Most Popular Beat Genres for 2022

Music is constantly evolving, and so are the kinds of beats that appear in rap songs. This is due to a shift in what does well with the audience and as musicians innovate and come up with new styles and ideas, the world is able to observe new waves and trends with music. There are a number of beat genres that have become increasingly popular in 2022.

Rage / Hyperpop Beats

If you have listened to Trippie Redd's "Trip at Knight" album or the recent projects by Yeat, you would recognize these electronic beats with aggressive synths. These beats can be thought of as a bit of a crossover between rap and EDM. "Miss the Rage" by Trippie Redd and Playboi Carti is likely the first songs that pops up into most people's heads when they think of rage beats. The beat in this song was actually made from a melody loop found in a sample pack intended for EDM music, showing how much inspiration is taken from electronic dance music.

If you are interested in learning how to produce these kinds of beats, listen to "Trip at Knight" or almost anything by SoFaygo or Yeat.

Guitar Beats

"Mood" by 24kGoldn and Iann Dior spent many weeks on the Billboards Hot 100 as the #1 song in the world. This song featured an upbeat, catchy guitar melody, and it is clear that this is a type of beat that does will in this era of music. Guitar and melodic songs are showing up more and more on the radio and many are following the trend to cash out. This is also where loop makers shine, as many of them have guitar-playing skills and are able to make their own guitar melody loops.

If you're interested in seriously making beats for this genre, it may pay to buy an electric guitar that is compatible with a digital audio workstation. However, this is not completely necessary, as there are plenty of guitar loops out there, and you can also make guitar melodies using digital plugins (although this method is less preferred as it can be difficult to make a guitar sound realistic by clicking in notes, it can still be done).

Dark / Aggressive Beats

Although this style has been prevalent for years, it lives on in 2022 with artists such as 21 Savage and Lil Durk. This style of beats often has instruments in minor chords with hard, loud drums. It seems like this type of beats isn't going anywhere anytime soon as it clearly still draws in a loyal audience.

Listen to some of the recent projects by the aforementioned artists for inspiration for this genre.

Trying out making different genres of beats is exciting, but remember to not get carried away, as the simple beats are the kinds of beats that tend to make it.