Chicago drill artist G Herbo has made waves recently with comments on the influence of drill music and social media on youth gun violence. Being one of the leading figures in the drill scene, it is of great importance: the opinion of Herbo carries significant weight because his music details growing up in one of Chicago’s most violent neighborhoods. For him, though, it is that idea that, while Drill music provides an outlet for those caught in a vicious circle of crime and harassment, raw messages combined with the power of social media now and again send messages through to perhaps younger listeners that often don’t get mentioned.
Drill music is often a reflection of real life in the streets, ideas of crimes for survival; hence, it has been equally praised for its authenticity and criticized for the violence it depicts. He is not shying away from the fact that the lyrical content, as in the case with so many drill artists, emanates from pain and struggle.
“This is what we see every day,”
he affirms, reinforcing the idea that the music is not hailing violence but a voice to some of the strong realities of life in the community.
He points out, however, that social media platforms complicate things a little. Instagram and TikTok, for example. Instant and far-reaching in nature, the messages of drill music travel deep into younger audiences, who sometimes end up adopting personas from what they see in that music. It’s not just about listening to the music for some impressionable fans; it’s about emulating that lifestyle portrayed.
Herbo said that this can lead to a culture of people carrying guns and doing gang activities for the sake of clout. His comments tap into the wider debate about drill music and its role in shaping youth culture. The criticism could say that the graphic depiction of violence in drill normalizes gang life and perhaps fuels real-world conflicts. They refer to how beef within the music could morph into real-life violence, especially as the internet expands the platforms. Videos and posts glorifying a confrontation go viral; sometimes, they also fan the flames of ongoing disputes.
But to Herbo and a coterie of drill artists-to-be that is just plain not how it is. The music, they say, reflects real struggles in their neighborhoods. Herbo argues the finger-pointing at the music overlooks the profound poverty, systemic racism, and barren opportunities endemic in neighborhoods such as the one he grew up in.
“The music isn’t the root of the problem,”
he says. The violence is there because of deeper issues-issues that have been in place well before drill music was ever around.
That personal story gives heft to his overall argument. Growing up in Chicago’s notorious Southeast Side, he’d watched gang violence and poverty eviscerate communities. Music was one way to process the trauma; in its own small way, it’s therapy for him and listeners alike.
But now, as a father and an artist with a growing platform, Herbo is more than just a rapper—he’s an advocate for change. He has talked about how much more resources need to go into impoverished neighborhoods to help break the cycle of violence-from job opportunities to access to mental health resources.
Far from settling the debate, drill music has had a polarizing effect. It gives voice to those communities which are usually forgotten, gives a voice to stories that would otherwise not be heard. On the other side, some critics are concerned that such popularity might drive today’s youth to unsafely reckless behavior. And social media entering into this makes the plot even further complicated. What used to be a local music scene has now gone global, and young listeners’ activities can be started by trends they see online.
So, where does this leave us? Is drill music just reflecting preexisting violence, or is it pouring fuel on a fire? G Herbo insists that a focus on the music in and of itself diverts attention away from larger, systemic concerns driving violence in cities like Chicago. So long as drill is positioned at the intersection of music and social media, its place in youth culture-and perhaps in the violence it perpetuates-will be up for debate.
[…] G Herbo Blames Drill Music and Social Media for Rise in Gun Violence […]