What is drill rap and how has Jacksonville become the epicenter of it?
WARNING: The following article includes subject matter and links to music videos containing references to violence and language some may find offensive.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —
* The above video was originally published April 12 when a Duval County judge sentenced a Jacksonville drill rapper to 10 years in prison.
It originated in Chicago’s South Side in the early 2010’s. Nearly a dozen years later,
Jacksonville appears to be making inroads on becoming the epicenter of this disturbing branch of rap music.
What is drill rap?
The word “drill” in drill rap refers to killing. Drill songs are diss songs between rival gangs where the rapper mocks or disses “dead ops,” or members of rivals killed in gang violence.
Drill was made popular by Chicago rappers Chief Keef, Lil Reese, Lil Durk and some others. Brooklyn, New York and the United Kingdom followed.
Apparently, it’s Jacksonville’s turn.
South Florida has historically dominated the state’s rap music scene with names like Rick Ross, Uncle Luke, Trina, Trick Daddy, Plies, Kodak Black, and XXXTentacion.
A new generation of rappers from Jacksonville are demanding attention. And they’re getting it from both onlookers across the globe and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
They’ve become household names of sorts on the drill rap scene: Yungeen Ace, Foolio, SpotemGottem, Spinabenz, Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, Y&R Mookey, Y&R Slugga Tee, Jdot Breezy and Ksoo to name a few.
While their names appear together in the above sentence, most of them are anything but.
Jacksonville police have identified the city’s drill rappers as gang affiliated.
Messy music, sordid souls
Jacksonville rappers have been making drill rap for several years, but last year represented an explosion of this disturbing music here garnering attention from around the world.
Bloggers, podcasts and hip-hop writers around the globe put Jacksonville in their crosshairs in spring 2021.
That’s when rappers Spinnabenz, Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, Yungeen Ace and FastMoney Goon released
“Who I Smoke,” a disturbing, but catchy sample of Vanessa Carlton’s
“A Thousand Miles."
The word “smoke” in the song’s title refers to “dead ops” or rival gang members killed in Jacksonville shootings. The rappers, self-proclaimed affiliates of the gang ATK, used the song to name the dead with the hook, “Who I smoke,” followed by the name of an “op."
ATK stands for “Aces Top Killers,” named for the undisputed champ of Jacksonville’s drill rap scene, Yungeen Ace. Other reports claim it stands for “Aim To Kill.”
ATK’s top rival, KTA, which reportedly stands for “Kill Them All,” released songs of its own in response to "Who I Smoke."
That’s when Julio Foolio, who has since dropped the “Julio” and is now just “Foolio,” released two mega viral songs;
“Beatbox Remix/Bibby Flow” and
“When I See You,” a remix of R&B singer Fantasia’s hit single
“When I See U.”
In those song, Foolio, of course, drops the names of several ATK ops killed in Jacksonville’s street violence.
RELATED: Rival Jacksonville gangs locked in deadly battle glorified in new viral rap music videos
Rap music & rap sheets
Where are they now?
Jacksonville drill rappers continue making headlines, not just for the music they’re making, but for crimes police say they’re committing.
Here's what some of them are up to now.
Ksoo
Hakeem Robinson, aka Ksoo, was
indicted by a grand jury March 24 of first-degree murder. He’s accused of killing two people in separate Jacksonville shootings; the Feb. 25, 2019 killing of Adrian Gainer Jr., aka Bibby, and the Jan. 15, 2020 killing of Charles McCormick, aka Lilbuck.
He’s currently in Duval County jail on no bond.
RELATED: Video: Jailed Jacksonville rapper handcuffed, slammed by JSO corrections officer, sister shot by bail bondsman within minutes
