Genre
Drill
4 artists
What is drill? Drill is a dark, menacing style of rap about street life, born in Chicago in the early 2010s. "Drill" is slang for shooting, and the music sounds like it: cold, tense and direct.
Where it comes from. Chief Keef's "I Don't Like" (2012) put Chicago drill on the map. The sound then traveled to London, where UK drill got its own identity with sliding 808 basslines and quick, half-time drums. From there it moved back to New York: first Brooklyn drill, with Pop Smoke working with UK producers, and later Bronx drill, which flipped well-known pop and R&B samples. Ice Spice made that version a chart hit.
The sound. Around 140 BPM, eerie piano or synth melodies, gliding 808s and stuttering hi-hats. The delivery is usually calm and cold, which makes the lyrics hit even harder. Central Cee added melody and catchy hooks, which took UK drill worldwide.
Key albums
- Finally Rich, Chief Keef (2012)
- Meet the Woo, Pop Smoke (2019)
- Wild West, Central Cee (2021)
- Like..?, Ice Spice (2023)
