SOME say it’s a reflection of the realities of inner-city London life, others say it’s musical incitement to gang violence. Now one of London’s leading drill outfits – a form of often nihilistic, violent and syncopated driving rap – are coming to Scotland.
Regarded as one of the pioneering crews in UK drill music, 67, from London’s Brixton Hill, claim that with their shows increasingly targeted by police in their home town, cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh are providing them with the platform they need to perform.
The music, an offshoot of a form of rap originating in Chicago which focuses on dark, violent and often very male-dominated culture, is an increasing force in the UK music’s commercial scene. Videos by 67 (pronounced as two digits) are viewed in the millions and they have tens of thousands of followers on social networks.
But with London shows pulled and promoters increasingly pressurised to not book them at all, due to concerns about the violence contained in their lyrics and YouTube videos, 67 artists claim that they are being unfairly discriminated against. The six members – Dimzy, LD, Monkey, ASAP, Liquez and SJ – say that rather than inciting violence, they are writing their way out of gangland life.
They claim that they were first discriminated against through the controversial form 696 – a risk assessment given by the Metropolitan Police to venues asking them to name all the performers and musical genres they were due to host. It was widely considered that the form discriminated against venues, performers and audiences from black and Asian backgrounds.
It was scrapped in November last year. Despite “sit-downs” with police, 67 claim that promoters are still “warned off” booking them in London, making it increasing important to play elsewhere to earn a living.
Josh Casey, of J-Bone Collective, the Scottish promoter behind the tour which includes a gig in Glasgow’s SWG3 on December 12 and Edinburgh’s Liquid Room the following night, said the group have a growing following in Scotland.
He added: “I’ve promoted many rap artists but 67 are by far the most exciting both in terms of live performance and how fast they are growing. As someone who works in the music industry I feel that there is a racial prejudice behind the roadblocks that are put up in front of aspiring rappers like 67.
“I’ve been to hundreds of concerts in my life and have never seen a band blocked from performing due to their lyrical content or suspected previous criminality. This is also something that hasn’t stopped many white artists from being able to perform to their fans, like various punk and rock bands in the past.”
Rap music has been historically blamed for causing societal problems, he pointed out, with NWA and Public Enemy being banned from TV and Radio back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“Fortunately for their fans in Scotland, 67 are able to come up here hassle-free,” he added.
In April, Birmingham-based academics Craig Pinkney and Shona Robinson-Edwards claimed that their research showed drill music had inherent potential dangers since its “music videos are a platform which can provide the gang and/or gang members with a sense of power and authority”.
There was a “constant narrative of ‘will you do what you say in your raps?’” in the tracks, they added.
As violence grows in the UK capital, fears about the connection to drill have been widely reported. However, last month Channel 4 News commissioned a drill MC to use real quotes by UK politicians in the House of Commons to highlight that violent language is a part of political as well as drill culture.
Group member Dimzy recently wrote an open letter printed in music magazine The Fader hitting back at the claims that drill was driving violence.
“Unfortunately for many growing up in today’s society, particularly in inner-city areas, the youth is exposed to crime and violence as part of everyday life,” he wrote. “They are talking about life as they see it and experiences they have been through, the same as any other artist tends to in any other genre.”
He claimed drill had “positively changed his life”, allowing him to pay his bills, support his family, travel and meet people from different backgrounds who have different beliefs.
Shane Hanz, manager of 67, said the group was looking forward to playing in Scotland, where they have experienced none of the difficulties they have faced in London. He insisted there have never been violent incidents at their gigs.
“We’ve played every festival going this year but we still have lots of problems playing in London – 67 are telling stories about our lives. Making music, doing shows helps make living that way part of the past. The aim is to get out of it. But by stopping the shows that’s what they are stopping us from doing.”
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