Ironic and Meme Rap

In an ever-evolving society, there are often instances of two entities coming together and producing an unexpected, original movement (whether that be for the better or worse). While that in itself is fine, there are the occasional bastardizations of both pieces of the pair that should never exist. Ever.

In this case study we will focus on the recent trend of ironic and/or meme rap music.

So what is it?

To summarize briefly, both meme and ironic rap are only enjoyable when, you guessed it, listened to ironically.

Further characterizations

• Ironic/meme rap is almost always self-produced and distributed, with few exceptions (ie, Kanye).
• Lyrical content usually consists of a stream-of-consciousness like narrative (or, as of lately, anti-narrative).
• Frequently makes reference to Twitter, often creating trends in song (ie, #based, #shotsfired, #rekt).
• Lyrical content makes frequent allusions to drugs (especially cannabis), hoes, and social media.
• Various nonsensical words added, usually "whoop" or "swag".
• The ionic "parental advisory" sticker is often added to album art despite most albums and mixtapes being self-released (and usually not even physically distributed).
• Strong connections to the internet, especially Twitter.

Differences

While both are often enjoyed by the same audience for the same reasons, the difference between ironic and meme rap lies within the integrity of the musician. Ironic rap is made simply to be ironic, often to parody the mannerisms used by more well-known mainstream artists, whereas meme rap is created with the intent to be actually enjoyed. Often, one or more elements (usually those listed above) will backfire on a sincere artist, forcing them into meme rap status.

Examples

Ironic rap

Lil B

Moar info: Lil B.

Lil B aka THE BASEDGOD is often accredited as being the architect of ironic rap (although MF Doom could arguably take this position). His music completely fills the ironic/meme rap checklist and has a heavily dedicated following. Purveyor of several memes, most notably: look like X (usually Jesus), hoes on my dick, thank you based god/tybg, etc. In addition to all of this, he often makes absurd public statements hinting at a possible troll status.

Yung Lean

An underage Swedish rapper who attempts to imitate Lil B with minimal effort. The majority of his beats are ripped from Soundcloud, which, coupled with poorly delivered lyrics about drugs he probably couldn't get, creates a barely listenable (even out of irony) portrait of a confused white boy. Often uses imagery pertaining to American products, especially Arizona Iced Tea.

Lofty305

Somewhat talented rapper with intentionally boring/bad stream-of-consciousness style. Usually associates himself with retro-psychedelic styles and imagery.