It's difficult to predict where the genre will go next, but given the huge impact it's had in such a short time, it seems the only way is up. In a matter of years, UK drill has moved from the peripheries of urban music to a central UK sound. Meanwhile, Drake's December 2019 drill track " War" and Travis Scott and Pop Smoke's " GATTI" were both produced by London drill producer AXL Beats, showing UK drill's burgeoning worldwide appeal. New track "Y Pree" is a sign of one direction UK drill might take as it extends its global reach, with M1llionz leaning into his Caribbean roots, using Jamaican patois in his lyrics and shooting the video in sunny Kingston – a far cry from the inner estates of early drill videos. Birmingham's M1llionz is a great example – he's already established himself as one of 2020's most exciting drill talents. Once confined within the M25, the drill sound has now spread nationwide. Considering the genre's current trajectory, it'd be no surprise if collaborations like these become a regular occurrence. Distorted vocals and slowed-down samples on singles "GANG" and "Charades" pushed the genre into new territory, while the features on the project – FKA twigs, Sampha and Jamie xx – are symbolic of drill's integration into the wider UK scene. On April mixtape GANG, Headie One shifted the parameters of the sound. For bars, “Already” and “Match Day.By 2020, the genre was ready to move forward. “Drill, trap, rap I’m doin’ it all.”įor his hit-making ability, “Know Better” and “Both,” the latter of which is a huge hit (and not a Drill song at all). Has a vision for himself and his people beyond Broadwater Farm, openly rejects “Drill rapper” as his main label due to its stigma in the UK.Įssential Songs: Challenging because of how diverse Headie’s sound is. Doesn’t shy away from his African heritage. Mad football references (probably the best rapper at this), many catchphrases including, “Shhh” (to censor names/crimes), “Bad b come to the Nizz” (North London, Tottenham), “They think I do juju,” “ONE,” “Tommy Turn,” and anything to do with “half a b.” His bars are thankful for the come-up but haunted by the struggle. Lyrical style: Cold, straightforward images of street life. Sometimes leans more into his Ghanaian accent (e.g. Voice: Deep with a calmness that makes his stories on road sound even more stark. Headie One Syncopated, laid back with sharp pronunciations plus woozy melodies infused in verses (e.g. If you aren’t into UK Drill yet, this list is a great starting point.ġ. The five artists below are not my exact choices for the five best UK Drill artists, but they all have skill sets and personas that make them great. I’m late to the party, but I’ve listened to enough artists to know who I really admire in the UK Drill scene. Forceful rappers like V9 and Burner exist, but most of the UK scene’s top rappers, Drillers included, place a heavy emphasis on sneaky wordplay and tightly-patterned flows. The UK Drill sound is also influenced by Grime and UK garage music. While UK Drill is still raw and violent, instrumentals are made to be chilling and sparse more than they are explosive. Chief Keef embodied this, and Drill rappers like the late Fredo Santana, King L, and Lil Bibby represented the sound well. While Chicago Drill has evolved to include more reflective and lyrical talent such as Polo G, King Von, and FBG Duck, its main appeal is raw, chaotic sounds and rappers who get their point across with aggression and raw melodies. White Brits) views these issues, UK Drill is essential in giving boxed-in Black youth (s/o Morrisson though) the platform to tell us what’s really going on. knife crimes, gang shit) and how the mainstream (i.e. In the midst of their own political chaos and dissonance between what goes on in the streets (i.e. But this should not take away from how innovative and special UK Drill is. Yes, the UK Drill scene is largely inspired by the original version of Drill in Chicago. The label “entertaining” is an aggregate term based on flow, voice, persona, and the shock value/cleverness of bars (not necessarily the best lyricists or the “realest” rappers).V9 and Unknown T, two of the hottest out This is a piece on my preferences, not an attempt at an official top-5 claim.
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