UK Drill: Should the rap genre change its name?

23 January 2020, 17:50 | Updated: 20 February 2020, 17:18

After American rappers began using the UK Drill sound, people have been debating whether the genre should change the name.

Pop Smoke's song 'Welcome To The Party' sparked a social media debate in the UK that still hasn't died down since it's April 2019 release - should UK Drill change its name?

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Regularly attributed to rapper Chief Keef, the Drill genre was born in Chicago in the early 2010s, with UK Drill emerging several years after the foundations of the American version around 2012.

However, the UK Drill sound and the U.S Drill sound have little similarities and with artists around the world beginning to adopt the UK Drill sound, it's starting to lead to confusion for those less clued up on the rap genres.

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With the generally fast-paced, hard-hitting beats led by melodic basslines UK Drill finds established producers such as Ghosty, M1 On The Beat and MK The Plug using, the British sound is a world away from the slower, more measured Drill Rap from the across the Atlantic.

Drake's recent UK Drill-inspired song 'War' saw the debate rage on once more after the original conversation sparked following 'Welcome To The Party' rapper Pop Smoke's emergence using the UK sound, so should there be a name change for the genre?

In the early days of the UK Grime scene there were famously constant name changes, with potential names such as Sublow, Eski and 2-Step pushed to the side in favour of the name we all know and love - Grime.

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UK Drill artists such as M24, Digga D and V9 don't have flows which resemble anything like American Drill rappers such as Lil Durk or Chief Keef, so it's understandable that people are unsure about where the 'Drill' connection even comes in.

The early UK Drill scene, where artists like 67 would spit over slower, dark and raspy beats which resembled the American scene much more closely but still maintained a British feel, has changed so much over the years that the current sound of UK Drill feels a world away.

Would it even be possible to change the name of UK Drill now or is it now too cemented into the culture to change?

Check out what some people have been saying on Twitter below and then let us know your thoughts on Twitter...

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