From Cardi B to Kay Flock to Sha Ek . . . What is next for the scene?

By Justin Charles

The Bronx. The place that birthed hip-hop, a leading genre in music today. It is only natural that a place with so much history would continue to be influential in the rap game. With the explosions of Cardi B and Ice Spice onto the mainstream hip-hop scenes, eyes are back on the Bronx in a major way. But don’t get it twisted—for all this talk about “WAP” and “Munches”, the leading scene for Bronx hip-hop is still drill.

If you don’t know what drill is, I’ll do a quick overview. Drill originated in Chicago in the 2010s with artists like Chief Keef. It is characterized usually by slower beats compared to trap music, often paired with violent and dark lyrical content. It is additionally worth mentioning the other forms of drill internationally; London Drill and Brooklyn Drill are most prevalent. Most notably, these subgenres have produced the most famous artist on the scene other than Chief Keef, Pop Smoke.

As we continue to Bronx drill, the first thing to notice is the age of almost everyone on the scene. The presumed face of the scene at the moment is 19-year-old Kay Flock, born on Belmont in the Bronx, right next to Fordham’s campus. Two other influential artists are 20-year-old Sha EK and 18-year-old Sha Gz. There is something deeply compelling in examining the trend of drill rappers being so young. For context, Chief Keef was 16 when he blew up, Pop Smoke was 20 when he tragically passed, and Brooklyn rapper Sheff G was 21 when he was incarcerated two years ago. So, why are young artists attracted to drill?

Well, I think I might have cracked the code. I previously mentioned Sha Gz as a leading figure in the scene, mainly because of the social media success of his song “New Opp”. I heard this song the other day, and this particular lyric stood out to me: “Oh, he’s with his kid? Then I’m kicking’ his stroller (Kickin’ his kid).” Now, I know that drill is usually violent—but this level of disrespectful recklessness, common in teenagers, is why I believe so many young people blow up from drill. The type of anger and recklessness drill artists utilize in music is only present in young people; definitely not as much or at all in older people. For example, if you go listen to a Chief Keef song today, he is not talking about the same violence, crimes, and general public menace activities at 27 years old that he talked about when he was 16. However, the most messed up part of this for me is that, I have to be honest. Despite the reckless lyrics, the songs get you moving. Songs like the previously mentioned “New Opp” and “See Red” by Tata and Jenn Carter, in addition to “Notti Bop” by Jenn Carter, Kyle Richh, and TaTa just make you want to get up and get lit.

There are so many up-and-coming drill rappers like Kyle Richh and Jenn Carter, as well as everyone mentioned previously—and they are all so young. What to expect from this group? Well, expect them to blow up in a way similar to Chicago and Brooklyn rappers. With Cardi B getting on the remix to “Shake It” by Kay Flock, the eyes are on the Bronx, expect them to stay for a while; the Bronx is definitely not lacking in talent. Almost every day, somebody is trying to put me on to their personal favorite Bronx Drill rapper. There are simply too many to keep track of them all. However, as we have seen with many drill scenes, there are a lot of problems that arise from the lyrics and actions taken by these rappers. With some members of the scene having unfortunately passed last year or are incarcerated, we can all only hope that the artists take the cautionary tales of previous drill rappers and apply them soon. Everyone wants to see their favorite talented, young rapper thrive for many years to come. In conclusion, the Bronx has made many great contributions to the music industry. They have two of the leading female rappers in the industry, and behind them is a whole group of young people ready to show the world what they are capable of.