Drift Phonk took TikTok by storm, popularizing its soundscape across the world. While Drift Phonk tracks may be exciting to new listeners, it's important to take a look back at the history of Phonk music as a whole to understand how we got to this bass-thumping, energetic, cowbell-infused subgenre of today.
Below, we'll explain what drink Phonk music is, share the origins of the Phonk genre, and share some of our favorite drift Phonk tracks so that you can engage with these unique soundscapes.
Understanding Drift Phonk
Before we get into the nitty gritty details, drift Phonk is a subgenre of Phonk, which is considered a subset of trap music and lo-fi hip hop. While drift Phonk is not necessarily tied to a geographical area (it's said to have earned initial popularity across online platform SoundCloud), some believe that it can be traced back to Russia and Brazil, coming out of the 2010s.
Samples in drift Phonk are often chopped, screwed, and heavily processed to the point that lyrics are somewhat difficult to comprehend. Drift Phonk has a unique style, with defining characteristics including blown-out or distorted bass, alongside a melodic cowbell.
These faster, up-tempo tracks gained popularity across social media platforms, paired with imagery of street racing cars, weight lifting, anime, fighting sports, and drifting, hence the name of the genre itself.
Popular Drift Phonk Music Examples
To understand the unique sound of drift Phonk, it's best to listen to some of the classic drift Phonk tracks for yourself:
North Memphis by Pharmacist
Pharmacist is well-regarded as an accomplished drift Phonk producer, creating earth-shattering 808s and cowbells set against trap beats:
Anubis by KUTE x RAIZHELL
In this popular drift Phonk track, you can hardly comprehend the lyrics of the hip hop sample. You can also hear samples from earlier times interspersing the classic cowbell and bass melody:
Scary Garry by Kaito Shoma
This is one of the earliest tracks publicly released thought to have the trademark drift Phonk sound through its use of chopped samples and leading cowbell:
Drift Phonk tends to use rap or hip hop samples primarily as an accent to the aggressive, hard-hitting bass beats. In this way, it may be closer to electronic music than the original genre itself, whereas classic Phonk may be more closely tied to the hip hop genre.
The Origins of Phonk Music
The classic Phonk genre originated in the 1990s from the Southern United States, in hot spots like Memphis and Houston. To this day, the Phonk genre incorporates elements like hip-hop vocals from this era to get that classic Phonk sound.
Early genre pioneers included the collective Three 6 Mafia, DJ Squeeky, DJ Screw, and X-Raided. However, the genre didn't have any particular term until "Phonk" was coined and popularized in the 2010s by SpaceGhostPurrp, an American rapper and producer.
SpaceGhostPurrp released songs like Pheel tha Phonk , helping to solidify the naming of the genre:
Phonk tends to pull elements from jazz, lofi hip hop, trap, and 1990s hip hop vocals to create its unique soundscape. While more central in drift Phonk, you'll also often hear a cowbell that's melodically similar to that on the classic drum machine, the Roland TR-808.
Due to the chopped and screwed technique used to create Phonk music, these tracks tend to have a darker soundscape. You can hear the origins behind the DJ Screw technique here:
Why Drift Phonk is So Different Than Phonk
Although drift Phonk is a subgenre of Phonk, it can often be misconstrued as just "Phonk". The reasoning behind this common mistake is that the boost in popularity surrounding the genre occurred almost exclusively with drift Phonk music across TikTok. In response, major streaming platforms, namely Spotify, released a curated "Phonk" playlist - which was almost just drift phonk .
Classic Phonk Music Examples
To clear the air, we'll also share some classic Phonk music artists and track examples so that you can understand the clear sonic differences between Phonk and drift Phonk music.
DJ Smokey
One of the most prominent figures in Phonk music, DJ Smokey created genre-defying mixes bringing in rap influences with the likes of lofi hip hop and jazzy riffs, as heard throughout the journey of the EVIL WAYZ tape:
PurplePosse
This more modern Phonk artist combines classic hip hop vocals with jazz samples to create a unique groove and feel as shown in his ISSUE01 beat tape:
DJ Screw
If you're looking for Phonk music that has that classic Memphis rap scene influence infused into its DNA, check out the work of the late DJ Screw. My Mind Went Blank is just one of this cult classics:
It's also worth noting that DJ Screw was a legendary artist, producer, and DJ in his own rite - he is accredited with popularizing the "chopped and screwed" technique showcased across most Phonk songs.
MYTHIC
A regular on the YouTube Phonk music curator Ryan Celcius Sounds channel, the late MYTHIC was an incredibly promising figure in Phonk music, blending jazzy sounds with trap beats:
Phonk: The Continued Evolution
Phonk and Drift Phonk continue to be relatively new genres and communities. Now that you've heard examples of both of these subgenres, it's time to put your learning to the test. Enjoy building your own Phonk tracks in your DAW!
