What is Drill music?
Drill music is a sub genre of rap music. It can be understood through ominous beats and dark lyrics. Lyrics often refer to drugs, guns and knives. It appeals to young people who grow up in deprived areas.
Drill largely followed on from the grime and road rap scenes. It has a more direct relationship to crime and violence. It gained prominence in Lambeth and Brixton before increasing popularity across the UK. It has highlighted genre growing appeal and popularity across a wide audience.
Criminalising Drill:
Moral panic attached to forms of media created by and consumed by black people. Harsh criticism from the public, press and government. Averse selection bias, individuals looking for violence or considering acts of violence seek vicarious consumption of violence.
In 2018 Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, singled out frill music videos for fuelling surge of violence in London and asked Youtube to remove any videos glamorising violence. Youtube removed 30 videos.
In 2018 Skengdo and AM were banned from rapping about certain topics and preforming. In2019 they breached it and recieved suspended prison sentences.
Creativity of Drill:
Abra Cadabra argues that violent aspects of Drill are a reality. Youth centres shutting down, cuts to police services, and acting as a creative escapism.
Unlikely to reduce violence because it does not address the root causes. These include childhood trauma, intergenerational family breakdown and school exclusions.
Drill offers an escape from crime. Konan says deprivation devastates communities not music.
Bondakay, son of Mark Duggan shot by the police in 2011, says "it is my way of escaping gang life and achieving a better life... music puts legal money into my account. No one helps us around here"
Discrimination:
Complex issue of attitude in fear, ignorance and unwillingness to understand genre of music. Grime and drill has been unfairly persecuted by media and authorities. Joint enterprise encourages deeply racist and classist assumptions of young working class black men. It strips them of individual experiences and humanity. Presented as gangs within the mainstream media and this is mirrored across musical platforms - the prosecution takes advantage of racism to do more racism.
Young people and Drill:
Drill artists can rap about economic problems, solutions to violence, redemption and salvation. It is a way of them expressing their own thoughts and feelings. It is a safe outlet a way to communicate difficult issues.
The Safer Livers Survey by the Youth Violence Commission (2020) found that 47% of young people aged 8 and 27 listened to music with violent lyrics at least once a day.
Street literacy:
Postcode rivalries and gang feuds have been made public and heightened by diss tracks. The content varies from hyper local tracks to commercial songs - differing objectives. Threaten violence or boast about attacks that have occurred. The reading of drill lyrics within the criminal justice system challenges the aim of crime prevention. The literal interpretation has been seen in biographical and admissible evidence. Subjective nature to determine misconduct, bad character or criminality within prosecutions.
Digga D:
November 2020 the BBC aired the documentary 'Defending Digga D' examining the strict legal procedure of releasing music. He had served a prison sentence for conspiracy to commit violent disorder. He must run his lyrics past a lawyer to ensure they are not encouraging violence, mentioning places (Ladbroke Grove) or names.
Trials and Prosecutions:
Drill music has been used as evidence within court. Exploring specific incidents where the release of drill songs online has led to violence. 2018, 17 year old MTrap received a lifetime prison sentence for the murder of a teenager in South London.
Censuring drill does more harm than good. Alienating marginalised communities and creating conditions will lead to further urban violence. Deprived, desperate and violent elements of society with arts resonating with young individuals.
Until the next Legal Thought,
Elicia Maxwell
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