From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Style of hip hop music production
Chipmunk soul is a style of hip hop that features sped-up vocal samples, originating in the 2000s. The genre was popularized by Kanye West in his albums The College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation, which notably were heavy in high-pitched vocals, especially in the singles "Spaceship" and "All Falls Down". Early users of the style included Just Blaze, RZA, and DJ Premier.[1][2][3]
The name "chipmunk" is a reference to Alvin and the Chipmunks, a 1960s musical act featuring sped-up vocal recordings.[4]
Although the style originated by sampling soul music recordings, the term "chipmunk soul" now includes the use of samples from other musical genres including reggae, rock and world music.[4]
