Perfect for telework and staying at home! Recommended popular Lo-Fi hip hop tracks
Are you familiar with “Lo-fi Hip Hop,” a genre that quietly gained popularity among music fans online from the mid to late 2010s and now feels firmly established as its own category?
If you were intrigued by the thumbnail image from the representative YouTube music channel for lo-fi hip hop, “ChilledCow,” known for looping a scene from Studio Ghibli’s film Whisper of the Heart, you certainly weren’t alone—there were quite a few people who noticed it even back then.
Sampling old jazz and soul, the beats brimming with a chilled vibe are widely loved not only by hip-hop listeners but also as background music for getting work done.
This time, we’ve researched classic tracks by key artists and will introduce them in a beginner-friendly way!
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Perfect for telework and time at home! Recommended popular Lo-Fi Hip Hop tracks (1–10)
magic spellBROCKBEATS
Naturally, Japanese artists are also active in the world of lo-fi hip-hop! Among the most famous is BROCKBEATS, who consistently delivers high-quality beats from a uniquely nuanced position that goes beyond lo-fi hip-hop alone.
His track-making sensibility evokes a distinctly Japanese sense of nostalgia, making his work truly distinctive.
Though his background remains shrouded in mystery, he’s also known as a prolific artist who releases new material frequently.
The track featured here, “Magic Spell,” was released in 2017 and appears on the album Calm Life.
It samples the jazz number “I LOVE THE WAY YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART,” sung by the renowned jazz singer and actress Peggy Lee, and the vibe—like it’s flowing from an old record—perfectly embodies the classic lo-fi hip-hop aesthetic.
The vocals are quoted in a processed form, including pitched-up elements, and the airy, floating beat feels great.
It’s a song that showcases BROCKBEATS’s talent, setting it apart from tracks that simply sample a jazz record and lay a beat underneath.
crush on uBSD.U
It’s an ambitious track that boldly samples two very different songs: a 1986 release by soul singer-songwriter Phyllis Hyman, and the smash hit “Crush on You” that the so-called queen of hip-hop, Lil’ Kim, dropped in 1996.
Created by a Vancouver-based beatmaker and released in 2014, it’s a piece born in the very early days of lo-fi hip-hop, as the timing suggests.
He’s sometimes regarded as a figure just behind the most important artists in the lo-fi hip-hop scene—like J Dilla and Nujabes—and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him an indispensable beatmaker in the history of the genre.
Listening again, you can really hear how, while using the fundamental methods of lo-fi hip-hop, the texture of the sound and the approach to sampling set this apart from the artists who followed.
Againwun two
If you were someone who enjoyed jazzy instrumental hip-hop and beat music in the 2000s, you might feel a sense of déjà vu with today’s lo-fi hip-hop.
Sounds similar to this genre have existed for a long time, and the work of Wun Two, a Germany-based producer who started making music around 2003, is a prime example.
According to him, “before I knew it, people were calling it lo-fi hip-hop,” but he has continued to craft distinctive music while maintaining a neutral distance from the hype around the scene.
His 2014 track “Again” samples a song by the classic singer and actress Doris Day, and its mellow melodies and the texture reminiscent of old vinyl are quintessential lo-fi hip-hop.
Other beatmakers have also sampled this track, suggesting it has a certain charm that particularly resonates within the lo-fi hip-hop aesthetic.
Also great for remote work and relaxing at home! Recommended popular Lo-Fi Hip Hop tracks (11–20)
RainNINJOI.
If the artist name Ninjoi gives you a vaguely Japanese vibe, you’re right—it’s a coined word that combines the Japanese “ninja” with the English “enjoy.” Ninjoi, a beatmaker from Queens, New York, creates with heavy inspiration from Japanese culture as mentioned above, and of course draws from a wide range of influences—from foundational figures like J Dilla and Nujabes to everything from vintage jazz to contemporary beat music—making him a highly promising young artist.
This track, titled “Rain,” already evokes the quintessential lo-fi hip-hop aesthetic; its flowing piano and nostalgic beat result in an elegant, beautiful piece reminiscent of classic jazzy instrumental hip-hop.
Although it’s a song included on the 2019 album MASAYUME, the cover artwork is said to be done by the artist himself.
The illustration is lovely, so I hope you’ll not only enjoy it on streaming but also pick up the CD!
De JaneiroBodikhuu
Borders between countries mean very little to the spread of lo-fi hip-hop online, but this track, “De Janeiro,” was created by Bodikhuu from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
On first listen, many might find it a bit different from typical lo-fi hip-hop.
The punchy drum beats are decidedly hip-hop, yet the tropical soundscape—imbued with a longing for bossa nova, Latin music, and Brazilian sounds—evokes images of a distant southern paradise rather than a late-night bedroom.
It’s quite fitting that the Japanese title of his album released in 2019 was “Bodia Nova: Longing for Rio.” While it’s true that lo-fi hip-hop can often settle into a monotonous groove, a track like this reveals just how many possibilities the genre holds.
LuvnYouIan Ewing
If you just want to give lo-fi hip hop a listen to start with, you can’t go wrong checking out artists from the scene’s most important label, Chillhop Music.
Ian Ewing, a beatmaker from Wisconsin in the U.S., is one of them.
As you can tell from the fact that he’s toured in the U.S.
with fellow popular beatmaker Joey Pecoraro, his music reaches beyond the lo-fi hip hop niche to appeal to fans of electronica and ambient as well.
Released in 2018, LuvnYou leans more toward lo-fi hip hop, with romantic piano melodies, hip hop-style beats, and airy embellishments sprinkled throughout for a pleasantly floating feel.
A key point is that, unlike many tracks in this vein that prioritize atmosphere, it clearly conveys the individuality of the beatmaker.
Your Favorite PlaceJoey Pecoraro
Joey Pecoraro, a rising beatmaker from Detroit, USA, boasts exceptional recognition and popularity in the lo-fi hip-hop scene.
Though he originally played guitar in a metal band—an unusual background for this genre—he later discovered J Dilla and Nujabes, which led him to start making beats.
In 2021, he released his long-awaited second album, “Old Time Radio,” showcasing various musical experiments.
Among Joey’s tracks, this time I’d like to introduce the classic “Old Time Radio,” released in 2018.
It was also included on the Japan-exclusive lo-fi hip-hop compilation “Chillhop Radio: Beats to Relax to,” released in 2019—a beautifully nostalgic piece that truly embodies the core of the genre.
Incidentally, the footage used in the featured video is from the film “The Premature Burial,” directed by the one and only Roger Corman.