This youtube video is a compilation of different lo-fi hip hop songs that incorporate the “boom bap” beat. Boom bap was a popular music production style on the East Coast from the 1980s to the 1990s which is considered the “golden age of hip hop.” Boom Bap refers to the sounds of the bass drum and snare drum respectively. This boom bap beat is usually played on loop throughout a song. Boom bap was popular among popular hip hop artists such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and many more.
Lo-fi (short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections of a recording are audible. Misplayed Notes, environmental interference, phonographic imperfections, degraded audio signal, audible hiss, distortion, room acoustics are all common qualities of lo-fi music. Lo-fi hip hop music became popular in the 2010s and has remained popular ever since. There was even a rise in listeners of lo-fi hip hop music during the pandemic because many people were forced to work from home or have school online. Many people listen to lo-fi music as ambient music while they are working or studying. Lo-fi hip hop music, specifically with boom bap, has been known create a feeling of nostalgia within listeners which is one of the reasons why it is so popular.