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)
Monday LoopTomppabeats
It’s only about a minute long, but it’s a classic, quintessential lo-fi hip-hop track that seems to pack in all the genre’s fundamentals.
“Monday Loop,” released in 2015 by Tomppabeats from Helsinki, Finland, boasts over 1.2 million plays on YouTube alone.
It’s been included on lo-fi hip-hop compilations as well, making it a staple and a fan favorite.
The sampling of a languid female vocal is striking—that comes from American legendary singer and actress Doris Day.
The track quotes the 1949 popular song “Again,” and among the many artists who have covered it, Doris Day’s recorded version is particularly well known.
The sample is composed mostly of humming, and although Doris’s sung voice appears only for a brief moment in the intro, that very restraint makes it all the more memorable, showcasing Tomppabeats’s musical sensibility.
5:32PMThe Deli
This track by a Texas-born beatmaker is striking, with visuals composed of pixel art that evoke a curious sense of nostalgia.
Released on YouTube’s music channel “Dreamwave” in 2016, it boasts over 18 million views.
It originally appeared on Vibes Vol.
2, released in 2014, which means he was making music like this quite early on.
The jazzy atmosphere—showing the influence of great beatmakers such as J Dilla, a near-deity in lo-fi hip-hop, as well as Pete Rock and Madlib—fits perfectly with a chill, twilight vibe, just as the title suggests.
The sample source is said to be Darn That Dream from the classic album Undercurrent by the legendary duo Bill Evans and Jim Hall, clearly conveying the artist’s love for jazz.
SoulfulL’indecis
L’indécis is one of the genre’s emblematic and pioneering artists in lo-fi hip hop, earning high praise for physically releasing original albums.
Based in France, L’indécis has a signature track called “Soulful,” an astonishing piece that has surpassed 40 million views on YouTube and even drew attention when Will Smith used it as background music on Instagram.
There’s no doubt it’s a classic of lo-fi hip hop, but its wistful guitar arpeggios and solos, nostalgic atmosphere, and mellow vibe are sure to appeal to Japanese listeners.
The refined track-making, sprinkled with a touch of playfulness, also makes it highly recommended for fans of beautifully melodic electronica.
If you like this track, be sure to pick up “PLAYTIME & PLETHORIA,” released on CD in 2019.
skateboard pElijah Who
The connection between lo-fi hip-hop and Japanese anime is well-known, with many tracks using footage from various Japanese anime or sampling them as sources.
In the Polish-based beatmaker Elijah Who’s track “Skateboard P,” footage from the nationally beloved anime film Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro is prominently used.
Although Elijah Who is popular within the lo-fi hip-hop scene, this particular track is a remix of “Skateboard P,” released in 2017 by the uniquely backgrounded rapper MadeinTYO—born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Japan—featuring Big Sean.
As such, it takes a different route from standard lo-fi hip-hop that typically pulls samples from classic jazz and soul.
Even so, it’s interesting that it consistently weaves in a nostalgic melody.
MindfulnessC Y G N
Basically, the lo-fi hip-hop genre that emerged from music platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud includes many people who make music as a hobby rather than as a full-time profession.
The artist featured in this article, C Y G N, is a beatmaker and producer from France who is active in many areas, including running the label MelodySoul.
His works have seen physical releases and have been put out by Chillhop Music, the most important label in the lo-fi hip-hop world, making him one of the scene’s defining figures.
C Y G N’s classic track “Mindfulness,” which has garnered over 1.3 million views on YouTube, is a superb piece of lo-fi hip-hop with a chill beat, playful sound design, and beautifully floating melodies.
Be sure to also check out his 2019 album “BODY N SOUL.”
another perspectiveIdealism
If you listen to lo-fi hip-hop for relaxation or peace of mind, this is a healing masterpiece you should definitely check out! It’s a 2016 track by Idealism, a Finland-born beatmaker who crafts beautiful, serene ambient-to-electronica pieces by combining melancholic piano melodies with field recordings like rain and city murmurs.
While it uses the beats that define lo-fi hip-hop, as mentioned, his music leans more toward ambient and downtempo, and this particular track doesn’t employ techniques like sampling from old records.
He’s apparently a big fan of Japanese culture, which is reflected in the artwork and title as well.
Summer’s Day [Version 2]Jinsang
![Summer's Day [Version 2]Jinsang](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rRr-DZmYER0/sddefault.jpg)
This is a true gem by Jinsang, a young Asian American beatmaker based in California—one that evokes pure nostalgia for distant summer days! The lo-fi, weathered sound—like something you’d hear from an old record player or a boombox—creates a wonderfully nostalgic atmosphere.
According to the blog of beipana, a steel guitarist and a leading voice who has carefully chronicled the definition and rise of lo-fi hip-hop, Jinsang was 20 years old as of 2019, which really shows the brilliance of his youth and talent.
He reportedly didn’t start making tracks solely under the influence of hip-hop, and with his bold sampling of One Summer’s Day from the soundtrack of the anime Spirited Away, you could say his style can be enjoyed without being overly conscious of the hip-hop genre.