Electro hop (sometimes called electronic hip hop, electronic rap or robot hip hop) is the fusion of electro, electroclash, electropop, electronica, or electronic dance music with hip hop. The music usually has dancing in mind, however some forms of the music are electronica. The electro hop movement came about after the underground electro movement on the East Coast gained popularity with artists such as Mantronix, Man Parrish, Jonzun Crew, Newcleus, Planet Patrol etc. The electro sound was pioneered by Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1980, and further developed by Kraftwerk and Universal Zulu Nation leader and hip hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa. This style of hip hop began with an underground fanbase based primarily in Southern California; however, today electro hop artists can be found across the United States.
Electro hop music typically features harsher synthesizer sounds than other styles of hip hop, often utilizing heavily distorted lead and bass sounds, as well as "bleep"-ing square leads and abrasive digital brass effects. Drum sequencing is typically more minimal than other genres, and frequently has characteristic segments where the kick drum stops or is shortened and a march-style snare pattern prevails for 2 or more bars before returning to a typical kick drum-dominated hip hop beat.