808s
Iconic beat maker
808s refers to the distinctive bass drum and other sounds produced by the Roland TR-808 drum machine, a synthesizer from the early 1980s that became foundational to hip-hop, electronic, and pop music.
The term typically evokes the 808's deep, booming kick drum and crisp snare.
That track is all 808s and autotune.
The word gained wider recognition from Kanye West's 2008 album *808s & Heartbreak*, which popularized both the sound and the shorthand.
Music equipment brand
- drum machineElectronic percussion simulator
- analogComparable equivalent
- sequencerOrders signals chronologically
- patternRecurring arrangement or template
programming · drum pad · circuitry · sampler · MIDI · transistor · hardware · vintage
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- loopCurve closing on itself
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- basslineLow-register musical foundation
- sampleSubset for study
DAW · mixing · producer · arrangement · programming · quantize · layering · compression
Device for catching animals
- drillHole-boring device
- Southern rapHip-hop from Dixie
- AtlantaGeorgia's capital city
- MemphisTennessee city, ancient Egyptian capital
- Kanye West"Stronger" hip-hop artist
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
- FutureAtlanta hip-hop artist
- iconicWidely recognized, enduring
Roland
Music equipment brand
- drum machineElectronic percussion simulator
- analogComparable equivalent
- sequencerOrders signals chronologically
pattern · programming · drum pad · circuitry · sampler · MIDI · transistor · hardware · vintage · classic
beat
Rhythmic pulse or strike
sample · DAW · mixing · producer · arrangement · programming · quantize · layering · compression · sound design
kick
Foot-delivered strike
thump · cowbell · clap · snare · hi-hat · toms · rimshot · clave · maracas · decay
trap
Device for catching animals
- drillHole-boring device
- Southern rapHip-hop from Dixie
- AtlantaGeorgia's capital city
Marvin Gaye
- Kanye West"Stronger" hip-hop artist
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
- FutureAtlanta hip-hop artist
- audio samplessamples, loops, vocal samples, one-shots, one shots
- SoundCloud RapLil Uzi Vert, SoundCloud, mumble rap, Juice WRLD, lo-fi beats
- ReggaetonBad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Karol G, Maluma
- Bay Area RapOakland, sideshows, Vallejo, ghost riding, turfing
808sdrum kit
Seated percussionist's instrument collection
hand drums · congas · bongos · djembe · tabla
808slive performance
Unrecorded staged entertainment
session musician · studio drummer · breakbeats · jazz drumming
- 808 bassDrum machine's deep tone