New Jersey producer Michael Volpe is one of the originators behind the SoundCloud rap boom. As Clams Casino, Volpe’s work as a beat-maker in the late 2000’s defined the hazy “based” aesthetic in contemporary rap music, for his ability to create moving instrumental pieces that pair traditional hip-hop drums with gentle and sombre melodies. The genre defining ‘I’m God‘ went on to become his most popular release yet, subject to a decade long back and forth over legal confusion and attempts at sample clearance. Today Clams Casino stands as one of the key players in the evolution of rap music in the 2010s.