Drill music shouldn’t be banned as its roots and meanings run far deeper than stabbings and selling cocaine. Targeting a group of people without justification for a crime that hasn’t actually happened is motivated by racism. The genre of drill is often criticised for its violent subject matter and references to illegal activity such as drug dealing. Many people have even called for a ban or censorship on the genre to prevent it inciting violence or ‘inspiring’ younger listeners.
Bringing in censorship is a restriction of artistic expression as well as freedom of speech. Music genres in the past such as death metal and heavy rock also featured lyrics to do with violence and drug use but were glamorised instead of condemned like modern drill music. In addition many hollywood films like Kill Bill and Sin City portray much of the same subject matter as these songs but the general public understand it as a fictitious scenario. Why should drill music be viewed any differently? Many people outside of London fail to understand that this is very much real life and real troubles for these artists.
UK Drill originated in London, where a large majority of youths are forced into gangs and are made to sell drugs to locals as a way of making money. They endure harsh realities of gang violence and engage in ‘postcode wars’ where many will lose their lives due to knife crime. Drill serves as an escape from this life where artists can spend time in a studio writing as opposed to being on the streets fearing for their lives. If a ban was to be put on the genre, then this escape will be removed and the minimal options these young people have are lessened. In less fortunate areas such as Brixton, Peckham and Tottenham, working age poverty is still higher than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Child poverty in London stands at 38 per cent of all the capital’s children which represents 800,000 children living in poverty.
One of the main implications of the genre is that it can glamorise crime. Examples include stabbing a rival gang member or giving a local drug addict their daily fix. However the existence of drill is indicative of crime and societal issues which exist regardless of the music, drill just makes it harder to turn a blind eye to it. Targeting musicians is just a distraction from dealing with these issues and their art is imitating their lives, not the other way around.
Listening to drill lyrics shouldn’t make you want to replicate it just like any other song or film. Despite this, there needs to be a recognition that rising crime rates shouldn’t be attributed to a genre of music. Young people don’t get into serious crime lightly. They do so because of serious social problems. Banning drill reflects moral cowardice for not tackling problems like poverty, racism, and classism.
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