Plugg

Plugg is a subgenre of trap music that emerged in the mid-2010s via online distribution on the SoundCloud platform. It was popularized by melodic Southern hip hop artists, and is characterized by

Etymology#

The genre derives its name from the “Plug!” producer tag on SoundCloud used by the members of the BeatPluggz collective since 2013. MexikoDro of the Beatpluggz collective claimed that fellow collective member StoopidXool or someone else from Beatpluggz recorded the vocals for the tag. At first, the tag used the word “Plugs”, but they later shortened it to “Plug”. Both variants “plugg” and “plug” are used to describe the genre. Other names for the genre include descriptive terms such as “new wave” and “smooth jazz” (not to be confused with new wave and smooth jazz genres).

Characteristics#

Plugg music is typified by the production style of Beatpluggz, originated by MexikoDro. According to CashCache, “simple chords, hard-hitting 808s and repetitive, thoughtful, addictive melodies” typify plugg music. According to trap producer Popstar Benny, the foundation of plugg is “Zaytoven ’s ‘street’ Atlanta drums, and melodies, which are … a little more ‘internet’ and little more “videogamey”.

808s and drumming#

Multiple sources pinpoint the foundation of plugg drumming to Zaytoven’s percussion style and samples. Many drum samples used by Zaytoven were provided to him by his beatmaking mentor, JT the Bigga Figga, Zaytoven’s drumming is inherently polyrhythmical. Second to the 808 bass notes is usually a clap falling on every 2nd and 4th pulse in a measure. Another rhythmic line is usually added by several sparse lines of hi-hats, which only mark every 8th note and otherwise come and go in dense, occasional clumps. The next percussive line is formed by occasional ornamental accented snares. Zaytoven also usually employs various additional percussive elements in his rhythms, such as occasional vocal “ahh” samples, bongos, shakers (the so-called “Zaytoven shaker”), and so on, and according to Zaytoven, many of the later beatmakers mainly tried to emulate his drumming by re-using his percussive drum sounds. The complete rhythm usually employs several minor variations throughout the song; and it might be turned on and off throughout the song, creating “beat cuts” or “beat skips”.

Chords and melodies#

Plugg music is characterized by its distinctive melodies, which often draw inspiration from retro Nintendo-style video game sounds. These melodies are typically multi-layered and feature heavy use of lush chords, xylophone tones, and soft synthesizer presets, such as synth pads. The drum programming in plugg music tends to be sparse, with frequent use of crash cymbals, TR-808 rimshots, maracas, accent snares, and occasional hi-hats. Instead of traditional kick drums, producers often rely on 808s. Claps in plugg beats are usually heavily low-pass filtered and muffled, serving as a substitute for conventional snares.

Production influences and evolution#

Plugg production evolved from the style popularized by Zaytoven, who was known for incorporating piano and organ riffs alongside minimal drum arrangements. Beatpluggz, a prominent production collective, retained the minimalist and airy tone of Zaytoven’s style while shifting the emphasis from organic instruments to synthetic sounds. They also expanded the rhythmic elements by introducing a wider variety of hi-hats, snares, and other percussion samples. Additionally, the 808s used in Beatpluggz-style production are generally harder and more prominent than those in Zaytoven’s beats.

Other characteristics#

One defining feature of plugg music is the use of the “Plug!” vocal sample, which originated as a producer tag for the Beatpluggz collective. Over time, this tag became widely adopted by producers influenced by the Beatpluggz style, even those unaffiliated with the collective. Vocally, plugg performers employ a range of styles, including aggressive and mellow rapping, whispering flows, DMV-style delivery, and melodic singing.

Production techniques and tutorials#

Plugg beats are often created quickly and are considered relatively easy to replicate. Numerous tutorials on YouTube claim to teach producers how to create plugg beats in as little as six minutes. Before the rise of these tutorials, MexikoDro, a notable figure in the plugg scene, stated in an interview that he typically spends about 15 minutes on a beat—10 minutes for production and five minutes for mixing and mastering. Similarly, Zaytoven was known to complete beats within 5 to 10 minutes.

Early 2010s: Origins#

The origins of plugg music are traced to the gospel and soul-influenced production style of Zaytoven, and other southern rap influences, such as OutKast, Plugg first emerged around 2013 as a cohesive production style of the collective called Beatpluggz including Atlanta-based producers MexikoDro and StoopidXool. MexikoDro and his fellow Beatpluggz members gained viewership via the SoundCloud platform, where plugg picked up an underground following. “Dresser” (by Yung Bans), as MexikoDro later claimed in interviews. Whether or not Rich the Kid paid for the beat for his “Plug!” song, which was one of the biggest plugg hits of the day, also remains uncertain. During the first wave, plugg beats, mainly made by Beatpluggz, also helped to shape the careers of UnoTheActivist, Thouxanbanfauni, and Yung Gleesh. The first mainstream wave of plugg was mainly a fad and quickly faded away as the rappers (Famous Dex, Rich the Kid, Lil Yachty) moved on to work with other producers. Playboi Carti had a creative break-up with MexikoDro, which was described as “ugly”, and moved on to work with Pi’erre Bourne, who wasn’t making plugg. Despite the aforementioned developments, in the underground during that time, plugg maintained a consistent following and continued to evolve, mostly due to the online-centric nature of the subgenre.

Late 2010s–2020s: Pluggnb scene#

The new wave of plugg started in 2017–2020 and stemmed mainly from several sources. First, a new style of plugg emerged, called pluggnb, which combined plugg production with melodic, dreamy contemporary R&B synths. Among the originators of this new style were XanGang, producer collective Surreal Gang, producers CashCache, Dylvinci, influences in plugg, Around that time in 2020, StoopidXool and Cash Cobain collaborated on an album with a New York City plugg rapper FLEE, and that release included the viral pluggnb hit “SWISH / USE 2” recorded in collaboration with Brent Faiyaz. Later, also in 2020, Drake included a plugg track produced by MexikoDro titled “From Florida with Love” on his Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape. The purported reason for the inclusion of a plugg song in the tracklist was speculated to be the second wave of underground plugg that Drake was aware of. In 2022, Atlanta artist Glokk40Spaz started gaining attention for his hardcore plugg rap style. This style had emerged in the DMV area, where it was given the name dark plugg. Standing in contrast to the dreamy and melodic atmosphere of plugg, dark plugg (also known as DMV plugg and evil plugg) emphasizes an ominous and aggressive sound, with widespread use of the DMV flow.

Hyperplugg#

By the end of 2021, the plugg sound was flourishing In 2022, the hyperplugg microgenre began trending on SoundCloud and TikTok, when producer-artist Myspacemark started adding influences of hyperpop into his plugg sound, to the point of claiming to have invented the “hyperplugg” subgenre. It was unclear whether the subgenre was intended as an ironic meme or not, but after videos on the microgenre amassed tens of thousands of views on TikTok, many fans of Myspacemark took the idea more seriously.

Ambient plugg#

Ambient plugg is a microgenre blending plugg percussion with atmospheric textures, glitchy ad-libs, and meditative synths. Pioneered in the late 2010s by artists like Izaya Tiji, the style emphasizes mood and texture over lyricism, creating soft, surreal soundscapes. It later gained traction through collectives like Shed Theory and artists like Babyxsosa.

Terror plugg#

Terror plugg (also known as extremo-plugg ) is a microgenre of plugg characterized by its use of distorted 808s, eerie melodies, and intense vocal delivery, originally pioneered by producers and rappers Squillo, tdf, marrgielaa, and boolymon. Music journalist Kieran Press-Reynolds credited New York rapper Yuke’s 2024 single “ian goin” as “the logical excruciating endpoint of the ’terror plugg’ style”.

Asian rock#

Asian rock is a microgenre of pluggnB music pioneered by producer BenjiCold. Writing for Pitchfork, music critic Jude Noel described the style as a “guitar-laden pluggnb style”.

Diary#

Diary (also known as diary plugg) is a microgenre of pluggnB, named after the visual iconography associated with the Vampire Diaries and Twilight Saga, coined by rapper kynlary who formed the Twilight collective. The style is characterized by layered and melodic production, pitched-up vocals, and sing-rapping.

Regional scenes#

Apart from the United States, by the mid-2010s to the early 2020s, plugg took root in Europe, particularly in France and the post-Soviet countries, where local plugg scenes were formed thanks to skate videos, fashion trends and the growing popularity of hip-hop music.

France#

Parisian rapper Besides Serane, other French plugg artists include rappers Southlove, Kasper!, Prince K., Yuri Online (all belonging to #OneTruePath), 8Ruki, and Lil Sandal, and producers TTDafool, Voidd, Chenfol (also from #OneTruePath), and others Of them, Chenfol (also variably spelled Chenpol) is described as the originator of the plugg sound in France.

Russia and post-Soviet countries#

Plugg would be dubbed as “minimalistic trap” in Runet, a Russian-language internet community. Face is commonly cited as the first rapper from Russia to start rapping over plugg beats in 2016, with songs such as “Кот” (“Cat”) (produced by MexikoDro), “Vans” (produced by MexikoDro), In Ukraine, plugg was pioneered by the 044 KLAN music collective, particularly by rappers 044 ROSE and 044 yakata.

Genre family: 2010s in music, Hip-hop genres, Plugg music, Trap music