HIP HOP STYLE

Boom bap drum patterns.

Sampled kicks and cracking snares on a swung grid, chopped on the SP-1200 and MPC. The sound of late-80s and 90s New York hip hop.

130 grooves
1973–2020
4 landmarks

The Boom bap timeline

18 of 18 grooves

1973
Impeach the President Open Impeach the President in a new tab
The Honey Drippers
Open, cracking snare and kick break; Marley Marl rebuilt it for The Bridge, and boom bap producers have sampled it ever since
1973
Synthetic Substitution Open Synthetic Substitution in a new tab
Melvin Bliss
Two-bar Bernard Purdie break; after Ultramagnetic MCs sampled it, it became one of the most sampled songs
1984
It's Yours Open It's Yours in a new tab
T La Rock & Jazzy Jay
Rick Rubin's 808 production; T La Rock ad-libs 'boom bap' at the end, the earliest recorded use of the name
1986
Landmark
The Bridge Open The Bridge in a new tab
MC Shan
Marley Marl samples and rearranges the Impeach the President break; cited as the first reconfigured drum-break sample
1986
Ego Trippin'Open Ego Trippin' in a new tab
Ultramagnetic MCs
Ced-Gee's dense, minimal production; first record to sample the Synthetic Substitution break
1987
Rebel Without A Pause Open Rebel Without A Pause in a new tab
Public Enemy
Bomb Squad lifted the tempo to about 109 BPM against a 98 BPM norm; Flavor Flav played the beat on an electronic drum
1988
The Symphony Open The Symphony in a new tab
Marley Marl ft. Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap & Big Daddy Kane
Marley Marl's sampled-break beat for four Juice Crew MCs; Rolling Stone calls it the first truly great posse cut
1990
Looking At The Front Door Open Looking At The Front Door in a new tab
Main Source
Large Professor's layered SP-1200 drums over a Donald Byrd loop; Breaking Atoms shaped 90s New York sampling
1991
Buggin' Out Open Buggin' Out in a new tab
A Tribe Called Quest
Q-Tip's first track layering two drum breaks at once; the stripped vocals-drums-bass sound of The Low End Theory
1992
Landmark
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)Open They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) in a new tab
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
Pete Rock's sax-led Tom Scott loop over a swung break; regularly ranked among hip hop's greatest beats
1993
Landmark
C.R.E.A.M.Open C.R.E.A.M. in a new tab
Wu-Tang Clan
RZA's soul loop over hard, bass-heavy, unpolished drums; set the gritty mid-90s New York drum sound
1993
Return of the Boom Bap Open Return of the Boom Bap in a new tab
KRS-One
Title track of the album that popularised the name; KRS-One framed it as a return to raw kick-and-snare production
1994
N.Y. State of Mind Open N.Y. State of Mind in a new tab
Nas
DJ Premier sets Kool & the Gang's N.T. drum break under a Joe Chambers piano loop; core Illmatic sound
1994
Unbelievable Open Unbelievable in a new tab
The Notorious B.I.G.
DJ Premier chops the Impeach the President drums at Biggie's request; the classic break re-cut for the mid-90s
1995
Landmark
Shook Ones, Pt. II Open Shook Ones, Pt. II in a new tab
Mobb Deep
Havoc sequenced Daly-Wilson Big Band drums on an MPC60 under a slowed Herbie Hancock sample; peak hardcore boom bap
2000
Fall In Love Open Fall In Love in a new tab
Slum Village
J Dilla's unquantized MPC drums mix straight and swung time; his 'drunk' feel reshaped how producers and drummers play
2012
Survival Tactics Open Survival Tactics in a new tab
Joey Bada$$ & Capital STEEZ
From the 1999 mixtape, which drew on beats from Lord Finesse, MF Doom and J Dilla; a key 2010s boom bap revival release
2020
Scottie Beam Open Scottie Beam in a new tab
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist ft. Rick Ross
Alchemist's loop-led, slow-rolling production on Alfredo; critics heard 'glacial boom-bap' in the modern underground

Press play to loop each record's busiest two bars straight from its video.

Quick answers

What do Boom bap drums sound like?

Dusty sampled kicks and a snare that cracks on a swung grid.

Which genre family is Boom bap in?

On BeatTab Boom bap sits in the Hip hop family, next to Hip hop, Trap, Drill and Grime.

Which records shaped Boom bap drums?

The timeline on this page runs from Impeach the President by The Honey Drippers (1973) to Scottie Beam by Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist ft. Rick Ross (2020), 18 records in all.