How to make lo-fi hip hop with AI

You can make lo-fi hip hop with AI by describing the genre's core elements in your prompt. Focus on specific instruments like a Rhodes piano, a jazzy drum beat, and a warm, textured production style. Include mood words such as "chill," "relaxed," or "study" to guide the AI.

What is lo-fi hip hop?

Lo-fi hip hop is a subgenre known for its relaxed feel, often used as background music for studying or chilling. The "lo-fi" part refers to its intentionally lower fidelity sound. This can include elements like vinyl crackle, tape hiss, or muffled instruments. It often blends jazz, soul, and hip hop influences with a mellow, downtempo rhythm.

When you prompt Suno to create lo-fi hip hop, think about these key ingredients:

• Instrumentation: Electric piano (Rhodes, Wurlitzer), acoustic drums (often with a soft, brushed feel), upright bass, muted trumpets, or soulful guitar licks.
• Tempo: Typically slow to moderate, often between 60-90 BPM (beats per minute).
• Production Style: "Warm," "muffled," "vintage," "analog," "vinyl crackle," "tape hiss," "reverb," "delay," "compressed." These words help the model understand the desired audio texture.
• Mood: "Chill," "relaxed," "mellow," "dreamy," "nostalgic," "study," "sleepy," "calm."
• Rhythm: "Boom bap drums," "jazzy beat," "laid-back groove," "swing feel."

Crafting your lo-fi prompt

Start broad and get more specific. The more detail you add, the closer you get to your desired sound. Here are some examples:

Simple lo-fi prompt

A basic prompt will give you a good starting point. It tells the AI the genre and the overall feel.

Lo-fi hip hop beat, chill, relaxed.

This prompt is effective because it names the genre directly and adds two strong mood descriptors. Suno will likely generate a track with characteristic lo-fi drums and a mellow harmony.

Adding instruments and tempo

To refine your track, specify instruments and a tempo range. This gives the AI more concrete details to work with.

Lo-fi hip hop track, 75 BPM. Featuring Rhodes piano, a jazzy drum beat, and an upright bass. Mellow and atmospheric.

Here, we've locked in the tempo and chosen specific instruments common in lo-fi. The addition of "jazzy drum beat" helps define the rhythmic feel, and "atmospheric" enhances the mood.

Detailed lo-fi with production texture

For a truly authentic lo-fi sound, include production details that mimic older recording techniques. These textural elements are crucial.

Lo-fi hip hop instrumental, 70-80 BPM. A warm Rhodes piano melody, laid-back boom-bap drums with a subtle swing, and a deep, mellow bassline. Add vinyl crackle, tape hiss, and a touch of reverb. Perfect for studying or relaxation. Muffled and nostalgic feel.

This prompt is highly specific. It defines the tempo range, instrumentation, drum style, and critically, the production textures like "vinyl crackle" and "tape hiss." The mood is reinforced with "studying or relaxation," "muffled," and "nostalgic."

Experiment and iterate

Generating music with AI is a probabilistic process. The same prompt can yield different results each time. This is part of the creative journey. If your first generation isn't quite right, try adjusting your prompt slightly. Change a mood word, swap an instrument, or tweak the tempo.

For instance, if the drums are too clean, add "gritty drums" or "lo-fi drum breaks." If the piano sounds too bright, try "muffled Rhodes piano" or "vintage electric piano." Adding a negative prompt, like "no bright synths" or "avoid sharp melodies," can also help steer the AI away from unwanted elements.

Commercial use and copyright

Suno's free plan does not include commercial usage rights for generated tracks. If you plan to use your music commercially, you will need a paid plan. You can find more details in the Suno terms of service.

The legal situation around copyright ownership for AI-generated content is currently unsettled and varies by country. For example, the U.S. Copyright Office has indicated that human authorship is required for copyright registration. You should research the specific copyright laws in your region regarding AI-generated works. Suno adds an inaudible SynthID watermark to every track generated, identifying it as AI-created content. This helps maintain transparency about the origin of the music.

By following these guidelines and experimenting with your prompts, you can create a wide range of lo-fi hip hop tracks with Suno.