Disclaimer: I really don’t follow politics like that, these are just my views on what I know, have seen and have experienced
I know I’m very late to the conversation and I get that the political side of the debate is done with, they’ve decided to not remove drill music from UK YouTube, but the debate still stands. If all these drill artists are in and out of prison and drill music causes so much violence and ‘glorifies the lifestyle’, my question is - why was it a debate in the first place?
It was a debate because people that know little to nothing of what they speak on have seen something that is being used as an outlet for a people that are of a minority. I’ve never seen a debate to band another other genre of music. They say drill music glorifies a certain life style but if you actually focus on the words rather than the heavy beat and just mumble along. You’d see that there’s so much more to it than that. They may be talking about getting girls and getting quick money. But in there is always a ‘I don’t want to go back to jail’ or ‘I don’t want feds coming after me’ or ‘I hope this music thing bangs (works out) so I can get out of this life’. To me, this doesn’t sound like glorification at all. It sounds like people doing what they can and what they know to leave a life they’ve been caught up in.
Today, on instagram, I saw a clip of an influencer saying that even though these drill artists have been fighting for their right to make and release their music but are still in and out of prison. Firstly, many of these things that they’re going to court or prison for are things that haven’t happened recently. Secondly, if this is the approach you’re taking to uproot the foundation that has only just been laid for drill music to continue to thrive not only as an industry but as a means to an end for many of these artists - then let’s take this further.
If you google any genre of music and then ‘artists that have been arrested’ (e.g. country artists that have been arrested), click on any link and a heathy list of people that have done wrong in the past will pop up. Some for drugs, some violence or disorderly conduct and some financial crimes. They’re all there, but because their music doesn’t apparently ‘glamorise that lifestyle’ they haven’t had to face their music being taken off of streaming platforms.
Just to play devil’s advocate here, I do (to an extent) understand where people are coming from in their concerns will drill music influencing younger generations to get into that lifestyle or how it may promote violence etc. But at the same time, isn’t it for people to have control over themselves? You have a choice to do certain things in life. Most people aren’t forced to get into that life, they choose it. They want that quick money or all the other things it comes with. You cannot blame a genre of music for people’s decisions. If I choose to do crack or any other drug today and blamed it on Lindsey Lohan or Brittany Spears everyone would look at my like I was crazy and they would definitely have a lot to say about it. So how is that much different for what they’re doing to drill artists?
The only difference right now is that Lindsey and Brittany have has the chance to turn their lives around and do better. You keep forgetting that these drill artists are trying to get out of that life. That doesn’t mean they’re out of it already. Most of the time it’s not like a job that you can just quit. You want these artists to make more of a positive impact? Let them get their shit together. Let them actually get out of that life and get to a point that they can be better, do better and provide better role models for the younger generations. All of this talking negatively about drill rappers is just knocking them when they’re already down.
So far, I think the rappers that are in the foremost limelight have handled this pretty well and I hope they continue to handle this situation with respect and delicacy because I understand that when you feel backed into a corner you won’t go down without swinging.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0MgtPGn-JX/?igshid=agfidufwa95u