What it is, what to hear first, and what sits next to it.
Boom bap is a subgenre and music production style within hip hop that was particularly prominent in East Coast hip hop during the golden age of hip hop, spanning from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The term "boom bap" is derived from an onomatopoeic representation of the typical drum sounds used in this style: the "boom" refers to the bass (kick) drum and the "bap" to the snare drum. The production style is characterized by a main drum loop that often features a hard-hitting .