Across the Internet, people love to come up with creative ways to label genres of music: sad girl indie, late-night drive, dark academia instrumentals, and much more. At some point, “male manipulator music” started circulating as well. Although this might mean multiple things, to me, “male manipulator music” refers to heartless rap – that yes, manipulative men tend to listen to. The artists that I most associate with this genre of music include Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Don Toliver, The Weeknd, Bryson Tiller, Future, and other rap and R&B artists. Despite the jokes that come along with this music, it has become one of my favorite unexpected mood boosters.Â
When I first heard of this type of music, I laughed, knowing that the majority of my male acquaintances listened exclusively to rap. Personally, I thought that this was super odd – what did they listen to when they wanted to feel sad, or calm themselves down before going to bed? And why not branch out to other genres? However, I have to admit that “male manipulator rap,” or “white boy rap,” definitely is charming in its own way.Â
Typically, I tend to listen to my favorite artists first thing in the morning: Taylor Swift, Role Model, Phoebe Bridgers, Lizzy McAlpine, and others in that vein. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work out the best for me – Waiting Room doesn’t exactly entice me to walk to my 8am lecture. I’ve long figured that listening to devastating music doesn’t set me up for the best day, but I only recently switched out my sad girl indie for male manipulator rap. And honestly? I feel like I notice such a big difference, especially in my mood.
When I start my day with upbeat, loud and catchy rap, I feel ready to conquer whatever my lecture may throw at me. I especially love to listen to this in the morning when I go to the gym, but also unexpectedly when I have to study. Sometimes, I can’t stop overthinking while I listen to my mellow beats, but working with no music at all puts me straight to sleep. The solution? Rap. I’m put into a productive mindset, I don’t need to think too hard, and I’m put straight into a flow state.Â
Trends may change, and maybe I’m hopping on the bandwagon like I always do with my newfound love for rap. I would never give up my pop girls or my love for a melancholic evening, but I understand the appeal of “male manipulator music.” Its ability to cheer me up and get me going has proved useful, and I definitely will be using that to my advantage for the foreseeable future.Â