Postmodern MCs — What Makes a True Internet Rapper?

Who are the internet rappers? The most obvious answer would be those rappers whose audience and production primarily occur through the internet. But with the ubiquitous usage of social media, most artists, big or small, have primarily online audiences. Additionally, with the rise of cloud collaboration, an ever greater number of artists can collaborate without meeting in person. So is the term "internet rapper" a useless expression, or does it exist in some other capacity beyond the obvious?

There are two, but not only two, rappers who embody the spirit of the internet rapper: Lil Darkie and IDK. The internet rapper exists within a spirit, the spirit of the internet. But what is the spirit of the internet? The spirit of the internet is one of diversity, experimentation, and rebellion. While the modern internet has been sanitized and corporatized, rappers like Lil Darkie, especially, but also IDK, draw from the spirit of the old internet. Yet, the old internet has not died; it is a spirit that will always be in the halls of the online world.

"Reflecting the file-sharing mashup culture of the contemporary internet...guys were rapping over everything from '80s arena rock to post-O.C. indie to Sonic The Hedgehog soundtracks," writes Lyons. This is to say, the modern internet will always have those rappers who embrace diversity, experimentation, and rebellion. Lil Darkie, along with IDK, are expressions of this.

An internet rapper is not bound to any sound. "Bada$$' sound is decidedly pre-internet, a slick update on classic sounds from his hometown, while what's more commonly seen as Internet rap would probably piss off conservative standard-bearers," according to Lyons. Lil Darkie and IDK are reflective of this sonic diversity. Many of Lil Darkie's songs are punk-metal tracks, and IDK makes use of R&B stylings. But diversity is not just diversity of sound but diversity of theme. Lil Darkie will speak truth to political power, rap against record label exploitation, and address mental health, to name a few examples. While IDK is not as wide-ranging in his theming, he will bounce from brag raps to sensitive love songs. Why is diversity part of the spirit of the internet? Because the internet technologically allows for great musical diversity. It is generally cheaper for an artist to play around.

In playing around with basic internet tools and online sources, an internet rapper can experiment better than a rapper who does not engage with the internet. In some sense, "The speed at which hip-hop has embraced the streaming era is proof that rap is still music's most malleable genre." Rap is open to engage, especially that rap which embraces the internet, which is the vast majority of the genre. Yet, no one would call Drake an internet rapper for having rapped over a sample from Sonic 06. Instead, internet rap pushes conventions. IDK embodies the division between an internet rapper and a standard rapper.

IDK began his career making strange music that could be called internet rap, such as "A Boy's Innocence," which interpolates standard trap drums with operatic singing and seemingly misplaced horns. But IDK tried to move away from internet rap after being signed in 2019 by Warner Records; his music from 2019 to 2024 is arguably his least experimental phase. But since leaving his label in 2025, IDK's music has become more diverse and adventurous. It appears that if nothing else, being captured by the spirit of the internet opens one up to create. The internet also liberates one in trying out side projects; for example, Lil Darkie has a solo side project under the name of Brahman. Under this Brahman moniker, Lil Darkie does most of his softer production and singing. There are no inherent standards, especially when the spirit of the old internet embodies you.

Lil Darkie bounces between all sorts of moods. In the same song, he states, "I got love for every color and face...I fight for love until that fire put me in a urn" and "I'd still kill everybody in this crowd." Regardless of context, we can see Lil Darkie go from frenetically joyously violent energies into quietly moody energies. But this diversity and experimentation of feelings allows for true musical rebellion. Lil Darkie and IDK are not bound to any musical system, and Lil Darkie is not bound to any system.

As previously alluded to, Lil Darkie speaks out regularly against political power: "Make America great? It never really was / Make it great for the first time because (Huh) / Then maybe the people would drink clean water." Internet rappers are rebels not just against the exploitative record industry but speak truth to all power, as the old spirit of the internet used to do through "organizations" like Anonymous. The internet rapper engages with rebellion online and in person, as internet spaces spill into non-internet spaces.

An internet rapper is not an unsigned rapper; internet rappers can be signed or unsigned. An internet rapper can create any style of rap; they do not even need to make rap music exclusively. To be an internet rapper is to carry the vibe of the internet. That is why many disparate artists, such as Lil Darkie and IDK, have been referred to as internet rappers.

While the spirit of internet rap is a spirit that engages with diversity, experimentation, and rebellion, "The characteristics of an 'internet rapper' remain amorphous." Ultimately, the internet rapper is a postmodern condition; there is no grand unified narrative on what an internet rapper is. Instead, there are family resemblances of who internet rappers are; there is no exact measure of who can be officially declared an internet rapper. Internet rappers themselves are not even always internet rappers when engaging in punk, metal, or R&B. The internet rapper may not even exist; all internet rappers may just be internet artists.

Yet, even the very idea of an internet artist is postmodern. Are Lana Del Rey or Clairo internet artists? In all senses, I speak more to online rap than viral or scam rap as the true internet rap. The internet, internet rap, and internet music artistry are all ideas too massive to reduce to one idea. But one cannot just declare oneself an internet rapper; there is no essential truth of being an internet rapper, though there are elements largely agreed upon. There is no essential point in debating or deliberating on who an internet rapper is or is not. You can embrace the postmodern condition and enjoy your internet rap.