Phonk

Phonk (/fɒŋk/ ^ⓘ) is a subgenre of hip hop and trap music directly inspired by 1990s Memphis rap. The style is characterized by vocals from old Memphis rap tapes and samples from early 1990s hip hop, especially cowbell samples resembling that of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. The genre draws from the dark, distortive techniques of the chopped and screwed sound.

Initially developed in the 1990s in the Southern United States, mainly in Houston and Memphis, the genre's early pioneers include DJ Screw, X-Raided, DJ Spanish Fly, DJ Squeeky, and the collective Three 6 Mafia. The term "phonk" was created and popularized by rapper SpaceGhostPurrp in the early 2010s.

Drift phonk is a subgenre of phonk that emerged in Russia in the late-2010s; its distinguishing features are the use of cowbells as a melodic element and loud, persistent electronic bass. The popularity of drift phonk was facilitated by its widespread use in shortform content on social media platforms, causing it to surpass regular phonk in popularity. As such, the genre phonk is more associated with drift phonk.