Why Have So Many Countries Adopted Drill Rap?

Watch Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World on PBS: www.pbs.org/show/fight-power-...
Drill music started in Chicago over a decade ago and has since spread to cities across the world. From London to New York City, we explore how this influential genre has inspired and shaped the rap scene in different corners of the globe.
In this video, we'll take a closer look at how London's drill music scene was heavily influenced by the raw energy and dark lyrics of Chicago drill music like Lil Durk and Chief Keef. We'll also examine how London producers, in turn, inspired the drill sound in New York City.
To gain further insight, we'll be speaking with D Munna 1Hunna, an up-and-coming drill rapper from the Bronx. He'll share with us what sets New York drill apart from the rest and how it's been influenced by the drill scenes from other cities around the world.
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We like music. You like music. Let’s break it down. Sound Field is a PBS Digital Studios web series produced by Twin Cities PBS. #SoundFieldPBS #chiefkeef #drillmusic

[@Artersa]

Also worth mentioning how Memphis hip hop was a major influence on trap, therefore a major influence on other genres that trap went on to influence. This is especially evident in the high hat patterns and triplets. This music (late 80’s but especially early 90’s) had similar motifs; extreme violence, dark aesthetics, big bass. Big up DJ Spanish fly, DJ Zirk, DJ squeaky, 3 6 mafia, and the rest of the TN crew.

[@davruck1]

jazz also has lots of high hats like trap and is very similar

[@Artersa]

@@davruck1 I’m very inexperienced with jazz, thanks for sharing :)

[@kingcash48]

Somebody know sum

[@keatonwiththatheatson]

And to Kurtis Mantronik, whose own envelope-pushing style of hip-hop ultimately gave birth to Southern Hip Hop. And on top of that, “Drag Rap” by The Showboys, which ultimately caught on in New Orleans, Louisiana and pioneered bounce music.

[@jokin4743]

What about koopsta knicca? DJ Paul? Memphis phonk and Memphis rap sigils are like the forefathers of drill

[@adea.f4870]

London’s drill scene has probably had the most impact globally, it’s influenced drill music in a lot of European countries, Ghana, Australia etc

[@phila5971]

probably true but America played a big part . it was created in Chicago

[@KRXOVRmedia]

UK Drill production still had most influence on Drill globally. America had more influence on the "culture."

[@EclecticoIconoclasta]

Also here in Latin America the recent wave of latin drill songs have adopted mainly the UK drill sound. What has stayed from the original Chicago sound is the darkness of melodies and textures even though as drill continues to evolve into more pop territory it has been even losing that since UK drill is getting more pop all the time

[@vogelvogeltje]

You can’t have drill without Chicago.

[@razackchrist5096]

The UK Drill sound also comes from Chicago. It is DJ L sound and it was popularized by Lil Bibby and Lil Herb.

[@SuperVexal]

Pop Smoke was going to be a Super-Star. His voice, style and adlibs were unique to anyone that came before him. He was also going to be the bridge between US drill and UK drill its a shame his life got taken away so soon, That man was only in the limelight for 6 months and look at his Impact. RIP Pop Smoke

[@krakapoww]

abraCadabra was using a style very similar before him

[@SuperVexal]

@@krakapoww He has a similar voice but they have different cadences

[@nuke_love]

Y'all act like Pop was the end all for ts. Look into the majority of NY's Drill artists

[@osamabinsaucin929]

Don't forget how Hardcore Continuum genres, mainly old-school Dubstep & Garage, influenced UK drill beats, mainly the wobbling basslines, syncopated/shuffling drum beats & dark aesthetic

[@Artersa]

I love the term “hardcore continuum”, what a succinct way to place the multitude of genres in a neat path.

[@jhovainechen7577]

Why does nobody give dj L the credit of actually creating the drill sound? It's his drum patterns that created the sound we know as drill today

[@byllsbeats6037]

he should have chosen more memorable name then 😆

[@LorenzoAngeloBeatz]

Thank u

[@onesyphorus]

Gangway comes to mind.

[@onesyphorus]

wasnt he in a marching band before that

[@zinodbeats7654]

DJ L made it for sure

[@ZacharyAghaizu]

From the UK. Honestly it really took pop smoke for me to accept drill. Now I’m exploring how that rhythmic pattern can become the focuse like House came from Disco.

[@churricardo1457]

The uk drill hihat/drum patterns share a lot of similarities to chicago footwork as well, some early chicago drill examples of these types of beats are faneto by chief keef which is clearly inspired by footwork, it’s just that the kick pattern is used in the hihats

[@SoundFieldPBS]

That's a great point, a Chicago footwork deep dive would be fun.

[@jolomendez6338]

The kick and bbm is adopted from grime, garage which was birth from dancehall. Caribbean’s moved to England with Africans and that kick tempo flow got taken from there. In U.K. if you listen to a grime beat then listen to a U.K. drill beat u can hear the similarity.

[@nazeemtrump2820]

UK drill beats got influence from DJ L and grime, like the whole tempo and bpm is from grime, the 808 slides is influenced by like dubstep and grime too. The dark piano melodies we used to hear was a DJ L think too, same with the kicks and snares. But currently whatever the uk drill beats are sound nothing like dj L tbh, but the older drill beats back in like 2015-17 sounded more like dj L .

[@razackchrist5096]

The UK Drill sound also comes from Chicago. It is DJ L sound and it was popularized by Lil Bibby and Lil Herb.

[@joule-trix]

@@jolomendez6338 interesting because i heard garage was hugley influenced by house music which is also from chicago

[@smoothsavage2870]

The main thing that UK/NY drill (today's more popular stuff) takes away from Chicago Drill is the noticeable shuffle, usually with the hi hats and the snare. That shuffle was present in G Herbo and Lil Bibby's early music in the early to mid 2010s.

[@razackchrist5096]

The UK Drill sound also comes from Chicago. It is DJ L sound and it was popularized by Lil Bibby and Lil Herb.

[@ZeugmaP]

You are making a great job of documenting the history of music and hip-hop in particular

[@youngcrickee2201]

DJ L Beats is worth mentioning, he came up at the same time as Young Chop, even if Young Chops dark keys definitely did have an influence, DJ L drum patterns is the predecessor to todays drill sound

[@Meta4ce]

DJ L belongs in this documentary, he brought the staccato/staggered/tresillo hats around, and the Lil Herb/G Herbo sound heavily influenced everybody's CURRENT drill sound more than chop's, I think.

[@marfilblaka]

amen bro

[@TradFortyFive]

And It all started in Chicago!

[@KRXOVRmedia]

Thank you for this! definitely a necessary video for the culture.

[@blairjackson9318]

THIS IS THE MOST ACCURATE DEPICTION, THANK YOU!!!

[@mkeneely781]

i was just thinking about how international drill and house are when they both started as music of the people in chicago.

[@8eight104]

Drill is even inspiring the new wave of death metal.

[@meezanlmt]

Any bands?

[@8eight104]

@@meezanlmt my band Corpectomy, Infantectomy, .357 Homicide, PeelingFlesh, Invirulent, Cephalotripsy, so many I can't even name them all. All of us love this kind of music in our scene.

[@blor664]

​@@8eight104 that's interesting I'll check your band out bro

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

I am not surprised. Rock has always been influenced by Black genres, it is one itself. It’s just racism washes out that history so it seems surprising.

[@8eight104]

@@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024 Rock is black music. The type of death metal I play, Slam, was started by black musicians (Suffocation).

[@keithmburu8269]

Why y’all didn’t mention Drill’s influence in Africa & The Carribean alot of these drill rappers are Carribean & African immigrants, and even in these continets Drill has become a thing like in countries like Jamaica, Ghana, & Kenya there’s a huge drill scene popping off

[@hani2558]

Stick with afrobeats

[@Ekphora_]

Yes, this was lacking in their presentation of UK Drill, it has a huge part in the latest rhythms imo

[@carrington2949]

@@hani2558 😂😂😂

[@mufasa2009]

​@@hani2558Too late Drill even influencing Afrobeats

[@q2anti]

5:55 Anyone in the UK who listened to drill around this time knows how big that line is "Question...if gang pull up are you gonna back your bredrin?"

[@AnonymousLdn]

my childhood bro

[@rina024]

Give Chief Keef his flowers 💐

[@parisomni]

DJ L started that hit hat pattern that is used world wide

[@Believer3_]

No 😂

[@zinodbeats7654]

There's a very important producer name missing in this story that shaped the modern sound of drill his name is DJ L

[@q2anti]

Kennington where it started is a major throwback. I remember blasting Call Me A Spartan on the way to school daily

[@ElDJReturn]

Thanks for always putting people on game with the music scene. I'm surprised UK Garage didn't get more of a mention in here. I feel like it came up at or around the same time and am curious if there are any influences from either?

[@Artersa]

UK garage is quite a bit older (coming up in the mid-late 90’s, itself majorly influenced by US house). UKG was especially influential to grime (which influenced Uk drill, as they mention in the video).

[@ElDJReturn]

@@Artersa That's what I was looking for! Thanks!

[@Meta4ce]

UK Garage was influenced by US Garage and the club Paradise Garage, everything comes back to the same place, I don't know why people from the UK keep acting like Garage/Grime are 100% original. We can even say Dancehall was heavily influenced by R&B...all of these US influenced sub genres get accents put on them and renamed...why?

[@divinej802]

@@Meta4ce Thank you. I'm starting to believe they either don't know or pretend to not know.

[@BantuOtaku]

Love the video tho was wondering what happened to mentioning Jersey Drill sense it wasn't mentioned in the Jersey Club video I thought it would have came up here...

[@dieyounger1657]

UK Drill needed his own episode tbh. Respect on the video though.

[@Swishy_Blue]

Please build playlists, yall would blow up

[@BenzaTheRapper]

Drill music is the trap version of gangsta rap, put simply.

[@destinixshakur]

I understand

[@omarjasso2765]

Crazy, the UK rap scene used to never have wide appeal in the US. Even knew some people who found it distasteful. Now everybody rapping to garage-inspired UK drill beats.

[@nazeemtrump2820]

5:20 surprised this song got a mention but this is the same beat as john madden by chief keef (which is the original one)

[@LorenzoAngeloBeatz]

Give DJ L his flowers. The drill sound of today is shaped by Dj L.

[@formigamusicfactory6614]

Brazillian grill its so fire !

[@paddyg4377]

Bang bang

[@SurrealBobfatherArts]

Wish that some of the underground acts like Moh Baretta, Polo Perks, Shawny Binladen, etc. I think surf gang & evilgiane and all that's been going on in the NY underground has a huge part in some of the drill music going on in the Bronx right now.

[@flymypg]

OK, I like learning this. But it's about the LISTENERS. Like in the Sound Field Ballroom episode. What did Drill mean to the people who made it successful?Why did Drill become NECESSARY?

[@GOD.WINS.777]

10:20 nah, its both. it shapes it too. denying it, is part of the reason it carries on. what ever u think about and put energy into gets converted into its physical equivalent.

[@quincy9908]

So what I'm getting is that Chicago Drill is basically louder glissando to the beat drop & more wider 808s. While Uk (England) Drill takes the dramatic build up to the beat drop, but is more ordered & quicker due to Grime. NY doesn't have a distinct drill. Literally, just UK Drill in New York. STOP TRYING TO FEEL

[@CBlixk6300]

Put my Brudda 22Gz in this respect PBS

[@UltraCodex66]

Most people I chat with tell me that it's actually the uk drill sound (the tressilo bounce, bubbly bass and misplaced snares) that is actually drill to them

[@josuecheves187]

Nice video we got here

[@cameronwilliams696]

beautifullllllll

[@QaptainSlander]

Mentioning Ice Spice but not Kay kay is CRAZY

[@hani2558]

Is he on the billboard???

[@josephhall5884]

Once the industry gets a hold of your sound, you can be replicated. Stay independent. Stay protected. Move smart. Own your music. Don't take deals unless they give you partial ownership. You can't change the game overnight... Just get you and your family portion. If you don't you know how the saga goes, do your research.

[@ispeakasiplease]

Lil Wayne in the mid 2000s era (Carter, Dedication Mixtapes) also influenced the drill scene in Chicago...and then Wayne sonically took a little from the Atlanta rap scene through producers...so really Chicago drill is an offshoot of southern US rap.

[@BboyCorrosive]

I've always wanted to listen to songs that sound like I'm trying to light the stove

[@br4nx7ydag40]

They chose the right song to depict drill i.e Crazy Story😏

[@lexmusiclab]

dope video but they left out the part where the drill sound got updated with African, Caribbean and Asian influences. In the underground euro rap scenes a few years before the pandemic I think. Setting the scene for Pop Smoke

[@Ddotsun]

PBS always was coo people

[@KuyaQuatro]

YALL MENTIONED ROAD RAP, YALL REAL ONES FR! seriously, a lot of younger listeners don't realize the road it took for uk to get to their current drill sound. uk hiphop + grime > uk trap + road rap > uk drill

[@HQ.D-cj2yy]

Drill to the world

[@2nd3rd1st]

Wannet to watch and comment on How Public Enemy's 'Fight The Power' Became an Anthem - but "Video is not available", comments are turned off 💀

[@2nd3rd1st]

Wtf, I'm super open to all music types and keep my ear to the street but I've not heard of most of these rappers and events. Police and politics banning music and artists from the internet and festivals like it's China or Russia?? Why was this not massive international news for the authoritarianism

[@Antron7000]

its not new they tried in the 90s with gangsta rap, 80s with heavy metal, 70s with disco, someones always trying to ban something

[@dedasalmeida9047]

@@Antron7000 yeah it's not really abnormal to see it

[@MLHunt]

I thought drill originated in the UK and was picked up from there in NY and other places. Weird, I was aware of Keef before all that but didn't put him on the same timeline. I'm old.

[@bf2853]

because the sonics are different, chicago drill sounds nothing like uk drill even though chicago came first

[@beepboop204]

ive seen Irish Drill. interesting how shared music can help you see underlying issues like shared systemic poverty and discrimination

[@Pablitopewpew]

good wikipedia yaddi-yadda but in the end you only talked about 2 countries

[@michaelt9245]

Now Jersey Drill is taking over and the world is taking it and making it their own

[@Sundji]

I always wondered why UK drill was even called drill given that it sounded nothing like the drill from Chicago

[@victormartins7867]

how come you didn't mention brazilian drill? it is huge down here

[@XX-kq8kv]

good video but low key crazy you didn't have a section focused on sample drill

[@bshatkovsky98]

Shotout to Lexus the Man Luger!

[@marfilblaka]

godfather of drill Dj L

[@Djavan2499]

Can’t talk about UK drill without mentioning Carns Hill & 67

[@kristianstepancic3440]

Saying Ice Spice bring up feminine energy to the scene is a wild and worrying statement.

[@LondenB]

THIS IS MY SOUND 100 percent

[@jaysoncornish4779]

OK here's my observations. Partially based on regional histories and from observing historical/cultural elements. Let's start with the "Snare on the Three". That's coming straight out of Reggae. That's the "One Drop" anyone who's played in a Reggae rhythm section will tell you that. The high hat patterns. To me what's crazy about that is that if you watch about 10 videos of Flamenco dancing and listen to the rhythms created by the footwork you will hear the basis of the Drill hi-hat patterns. Incidentally that comes directly out of the Moor influence (lazy way of saying Moroccan) or the Gypsy (lazy way of saying Egyptian) influence. Then there's the sources of the sampling. I kinda have to give White Europeans some credit on this one since those elements seem to be coming out of European Classical music. Those piano and string arrangements are straight up European classical music (you know the crusty dudes in the white wigs we really can't get away from them). Then there's some other interesting things regarding production and regional history to throw in. Industrial music. If you look at Chicago that was the home of Wax Trax records (Ministry, Pig Face, Throbbing Gristle etc) which is related to German Avant Garde music and incidentally Jamaican Dub music which also influenced in a circular fashion British electronic music (look at Adrian Sherwoods mixes for Depeche Mode, and Nine Inch Nails, and Ministry combined with his production work for Bim Sherman, his work with the group Tackhead goes directly back to Sugar Hill Records plus his work next to Mad Professor). Now let's look at the difference between US and UK MC's. I realize that this observation is kind of a mine field. The UK abolished slavery (at least from the mainland level) before the US. I realize that this doesn't include the Empire quite so much but it does as the Island so to speak. If you look at Brixton for example (especially at the Brixton Riots) that "Black Culture" was based more on immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa than from generations of mainland born culture based on slavery (compared to the US). I'm not saying that UK racism doesn't/didn't exist what I am saying is listen to the patterns and cadences of Jamaican "Toasters" vs UK Drill MC's vs US Drill MC's. It's really like making a stew. You have the ingredients, the tools, the cooking methods, the traditions, and how you combine them.

[@VanessaLivesInASociety]

Chief keef!!!

[@dedasalmeida9047]

I always hated drill becuase of what it represents and those annoying hight hats man...all I hear is ti ti ti ti ti ti ti but after watching this video it made me ha ve a different perspective, it doesn't mean I like it but I understand it better

[@thablackkat9905]

I understand you completely. If the subject matter in the drill varied it would be a great subgenre but all I hear is the same old tired storyline.

[@kevinmaxey5417]

I really like the video and it's timeline facts, but you all fail to leave out the type of lyrical content and it's definite causal effect on some of the murders. I don't know about some of the environments with other artists but in Chicago, some of the verses literally state play by play details of crimes which sets up the retaliation, police malfeasance, and perpetuates the continual cycle of violence.

[@Lando-kx6so]

10:23 it's both

[@RebelwheelsNYCShow]

I think it's bullshit that some people are trying to ban this music. If you don't want violence, than address the root issues as to why the violence exists in the first place.

[@chioma916]

!!!

[@smoothsavage2870]

It should be both honestly. Some people really do love that lifestyle.

[@joedav67]

@@smoothsavage2870 Banning the music for “glorifying the lifestyle” is a slippery slope. All mobster movies would go too. No Godfather. Pretty much all death and black metal would be gone. Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, KMFDM, all gone. Grand Theft Auto? Uncharted? All would disappear. The world is not G rated so don’t make all media go away

[@dedasalmeida9047]

Does art imitates life or life imitate art ... Kinda chicken and the egg type thing

[@xxDOTH3DEWxx]

D Munna 1Hunna couldn't express himself with words if his life depended on it lol

[@thablackkat9905]

Right?

[@williamlandis40]

You guys mispronounced Russ Millions name. Russ is short for Russian, in London that is slang for a gun. Russ' name should be pronounced like "rush." 22gz's name was also mispronounced, it originates from his alternate name TuTu Blixky. Therefore it is pronounced like two separate 2s.

[@84racksbeats45]

Let's be fr Sosa made the drill wave with distorted 808 and off-beat open hats but when the UK adopted the drill they start the classics hihats and clap sound then every one who hop on a drill beat get a hit bc of the beat not the rapping

[@58turbovision]

taladriando manin

[@jackmono]

The skyrocketing of any genre typically has something to do with governments and states trying to squash it. Have they not learned lol

[@leonalexandre1451]

Paris too…

[@MajorTheGeneral]

Y’all left out when Nicki jumped on G Herbo and lil bibbys song that’s the drill the UK emulated all the way to NY drill today but other than that y’all on point

[@antwennyone]

yall should hear Kenyan drill...Buruklyn Boyz and Wakadinali..thank me later

[@SoundFieldPBS]

Thanking you now!

[@antwennyone]

@@SoundFieldPBS i appreciate, and love the content. Watch out for the Kenyan scene general, we're cooking out here

[@hellucination9905]

It's the essentially neoliberal music genre. It's civil war in audio form.

[@thatmalcolmguy]

English English girl named Fiona WOIIIIIIIIII

[@marfilblaka]

wow so dj L never got mentioned .

[@destinixshakur]

Who is he?

[@marfilblaka]

@@destinixshakur look him up hear for your self

[@destinixshakur]

@@marfilblakabruh I did , nobody finding a DJ L it’s not a unique name I need more details please . Thank you

[@ohbaby4life]

Waka is they Daddy

[@geovanl]

Next time sum1 make one if these videos and dont mention yung papi I'm putting dem in a pack

[@ErfanBoachie-dh6sw]

😢😢😢😢😢💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥💅💅

[@ARE_YOU_SICK_OF_YT_CENSORSHIP]

how can you talk about Chicago and gloss over Twista, let alone other veterans like Do Or Die, Crucial Conflict who actually represent the unique Midwestern style of rap?

[@davruck1]

im from cleveland and havent heard crucial conflict mentioned in a long while

[@FromTheHipp]

conquer? yeah ok.

[@williamlandis40]

Other things wrong from the video is that Cardi B's first track was not at all drill. Drill music has two distinct sounds and styles, one is the Chicago style and the other is the UK style. Outside of Chicago, Bobby Smurda and Rowdy Rebel almost all other drill is of the UK style.

[@Fosterakahunter]

"Drill Rap started with the Cozarts" - BLK RMBRNDT

[@onesyphorus]

i love how whenever ppl reaearch into origins of a style of american or uk music often they find out afro caribbeans had something to do with it

[@fire418]

Having something to do with it doesn't mean create.

[@onesyphorus]

you really missed my point didn't you lol @@fire418

[@nguzoloveinlofi3832]

Oh God why????

[@captainshiner42]

"Negative connotation"? Drill is basically ALWAYS negative, unfortunately. As someone who listened to it a LOT over the years, to ignore the fact that it encourages retaliation and disrespect to dead people, as well as other clearly anti-social behaviors is just foolish. I just can't condone this culture anymore.

[@B_addie]

It’s this generations “gangster rap”, there’s a handful of storytelling that gets overshadowed by a large wave of glorifying violence and hate. And similarly it has the same effect with how it portrays the groups of people it represents

[@clarkkent52]

UK DRILL beat pattern its both asiatic, afro, european and latin..that bop makes u wanna move..Thats why its taken over

[@mufasa2009]

That came from DJ L in Chicago. Chicago has a huge Caribbean and West African population along with African American

[@clarkkent52]

@@mufasa2009 No it didnt the 4 beat snare new Drill sound came from UK stop it yes Chicago influenced all Drill but your beats sound nothing like UK Drill beats stop it it came from our grime sound

[@mufasa2009]

@@clarkkent52 Grime???? Grime is too upbeat and light. Road Rap combined with Chicago Drill gave you the major components of UK drill. Just face reality the originators are who primarily influenced the genre most.

[@mufasa2009]

@@clarkkent52 Bad Bunny the most popular artist in the world is doing Chicago drill mixed with reggeaton. You can tinker with the original sound but the foundation doesn't change

[@xnlac]

Cause they Luv Sosa

[@newgoliard6059]

Trap, Drill, gangsta rap...all the same lyrics at diff beat and cadence.

[@AbeNomiks]

It all started with a Japanese lad and some savages

[@avsky837]

I always just called it gangsta rap. Characteristics like a 'dark piano' and violent themes arent enough to distinguish it as a genre. May as well just be called trap

[@davruck1]

you must be white. drill has a different beat than trap

[@nsahpascal8980]

Whatever is trending.....five years from now....not so much

[@Baba6ita]

this video feels like it was written by a 45 year old

[@thepervertedmonk2353]

Because whatever black ppl are doingx everybody else copies. This is how it has always been

[@oldslowcoach]

because it has electrolytes (I like money)

[@cosmicghost811]

The WORST thing to happen to hip hop.

[@divinej802]

Worst thing to happen to Chicago