You might not know the term phonk or phonk music (you pronounce it like funk), but you’re likely to have heard it if you\u2019ve been anywhere near TikTok or YouTube. It started as a niche sub-genre of hip hop and has grown into a full-blown genre with sub-genres of its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phonk music is a sub-genre of hip hop<\/a> that evolved in Memphis in the late 80s and early 1990s. Back then, Memphis hip hop artists were producing sounds with powerful basslines, a slow tempo, and overlaid with lots of samples from old soul, funk, and R&B tracks<\/a> which were slowed down and manipulated. This early type of phonk feels quite similar to gangsta rap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Much of it was created in small batches and on cassette tapes, which made phonk music deeply atmospheric with a distinctly lo-fi feel to it. It also means these early recordings are very rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phonk\u2019s popularity has grown through its use on YouTube and TikTok, exposing it to a far wider audience than the cassette tapes of the early 90s. Like all music, phonk has evolved and this social media savvy sound went more mainstream in the 2010s. It became a little lighter, using contemporary vocals and even jazz<\/a> elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drift phonk has moved away from the original phonk sound, forming a sub-genre of phonk that is probably more popular than its originator. It came from the street racing, weightlifting, and drifting worlds, which makes it higher intensity and faster tempo than the original phonk genre. It often incorporates 808 cowbells and sounds more similar to electronic dance music<\/a> than to hip hop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As well as phonk and drift phonk, you might also hear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019d like to incorporate phonk music into your videos, Artlist has a collection dedicated to the genre. Here are some of our favorite songs from the Artlist phonk collection<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMaking noise on social media<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Evolution to drift phonk\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Other phonk sub-genres<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The Artlist phonk collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Keep Me Thrilled, by sero<\/h3>\n\n\n\n