What is Frat Rap? Who’s the best in the Frat Rap genre?
To me, Frat Rap is basically hip hop for the college/ high school suburban community. Frat rap is generally from, and for white high school and college age students. I’m not white but I have lived in the suburbs basically my entire life… so I guess I fall in the ‘suburban community’ part. But of course I know cats who are black and live in the city and are feelin some of these new Frat Rappers. Frat rap is a new genre (... not to drift off subject but who decides when a genre is officially new, the people right, cause I think they’ve spoken… and like all genres before they were genres, not everyone is gonna be for it so anyone who wants to hate, go and hate) is still in its experimental phase, sorta speak.
Urban Dictionary: Hip-Hop music that has fallen off the path of real hip-hop and is made for college kids to get high to and talk about how they miss "real hip-hop."
And it’s not to say this new genre is actually “new”. For example B.M.O.C. (Big Man On Campus) and their records “Guaranteed To Rock” and “Play That Funk”… and some people might say ‘o what about Beastie Boys’, naw they definitely weren’t Frat Rap. Maybe influential to the Frat Rap scene to some degree but they aren’t frat rap.
Another definition of Frat Rap I stumbled across is-
‘90s NY rap filtered through 00s college student party rap sensibilities
Predominantly white performers for predominantly white audiences
They see Nas as the most recent musical prophet in a line stretching from Jimi Hendrix - > Bob Marley.’
I actually think this is a good description of what Frat Rap is… basically what I said.
Now some of you might be asking, ‘Who is the Best Frat Rapper’???? See that’s a good question, who’s the best frat rap artist? Well, because Frat Rap is really just getting this new genre label, I guess there isn’t a clear, BEST frat rapper. I can say there are a handful of Frat rappers that are making a buzz. And before I go on, some people might not even call all of these artist frat rappers but instead, simply, rappers… Wiz Khalifa is not a frat rapper in my books. Aesop Rock is not a frat rapper.
Among the few Frat Rappers I’ve recently come across are Chiddy Bang, Chris Webby, Sam Adams, Mac Miller, The Deans List, Asher Roth, SoLo, Cam Meekins, Mike Posner, Machine Gun Kelly, Chet Haze (Chet Hanks), Kam Royal, Trey Palms, Huey Mack, Nate Walka, David Dallas, Matt Clark and Kyle Lucas among many others. Mac Miller and Machine Gun Kelly are questionable in terms of me labeling them 'Frat Rappers', and possibly a few others.
Like any other genre when it first begins, a lot of people wanna hate. Its no different here. Some people will call it a fake version of hip hop, whatever… I can only say, just do you and who cares what other people say. The other problem is that so many people are just so closed minded, and not aware of how big our actual planet is… with that said, not everyone is gonna like you. And I don’t want folks thinkin I’m just jumpin on the wagon, cause I don’t like most of the dudes mentioned above… but a handful of em ARE talented. I respect talented artist and good music regardless of the genre.
Here are a few Official Music Videos from a few different Frat Rappers.
Nate Walka – Over Being Sober (Feat. Mat Musto, Kyle Lucas & Machine Gun Kelly)
SoLo "Movin Out"
Mike Posner "Please Don't Go"
Sam Adams "Just Sayin"
David Dallas "Til Tomorrow"
Machine Gun Kelly with Youngblood "Freestyle"
Asher Roth "G.R.I.N.D"
Cam Meekins "Rain"
The Deans List "I'll Be Ok"
Mac Miller "Donald Trump"
Its funny cause while doing this "research" I'm keep it real, some of these cats are kinda nice. I know one of my brothers or some of my boys are gonna be like 'dog you wildin', but they all know I'm crazy anyway hah. But seriously, Cam Meekins, Mac Miller, Machine Gun Kelly and I'll even throw Mike Posner in the mix with his Justin Timberlake singing hah, all of these dudes are talented. I don't care if you don't like em or what their music is about but you have to agree that they are good at what they do.
For any of you who are actually big into frat rap, I'm going to open up my comment section because of this post! So let me know who you think are the best frat rappers! Depending on the responses, I might make a post featuring the top 10 best frat rappers... and like they say, don't knock it until you try it... although I know a handful of yall are still gonna hate hah.