Snap

Snap is a subgenre of Southern hip-hop that emerged from Atlanta's Bankhead neighborhood in the early 2000s as a stripped-down offshoot of crunk. Its tracks are built from minimal Roland TR-808 percussion, finger snaps or handclaps carrying the backbeat in place of a snare, sparse synthesizer melodies and simple, repetitive hooks designed for dancing and easy memorization. Vocals are delivered in a relaxed, chant-like cadence, often in call-and-response with a group, and lyrics concentrate on club life, dances and boasts. The style's extreme economy made it an emblem of the ringtone era, when short, immediately legible songs were sold as phone downloads.