Berner
Hazy, business-minded street rap with a smooth Bay Area lean. Low-tempo beats and deadpan flows for late-night drives and heavy smoke sessions.
Hazy, business-minded street rap with a smooth Bay Area lean. Low-tempo beats and deadpan flows for late-night drives and heavy smoke sessions.
Berner's music exists in a permanent state of high-end atmospheric haze. It is the sound of the San Francisco fog mixed with thick cannabis smoke, characterized by incredibly smooth production that favors lush synthesizers and deep, steady basslines. Unlike the aggressive energy of many of his trap contemporaries, Berner maintains a remarkably consistent, relaxed tempo that feels both luxury and street-level.
What truly sets him apart is his vocal delivery: a calm, almost deadpan monotone that conveys the authority of a CEO rather than a street soldier. He doesn't need to shout to be heard. His lyrics bridge the gap between traditional gangsta rap narratives and the modern language of international entrepreneurship, creating a specific sub-niche of 'business rap' that feels aspirational yet grounded in Bay Area mobb music traditions.
Start with 'Hempire' or 'El Chivo' to hear the peak of his polished, atmospheric sound. These projects showcase his ability to curate top-tier production and high-profile features while maintaining a singular, chilled-out aesthetic that has made him a cornerstone of modern stoner culture.
Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr. (born October 27, 1983), better known by his stage name Berner, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. As of 2025, he has released 22 solo albums — beginning with Dirty Sneakers... Plenty Ways to Get It (2007) — and 29 collaborative projects — beginning with Track Money & Pack Money (2007) with fellow California rapper Equipto. He signed with Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Entertainment in March 2018. Four of his solo releases—the extended play 20 Lights (2015), and the albums Hempire (2016), Gotti (2021), and From Seed to Sale (2022)—have entered the Billboard 200, the latter peaked at number 20. As an entrepreneur, he founded the cannabis brand Cookies in 2015; initially based in San Francisco, it has since expanded to service cannabis and clothing products internationally.
Shares trap, cloud rap, gangsta rap (subgenres); confident, brooding (moods)
Shares deadpan (vocal style); confident, nostalgic (moods)
Shares confident, brooding, nostalgic (moods); trap, gangsta rap, conscious hip-hop (subgenres)
Shares gangsta rap, hyphy, cloud rap (subgenres); urban night, fog, road trip (atmosphere)
Shares trap, gangsta rap, cloud rap (subgenres); confident, brooding (moods)
Shares sample based, digital clarity (production style); late night, urban night, road trip (atmosphere)
Shares trap, conscious hip-hop, gangsta rap (subgenres); drum machine, keys/synth, bass (instrumentation)
Shares gangsta rap, hyphy, conscious hip-hop (subgenres); confident, brooding, nostalgic (moods)
Shares hyphy, gangsta rap, cloud rap, trap (subgenre)
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