UK drill
UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. While being sonically distinct from Chicago drill music, it embraces its aesthetic and melds it with road rap, a British style of gangsta rap that became popular in the years prior to the existence of drill. UK drill lyrical content tends to be truculent, depicting the harsh realism of their lifestyles. The explicit lyricism has stimulated discussion about whether or not the subgenre is a factor in an increase in knife crime in London. Gang affiliation and socioeconomically-deprived backgrounds are common amongst UK drill artists. Artists such as 150, 67, Harlem Spartans, 1011, and 410 have been cited as innovators of UK drill.
Characteristics
UK drill developed a different production style than the most common Chicago beat patterns, albeit still based on Chicago drill styles originally pioneered by DJ L, a Chicago producer who collaborated with rapper G Herbo in the early Chicago scene. The genre also took influence from earlier British genres such as grime and UK garage; in an interview with Complex, Jammer noted that "without grime...there would be no UK drill." Drill producer Mazza noted that both drill and grime share a similar rawness and energy, despite the two genres remaining distinct from each other. Drill producer Carns Hill, alongside several drill rappers, noted that UK drill should probably have a "new name" to distinguish it from the original Chicago drill sound. UK drill is generally more fast-paced compared to its Chicago counterpart. UK drill beats are generally structured around an contrast to the typical trap/Chicago drill beat, the hi-hats have moved from on-beat and triplet subdivisions to a steady 3+3+2 polyrhythm, hi-hat pattern, with snares landing on the fourth beat instead of the third every 2 bars. Instrumentals often also have a sliding bass, hard hitting kicks, and dark melodies. AXL Beats explained that the 808s and fast-tempo snares in UK drill are derivative of grime music. Both genres typically use a tempo of approximately 138–151 beats per minute. The use of British slang, intricate lyrical flows, and elements of social commentary further help distinguish UK drill from its Chicago and Brooklyn counterparts, which are often characterised by a more aggressive, stream-of-consciousness style. As referenced in the book What Do You Call It? From Grassroots to the Golden Era of UK Rap, UK drill also developed its own distinct visual identity, shaped in part by economic realities. As Brixton-based rapper Skengdo explained: "The Chicago lot had True Religion jeans, Timberlands, they were all swagger. But coming up as 15–16-year-olds in the ends, not everyone can afford expensive brands. So Nike tracksuits and Tech hoodies in the video."Censorship of UK drill lyrics through vocal cuts and mutes is sometimes done to avoid them being used during their prosecution by the police; for example, "shh" is used in songs to replace the names of people, weapons and criminal acts.
History
150, a group from the Angell Town Estate in Brixton, is often credited with pioneering UK drill music, with 150 members Stickz, M Dargg and Grizzy being dedicated exponents of the early style. 67 is often credited for shifting the sound away from the Chicago influences it seemed to heavily draw inspiration from in its early days and foundation and for forming a more homegrown sound. Producers Carns Hill and QUIETPVCK are widely considered to be two of the main pioneering producers of the genre with their unique and innovative alternatives to the Chicago drill sound.An article from VICE divided the history of UK drill into 3 phases; the first of these phases, which lasted from 2014 to 2018, resulted in drill becoming "its own distinctly British entity", with the phase peaking in 2016 following the release of "Let's Lurk" by 67, featuring Giggs. Given that the genre was "locked out" of the mainstream music industry due to its uncensored nature, music videos became a major player in the genre's circulation. Its uncensored nature also resulted in Form 696 being used to cancel shows by drill artists. In early 2017, "Kennington Where It Started" was released by the Harlem Spartans, considered by fans to have turned UK drill from an underground genre into a mainstream one.
In 2018, members of 1011, including Digga D, were given a court order that banned them from making music without police permission; in addition, they couldn't mention death or injury, including the death of Abdullahi Tarabi, and had to notify police in advance of any song releases or performances. Kevin Southworth, Detective Chief Superintendent, noted that it was "one of the first times" that such an order was made. The order was condemned by Index on Censorship.
In 2019, Skengdo & AM, members of drill group 410, were handed a 9-month suspended sentence, suspended for 2 years, for breaching a gang injunction. According to The Guardian, the injunction, which lasted until January 2021, prevented Skengdo & AM, as well as 2 other members of 410, from entering the SE11 postcode, as well as prohibiting them from performing songs that had lyrics mentioning rival crews, their rappers or any mentions to them entering the territory of other groups. The sentence resulted in a letter being signed by 65 people that was addressed to the Metropolitan Police, calling upon them to stop issuing gang injunctions and stating that musicians should be given the rights of freedom of speech and creative expression.
In March 2025 Eddy Frankel, reviewing in The Guardian the art installation on drill music Anti-Blackness Is Bad, Even the Parts That We Like by RIP Germain, said that the UK drill scene was dead as so many singers were in prison—the installation depicted 42 rappers, all in prison.
Influence
UK drill received widespread attention outside of Britain in 2017, when comedian Michael Dapaah released the novelty song "Man's Not Hot" under the name "Big Shaq" or "Roadman Shaq". The track sampled a beat made by UK drill producers GottiOnEm and Mazza; it was first used by drill group 86 on its song "Lurk", and, later on, 67 on "Let's Lurk" featuring Giggs.Unknown T's song "Homerton B" charted on the Official Singles Chart after its August 2018 release, becoming the first UK drill single to do so. The song entered at number 83 on the chart on 28 August 2018, then peaked at 48 in September 2018.
UK drill group 67 had two entries into the official charts; however, unlike "Homerton B", the entries were on the albums chart and not the singles chart. They reached number 66 in the Official Albums Chart with the mixtape Let's Lurk and number 71 with the mixtape The Glorious Twelfth. Although considered a predominantly trap-based album that implemented some drill features and elements, Section Boyz's mixtape Don't Panic reached number 37 in the UK Albums Chart, later peaking at number 36 in 2015.
Canadian musician Drake did a "Behind Barz" freestyle for Link Up TV in 2018, where he rapped over a UK drill beat. Drake also credited UK drill artist Loski as an influence for his 2018 album, Scorpion. In 2019, Drake released "War"; the song used UK drill's production style and was produced by British producer AXL Beats. Drake's flow in both instances was reminiscent of UK drill artists.
In 2020, DigDat released Ei8ht Mile. The mixtape scored the biggest opening week for a UK drill album at the time, opening at number 12. The same year, Skengdo & AM released EU Drillas, a collaborative project that featured drill artists from across Europe; in addition, Headie One released "Only You Freestyle" with Drake, which peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart. Towards the end of the year, he released Edna, which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the first UK drill album to do so.
In 2021, Digga D's mixtape Made in the Pyrex peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the highest-charting UK drill mixtape at the time. In the same year, Tion Wayne and Russ Millions released "Body", becoming the first UK drill song to reach Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
Though the genre originated in London, it is not restricted to London alone as the genre's sole production hub in terms of emerging talents and dissemination of the sound. Artists around the country have appeared and become prominent creators within the scene, such as SmuggzyAce and S.White of Birmingham group 23 Drillas and SV of Nottingham.
UK drill has spread outside of the United Kingdom, with artists and groups in other countries rapping in styles and using slang terms heavily influenced by UK drill music, and using UK drill instrumentals produced by British producers. Ireland, the Netherlands, and Australia in particular have developed drill scenes that are heavily indebted to UK drill music, with artists such as OneFour in Australia, Offica and A92 in Ireland, and 73 De Pijp from The Netherlands. In addition, artists in Spain making drill music have also taken on influence by its British counterpart, with various references and similar production to UK drill; Spanish drill artists include 970Block and Skinny Flex. Other countries with UK drill-inspired scenes include Ghana and France.
Brooklyn drill music began rising to prominence in the late 2010s. Brooklyn drill has taken influence from UK drill with artists such as Pop Smoke, Sheff G, and 22Gz collaborating with UK drill producers such as AXL Beats, Yoz Beats, Ghosty, and 808Melo. 808Melo produced "Welcome to the Party" for Pop Smoke, which received a considerable amount of attention. Pop Smoke created a mixtape produced entirely by 808Melo and Trap House Mob.
UK drill, alongside grime, has been cited as a reason for the expansion of Multicultural London English to other countries, including Finland and Australia.