Made in the Balkans: A Contribution to Understanding Balkan Trap/ Trap-Folk as a Musical Genre and Cultural Phenomenon

Abstract

Balkan trap/trap-folk is a hybrid, glocal genre that encompasses a wide range of global and local musical practices, characterized by continuous transformations and commercialization. It emerged after 2010, following the rise of global trap and its associated technologies into the mainstream. In the local context, the foundations for the development of trap were laid through its genre predecessors, shifts in music production, and the growing influence of Balkanist discourse in popular music. Through qualitative source analysis and musical discourse analysis, this paper aims to contribute to the scholarly understanding of Balkan trap/trap-folk by a) defining the genre; b) reconstructing its historical trajectory; and c) mapping its dominant topoi and discursive formations, with particular emphasis on pre-existing discourses (which dominate the genre), as well as processes of globalization, hybridization, and gender representation.

Keywords

• Balkan trap/trap-folk
• popular music
• anthropology of music
• Balkanism
• musical discourse
• Serbia