The rise of UK drill in London has been a musical phenomenon. Over a very short period, the sonic has become so popular that it has now replaced and diminished the popularity of US rap and continues to do so.
Artists such as Drake and Cassanova have previously adopted the style and popularised it in different countries. However, one of its biggest success stories is Pop Smoke. Born and raised in Brooklyn, the late emcee (real name ), with the help of UK producers such as 808melo and AxlBeats, brought the subgenre to New York, and it quickly took off.
Many other musicians, such as Bobby SHmurda, Fivio Foreign and 22Gz, helped popularise the sound in Brooklyn during the Mid-2010s. However, Pop Smoke’s track ‘Dior’ was a monumental moment for the genre and the tipping point which effectively led to drill becoming the de facto sound of New York.
However, in a recent interview with Noreaga and DJ EFN on the Drink Champs podcast, former G-unit emcee Tony Yayo asserted that drill is not good for New York hip-hop and will prove to be a bad sound for the city.
The birthplace of hip-hop has struggled with its identity since the emergence of trap music. The early-2000s saw the last wave of authentic New York artists. However, ever since, acts such as Joey Badass, Flatbush Zombies, and Smoke DZA have not received as much support from the hip-hop community as they should have.
During his conversation with the hosts, Yayo brought up the genre of drill, stating, “Pop Smoke…like, I wish he would have stayed in the hotel over the AirBnB. Rest in peace. But that kinda f*cked New York up. New York was coming back, bro. We had Pop Smoke, we had all these drill n*ggas startin’…A Boogie. But Pop was…you know…”
However, although he loved Pop Smoke, Yayo asserted that drill music has made New York far more dangerous than it was half a decade ago, insisting, “Now, New York is worse than Chicago, And California, with the drill, because n*ggas is throwing like n*ggas dead friends in there. When we had battle raps with Ja Rule and them, n*ggas was still alive. But there’s no remorse with the drill music. N*ggas shooting little kids.”
Old-school icons such as Pete Rock have previously slammed drill as a genre that lacks lyricism, substance and more. However, it remains the dominant sound currently. You can watch Yayo’s interview in the video below.
