LOFI HIP HOPA guide to the genre
Side A · Track 1A guide to the genre

What is lofi hip hop?

Lofi hip hop is slow, warm, mostly instrumental music built from dusty drums, jazzy chords and a deliberately imperfect, nostalgic sound. Here's what defines it, where it came from, and how to start listening.

Hear an exampleLearn to make it

The sound of lofi hip hop

"Lofi" is short for low fidelity: audio that isn't polished to a perfect, glossy shine. In lofi hip hop the imperfections are the point. Producers add them on purpose to make a track feel warm, intimate and a little worn, like a cassette you've played a hundred times. A few ingredients show up again and again:

  • Dusty, laid-back drums. The beat comes from hip hop, but slower and softer, usually somewhere around 70 to 90 BPM. Kicks are round, snares are muted, and the hi-hats often sit slightly off the grid, which gives the groove a relaxed, swaying feel.
  • Jazzy chords. Extended chords such as sevenths and ninths, often played on electric piano, guitar or soft synths. They add color and a bittersweet, reflective mood without needing a melody to carry everything.
  • Texture. Vinyl crackle, tape hiss, gentle wobble in pitch, and rain or room ambience. These sounds fill the space between notes and make the track feel physical.
  • Muffled tone. Low-pass filtering and saturation roll off harsh high frequencies, so nothing sounds sharp. It's music that sits comfortably at low volume.
  • Short, looping structure. Many tracks are only two or three minutes long and built around a repeating phrase that changes subtly over time.

Sampling vs. original composition

Hip hop grew up on sampling: taking a slice of an existing record and flipping it into something new. Early lofi hip hop followed that tradition, often chopping up old jazz, soul or soundtrack recordings. Sampling is a real art form, but it has a catch. A sample of someone else's record usually needs permission from the people who own it, which is why tracks built on uncleared samples can be taken down or claimed.

Many lofi producers today write everything from scratch instead, playing their own chords and melodies and then giving them that sampled, vintage feel through processing. The result can sound just as nostalgic while being fully the producer's own work. Our beginner's guide to making lofi hip hop covers both approaches.

A short history

Lofi hip hop draws on decades of hip hop production, especially the sample-based, jazz-leaning style of the 1990s and 2000s. Two producers are named again and again as major influences: J Dilla, whose loose, off-grid drum programming changed how many producers think about groove, and Nujabes, whose mellow, jazz-infused beats reached a wide audience through the anime Samurai Champloo. In the 2010s the sound found a new home online, first on platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube, and then in the 24/7 "beats to study and relax to" livestreams that made it a global background soundtrack. Read the full story in our history of lofi hip hop.

Why people study and relax to it

Lofi hip hop has become strongly associated with studying, working and winding down. A few qualities explain why it fits those moments so well:

  • It's mostly instrumental. With few or no lyrics, it doesn't compete with reading or writing.
  • It's predictable in a good way. Steady tempos and gentle loops mean no sudden surprises pulling your attention.
  • It covers background noise. A soft, constant sound can mask distractions like traffic or chatter.
  • It sets a mood. The warm, nostalgic texture feels cozy, which makes it a common choice for rainy days and late nights.

None of this is magic, and everyone works differently. But for many listeners, putting on lofi has become a simple signal that it's time to focus or relax.

How to start listening

  1. Start with an album, not a single track. Lofi is often made to be heard in sets, and a full album gives you a consistent mood.
  2. Listen by mood. Pick something calm for sleep, steadier for studying, and brighter for daytime. Most lofi artists, Purrple Cat included, have albums for each of those moods.
  3. Keep the volume low. Lofi is designed to sit in the background, and it sounds best that way.
  4. Try a livestream. 24/7 lofi streams are an easy way to discover new producers without building a playlist.
  5. Support the artists you like. Following producers and buying their music directly helps keep new releases coming.

Listen to an example: Purrple Cat

Purrple Cat is a solo lofi project that began in December 2018 with the debut album Up All Night. All the music, art and animation is made by Purrple Cat, with 450+ songs, 400M+ Spotify streams and placements with Disney, League of Legends and Rocket League. It's a good example of the original-composition approach: the music is written from scratch, which is why most of the catalog can be shared free under CC BY 4.0.

  • City Nights album cover by Purrple Cat
  • Above the Clouds album cover by Purrple Cat
  • Night Train album cover by Purrple Cat
  • Mellow Skies album cover by Purrple Cat

Plays Purrple Cat's YouTube uploads (privacy-enhanced mode). Nothing loads until you press play.

Using Purrple Cat in your own videos?

  • Self Releases are CC BY 4.0: free with credit, on every social media platform.
  • Don't release the music on Spotify, Apple Music or other streaming services through a distributor, whether as-is or as a remix, a track that samples it, or a cover; those releases are what cause false Content ID claims.
  • Self Releases are never in Content ID. False third-party claims are dealt with promptly once reported.
Music by Purrple Cat - https://purrplecat.com/

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FAQ

What does lofi mean?

Lofi is short for low fidelity. It describes audio with a deliberately imperfect, warm, vintage sound, as opposed to a crisp, highly polished production.

Is lofi hip hop the same as chillhop?

They overlap a lot. Chillhop is often used for a slightly cleaner, brighter take on jazzy, relaxed hip hop beats, while lofi hip hop leans harder into texture like vinyl crackle and tape hiss. Many people use the terms interchangeably.

Does lofi hip hop have lyrics?

Most of it is instrumental. Some tracks include short vocal samples or soft singing, but the genre is best known as instrumental background music.

What tempo is lofi hip hop?

It's usually slow, often around 70 to 90 BPM, which gives it a relaxed, unhurried feel.

Why is lofi so popular for studying?

It's instrumental, steady and soft, so it can cover background noise without demanding attention. The 24/7 study livestreams of the 2010s also made that association very strong.

Can I use lofi music in my videos?

It depends entirely on the track's license. Purrple Cat Self Releases are free to use under CC BY 4.0 with credit, on every social media platform, but please don't release them on Spotify, Apple Music or other streaming services, whether as-is or as a remix, a track that samples them, or a cover, because those releases cause false Content ID claims. For any other music, check the artist's terms first.