New York City Mayor Eric Adams Calls For Social Media Sites to Take Down Drill Rap Music and Says It Promotes Gun Violence in the Black Community
New York rappers Fivio Foreign, Maino, B-Lovee and many others met with Mayor Adams recently to discuss the violent nature of drill music and how it is affecting the community.
With Urban/Hip Hop Radio ratings at an all-time low, the largest multi-media companies probably consider it both a blessing and a curse that New York City Mayor Eric Adams angst is directed towards social media sites such as Instagram and You Tube rather than radio stations.
The blessing, Program Directors and On-Air personalities can't be blamed for the up rise in violence if they don't play or promote Drill music, right? The curse, Hip Hop formats as far as ratings are concern, are at an all time low. Something is amiss when Hip Hop stations don't even rate in the top 10 in any major radio market across the country. There is a lack of discussion within the industry about the down numbers on Hip Hop formats and what to do about it. The resolve here is that those numbers are never coming back. The format will not be abandoned because there is still a need for artists like Drake, Kanye, and Cardi B to have an outlet for their music. There is always going to be a need for record labels to sell their artists to PDs as the hottest in the streets based on their streams and YouTube views.
The problem with Drill rap is that it's filled with subject matter and language that is unfit for radio airplay. No station wants to lose their license or be subject to negative publicity brought on by a mayor of a city. Moreover be thought of as the cause of gun violence within the community they serve. Radio Program Directors have the unenviable job of trying to reach an audience that rather consume their music through a streaming service or social media. Couple that with podcasts and it's no wonder Urban/Hip Hop radio ratings are down. It's no longer hot in these streets. But don't worry, the labels will continue to find ways to feature Drill artists on songs with more established artists and slip them through the "proverbial" cracks on the radio. They will do what they need to do to reach that 18-34 and younger demo. Everyone wants to be relevant.
CITY OF GODS VIDEO OUT NOW @kanyewest @aliciakeys🗽 B.I.B.L.E. 3/25 https://t.co/vGKnUeB9So pic.twitter.com/mAbFk38n8f
— Fivio Foreign (@FivioForeign) February 18, 2022
Now back to the issue at hand. Black radio and formats playing Hip Hop songs were blamed for the violence and namely the rise of murders in the Black community over the last 30 years. But now in 2022 Mayor Adams is taking on a much larger beast; Social Media as the reason for the increase of violence among young Black males. But as it once was, in the so-called "Crack Era" in the 80's, it was not the music that was the cause of the violence. At the end of the day Mayor Adams is a man desperate for answers.
Perhaps we will find out the real reason for the rise in gun violence and the proliferation of ghost guns in the Black communities of major cities in a new version of a Snowfall type series on television 20 years from now.
CHECK OUT: Ebro in the Morning Break Down Hip Hop Music on the Radio as Hot 97's Drewski No Longer Plays Gang Related (Drill) Rap
The genre of Hip Hop known as Drill is named after the Chicago slang word for “kill” and was created in the early 2010s by rappers from Chicago. Chief Keef is considered to be one of first rappers to adopt this style of rap. Drill is more popular than anything that is being played on the radio today. Even with the lack of radio spins, Drill videos can get as much as 50-100 million views per video on YouTube. So it's definitely providing a come-up for many aspiring rappers in a way that radio airplay never did in the past.
The genre of Hip Hop known as Drill is named after the Chicago slang word for “kill” and was created in the early 2010s by rappers from Chicago. Chief Keef is considered to be one of first rappers to adopt this style of rap. Drill is more popular than anything that is being played on the radio today. Even with the lack of radio spins, Drill videos can get as much as 50-100 million views per video on YouTube. So it's definitely providing a come-up for many aspiring rappers in a way that radio airplay never did in the past.
“City of Gods” got @kanyewest & @aliciakeys showing luv 4 NYC. I luv this city, all we tryna do is be positive inspirations for communities & families. This is tha sound of New York. We just tryna show tha world how far we can take it. Don’t stop tha video from dropping 🙏🏾 https://t.co/nvDFoKWg4r
— Fivio Foreign (@FivioForeign) February 12, 2022
The videos below are examples of popular Drill rap videos that Mayor Adams called "alarming." Also some thoughts from former radio host Troi "Star" Torain. The following content is (ex) plicit and contains raw language.
74 Million Views
130 Million Views
31 Million Views
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