Trap music within the US hip-hop scene was born over 25 years ago and in the last five years has seen a resurgence with artists such as Chief Keef, Juicy J and A$AP Rocky bringing the hard flows and lyrics back to the forefront. Trap has even broken through to the mainstream with artists such as Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga all releasing songs with notable trap influences. The popularity of the genre has not gone unnoticed by artists in the UK and has spawned a wave of new talent making music within the ‘Trap’ genre.
TRAPPED looks at 3 artists who are making a name for themselves and staking their claim to be on par, if not better, then their American Cousins .
1. Piff Gang
With support from US artists such as A$AP Rocky and Action Bronson, the Piff Gang collective have carved their own niche within the UK trap scene and even supported Mac Miller on his UK tour. With five mixtapes under their belt, the North London group deliver the perfect match of melodic vibes and slick lyrics whilst adding 808’s and snappy kicks, which really highlight the trap influence. Their latest offering, ‘Pizzy’ is a perfect example of this and showed the gang’s versatility to add their own twist to an already recognisable genre. This in turn comes as a result of the group’s collaborations with producers such as Sumgli, Dream Koala, JD.Reid and Ikeda.
2. Problem Child
After putting on one of the most energetic and memorable performances at Boom Bap festival 2014, Problem Child have gone from strength to strength and their latest LP; ‘Confessions of a Normal Human Being’ has shown why they are one to watch in 2015. What Problem Child are able to do best is offer a variety of tracks within the one disc and the trap element stands out strong. Tracks such as ‘Energy’ and ‘Peanuts’ utilise the use of heavy synth and bass and allow members Illaman, Dabbla and Dubbledge to flow effortlessly over them, creating a sound that you can chill to…or skank to, the choice is yours.
3. Catch’em
Catch’em took a well earned break from music in 2014 but is back doing what he does best, getting turnt up and making tracks. He released a video towards the end of 2014; ‘Swervin’ and the track itself is a deep-bass track with kicks and snares that could easily feature a US trap artist. But what Catch’em is able to do is inject his own personality and style on the beat which takes the track to a whole new level. With visuals provided by Stay Hungry and production from trap veteran Hucci, this track shows why Catch’em is one of the pioneers of the UK trap scene.
This article wouldn’t be complete without an honourable mention to the DJs who are taking it upon themselves to help build the UK trap scene with fresh and hard hitting instrumentals. Artists such as @DarqEFreaker, @StookiSound, @Thisisjikay (founder of YouTube channel All Trap Music) and @Cadenzacadenza have helped artists to create songs on home grown beats and further show that the UK trap scene is as alive as it ever will be.
Words: Nathan Tuft ( @Natz_AO )
