“It’s a Drill"

I’m going to skim the surface on this one.  There are many facets and a deep history for readers to delve into.  So, I’m just going to whet your appetite a little here to get ya started.

Known for its gritty, real-to-life lyrics, Drill rap music has transcended as a subgenre of Hip Hop and the rap scene and has spread worldwide as a new genre.  Birthed in “Chiraq”, aka Chicago, back in the early to mid-2010s, in a hostile environment instilled in gang violence, crime, hopelessness, and daily struggles in life.  Some will credit Pac Man, from the South Side of Chicago, for coining the phrase drill from his 2010 mixtape featuring a song titled “It’s a Drill”. A gangland slang term for using guns to shoot rivals, aka “Drillin'”.  However, this music genre has inspired many burgeoning young artists to express their unique interpretations of the genre in different countries, most notably in Australia and the United Kingdom.  While the cultures of these two countries are somewhat similar, they do differ distinctly in their characteristics, musical expressions, and lyrical flow.  And that, my friend, is what sets them apart.

The Drill sound moves and vibrates like two subgenres of rap music.  Trap and gangster rap.  Both forms of music were derived from the broken spirit of the inner city and the urban life struggles of youth surviving in a violent environment and a broken system.

When UK Drill emerged, it was heavily influenced by the Chicago movement but with that British vibe and twist.  With artists like Headie One kicking it off along with 67, Harlem Spartans, and Section Boyz, the popularity of the drill genre quickly took over the scene.

Typical lyrics bounced in and around gangland beefs, violence, rough street life, and sad situational social issues, all rolled up and served on a hot plate of unapologetic, raw tonal flavors.  Driving the bottom with sliding 808s, hi-hat syncopation, and the minimum of beats add to the dark, ominousness of the UK Drill scene.

On the flip side, down under in Australia, the Drill scene took off a little later, like in the late 2010s.  Known as Australian Drill, the genre gained traction when groups like Hooligan Hefs, and ONEFOUR, stepped up hailing from the 27^th District in West Sydney’s Mount Druitt.  Sticking to the core elements of the genre, explicit lyrics, and aggressive beats, the Australian flavor has a unique vibe and flow. It is infused with the local culture and urban conditions known to working-class, Australians.  We’re talking about the inner city and metropolitan areas. Stack on that, migrant communities with their unique struggles and challenges, the day-to-day, social, and economic tussles, and gang violence, measured against the Australian youth.

 Let’s break down the production styles between the UK and the Australian drills and what makes them significantly different. With UK drill the music is characterized by cold minimal beats, with a faster BPM, and definitely, a heavy use of the 808s banging with those slides.  The use of sparse beats sets up the stage for the lyrics to make a solid presence. Shaping the UK sound came from producers like MK The Plug and M1onTheBeat who have been instrumental in molding the UK drill sound.

 When looking into the Australian drill we will notice more melodic elements flowing with a slower tempo, yet the beats are still slammin’ hard with a more layered production value stemming from genres with grime and trap influences. This unique evolution in sound and production is what sets the UK and Australian drill scenes apart.

The lyrical themes between the UK and Australian drill are similar in content, with respect to gang violence and conflicts, street life, alcohol, and drugs.  These stark realities of the drill environment have differing weights regarding the culture.  In the UK the lyric portrayals depict London’s inner-city neighborhood gang rivalries and the harsh urban lifestyle of living in the ‘ends’.   The Australian drill is similar lyrically, but more poignant to the marginalized vibe within the migrant communities and the challenges presented.  This unique perspective gives credence to the cause and resonates with the locals.

As with the Chicago drill scene, the UK and Australian drill scenes are not without controversy.  Explicit lyrics and glorification of violence have had a phycid impact on the populace.  Law enforcement, in the UK, has linked drill music to escalating rates of knifing crimes which have had no ill effect on the artists as they continue to gain notoriety and mainstream success in affecting the music trends around the world.

The Australians, on the other hand, have quite a bit of censorship with authorities cracking down on concerts and muzzling down on the lyrics.  With a dedicated fanbase, the Australian drill continues to grow and highlight their struggles, especially within marginalized migrant communities.

All in all, the drill music scene, known for its gritty, and real-to-life lyrics, has sonically influenced the world to become a global subgenre of the Hip Hop movement. Originating in Chicago’s tough and hostile environment of gang violence and daily struggles it has jumped the pond birthing the UK drill scene, but with a British twist, and like a virus, eventually, jumped down under into the land of Oz, creating the Australian drill. Drill’s influence has become a worldwide phenomenon with its many facets, creating in its wake a subculture that is still prominent, to this day.

 Mo-Zed Dupree

For further reading about this genre:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210607-the-controversial-music-that-is-the-sound-of-global-youth

 Do you have any thoughts you would like to share regarding this article?  Please leave a comment down below.

Express Guitar... The Fast, Easy and Effective Way to Learn Guitar.
To learn more click here.