OUGD505 - SB1 Is UK Drill to blame for a rise in violent crimes?

In recent news, several violent and fatal crimes have been linked to social media influence, including sites such as YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram. This is due to the feuds between young people, often through the use of these platforms, in which they taunt one another. One particular example of this occurrence would be the social media following of gang members' snapchat accounts. It is evident that this recent trend has encouraged feuds between gangs, as they are receiving an audience which often spectates the arguments and disagreements online. This allows for popularity of certain individuals to grow as they try to prove themselves as better than the opposition.

When exploring the platforms in which the genre exists, it is possible to find out whether violent crimes can be linked to drill music.

YouTuber Mr Montgomery recently uploaded a video in response to the recent death of 17 year old Tanesha Melbourne, from Tottenham. In the video he explains ways in which drill music is purely an art form in which artists can express themselves. He also says there are other factors that can be linked to the rise in violent crimes, such as TV and films.

In response to the video, there were several comments made by people who believe that his view was not valid. Some say that drill is partly to blame for the effects that it can have on young impressionable minds. This could be due to the normalisation and desensitising of violent crimes, through its lyrics. This was especially found through personal diss tracks that many drill artists had released. These tracks often target other gang members of the opposition and 'call out' individuals through threats of violence and taunts.

While it is still unclear whether drill music can be blamed for the rise in violence, it is clear that it can play a part in influencing young people, as many of the genres members are young themselves. One solution to this problem in future, may be for popular channels on social media to monitor the content that is distributed. Channels such as LinkUpTV, often place viewer discretions at the beginning of their videos so that people are aware of the lyrical content.

As evidenced in the Mail on Sunday, UK Drill is currently in headline news. This comes as a series of attacks and murders across South London have been blamed on the violent influence of the genre.