Guide to Drill Music: History and Characteristics of Drill Music

Drill music is a subgenre of hip-hop that originated in Chicago’s South Side area in the early 2010s. The subgenre is strongly influenced by trap music, another subgenre of hip-hop that emerged from the Atlanta, Georgia music scene that shares the drill sound’s propensity for dark, slow atmospheres and a lyrical focus on the dangers of criminal activity.

The drill scene moved from underground mixtapes to the mainstream in the mid-2010s thanks to singles like Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like” in 2012. The drill sound was subsequently adopted and promoted by major label hip-hop artists like Kanye West and Drake. Rappers soon adopted Chicago drill in other major American cities like New York, which gave rise to Brooklyn drill. Some of its most successful outlets are beyond U.S. borders, like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Australia.

The history of drill music dates back to the early 2010s when Atlanta’s trap music sound began to seep into Chicago hip-hop:

• Beginnings: Trap artists like Waka Flocka Flame and Gucci Mane wielded considerable influence over the sound and flow of drill music, but as with many hip-hop scenes, it was the culture of the environment in which it was born that truly informed the drill sound. Drill music drew upon the chaotic nature and high occurrences of violence in some of Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods—especially an area in the Woodlawn community called “Dro City”—and their impact on young people for its narrative and core sound.
• “Drill” is coined: Dro City native and rapper Pac Man is credited as the first artist to reference “drill”—a term used to describe a shooting—and the drill sound with his 2010 single “It’s a Drill.” His career was cut short by violence that same year, but the song became a template for future drill artists, like Chief Keef, whose 2012 single “I Don’t Like,” and a subsequent remix by Kanye West brought drill music to national attention.
  
• The rise of drill: Keef was soon signed to a major label, Interscope, and joined fellow drill music vet King Louie on West’s 2013 album Yeezus. Other drill rappers like Lil Durk, Lil Reese, G Herbo, and the late Fredo Santana benefited from the attention. The Chicago drill scene’s prominence proved short-lived—Keef was dropped by Interscope in 2014—but remained active, while drill music took root in other parts of the country and world. UK drill, influenced in equal parts by Chicago drill, electronic music genres like grime, and life in turbulent South London neighborhoods like Brixton, became a prevalent force on the British charts beginning in 2015, and led to drill scenes in Ireland and Australia.
• International drill: UK drill also carried over to Brooklyn, New York, which introduced such influential rappers as the late Pop Smoke and Sheff G. The Brooklyn drill scene was also notable for frequent collaborations between American drill artists and British drill producers like 808Melo, who produced Smoke’s 2019 hit, “Welcome to the Party.”

Several characteristics define drill music in the United States and abroad:

1. 1. Flow: Chicago drill artists tend to deliver their lyrics in a deadpan, almost monotone vocal style that evokes the emotionally draining atmosphere of their environment. The influence of trap music is echoed in the frequent use of auto-tune to lend a cold, emotionless quality to drill artists’ rapping. However, both UK drill and especially Brooklyn drill avoids auto-tune and favor more expressive deliveries.
2. 2. Lyrics: The first wave of Chicago drill music was notable for its lyrics’ violent content and the bare-bones quality of its language. Artists dropped metaphors and clever wordplay in favor of a style that resembled unemotional reportage or recollection, which underscored the song’s often ominous subject matter. Newer Chicago drill artists have expanded the subgenre’s lyrical focus, while both UK and Brooklyn drill have always embraced a broader songwriting palette.
3. 3. Production: Chicago drill producers like Young Chop, who oversaw many of Chief Keef’s hits, followed a template similar to trap music: heavy use of the 808 drum machine beats (typically 60 to 70 beats per minute, or BPM), stripped-down production, and an emphasis on ear-catching melodies embellished with brooding menace. UK drill artists, like Headie One, employ faster beats and a greater focus on melody, while Brooklyn drill is distinguished by booming delivery and warmer production.

Several drill music artists have been important to the development of the subgenre:

1. 1. Chief Keef: Arguably the first superstar of Chicago drill music, Chief Keef scored a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart with 2012’s “I Don’t Like.” Keef’s unhurried, often ad-libbed delivery and bitter lyrics would set the tone for the drill music that followed. His music has occasionally been overshadowed by disputes with other artists and legal trouble, but Keef’s impact on twenty-first-century hip-hop remains considerable.
2. 2. King Louie: After his friend Pac-Man, Chicago rapper King Louie was one of the earliest proponents of drill music, delivering tracks like 2011’s “Gumbo Mobsters” (with Bo$$ Woo) before Chief Keef brought the scene to national attention. Signed to Epic Records in 2015, Louie’s career was put on hold after suffering a gunshot wound that same year. He has since returned to a prolific recording schedule.
3. 3. Lil Bibby: Chicago rapper Lil Bibby was cited on numerous media lists as a performer to watch almost immediately after the release of his 2013 mixtape. His raspy delivery and energetic flow led to a contract with RCA Records, but in 2017, he stepped away from performing to focus on running his own record label, Grade A Records. Their debut artist, the Juice Wrld, topped the Billboard albums chart with 2019’s Death Race for Love.
4. 4. Pop Smoke: Gun violence cut short the promising career of New York rapper Pop Smoke, a leading figure in the Brooklyn drill scene. His deep voice and rolling delivery highlighted “Welcome to the Party,” a platinum-selling single from his debut mixtape, Welcome to the Woo. His posthumous debut album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 in 2019, while all 19 tracks landed on the singles chart.

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