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!
- Perfect for work BGM too! Recommended Lo-Fi Hip Hop classics
- [Latest] Western Hip-Hop Trends [2026]
- Stylish hip-hop! A roundup of classic albums in Western jazzy hip-hop
- “Somehow Nice” Chillout Music: Chill tracks perfect for BGM and relaxing time
- [Stylish BGM] Carefully selected chic masterpieces to color your everyday life
- [Japanese Hip-Hop] Classic Tracks of Japanese Rap
- Gets you pumped! A curated selection of popular and classic Japanese songs perfect as background music for work
- [2026] Recommended for work and study! A collection of cool and stylish BGM
- Recommendation of calm Western music: music that envelops you in a peaceful time
- What Is Chillout Music? | Introducing Popular Tracks
- [2026] Get in a chill mood! A roundup of chill Western songs
- Classic Western hip-hop songs recommended for summer
- [Western Music] Recommended Songs and Popular Classics to Listen to When You're Tired
Also great for remote work and relaxing at home! Recommended popular Lo-Fi Hip Hop tracks (11–20)
Serenity (Original Mix)Kupla
At the forefront of the YouTube music channels that drove the lo-fi hip-hop movement is the France-based “ChilledCow.” It gained a huge following with a looping clip from Studio Ghibli’s film Whisper of the Heart, cementing the association between lo-fi hip-hop and Japanese animation.
Since March 2021, ChilledCow has been active under the name “Lofi Girl,” but let me introduce “Serenity,” a track released in 2020 by Kupla—ChilledCow’s founder and a beatmaker.
With sound design that’s nostalgic and delicate—like a Ghibli film, evoking cherished memories from childhood—it embodies the very essence of classic lo-fi hip-hop.
It’s gently jazzy, and the occasional children’s voices are highly effective.
Perfect for a relaxed evening.
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.
lilyeevee
Founded in 2012 and based in Calgary, Canada, the label INNER OCEAN RECORDS is known for its meticulous artwork and cassette releases, and is one of the most important labels in the lo-fi hip-hop to chillhop scene.
From the early days of the label, the Dutch female beatmaker eevee has been one of its flagship artists, and her aesthetic and worldview—shaped by Japanese animation and subculture—stand out as particularly distinctive within the roster.
The track featured here, “lily,” samples pieces such as “Dawn in the Forest” and “Along the Stream,” released in 1984 by Hiroshi Yoshimura, a master of Japanese ambient music.
Compared to others, its so-called lo-fi hip-hop nostalgia carries a certain loneliness and a slightly introspective mood that conveys a unique beauty.
As an aside, the video for “lily” uses footage from the cult anime Angel’s Egg, which all but compels one to feel it reflects the world eevee’s music inhabits.
In conclusion
Lo-fi hip-hop has become so well-known that it’s practically a meme on the internet, but it’s also true that its essence can be hard to grasp.
These days, there are physical releases and compilation albums available as well, so let this playlist be your starting point and be sure to check out each artist’s albums and EPs too.