Pete Rock had a lot to say on the Brooklyn drill movement, taking to Instagram to air out his frustrations with the booming subgenre.
“Good Morning Drill Rap,” the legendary producer wrote alongside a clip of New York Mayor Eric Adams playing a drill rap song during a press conference. “Thats trash hop not hip hop i been told yall about this kinda shit. idc call me what you want but that kinda hip hop is doo doo and it disrupts the soul i told yall that already man lol smh.”
He continued, “Nobody speaks up on this trash lol. Drill rap not even for the birds or the streets its the result of greed, people with no talent, and the destruction of the culture. Yall never see the play when it’s happening and everyone complains but does not speak up and say a word. Now this! this how we going out? Its on social media but who is really promoting this? talk about that smh.”
Pete Rock’s comments come after Eric Adams declared war against Brooklyn’s drill movement in February, saying in a press conference the music had contributed to a rise of violence in the city. He specifically cited the February 6 shooting of 18-year-old Bronx drill rapper C-Hii Wvttz, born Jayquan McKenle, who was gunned down in his car after he left a Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn recording studio.
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“I didn’t know Jayquan, but his death hit me hard because the more I found out about Jayquan’s story, the more I saw how many times he had been failed by a system that is supposed to help boys like him,” Adams said in a tearful February 10 address.
He continued, “He was not just a victim now, but a perpetrator. But he was young, there was still time for him to turn the path of violence and move away from that,” Adams said. “Our system and justice system should have done more, more to help him, rehabilitate him.”
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Pete Rock’s disdain for drill music hasn’t stopped the subgenre from exploding in popularity in recent years. Born in Chicago in the early 2010s, the movement began to gain mainstream traction in New York City around 2019 with Pop Smoke, but when he was tragically gunned down in February 2020, other rappers from different boroughs have since stepped into the fold, the most prominent face being Fivio Foreign, with other notable artists including Sheff G, Kay Flock and B-Lovee.
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The subgenre has also gotten some major co-signs in recent months, with Cardi B praising Bronx drill in particular and hopping on a remix to Kay Flock’s “Shake It” in April.
“I don’t give a fuck who you is, who you fuck, what shit you jacking,” Cardi said in an Instagram Live session. “Get signed and get the fuck out. You know why I fuck with all of y’all? Because y’all getting the Bronx lit! Me and A Boogie, we became mainstream and everything, but you know there’s always a borough that they got shit going on. But right now, the Bronx really getting the shit muthafucking lit. So shoutout to all y’all little muthafucking drill rappers out there.”
