What is Phonk?

Phonk is an electronic style derived from 1990s Memphis underground rap (Three 6 Mafia, Tommy Wright III, DJ Spanish Fly) and the Houston chopped and screwed technique pioneered by DJ Screw.^[1] Revived in the early 2010s by SpaceGhostPurrp's Raider Klan, it spread through SoundCloud as "OG phonk" before the late-2010s Russian-led drift phonk wave (cowbell-heavy, 130+ BPM, built for TikTok car edits) overtook its public meaning.^[2]

On Videojam, Phonk sits under Hip Hop in the genre hierarchy.