What it is, what to hear first, and what sits next to it.
Cloud rap refers to a form of hip hop, whose distinguishing features include ethereal, dreamlike beats (which often use wordless vocal samples, wherein singers harmonize or hold long notes, to produce a majestic effect) and abstracted, sometimes deliberately absurd lyrics. The mannerisms of cloud rap vocalists have produced several catchphrases, which listeners commonly associate with the genre, such as the interjection "swag" and references to being "based". .