There’s a subgenre of hip-hop and trap music inspired by 1990s Memphis rap that’s making waves globally, even catching the attention of The New York Times. It’s called “phonk.”
While the genre initially emerged in the US in the 1990s – spearheaded by pioneers such as DJ Screw, DJ Spanish Fly, and Three 6 Mafia – phonk grew in popularity and prominence in the 2010s and 2020s.
The late 2010s saw the subgenre drift phonk arise in Russia. Utilising heavy cowbell use, abrasive basslines, and faster tempos, the genre found widespread popularity on TikTok.
As drift phonk became synonymous with the original phonk genre – even overtaking it in popularity – another player entered the game. A Brazilian counterpart, funk automotivo, emerged in the mid-2020s and has since dominated video-sharing platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, becoming synonymous with the genre.
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With so many changes over the years, phonk has become something of a calling card for sounds currently trending among Gen Z. In a recent report, Splice and MIDiA stated that phonk music “broke through the mainstream” in 2025.
The New York Times examined the popularity of the genre. Josh Mateer, Head of A&R at SoundOn, TikTok’s distribution platform for artists and labels, described the genre as a “sleeping giant.”
“There is a huge juxtaposition between the volume of internet traffic around phonk and the sort of culture as an underground musical movement,” Mateer explained.
The publication shared that the monthly YouTube audience of phonk producer Slxughter – born in Russia but currently based in Brazil – has grown to a larger fanbase than Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny.
“This month, Slxughter’s music reached 981 million unique users, more than twice Taylor Swift’s (394 million) and more than six times Bad Bunny’s (150 million),” the article reads, drawing on data provided by YouTube’s music-trends team.
How is Slxughter’s music reaching fans? Through “classic YouTube views with the listenership on all YouTube platforms, including Shorts.”
Music Ally notes that despite those figures, Slxughter doesn’t actually place in YouTube’s Top 100 Weekly Artists Rankings, while his official channel has racked up 189,000 subscribers.
Essentially, phonk has become music for the “reels” generation, found through algorithms on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok.
