Brooklyn drill
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Brooklyn drill is a regional subgenre of
drill music Drill is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in Chicago streets in the early 2010s. It is sonically similar to the trap music subgenre and lyrically similar to the gangsta rap subgenre. Drill music progressed into the American mainstre ...
, centered in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, that began as derivative of the drill music scene in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
and later became derivative of
UK drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Initially borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music before creating its own unique sound, UK drill artists ...
with its 808 percussion and sliding notes by producers from the UK drill scene. Brooklyn drill emerged around 2014 with the single "
Hot Nigga "Hot Nigga" (censored on the album as "Hot N*gga", edited for radio as "Hot Boy" or "Hot Ni") is the debut single by American rapper Bobby Shmurda. It was released for digital download on July 25, 2014 by Epic Records and GS9. The song includes ...
" from the rapper
Bobby Shmurda Ackquille Jean Pollard (born August 4, 1994), known professionally as Bobby Shmurda, is an American rapper. Along with Rowdy Rebel, Shmurda is considered a pioneer of Brooklyn drill music. He rose to international fame in 2014 when his song "Hot ...
. Other early pioneers were rappers
Rowdy Rebel Chad Marshall (born November 24, 1991), known professionally as Rowdy Rebel, is an American rapper from Brooklyn who is signed to GS9 and Epic Records. He is a member of the Brooklyn-based GS9 crew alongside rapper Bobby Shmurda. Rowdy Rebel app ...
, Bam Bino, Money Millz, Dah Dah and Curly Savv. It was again made popular in the mainstream in 2019 by the late Pop Smoke. With the success of his mixtapes ''
Meet the Woo ''Meet the Woo'' (alternatively titled ''Meet the Woo, Vol. 1'') is the debut mixtape by American rapper Pop Smoke. It was released by Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records on July 26, 2019. ''Meet the Woo'' is a drill and grime record. Al ...
'' (2019) and ''Meet the Woo 2'' (2020), Pop Smoke introduced Brooklyn drill into the mainstream music industry. Other notable Brooklyn drill artists include
Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...
, 22Gz,
Sheff G Michael Kyle Williams (born September 23, 1998), known professionally as Sheff G, is an American rapper from the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. He rose to fame with his single "No Suburban" in 2017 which was a response to the song "Subu ...
,
Sleepy Hallow Tegan Joshua Anthony Chambers (born December 20, 1999), known professionally as Sleepy Hallow, is an American rapper and singer making Brooklyn drill music. Originally from Jamaica, Chambers grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn in New ...
, and
Dusty Locane Dusty Locane (often stylized in all uppercase as DUSTY LOCANE; born June 11, 1999) is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He began gaining recognition in 2020 and 2021 when his singles " Rollin n Controllin Freestyle" and "Rolando (Caugh ...
.


History

Brooklyn drill music first gained attention with the 2014 single "
Hot Nigga "Hot Nigga" (censored on the album as "Hot N*gga", edited for radio as "Hot Boy" or "Hot Ni") is the debut single by American rapper Bobby Shmurda. It was released for digital download on July 25, 2014 by Epic Records and GS9. The song includes ...
" from the rapper
Bobby Shmurda Ackquille Jean Pollard (born August 4, 1994), known professionally as Bobby Shmurda, is an American rapper. Along with Rowdy Rebel, Shmurda is considered a pioneer of Brooklyn drill music. He rose to international fame in 2014 when his song "Hot ...
. Other early pioneers were rappers Bam Bino, Dah Dah and Curly Savv. The genres is agreed to have been pioneered by 22Gz and
Sheff G Michael Kyle Williams (born September 23, 1998), known professionally as Sheff G, is an American rapper from the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. He rose to fame with his single "No Suburban" in 2017 which was a response to the song "Subu ...
, largely scaling the potential of the movement. The music became more popular and associated with
UK drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Initially borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music before creating its own unique sound, UK drill artists ...
production (from producers such as
808Melo Andre Michael Loblack (born 6 April 1997), known professionally as 808Melo or 808MeloBeats, is a British record producer and songwriter from Ilford, East London. 808Melo is credited as a pioneer of UK drill and Brooklyn drill and is known for ...
, AXL Beats, and Ghosty) with the releases of 22Gz's "Suburban" in 2016 and Sheff G's "No Suburban" in 2017. Both songs went viral and were credited for the rise of Brooklyn drill. Brooklyn drill music reached mainstream
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
success with tracks from Pop Smoke (" Welcome to the Party," "
Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...
," and "
Gatti Gatti is an Italian name. Notable people with the surname include: *Alessandra Mirka Gatti, Italian Eurobeat singer * Annibale Gatti, Italian 19th-century fresco painter *Armand Gatti (1924–2017), French playwright *Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadia ...
") and
Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...
("Big Drip" and "Demons"). Pop Smoke was nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award for "Dior." In 2020, Pop Smoke was murdered during a home invasion in
Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
, California. Over time, Brooklyn drill has evolved into a broader New York drill scene. One example is
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...
rapper CJ, whose hit song "
Whoopty "Whoopty" is the debut single by American rapper CJ. The song was initially self-released on July 30, 2020, before being re-released by Warner Records following his signing to the label. The song reached number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot ...
" is reminiscent of the Brooklyn drill sound. Brooklyn drill music has been described as influential among protestors for social change, including some associated with the
Black Lives Matter movement Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...
.


Characteristics

The Brooklyn drill sound is a combination of
trap music Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is ch ...
and Chicago and UK
drill music Drill is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in Chicago streets in the early 2010s. It is sonically similar to the trap music subgenre and lyrically similar to the gangsta rap subgenre. Drill music progressed into the American mainstre ...
(the latter of which brings production influences from
grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust * Grime (music genre), a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * ''Grime'' (video game), a 2021 Metroidvania video game * "Grime", a 2022 song by Dallas Woo ...
and
UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...
). Characteristic features of Brooklyn drill production include 808 percussion with manipulated vocal samples. The lyrical content of Brooklyn drill music tends to be dark, violent, and aggressive, often discussing gang-related topics.


Controversy

In 2022, some individuals drew connections between the pro-gun content of the genre to real-world
gun violence Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable), assault with a deadly weapon, a ...
on the streets of New York that had rapidly and recently killed a number of young drill artists, mostly those with origins of Brooklyn and the Bronx.


DJ reaction

In early 2022, in response to the large and rising number of dead young people connected to the music scene, a number of prominent New York DJs and music influencers, including DJ Drewski at
Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...
,
Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...
,
Ebro Darden Ibrahim Jamil "Ebro" Darden (born March 17, 1975) is an American radio personality, broadcaster, and DJ. Until 2014, he was Vice President of Programming for Emmis Communications' New York contemporary urban station WQHT (Hot 97). He is current ...
of "
Ebro in the Morning Ebro in the Morning is an American radio show based in New York City hosted by Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez. It currently airs from 6 to 10am. Common topics of discussion on the show include national news, politics, and celebrit ...
" on
Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...
,
D Teck Dwayne Domonick Grant (born November 4, 1987), known as D-Teck, is an American hip hop recording artist, record producer, songwriter, rapper, and label owner. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica and was raised in the Bronx, New York. He has worked w ...
, either vowed to stop playing gang/ diss records or re-iterated their refusal.


Adams administration

In February 2022, NYC mayor
Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and retired police captain serving as the 110th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York C ...
had set to ban music videos associated with the drill scene after learning about the killing of 18-year-old rapper C-HII Wvttz. There was a lot of backlash met with this statement. As a result, Adams met with musicians for a conversation on how to approach concerns about drill culture's connections, if any, to gun violence. Artists at the meeting included Maino,
Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...
,
B-Lovee Qwayshawn Cannon (born December 12, 2000), known professionally as B-Lovee, is an American rapper. Born in Maryland, he began his music career in 2015, pausing it until 2020, when he released his debut EP, ''Courtlandtbaby''. He went viral after ...
, CEO Slow, Bucksy Luciano and Bleezy.Mayor Takes Late-Night Meeting With ‘Drill' Rappers, Promises Violence Solutions https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/mayor-takes-late-night-meeting-with-drill-rappers-promises-violence-solutions/3556598


Sample drill

Sample drill, also sometimes called Bronx drill, is a subgenre of Brooklyn drill music, which originated in the early 2020s in The Bronx and prominently uses uncleared samples of older records instead of
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s in classic Brooklyn drill. Sample drill originated during the early 2020s in New York (most prominently, in The Bronx), where producers such as Cash Cobain, EPondabeat, WAR, EvilGiane, and others, started re-using older
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
and
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
, and
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
songs to create modern yet nostalgic sound. A number of rappers subsequently joined the scene, most prominently,
Kay Flock Kevin Perez (born April 20, 2003), known professionally as Kay Flock, is an American rapper. Hailing from the Bronx, he began his musical career in 2020, he rose to fame through a variety of Singles, most notably "Not in the Mood" by Lil Tjay, ...
,
B-Lovee Qwayshawn Cannon (born December 12, 2000), known professionally as B-Lovee, is an American rapper. Born in Maryland, he began his music career in 2015, pausing it until 2020, when he released his debut EP, ''Courtlandtbaby''. He went viral after ...
, Shawny Binladen, Big Yaya, and others. The easily recognizable samples in sample drill are also said to increase its viral potential. Songs, such as B-Lovee's "My Everything" (sampling "Everything" by
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
) gained over 400,000 uses on
TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...
and produced two remixes, featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie and
G Herbo Herbert Randall Wright III (born October 8, 1995), better known by his stage name G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), is an American rapper from Chicago. G Herbo is signed to Machine Entertainment Group. He has released the mixtapes '' Welcome to Faz ...
. Another early
TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...
viral sample drill hit was "Deep End Freestyle" (sampling Fousheé's "Deep End") by Brooklyn native
Sleepy Hallow Tegan Joshua Anthony Chambers (born December 20, 1999), known professionally as Sleepy Hallow, is an American rapper and singer making Brooklyn drill music. Originally from Jamaica, Chambers grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn in New ...
. Despite playing a huge role in genre's spread, Cash Cobain refused to acknowledge that sample drill musicians mostly do songs for TikTok. EPondabeat, another producer involved in the scene, claimed that sampling in used for marketing purpose to invoke listener's relatability. Sample drill rappers employ a rather wide variety of rapping flows. As Cash Cobain put it, "These little kids from the Bronx are wild. They on demon time. They’re angrier with their shit.", implying that sample drill musicians often use aggressive flows, although Shawny Binladen is known for his whispering flow. Samples for sample drill come from a variety of sources and these sources may differ depending on producer. Bronx-based Cash Cobain mainly uses round-the-century
contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...
and hip hop music sources; meanwhile, EPondabeat, EvilGiane prefer to use
soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
recordings for sampling; other producers, such as WAR, don't limit themselves among sampling sources. Most sample drill songs don't get cleared; sample clearance only happens post-factum when the song in the subgenre becomes viral. Cash Cobain claimed he doesn't care to clear samples for his beats. Sample drill, since its inception around 2020, already had a mainstream crossover, when
Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...
performed on "
Shake It "Shake It" is a song by American pop band Metro Station, released as the third single (and debut British single) from the group's 2007 self-titled debut studio album. "Shake It" was the band's first charting single, peaking at number 10 on the ...
" by
Kay Flock Kevin Perez (born April 20, 2003), known professionally as Kay Flock, is an American rapper. Hailing from the Bronx, he began his musical career in 2020, he rose to fame through a variety of Singles, most notably "Not in the Mood" by Lil Tjay, ...
. Sample drill has also influenced
Jersey drill Jersey club (originally called Brick City club) is a style of electronic club music that originated in Newark, New Jersey in the late 2000s. It was pioneered by DJ Tameil and other members of the Brick Bandits crew, who were inspired by Baltim ...
sound and more commercial drill sound, most particularly the influence can be heard on ''
B.I.B.L.E. ''B.I.B.L.E.'' (a backronym for ''Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth'') is the debut studio album by American rapper Fivio Foreign. It was released on April 8, 2022, through Columbia Records and RichFish. The production on the album was ha ...
'' by
Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...
, where he sampled "
Say My Name "Say My Name" is a song by American group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins I ...
" by
Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
.


See also

*
Drill music Drill is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in Chicago streets in the early 2010s. It is sonically similar to the trap music subgenre and lyrically similar to the gangsta rap subgenre. Drill music progressed into the American mainstre ...
*
UK drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Initially borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music before creating its own unique sound, UK drill artists ...


References

{{Hiphop American hip hop genres Drill music American hip hop scenes East Coast hip hop Music of New York City 2020s in American music