Thanks to artists like Drake, Future and Metro Boomin, the flute is having a serious moment in hip-hop right now. 

While many think of the flute as a tinny little wind instrument only good for embellishing classical arrangements and jangly folk, it’s finally starting to earn quiet recognition as one of the more versatile and beloved instruments in the orchestra.

Between Future’s ‘Mask Off’, Drake’s ‘Portland’, D.R.A.M and Lil Yachty’s ‘Broccoli’, as well as more from Migos, Kodak Black, Zaytoven, Gucci Mane and 2 Chainz, it’s unsurprising that hip-hop only identifies flutes with trap. But a quick look back in hip-hop history proves the flute has long been the unsung hero, frequently used since the genre’s earliest days.

Here are five of the best pre-trap flute appearances in hip-hop.

#1 Eric B And Rakim — ‘Paid In Full’

It all began with Eric B and Rakim. Though Rakim would never reach the same level of mainstream success as some of his contemporaries, he’s often considered the greatest rapper in history for his direct influence on artists like Nas, Eminem and Lil Wayne, and for singlehandedly revolutionising the technical art of rapping itself.

His debut album with Eric B, Paid In Full, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year – and the title track is one of the first hip-hop tracks to ever feature the flute.

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#2 Beastie Boys — ‘Flute Loop’

The aptly titled ‘Flute Loop’ was released on the Beastie Boys’ 1994, album Ill Communication, which spawned the mammoth ‘Sabotage’ and eventually went triple platinum.

As the title suggests, flute takes centre stage for the entire track, sitting atop muffled vocals, beautiful jazzy guitars and choppy keys. Though it lasts less than two minutes in total, it simply proves just how well flutes work to a beat.

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#3 A Tribe Called Quest — ‘Keep it Rollin’

One of A Tribe Called Quest’s greatest legacies is popularising jazz in hip-hop, so it’s unsurprising that they’re also one of the most influential purveyors of flute in the genre.

‘Keep It Rollin’, from their 1993 album Midnight Marauders, shows off the sonic versatility of the instrument. As well as looping the familiar high notes of the flute, a second layer uses deep, sustained notes from the instrument’s lesser heard lower register.

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#4 Tupac — ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ Ft. The Outlawz

This track was released just three months before Tupac was shot and killed and it’s ironic that the most venomous diss track in history was soundtracked by the delicate little flute.

‘Hit ‘Em Up’ is one of the most significant and studied rap songs of all time, given its role in the tragically soured relationship between ‘Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. It also set the bar for every diss track to come.

Obviously the lyrics are what makes this track so important, but listen closely and you’ll hear a continuous flute-led instrumental, weaving in and around shrill piano keys and a menacing beat.

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#5 Snoop Dogg — ‘Lollipop’ Ft. Jay Z And Nate Dogg

Snoop Dogg, Jay Z and Nate Dogg aren’t exactly names you immediately associate with smooth jazz and flute-laden instrumentals.

However, the Just Blaze-produced ‘Lollipop’, from Snoop’s star-studded 2002 affair Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$, is one of the greatest examples of the flute’s infiltration into mainstream hip-hop and gangster rap.

Lyrically, it’s a pretty atrocious display of extreme misogyny (“Hoe, get up on outta my face unless you trying to fuck”), but the amazing instrumental is perfect proof of how adaptable the modest, well-mannered flute can be.