The Brief: Scam rap is a subgenre of rap wherein rappers tell tales of their fraudulent exploits with a distinct style and flow.

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By sharing tales of their exploits, scamming tips, and flexing their new wealth, scam rappers combine the art of the scam with a distinct musical style and lyrical flow.

The scams associated with this genre include credit card skimming, identity theft, making fruadulent sales, and related crimes. Typically, these scams are carried out at least partially through online transactions, digital wallets, cryptocurrency, and the dark web.

Known for his thorough and brazen descriptions of scamming, sometimes including step-by-step instructions, Teejayx6 is arguably the most prominent scam rapper of the moment. His latest mixtape “Fraudulent Activity” details several of the scams he’s claimed to have successfully carried out. Teejayx6 is based in Detroit, which has become known as a hub for scam rap artists.

This rap genre is rising to popularity as rappers like Teejayx6, Guapdad 4000, Selfmade Kash, and City Girls release music that references scamming as a source of lucrative earnings and sometimes even go in-depth about their scamming experiences. The scams described are large, complex operations, with rappers claiming to make tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, and sometimes even per scam.

Due to the illicit nature of scamming and the public element of rapping, the future of scam rap is precarious. As one YouTuber commenter eloquently wrote in the comments section of Teejayx6’s song “Violin,” “Mans is really putting in the work. By this time next year he’ll be locked up or locked in the game.”

Notably, Selfmade Kash has been indicted for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of unauthorized access devices. City Girls member JT is currently in prison on fraud charges.