“Structural violence has been perpetuated against us for centuries.
“But sometimes, that’s the only message that will be heard.Īhiela Watson, a former youth advocate at the New York Urban League, pointed out that many of the musicians being blamed for the violence in their neighborhoods only carry and rap about guns because they themselves are afraid to die. “I don’t want there to be violence,” he said. Kyle Holody, a professor from Coastal Carolina University who studies the effects of the media, said that the nature of drill music could be described as a righteous anger or a justified response to systemic oppression. It was pioneered by young Black rappers entrenched in local gang culture, whose narratives became anthems of disenfranchised and disillusioned youth, and it has spread to not only New York but around the world. “ just trying to make it out and get away from all this,” Swavo said.ĭrill music was born in the South Side of Chicago between the late 2000s and the early 2010s. Some of his friends have been killed by gun violence, and he explained that despite what lyrics suggest, some rappers use music to get people’s attention. “No matter how you look at it, we’re telling you what’s going on,” said Sb Swavo, a 20-year-old rapper from the Lower East Side who was previously investigated by police. Its lyrics contained several descriptions of illegal activity, such as the song’s most popular line, “Mitch caught a body ‘bout a week ago.” Many of those charges were a result of Allen’s colleagues’ submission of Bobby Shmurda’s quintuple platinum single “Hot N*gga” as evidence. In 2014, pioneering Brooklyn drill rappers Bobby Shmurda and Rowdy Rebel and more than a dozen other members of their gang, GS9, received a 69-count indictment, which included charges of murder, assault, weapons use and possession, and narcotics sales. Their type of imagery-the hyperbole they use-is always always deemed reality when, in a lot of cases, it’s not,” Ani said.īut Allen, the NYPD detective, believes it’s better to be safe than sorry. “Rappers are the only musicians who don’t get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their type of storytelling. She also suggested that many investigations into their music lack nuance and ignore context. While Ivie Ani, hip-hop and culture journalist and media personality, acknowledged that there may be some truth to certain rappers’ lyrics. “We build a case, and we get a subpoena from the judge to use that against that person.” “We watch all the music videos, and then we get on social media and put two and two together,” Allen said. Detective Gary Allen is a community affairs officer who conducts online investigations on musicians with potential connections to crimes. The New York City Police Department also has officers monitoring social media platforms. In their songs, some rappers went as far as name-dropping to whom they would do harm or even murder.ĭuring a February press conference, Mayor Eric Adams called for accountability from drill rappers and the social media companies that give them a platform to “over-proliferate violence in communities.” Some government officials and members of law enforcement have pinned the latest wave of gun violence on the emergence of drill, a subgenre of rap that has become notorious for its hyper-specific, actionable descriptions of violence. Since Dobson’s death, at least six other prominent drill artists in New York have been victims of firearm homicides. Why do these kids believe that violence is the answer to everything?” “But his career was taking off, and just don’t want to see somebody else shine. He was around for everybody,” said Robert Dobson, Tajay Dobson’s father. But just hours later, Dobson was gunned down in his neighborhood in Canarsie, Brooklyn.
1, when he signed with the label Million Dollar Music. He performed it in the music video for “Welcome to the Party,” the platinum-certified single that cemented late rapper Pop Smoke as a New York drill music powerhouse.Īlthough his videos went viral and he had Woo Walked across some of music’s biggest stages, Dobson didn’t have a record deal until Feb. He had become TDott Woo, an entertainer and rapper in the hip-hop style known as drill, and even created a signature dance, the Woo Walk. (Credit Chioma Nwana)Īs a teenager, Tajay Dobson dreamed of becoming a star, and for the last three years of his life, he was one. Rapper Swaggy Gzz poses with a friend in front of the Lakeview Apartments in White Plains, NY.
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