Not to be confused with Funk or Funk carioca or PHUNK.
Phonk
Stylistic originsMemphis rap · Southern hip hop · trap · chopped and screwed
Cultural originsEarly 2010s, United States, Memphis, Houston and Miami
InstrumentsSynthesizer · sampler · drum machine (Roland TR-808) · vocals
DerivativesFunk automotivo
SubgenresDrift phonk · rare phonk
Regional scenes
Other topicsInternet rap · cloud rap · lo-fi
Current yearno

Phonk (/fɒŋk/) is a subgenre of hip hop that emerged in the early 2010s in the United States. The term was coined and popularized by American rapper and record producer SpaceGhostPurrp. The genre is characterized by its use of Memphis rap-inspired vocals, chopped and screwed production techniques, and samples from early 1990s hip hop, often incorporating elements from jazz and funk.

Phonk draws influence from Southern hip-hop artists such as DJ Screw, Three 6 Mafia, Tommy Wright III and DJ Spanish Fly. During the early 2010s, a number of underground artists contributed to a revival of Memphis rap aesthetics which later became associated with phonk such as SpaceGhostPurrp's collective Raider Klan members Denzel Curry, Xavier Wulf and Amber London, along with rappers Lil Ugly Mane and DJ Smokey.

In the late 2010s, a subgenre known as "drift phonk" emerged in Russia, characterized by faster tempos, prominent cowbell patterns, and aggressive basslines.[1] The style gained popularity through social media platforms such as TikTok, where it became conflated with the original phonk sound. By the mid-2020s, Brazilian styles such as "funk automotivo" became synonymous with the original genre and popular online.

Etymology and characteristics

The term "phonk" was originally coined and popularized by American rapper SpaceGhostPurrp,[2] who released tracks such as "Pheel tha Phonk", "Bringin' tha Phonk", and "Keep Bringin' tha Phonk" and his 2012 debut album Mysterious Phonk: Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp.[3][4][5] In an interview, he explained that "phonk is slang for funk", in reference to the G-funk music genre.[6]

Phonk is directly inspired by 1990s Memphis rap and samples from that era of hip hop.[7] These are often combined with jazz and funk samples.[8] The chopped and screwed technique is mainly used, in order to create a darker sound.[8] The genre is not anchored to a regional "scene",[8][7] but the online platform SoundCloud.[9][10][11] Notable artists associated with "new-age phonk" include DJ Smokey,[12] DJ Yung Vamp,[13] Soudiere,[14] and Mythic.[9][3]

History

Early 2010s: Origins

Phonk took inspiration from trap roots in the Southern United States in the mid-1990s.[8] Artists or musical groups like DJ Screw, X-Raided, DJ Spanish Fly,[9] Tommy Wright III,[15][16] DJ Squeeky,[17] and the collective Three 6 Mafia all helped pioneer the foundations for the genre to emerge many years later, with the Houston chopped and screwed seen as the precursor to the genre.[8]

In the early 2010s, artists from SpaceGhostPurrp's collective Raider Klan such as Amber London[18] and Denzel Curry,[19] along with rapper Lil Ugly Mane and record producer DJ Smokey revived the Memphis rap sound, which evolved into the "phonk" style.[20][21] Music curator Ryan Celsius also helped popularize the genre through his YouTube mixes.[22] Phonk producers continued to push this sound in the underground, before the genre gained real momentum during the mid-2010s.[8][7]

Late 2010s–2020s: Development

By the end of 2017, phonk had shifted away from the "gritty, dark, Memphis-oriented sound", incorporating more modern vocals, with elements of jazz and classic hip hop.[8] This stream of phonk has been described as "rare phonk" by Celsius, characterized by "more of a cleaner, almost mainstream trap sound".[23] Between 2016 and 2018, phonk was one of the most listened genres on SoundCloud, with the hashtag #phonk among the most trending each year.[24][25][26]

In the late 2010s, a subgenre called drift phonk emerged in Russia, social media platforms like TikTok popularized the style, which became conflated with the original phonk genre.[15][16] In the mid-2020s, a Brazilian counterpart of phonk named funk automotivo became widely synonymous with the genre.[11][27] Although phonk has evolved passed its original roots, writing for Pitchfork, music journalist Kieran Press-Reynolds cites artists such as Freddie Dredd and Suicideboys as continuing to release and produce songs in the genre's original style.[15]

Drift phonk

Drift phonk is a subgenre of phonk that emerged in the late-2010s in Russia.[28][29] It is characterized by the use of high bass, TR-808 cowbells, and distorted sounds,[23] making the lyrics of the samples often unrecognizable.[29] Drift phonk tracks tend to have a greater tempo than normal phonk tracks.[21] Drift phonk music is often used in videos pertaining to the topics of weight lifting, drifting, association football,[30] anime, fighting sports, and street racing cars.[29][31][21][32] Drift phonk songs are typically short, energetic, and have thus found popularity through internet culture.[11] The genre quickly gained traction through the app TikTok in 2020.[29][31] Most of the prominent drift phonk producers come from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other countries in Eastern Europe.[29][31]

As drift phonk became popular on TikTok, it surpassed the original genre in popularity; this, in turn, gave the word "phonk" a stronger association with the drift phonk subgenre.[33] Following the rise in popularity of the genre in Russia,[34] Spotify released its official curated phonk playlist in May 2021,[35] which was almost exclusively composed of drift phonk tracks.[33] One of the first songs in this genre is called "Scary Garry", released in 2016 by Kaito Shoma.[28] Mick Kenney, best known for his single Murder in My Mind under stage name Kordhell, is recognized as the first phonk producer to break into Spotify's top 500 most popular artists.[36] Other notable figures include Ivan Belozerov from Russia, known as Interworld, for his Metamorphosis single,[37] and Tahar Bendjedi from Algeria, known as DXRK, for his Rave single.[38]

Rare phonk

Rare phonk is a subgenre of phonk pioneered by artists such as DJ Yung Vamp, Soudiere and DJ Smokey in the 2010s.[39] It primarily features drum programming and rhythms derived from styles of 2010s trap music, which it frequently blends with the aforementioned percussion sounds and vocal samples of Memphis rap.[39]

Funk automotivo

Funk automotivo is a subgenre of Brazilian funk, mislabeled as "Brazilian phonk" outside of Brazil. Phonk is often conflated with funk automotivo. The genre gained the nickname "Brazilian phonk" following its popularization and success on social media.[27] Popular in Brazil, it combines phonk with local cultural elements.[11]

Japanese funk

Japanese funk is a style of phonk that emerged in the early 2020s in Japan influenced by J-pop and baile funk with anime characters as cover art.[40] The style makes use of AI singing and has grown in popularity on TikTok with songs such as BellyJay's "Montagem Hikari" amassing 14 million views on YouTube and 26 million plays on Spotify in April 2026.[40]

References

  1. ^ Bianchi, Andrea Prada (2026-02-23). "The Soundtrack of the Doomscroll Generation? It’s Phonk.". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
  2. ^ Houghton, Edwin (31 August 2012). "The Okayplayer Interview: SpaceGhostPurrp Reveals The Mysteries of Phonk". Okayplayer. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. ^ "La vaportrap s'impose en bande son des Internets" (in fr-FR). SURL. October 26, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  4. ^ Bassil, Ryan (February 13, 2017). "Please, Kids. Help Us: What Is "Phonk"?". Vice. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "SpaceGhostPurrp: Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  6. ^ Saxelby, Ruth (30 March 2012). "Back to the funking phuture". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  7. ^ Haynes, Gavin (January 27, 2017). "What the phonk? The genre that's gripping Generation Z". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  8. ^ Anand, Aashna (April 13, 2020). "The Evolution of Soundcloud's Popular New Genre: Phonk". Lucid Monday. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  9. ^ Albors, Maxime (November 2, 2017). "Lowpocus nous explique pourquoi le phonk est en train de ressusciter" (in French). Vice. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  10. ^ Broc, David (March 2, 2017). "El 'phonk', el sonido futurista del 'hip hop', triunfa en Internet" (in Spanish). El País. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  11. ^ "La Evolución del Phonk y sus subgéneros: Una Historia de Internet y Experimentación | Random Sounds Blog" (in Spanish). sounds.co. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  12. ^ "Nostalgická jízda jménem phonk. Lo-fi, špína & přetočené beaty z kazet" (in Czech). Radio Wave. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  13. ^ "DJ Yung Vamp". StuckMagazine. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  14. ^ Guillard, Eloïse (25 June 2021). "5 artistes à découvrir dès maintenant !" (in fr-FR). BLOW ENTERTAINMENT. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  15. ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran (2025-03-26). "How Phonk Became the Most Lucrative Yet Lifeless Genre of the 2020s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  16. ^ Bianchi, Andrea Prada (2026-02-23). "The Soundtrack of the Doomscroll Generation? It’s Phonk.". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  17. ^ Luján, David (20 January 2022). "Rap y terror: una introducción al horrorcore en 11 canciones" (in Spanish). Shock. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  18. ^ Battan, Carrie (2012-06-18). "SpaceGhostPurrp". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  19. ^ Pearce, Sheldon (2024-07-25). "Childish Gambino, Denzel Curry and Curren$y channel rap's blog era". NPR. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  20. ^ "What the Phonk". coeo. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  21. ^ Calamel Duprey, Charlotte (24 January 2022). "Qu'est-ce que le "drift phonk", ce phénomène internet qui mêle hip-hop, ados russes et street racing" [What is "drift phonk", this internet phenomenon that mixes hip-hop, Russian teens and street racing] (in French). Trax Magazine. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  22. ^ Broc, David (March 1, 2017). "'Phonk', o som futurista do hip hop, faz sucesso na Internet" (in Brazilian Portuguese). EL PAÍS. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  23. ^ Leight, Elias (29 April 2021). "Russian Producers Obsessed With Three 6 Mafia Can't Stop Going Viral". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  24. ^ "SoundCloud » A Throwback to 2016". blog.soundcloud.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  25. ^ "SoundCloud » The 2017 SoundCloud Playback". blog.soundcloud.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  26. ^ "SoundCloud » The 2018 SoundCloud Playback". blog.soundcloud.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  27. ^ "Brazilian phonk: conheça estilo de funk que deixou o Brasil em evidência no exterior em 2023 - Verso" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Diário do Nordeste. 2023-12-27. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  28. ^ Лейзаренко, Даша (2021-12-23). "Дрифт, тачки, мемы и тикток: фонк — один из жанров года. Российские музыканты сделали его популярным во всём интернете — Интернет на TJ". TJ. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  29. ^ Bola, David (30 April 2021). "Il faut que l'on vous parle du Drift Phonk" (in fr-FR). Radio Nova. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Funk carioca music leaks into the soccer culture of Brazil". World Soccer Talk. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  31. ^ Leight, Elias (2022-11-18). "All You Need To Know About Phonk, the Dance Subgenre That's Taking Off". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  32. ^ "Synthwave car culture: A new wave of automotive enthusiasts". Hagerty Media. 2020-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  33. ^ Crocker, Jackson (27 April 2022). "Phonk, and the Carcasses of A Million Sub-Genres". The Summit Pinnacle. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  34. ^ "Музыкальные итоги 2021 в Spotify: что слушали геймеры?" [Spotify Music Results 2021: What Have Gamers Been Listening to?] (in Russian). vc.ru. Spotify. December 10, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  35. ^ "Сегодня в карточках рассказываем о наследнике мемфис-рэпа — фонке." [Today in the cards we talk about the heir of Memphis rap — Phonk.] (in Russian). Facebook. Spotify. May 12, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  36. ^ Leight, Elias (2022-11-18). "All You Need To Know About Phonk, the Dance Subgenre That's Taking Off". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  37. ^ "INTERWORLD". Genius. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  38. ^ [email protected] (2023-02-14). "Get To Know Dxrk ダーク, the Phonk Artist Taking Electronic Music by Storm". Spotify. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  39. ^ "What is Phonk?". Electric Hawk. April 12, 2023.
  40. ^ "海外で急増する謎の音楽「Japanese Funk」とは何か？ | 徹底検証「Japanese Funk」 （前編） - 音楽ナタリー コラム" (in Japanese). 音楽ナタリー. Retrieved 2026-04-20.