As the normalization of gun violence and homicide in Chicago thrives, we welcome new music genre Drill. Drill (originally called dead music) is a subgenre of hip-hop that features trap beats and lyrics boasting of violence, drug use and sale, and getting rich.

            Drill is said to originate from the South Side of Chicago and is quickly moving through mainstream music. Unlike mainstream hip-hop, drill is delivered in a deadpan manner with little to no voice inflection.

            Drill is all about living in the streets, smoking dope, making money, and not giving a fuck.

         

           

The general consensus on drill is that it is the densest music out there. The lyrics are monotonous (i.e., Chief Keef ‘I hate being sober, I can’t spell sober’) and the beats are slow. The artist doesn’t talk much but guns, smoking, and killing.

If you think about it, it’s actually pretty interesting that this entire genre of music came out of Chicago gun culture.

Chief Keef is the face of drill music. He’s only 18 years old and has been on house arrest for the majority of his quickly growing career. Most of his videos are shot within his own home seeing as he can’t leave the premises. He’s from Chicago (Englewood) and is the perfect example of the product of being raised in Chiraq where crime is on every corner.

While there’s something to be said about the creative aspect of the music, the reality is that the music acts as encouragement to violence and the Chiraq movement.

These guys aren’t just rapping about killing each other; they actually are killing each other. As we know, there is massive gang activity in Chicago. Drill music is used to rep the artist’s affiliated gang and in turn, rivals are retaliating. And now, with social networking, threats and locations are being given with the click of a button.

            Well now drill has made its way onto mainstream radio. Drill is no longer just a small subgenre in the south side of Chicago. Kids from the suburbs (and all over America) sing along to lyrics about being raised on 64^th and Normal. ‘Bang Bang’ is a popular saying to get people hyped. Gun culture is now seeping its way from Englewood to the rest of America.

            In a macro sense, drill music isn’t exactly helping the black community.

The theory is that the entertainment industry will absolutely encourage young, black men to continue to make songs about killing each other and selling drugs. What better way to oppress African Americans? Music is the perfect vessel to glamourize violence and drugs. Kids growing up in Chicago can hear Chief Keef’s music and relate to his struggle.

Young men from 64th and Normal can hear Chief Keef's music and feel a sense of identity. The point of this post is not to boycott Chief Keef. It is just to discuss the intricacy of Chicago's gun culture and how its effect is visible in other parts of our culture.
With this type of music seeping through the industry, I suspect we will see more Chief Keefs in the media.