13 innovative uses of Auto-Tune among Hip Hop artists

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Scott Dudelson/Contributor via Getty Images, Prince Williams/Contributor via Getty Images, and Scott Legato/Contributor via Getty Images

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Kanye West, Young Thug, T-Pain

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Let’s get this out the way now: T-Pain pioneered the creative use of Auto-Tune in Hip Hop when he treated the pitch correction software as an expressive instrument rather than just a corrective tool. While he probably wasn’t the first to use it within the culture, his emphasis on the robotic, warbling effect established it as a legitimate artistic technique. As such, his approach influenced countless artists who followed – much to the ire of JAY-Z (who created an entire movement with a certain The Blueprint III single) and countless others, purist or not, who felt that it was watering down the game.

Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak marked another watershed moment. He employed the effect throughout the entire album as an emotional tool, using its artificial sound to enhance themes of alienation and loss. Meanwhile, Future developed his own distinctive approach to Auto-Tune by using it to create melodic mumble rap with an oft-drowsy quality. Rather than trying to hide its artificial nature, he emphasized its more extreme possibilities and created a signature sound that influenced a generation of trap artists. Travis Scott has also been innovative in his use of Auto-Tune, often combining it with other vocal effects and production techniques to create psychedelic, heavily processed vocals that blur the line between human voice and synthesizer.

More recently, artists like Young Thug have pushed the technology even further by using Auto-Tune to facilitate experimental vocal approaches that wouldn’t be possible without pitch correction. For the sake of this list, there are also other options available for studio recording, with plenty of alternative plugins and devices that rappers use to create their desired trippy outcome. Check out 13 examples below.

1. Love Lockdown by Kanye West

Taking a break from his usual rap records, the emotionally wrought 808s & Heartbreak saw West largely singing his lines through the use of Auto-Tune. In the above case, the album’s lead single, “Love Lockdown,” saw him using the software to pour his heart out about a failed relationship. The electropop offering received critical acclaim and earned a quadruple-platinum certification. Related, Ye would later find other ways to morph voices for artistic effect, such as with the aid of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on the intro to the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy standout “Monster.”

2. Sensual Seduction by Snoop Dogg

Taken from his ninth studio LP Ego Trippin, Snoop Dogg’s “Sensual Seduction” – or “Sexual Eruption” – was a departure from the Long Beach legend’s laid-back raps, with the veteran artist jumping into full-fledged electro-soul territory. Most of the Shawty Redd-produced banger is sung in full-on Auto-Tune, and the accompanying clip further showcased Snoop’s throwback funk influences.

3. Lollipop by Lil Wayne

Following the success of Tha Carter II and the “Mixtape Weezy” era (along with a tear of features), Lil Wayne was at the top of his game. To take things into an entirely different level, he decided that the lead single from Tha Carter III would be the Static Major-assisted “Lollipop.” The Auto-Tuned decision proved fruitful, as the single managed to top the Billboard 200 and go platinum five times over. Wayne would continue to use Auto-Tune pretty heavily on subsequent drops like T.I.’s “Swagga Like Us” and Dedication 3 with DJ Drama.

4. @ Meh by Playboi Carti

“@ Meh” was considered to be Playboi Carti’s comeback single prior to the release of the chart-topper Whole Lotta Red (although it was ultimately left off the album). While it’s not fully explained how Carti’s voice was warped into its high-pitched result, an unrelated producer – artist and engineer KayMixedThat – was able to recreate the effect using Waves Tune, a pitch correction plugin for ProTools. Check out how she accomplished that here.

5. Antidote by Travis Scott

Travis Scott’s creative use of voice correction (or manipulation) is no secret, with The FADER previously reporting how many have tried to recreate the sound via methods like “reverb mixed with Auto-Tune mixed with a compressor and so on.” The actual company shared and piggy-backed off the article, further confirming Scott’s utilization of the tool. One example of his expert use is “Antidote,” a seven-times platinum single found on the artist’s debut studio album, Rodeo.

6. Poland by Lil Yachty

Ever the music rebel, Lil Yachty pushed back against the older generations’ Hip Hop sensibilities early on, with hits like “Minnesota,” “One Night,” and the wildly popular “Broccoli” with DRAM making him one of the most polarizing talents within the culture. Prior to dropping the very non-rap psychedelic offering Let’s Start Here., the Atlanta star tossed out an intended throwaway titled “Poland,” which quickly went viral due to a unique and unmistakable Auto-Tuned vibrato. The track went gold and peaked within the Billboard 200’s Top 40.

7. Stoner by Young Thug

Make no mistake: It’s not just Young Thug’s mastery of altering his voice with the use of Auto-Tune, it’s his literal voice itself and his ability to stretch its range in almost alien and unnatural ways. Following moderate waves of success as a rising Atlanta frontrunner, early records like “Stoner” and “2 B’s (Danny Glover)” immediately solidified him as an artist all his own, and the tool is merely an extension of his natural talent.

8. Reach For the Stars by will.i.am

The Auto-Tune was heavy on will.i.am’s “Reach For the Stars,” but that’s not even the most unique quality about the almost genre-less cut. In addition to its appearance on the deluxe edition of willpower, the song became the first in history to be broadcast from another planet after completing a journey of more than 300 million miles between Mars and Earth. How did he do it? By teaming up with NASA to have the track transmitted from the red planet’s surface via the Curiosity rover.

9. XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vert

Given the unusual title of the song (he was on the road with The Weeknd at the time), one might think that Lil Uzi Vert didn’t expect “XO TOUR Llif3” to become one of his greatest hits. But that it did – in fact, the heavily Auto-Tuned cut went from a Soundcloud throwaway to an 11-times platinum hit and Billboard Hot 100 top ten. Even the matching visual for the Luv Is Rage 1.5/2 cut didn’t take long to cross the 500 million views mark.

10. Autograph (On My Line) by Juice WRLD

For “Autograph (On My Line),” producers Klimax and Nick Mira were said to have applied a relatively light touch of Auto-Tune compared to some of his later songs. In this case, it helped create the smooth melodic transitions that were becoming characteristic of Juice WRLD’s style, but his natural vocal ability still shined through. While not officially confirmed, an apparent video of the late rapper’s raw recording can be checked out here.

11. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA

Throughout his exceptional career, Kendrick Lamar found ways to add to a song’s thematics through the manipulation of his voice on wax, often while rapping as character in his story or another part of himself. Examples include his high-pitched approach on “Swimming Pools” or the fluctuation of his vocals found on “PRIDE.” (Sound Selection created an excellent breakdown of this). Engineer Matt Schaeffer, who worked with Lamar and SZA on the Black Panther classic “All The Stars,” explained how nine of 10 vocal audio tracks utilized Auto-Tune to create the unique pre-hook heard by the listener.

12. Turn On the Lights by Future

When he’s ready to get into his R&B mode, Future uses Auto-Tune to reach the necessary notes that fully express his emotions on a track – the chorus on “Turn On the Lights” being a prime example. As revealed by Auto-Tune, Future and his team also used the product and related accessories for on-stage performances during his “Legendary Nights Tour.” If you want to learn more about his artists get the voice correction done live, you can read about that here.

13. I’m Sprung by T-Pain

Given the subject discussed, it wouldn’t be right if T-Pain wasn’t mentioned on this list. As he explained to USA Today about his official debut and dedication to his wife, Amber, “I was experimenting with Auto-Tune at the time and I really got into it. It was fairly easy to get that done because it was about something I am well-versed in – love.” The rest is history.