Drill Music

Drill is a style of trap music that originated in the South Side of Chicago in the early 2010s. It is defined by its dark, violent, nihilistic lyrical content and ominous trap-influenced beats. When making this work I was inspired by the lyrical content of most Drill artist. Closely looking at their experiences with the judicial system, systematic oppression and use of complex similes and metaphors that they use to convey their emotions through their music. Most of the time the rappers that participate in this genre of music will glorify a negative lifestyle in their music to escape their economical circumstances in hopes of gaining widespread attention via the Internet. In the work I coated a trumpet with bullet shell casings to represent how Drill musicians talk about death in their music. My unique placement of the bullets on the trumpet were inspired by the glass bead application of the Kuosi Society witch they used on many of their ritualistic mask. The shine of the bullets in relationship to the brass is meant to represent the glorification of death in Drill music itself and to also represent the temptation of participating in the music industry as a golden ticket to escape economic oppression for young black people.