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drill

Drill

United States · 2010s
DarkIntenseSadDancing
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Description

Drill is a subgenre of hip hop that emerged on Chicago’s South Side in the early 2010s. It is defined by stark, menacing production; booming 808 sub‑bass with frequent pitch slides; skittering hi‑hats; and sparse, minor‑key melodies built from pianos, synth pads, strings, bells, or eerie soundscapes. Vocals are typically deadpan or urgent, with ad‑libs punctuating lines.

Lyrically, drill foregrounds raw street reportage—survival, trauma, crews, and contested territory—often delivered with bleak realism. Tempos in original Chicago drill tend to sit around 60–75 BPM (often felt in double‑time), while later UK and New York scenes adopt 130–145 BPM grids with off‑kilter snare placement and distinctive sliding 808 patterns. The overall aesthetic prioritizes weighty low end, rhythmic tension, and an uncompromising mood.

History
Origins: Chicago (early 2010s)

Drill took shape on Chicago’s South Side around 2010–2012, with artists such as Chief Keef, Lil Durk, King Louie, G Herbo, and Lil Bibby crystallizing the sound. Producers like Young Chop codified the sonic template: minimal, brooding beats; hard‑hitting kicks; triplet hi‑hats; and deep, sliding 808s. Viral YouTube videos and social media amplified the scene rapidly, drawing major‑label attention and national discourse.

Expansion and Codification (mid‑2010s)

As the sound spread, regional nuances formed. Chicago continued to refine its slow, heavy swing and bleak realism. The scene weathered controversy, policing, and media scrutiny while influencing a new generation of internet‑native artists and producers who adopted its drum programming and subject matter.

UK Drill (mid‑ to late‑2010s)

In London and across the UK, drill evolved at faster tempos (roughly 130–145 BPM). Crews and artists such as 67 and Headie One, and producers including M1OnTheBeat and MKThePlug, adapted the core elements with jittery hi‑hat grids, off‑center snare placements, dissonant melodies, and notably expressive 808 glides. UK drill’s sound design and rhythm later became exportable kits that would strongly influence New York’s take.

New York and Global Breakout (late 2010s–early 2020s)

New York drill, popularized by figures like Pop Smoke, Sheff G, and Fivio Foreign, frequently used beats by UK producers (e.g., 808Melo and AXL Beats), knitting Chicago’s ethos to UK’s rhythmic language. Subsequent waves included Bronx ‘sample drill,’ which pairs drill drums and 808 slides with recognizable pitched‑up samples. Parallel scenes emerged in Ireland, Australia, France, the Netherlands, and beyond, each localizing drill’s rhythms, slang, and narratives.

Present Day

Drill now functions as a global production grammar in hip hop: a palette of drums, bass moves, and moody motifs adaptable to local stories and styles. While it remains controversial for its stark content, it has profoundly shaped modern rap’s sound and continues to evolve through regional hybrids and internet‑driven substyles.

How to make a track in this genre
Tempo and Groove
•   Chicago drill typically sits around 60–75 BPM (often felt in double‑time). UK/NY drill usually runs 130–145 BPM. •   Embrace a heavy pocket: let kicks and 808s feel weighty, with space between hits to heighten tension.
Drums
•   Start with a tight, punchy kick and a crisp snare; place snares slightly off conventional backbeats for UK/NY swing. •   Use rolling hi‑hats with 1/16 and 1/32 notes, frequent stutters, tuplet rolls, and occasional velocity variation for human feel. •   Add sparse percussion (rims, clacks, foley) to create cold ambience without cluttering the low end.
808 and Bass
•   Program long, sustained 808 notes with legato pitch slides between scale tones; automate glide times for expressive movement. •   Sidechain (or duck) melodic layers under the 808 to keep sub‑bass dominant and clean. •   Tune the kick and 808 to the song’s key; avoid overlapping sub frequencies by carving EQ pockets.
Harmony and Melody
•   Favor minor keys (natural minor, harmonic minor, or Phrygian) and short motifs (2–4 bars) that loop hypnotically. •   Sound palette: detuned pianos, bell plucks, dark pads, strings, choirs, or filtered synth leads. Keep chords minimal—often single‑note lines or dyads—so drums and 808 carry energy. •   Use dissonant intervals (minor seconds, tritones) sparingly to intensify mood.
Vocals and Writing
•   Delivery ranges from deadpan to aggressive; clarity and timing over the grid are crucial. •   Lyrically, drill documents lived experiences and street realities. Be authentic, avoid sensationalism, and consider narrative craft—vivid details, internal rhymes, and call‑and‑response hooks. •   Ad‑libs are structural: design them to punctuate punchlines and fill gaps between bar endings.
Arrangement
•   Common forms: 8–16‑bar intro, alternating 16‑bar verses and 8‑bar hooks, with a short mid‑song drop or beat switch. •   Introduce/subtract layers (e.g., remove hats for four bars, mute bass before hook) to create dynamic contrast without adding excessive elements.
Mixing Tips
•   Prioritize sub‑bass headroom; low‑cut most instruments above 30–40 Hz, notch clashing mids (200–400 Hz) on 808/kick. •   Slight saturation on 808s adds presence on small speakers; parallel compression on drums can add glue. •   Keep overall brightness controlled to preserve the genre’s moody character, while ensuring vocal intelligibility around 2–5 kHz.
Main artists
Influenced by
Trap
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop that emerged from the Southern United States, defined by half-time grooves, ominous minor-key melodies, and the heavy use of 808 sub-bass. The style is characterized by rapid, syncopated hi-hat rolls, crisp rimshot/clap on the backbeat, and cinematic textures that convey tension and grit. Lyrically, it centers on street economies, survival, ambition, and introspection, with ad-libs used as percussive punctuation. Production is typically minimal but hard-hitting: layered 808s, sparse piano or bell motifs, dark pads, and occasional orchestral or choir samples. Vocals range from gravelly, staccato deliveries to melodic, Auto-Tuned flows, often using triplet cadences.
Gangsta Rap
Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop defined by its gritty, street-level storytelling, first‑person narration, and unflinching depictions of crime, policing, poverty, and survival. It foregrounds a hard-hitting vocal delivery over sparse, heavy drum programming and sample-based grooves. Musically, it draws from the foundational elements of hip hop—looped breaks, funk basslines, and turntable aesthetics—while emphasizing menace, swagger, and cinematic detail. Lyrically, it alternates between reportage, braggadocio, social commentary, and personal testimony, often sparking controversy for its explicit content and political provocations. From mid‑1980s origins through the 1990s mainstream, gangsta rap reshaped both the sound and business of hip hop, influencing fashion, language, and global perceptions of urban America.
Hip Hop
Hip hop is a cultural and musical movement that emerged from Black, Latino, and Caribbean communities, centering around rapping (MCing), DJing/turntablism, sampling-based production, and rhythmic speech over beats. It prioritizes groove, wordplay, and storytelling, often reflecting the social realities of urban life. Musically, hip hop is built on drum-centric rhythms (from breakbeats to 808 patterns), looped samples, and bass-forward mixes. Lyrically, it ranges from party anthems and braggadocio to political commentary and intricate poetic forms, with flow, cadence, and rhyme density as core expressive tools. Beyond music, hip hop encompasses a broader culture, historically intertwined with graffiti, b-boying/b-girling (breakdance), fashion, and street entrepreneurship, making it both an art form and a global social language.
Southern Hip Hop
Southern hip hop is a regional style of hip hop that arose across the American South and is defined by heavy 808 bass, syncopated drum programming, and a distinctive Southern drawl and slang. It blends club-ready rhythms with storytelling about regional pride, street realities, and everyday hustle. Sonically, it ranges from the minimalist, chant-driven energy of New Orleans bounce to the eerie, lo-fi darkness of early Memphis tapes and the syrupy, slowed textures of Houston’s chopped-and-screwed technique. In Atlanta, it incubated trap’s rolling hi-hats and sub-bass, while Miami pushed party-forward, bass-saturated tracks. The genre emphasizes powerful low end, catchy hooks, and call-and-response energy, and it fostered a strong independent label culture (No Limit, Cash Money) that shaped the modern rap business.
Memphis Rap
Memphis rap is a dark, lo‑fi branch of Southern hip hop that emerged in Memphis, Tennessee, built on ominous minor‑key melodies, 808 sub‑bass, and relentlessly simple but heavy drum programming. It is known for horrorcore-leaning imagery, chant-like hooks, and a raw cassette-mixtape aesthetic: hiss, distortion, and minimal mixing are part of the sound rather than flaws. The style emphasizes eerie synths (organs, choirs, strings, bells), pitched or layered vocals, and sticky, repetitive patterns that create a hypnotic, menacing groove.
Crunk
Crunk is a high-energy substyle of Southern hip hop built for clubs, arenas, and call-and-response crowd participation. It emphasizes booming 808 kick drums, aggressive snare/clap backbeats, and simple, chant-like hooks delivered by a lead rapper and a hypeman or group vocals. The production is stark and percussive: sub-bass 808s, handclaps, clattering hi-hats, and brash synth stabs or brass hits carry most of the weight, with very little harmonic movement. Tempos typically sit around 70–80 BPM in half-time (or 140–160 BPM double-time), creating a stomping, anthemic feel. Lyrically, crunk focuses on amping the crowd—party commands, fight music, and swagger—more than narrative storytelling. The word “crunk,” a Southern slang blend of “crazy” and “drunk,” reflects its rowdy, cathartic intent.
Hardcore Hip Hop
Hardcore hip hop is a confrontational, high-intensity branch of hip hop defined by hard-hitting drums, dense or minimal yet gritty production, and aggressive vocal delivery. Its lyrics often focus on social realism, political critique, street narratives, and uncompromising braggadocio, delivered with a commanding presence and raw timbre. Production ranges from sample-collage “wall of sound” aesthetics to stark boom-bap minimalism, frequently emphasizing punchy snares, saturated kicks, loud horn or siren stabs, and dissonant textures. While rooted in New York’s late-1980s scene, the style quickly became a durable template for forceful hip hop across the United States and beyond.
Grime
Grime is a fast, raw, and minimalist form of rap-driven electronic music that emerged from London’s pirate radio culture in the early 2000s. It typically runs at around 140 BPM, with skeletal, syncopated drum patterns, stark sub-bass, and icy synth stabs that leave space for agile MCs. The genre’s vocal style emphasizes rapid-fire flows, internal rhymes, and wordplay that reflect urban life, competition, humour, and social commentary. Grime inherited the DIY energy of UK garage and jungle sound systems while foregrounding MC culture as the main event, building a distinctive British rap identity separate from U.S. hip hop.
Mafioso Rap
Mafioso rap is a subgenre of East Coast hip hop defined by cinematic storytelling about organized crime, luxury, and power. Artists adopt the persona of mob bosses and kingpins, weaving intricate narratives that reference crime-film mythology, underworld codes, and upscale lifestyles. Musically, it leans on boom-bap drum programming, moody minor-key harmony, jazzy or soulful samples, and orchestral touches (strings, brass stabs) that heighten a noir atmosphere. Lyrically, it emphasizes multisyllabic rhyme, vivid detail, and complex plots, distinguishing itself from broader gangsta rap through its stylized, filmic approach and aspirational, lavish imagery.
Rap
Rap is a vocal music style built on the rhythmic, rhymed, and often improvised spoken delivery of lyrics over a beat. It emphasizes flow, cadence, wordplay, and narrative, and is commonly performed over sampled or programmed drum patterns and loops. Emerging from block parties and sound-system culture in the Bronx, New York City, rap became the core vocal expression of hip hop culture alongside DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti. While it is closely linked to hip hop, rap as a technique and genre has also crossed into pop, rock, electronic, and global regional scenes. Musically, rap favors strong drum grooves (breakbeats, 808 patterns), sparse harmony, and loop-based structures that foreground the MC’s voice. Lyrically, it spans party chants and battle brags to intricate internal rhymes, social commentary, reportage, and autobiography.
Chicago Drill
Chicago drill is a subgenre of hip hop that emerged on the South Side of Chicago in the early 2010s. It is defined by menacing, minimal beats; booming, sliding 808 bass; ominous minor‑key synths, strings, and bell motifs; and a heavy half‑time feel. Vocals are often deadpan yet aggressive, with starkly realistic, nihilistic lyrics centered on street life, survival, and local rivalries. The sound coalesced around young artists and producers who leveraged YouTube and social media to circulate raw, self‑shot videos and breakthrough singles. The scene’s sonic hallmarks—triplet hi‑hat rolls, clipped snares, dark melodic loops, and ad‑lib heavy hooks—became highly influential, spreading far beyond Chicago and reshaping mainstream rap production in the 2010s.
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