Phonk (/fɒŋk/ ⓘ) is a subgenre of hip hop and trap music directly inspired by 1990s Memphis rap.
[1] Artists such as SpaceGhostPurrp and Lil Ugly Mane revived the sound in the form of phonk in the early 2010s.
[1] 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.
[1][16] A peculiarity of phonk is the fact that it is not anchored to a regional "scene":[1][16] it is tied to SoundCloud itself as an online platform, which highlights subgenres derived from hip hop and experimental pop.
[21][22] It is characterized by the use of high bass, cowbells, and distorted sounds,[12] making the lyrics of the samples often unrecognizable.
[22][24] Most of the prominent drift phonk producers come from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other countries in Eastern Europe.