The Meaning of Drill
“Shooting for the stars aiming at the moon” — Pop Smoke.
“S*** really get ugly, aint just rapping” — Sleepy Hollow.
“I really did what I said, and I said what I did. I was never any of those pretenders” — Fivio Foreign.
Drill rap started in the slums of Chicago in 2010. What was then known as a small subset of hip hop has rapidly blossomed into one of the top music forms of modern culture, finding its way into every corner of every major city throughout America. For me, I have been surrounded by this type of music in New York City. Famous artists such as Sheff G, Sleepy hollow, and Bizzy Banks all grew up just blocks away from me, placing me in a bubble that these artists have formed. There is something about being in that bubble that makes the whole community believe that we are sharing the experiences that are told to us throughout the music.
With that being said, I can imagine that for some of you who do not come from the same place as I do are share the same type of experiences, this concept may seem outlandish and far-fetched, but there is a unique quality of drill rap, that no other music form has. No, it is not the overwhelming bass or the abundance of expletives that this genre is usually categorized by. However, every drill rapper finds a way to tell their story, no matter how gory, depressing, or painful, and put it together in a “rough around the edges” package that appeals to everyone who comes from some sort of struggle.
This may be the reason why drill is so popular overseas. Sure, it is seen as a “cool” music genre, but the message is much deeper than that. No matter where you come from, if you had to experience struggle, you know the feeling of wanting to get to a better situation. In countries like England, Ghana, and France, drill rap has become almost a universal language for people worldwide to share in a somewhat global struggle. Although the music might be in different languages, the feeling that is evoked by drill, I feel, is unmatched by any other type of music. One foreign form of drill rap that has made a tremendous impact on the United States is UK drill, specifically out of London. The experiences and stories of UK-based rappers are different from those of American rappers, but feelings and emotions expressed in these songs cross any geographical barrier.
For example, consider the artist Headie One — birth name Irving Ampofo Adjei. Adjei came from very humble beginnings in England and, at an early age, had multiple run-ins with the law. From these struggles, he was able to express his emotions and feelings through rapping. His experiences were so rich and the emotion that he gave to every song was so powerful that he garnered a large following in both England and in the United States, where famous rap artist Drake started to take notice. After hearing Adjei’s music, Drake made a mission to collaborate with him, at which point both rappers made the hit single “Only You Freestyle.”
Adjei’s story and the larger cultural gem of drill rap can show just how much emotion can be translated over any geographical, language, or cultural barrier imaginable. There are many lessons to be learned from how well things can be translated from culture to culture that will inevitably teach us how to become better global citizens.
