn’t until the birth of Soundcloud that emo returned to the popular culture zeitgeist.

One of the first artists to make a name for themselves on SoundCloud was Bones. Bones was a descendant of Raider Klan, and he along with artists like Xavier Wulf, began embracing emo's themes. Bones would go as far as releasing moody acoustic guitar ballads that initially alienating, though really ahead of their time. Other artists on the platform would begin to welcome the genre, such as the smooth elegance of Spooky Black (now Corbin) and key figure Lil Peep , who used pop-punk’s influence to make a name for himself. 

Now, the genre has become so much more. With emo-rap on the rise, here are some of the emerging artists helping to transform it into one of rap’s most interesting sub-genres.

JPEGMAFIA is not normally what comes to mind when you think about emo. His influences are gathered from a wide array of rap styles, but the emo vibes are undeniable. As such, he can occasionally enter into a melancholy sing-rap mode, while his experimental production also happens to trend toward melancholy.

On his most recent project Veteran, JPEGMAFIA mastered the art of the emo song title, a necessity of the genre. Case in point, “Baby I’m Bleeding” & “I cannot fucking wait until Morrissey Dies." Although his music does not live in dread like much of the scene’s output, instead it uses emo influence in spurts, making it all the more effective.

If it was 2008, 93 Feet of Smoke would be a pop-punk band fighting for a spot on the MTV morning countdown. As this is 2018, 93 Feet of Smoke is a rapper-producer embracing all aspects of the emo-rap genre.

In a scene where many of the artists seem unpolished, 93 Feet of Smoke already feels like the complete package, possibly boasting Soundcloud’s best song titles (“there’s a sadness in the sky i want to scream at”) to pair with his synth and acoustic guitar-based production.

Montreal based crooner Skinmelt has been creating some buzz on Soundcloud, backed by the production of formidable beat makers like Distance Decay. Her sometimes incomprehensible moan is reminiscent of some of the major singers from the mid to late ‘2000s pop-punk era, cheifly Hayley Williams and Amy Lee, with a welcome hip-hop twist.

The emo-rap movement would benefit greatly from an influx of women voices, and Skinmelt is one of the first make her way into it.

With about eighteen members and counting, it’s difficult to place Midnight Society into a single category. They have artists that tend to exist more on the punk side of the spectrum like Fukkit, while some work seamlessly in the Soundcloud world like Braxton Knight. But something that all of the members have in common is that there is an element of the emo-rap genre encompassing them all.

Founding member Kamiyada is one of the most fleshed out artists on Soundcloud, period. He's magnificently able to transition from punk to boom bap at the snap of a finger, and always with a hint of the apprehension present in the finest emo. There’s no doubt that Midnight Society is going to play a significant part in the development of emo rap.

Buzzing trio Boyfriendz is here to breakdown some barriers. Composed of three rappers who have all had individual success before banding together, Lil Aaron, Lil Lotus and Smrtdeath are the sexually free trio bringing broken-hearted and raunchy anthems to Soundcloud. Unlike many of the artists currently making up the scene, the rapping is taken seriously by all three, more than a mere afterthought to their overall aesthetic.

Tracy is a difficult artist to nail down. One second he’s an emo songbird, the next a trap star, and later he's making country ballads with Lil Uzi. But where Tracy became one of Soundcloud’s most fascinating stars was alongside the late Lil Peep, turning in some of the most fleshed out and influential emo-rap of the era; Tracy’s autotune blended vocals alongside Peep’s pop-punk derived flow together made a perfect combination.

Another descendant and close friend of Lil Peep is British rapper Bexey. Lately, much of Bexey’s buzz has come from his look, with snow white anime hair and changing eyes that are often as black as a bat.

Similar to Tracy, Bexey is versatile and can not be solely defined as an emo-rap artist. Still, there’s no denying that his best work, like the melodic “Suitcase," fully embraces the main themes of the genre.

No longer in the shadow of Yung Lean, familiarize yourself with Sweden’s Bladee. For a couple of years now, Bladee has managed to make his autotuned and somber vocals feel like they were recorded in the slushy and frigid mountains of northern Europe.

Much like his peer and friend Yung Lean, the feel of his music is cloudy and often quite depressing. That feeling is elevated on his collaborative project with Working On Dying, where their haunting synths and drums only enhance to Bladee’s torment.

It’s clear that pop-punk has made its presence felt in the emo rap era, but New Jersey rapper Shinigami it may be the most apparent example. A capable singer and drummer, Shinigami has become one of the most consistent artists in the scene, all while paying homage to music he was a fan of from his younger days.

One of his most impressive tracks to date is “where did we go wrong," which features hard hitting instrumentation, like a time portal back to 2001.

For sometime now, Night Lovell’s dark energy and baritone voice has been making waves on SoundCloud. Mastering a sound that some would say originated with Bones or Raider Klan, Lovell has taken it to new heights by adding a rapping ability arguably superior to those he was influenced by.

His production is often ominous and moody, especially when he finds himself on a beat by Blank Body. It’s no surprise that Night Lovell has been able to cultivate one of SoundCloud’s largest and most loyal cult audiences.