Drill music is a sub-genre of hip hop known for its direct, masculine and heavy, bass-filled nature. It’s also been historically linked with patterns of directly related to and referenced violence. So why has drill taken over the charts?
Welcome to the rise of women in drill. At pivotal rates, artists such as Ice Spice, Lola Brooke, Asian Doll, Dreezy and GloRilla have been contributing to an undeniable resurgence in the popularity of drill as a mainstream art form. This year alone, New York drill newcomer Ice Spice earned herself four entries on the Billboard Top 10. Seven of her songs earned a spot on the the Hot 100. Chicago-based FendiDaRappa entered the Hot 100 for her first time ever. Earning slots of No. 14 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for her hit track, “Point Me 2.” Mainstream artists began experimenting with the genre, with Baby Tate releasing “Jersey” and Nicki Minaj hopping on a remix of Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana” that debuted #1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs.
The females dominating the scene
Bronx native Ice Spice fuses feminine energy with heavy beats and playfully added touches. “Bikini Bottom” takes a traditional sample and bass-heavy drill beat and interpolates the “SpongeBob SquarePants” theme song. This offers an experience that has become widely recognized and favored.
Alongside Ice Spice, fellow female rappers like Flo Milli, Maiya The Don, and Kenzo B have been dominating the New York’s female rap scene. Sexyy Red, Lola Brooke, Connie Diiamond, and Scar Lip have also seen successful years with the release of tracks like “Don’t Play With It” from Brooke. The impact is undeniable.
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The history and sounds of drill
To Timothy Pierce, 23, a public diplomacy graduate student and researcher at the University of Georgia, traditional drill looks a lot like this. “Music that tells a story and references hardships.” It does this through sounds including sampling, a lot of snare drums, 808s, and various voice filters.
“I traditionally look at drill as inherently violent that gets across a lifestyle or a story. Ice Spice doesn’t necessarily do that, but she still uses some traditional features,” he said.
Traditionally, drill can be best defined as a “sub-genre of hip hop music” that finds its origin in Chicago. Though New York created its own scene over time. The sub genre first arose in the early 2010s, and has sonic elements reminiscent of trap music. With lyrics similar to those of the gangster rap sub-genre.
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Chicago: the birthplace of drill
When it comes to the Chicago scene, where the genre originally generated, heavy hitters come to mind including King Louie, Chief Keef, and G Herbo. Many attribute the start of the genre to ‘founder’ King Louie, creator of tracks like “Too Cool” and “What That Mouth Do.” Early female pioneers include heavy-hitters like Katie Got Bandz, Sasha Go Hard, and Shady.
Although Chicago is best-known for its drill origins, New York’s drill surge stems from Brooklyn, New York, with Bobby Shmurda in 2014. From New York, drill’s roots have spread even more extensively to the UK, which is now considered a hot spot for the 80s drums and heavy thumping vocals.
It’s no secret that men of the genre built and popularized drill. In terms of men who have paved the way, Pop Smoke’s undeniable influence on New York’s drill scene can not be dismissed. However, it seems to have fallen into the hands of women who are now driving the boat. Is drill in the same place it was five, ten years ago? And when did women begin running the scene? We talked to some experts to find out.
The resurgence is due to mainstream success of women
The resurgence in drill as of late has largely been due to mainstream success from musicians like Ice Spice, Lola Brooke, and Sexyy Red. With hit singles like “Munch (Feelin U)” and “Don’t Play With It” charting on the Hot 100 at alarming rates, it’s safe to say that drill is making its way back into the ears and hearts of listeners.
Enrique Delgado, a graduate student at the University of Southern California, grew up listening to drill. A native of the Northwest side of Chicago, he says he witnessed the genre gain traction and grow. It has now become what he identifies as “a movement.”
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For Delgado, Drill’s appeal lies in its authenticity. “When an artist, in general, makes something that’s authentic to their experience in a way that’s positive, that is super fulfilling,” he said.
Leor Galil is a Senior Staff Writer at the Chicago Reader who has spent many years dissecting the origins of Chicago drill. Galil cites a lot of historical mainstream interest in drill as vaguely “salacious.” With much mainstream coverage offering “a really weird, sensationalist flavor” reminiscent of a “violence fetish.”
What does this mean for drill in mainstream music?
Today, drill is still linked with its historically relevant violent themes, but in a less prevalent way. Formerly, many drill tracks included explanations and stories if violence which inspired the songs. Now, a lot more drill tracks are popping up that are less lyrically-driven, and more so rooted in bass and drum sounds. Acting as a bed for lyrics that are less story-driven and more imbedded in rhyme schemes and logical flows.
What we are now starting to see in this new era of drill, is a more pronounced interest in its mainstream popularity. Which stems from musicality, and not just interest in its historically violent ties.
The recent mainstream success of drill is not just due to the success of the genre’s primary artists. But also, in the way that mainstream pop artists have begun releasing drill-style singles and one-offs, drawing widespread, mainstream attention to the genre.
Impact of Cardi B
For example, Cardi B has entered the drill scene recently. She made waves this past Summer with featuring on tracks like FendiDaRappa’s “Point Me 2” and Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again.” Both of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Although Cardi is known for hip-hop, her tracks with FendiDaRappa, a Chicago-based drill artist, and GloRilla, a Memphis-born hip-hop artist, have made Cardi’s influence evident in the genre, due to her assertive delivery.
Cardi and GloRilla achieved much success with their remix of “Tomorrow 2,” which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 to give GloRilla her first top-ten hit and Cardi her eleventh. The track also went on to become 2 times certified platinum in the United States.
Nicki Minaj influence on drill music
Samuel Powell, 25, believes that Nicki Minaj has had a profound influence on drill, notably because of her “Chiraq ” record with G. Herbo, and her supportive relationship with the artist, even during his early career days.
“Most people associate her [Nicki Minaj] more so with being an overall global phenomenon, but she really helped further shine a light on drill with her “Chiraq” record featuring G Herbo. G Herbo explained how she did that song with him when he was still on 79th & Essex. “
The influence of mainstream pop artists on drill’s rise is another area to be studied. Ice Spice’s career has been proven promising. (With a whopping 26 million monthly streams on Spotify alone.) Ever since her first viral track, “Munch (Feelin U),” exploded on social media. Drawing attention to a genre that’s been previously driven by men.
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Furthermore, Nicki Minaj solidified her partnership in the rising star through investing in a joint venture with signing her to the “Heavy On It” record label. She then began to be linked to the artist through a friendship that has landed drill on the Barbie Soundtrack in the form of a Barbie Girl Remix with Aqua.
Trendsetters
As trendsetter in the hip-hop music industry, Minaj has seen several career drill features. Specifically, partnering with the likes of Fivio Foreign, Lil Durk, and the late Pop Smoke. Historically, her co-signs have benefitted the artists she’s chosen to collaborate with, given her extensive fanbase and long-standing place in the music industry.
“She [Minaj] really helped push his career further and took him on stage with her before he was really mainstream, so I’ll always give props to her for that,” said Powell.
Bobby Stempien, an A&R Scout at Varick St., a distribution service under Def Jam Records at Universal Music Group, grew up listening to drill. He believes women have diversified the genre by blending other sounds into it.
Who are the trailblazers? According to music industry leaders
“Dreezy I think is a big trailblazer for the genre. I would consider her one of the first female drill artists to be signed to a major label. Though she combined R&B with Chicago-style drill, her being signed to Interscope around 2015 was a signifying element of hope for women in space,” said Stempien.
Dreezy is known for her blend of drill, hip-hop, and R&B. Her sound can be best heard through tracks like “Chiraq,” “Ain’t For None” with King Louie and “Yea Yea” with Lady London.
“Ice Spice is a more recent example that stands out to me. She’s someone who successfully and tastefully made drill overlap with pop music,” said Bobby Stempien, an A&R Scout at Varick St.
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Stempien, a native of Chicago, grew up listening to artists like Chief Keef, G Herbo, King Von, Lil Durk, Pop Smoke, and 41. As for female drill artists, he listens to Mello Buckzz, Ice Spice, and Jenn Carter.
According to Stempien, women have been “some of the main figures who have experimented and pushed the envelope in the genre. For example, Dreezy combining R&B with drill.” He believes that drill is “strong, healthy, expanding and reaching a wider commercial audience.”
Newcomers contributions
Powell believes that part of Drill’s recent success stems from its newcomers, like Ice Spice. He’s also a fan of pioneers like Chicago’s Katie Got Bandz. And believes that women’s influence on destigmatizing and rejuvenating drill has been profound.
“Women being in drill showcased the multi-faceted aspect of the genre and energy that comes from drill music,” said the concert photographer. “It’s like ‘Hey, we can be outside with it, too, don’t get it twisted.’”
“Something that really stands out is the whole ‘pretty girl from the gutter’ approach to drill. With Ice Spice, for instance, you’re hearing this drill production with hard drums, you’re hearing a classic drill flow on songs like Deli. But it’s this pretty girl with a soft tone to her voice, reshaping what ‘drill’ consists of,” finished Powell.
The Future of Drill
Moreover, as for the future, drill is in hands that seem to want to carry it. With newcomers flourishing, the genre is in a promising position with momentum and progression.
Much like Ice Spice, Sexy Redd has had a subjectively great year, gaining co-signs from notable artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj, who collaborated with her on a remix of “Pound Town.” New York up-and-comer Scar Lip recently got signed to Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
While drill seems to be entering a place that is different than what it once was, it nevertheless is moving forward. And affiliated artists are rising to the occasion.
“Ice Spice is a type of drill that appeals to the masses,” said Pierce, “Artists like Ice Spice, Dreezy, and Nicki Minaj have been popularizing drill. It’s going to become something different, and then it’s going to become mainstream hip-hop.”
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Although in its rawest form, drill is known for its straightforward and heavy elements. New archetypes have begun fueling the genre. Such as the “pretty girl from the gutter” theme that fans have seen over the past year. As new subgenres of drill emerge, it will be essential that trailblazers and newcomers alike match synergies. This is important to continue perpetuating a genre that stems from what started it all. Authenticity, rawness, and a desire to tell stories through sound.
