Chicago Drill

Chicago drill is built on TR-808 sub-bass kicks, finely chopped triplet hi-hats, minor-key synth pads with a horror-film tonality, and tempos that read as 60 to 70 BPM straight or 120 to 140 BPM double-time. Vocals are typically half-whispered, half-rapped, with the lead at the center of the mix and almost no reverb. Lyrics use South Side Chicago slang and cover gang conflict, police distrust, neighborhood loyalty, and survival. Mixes are deliberately cold and bass-heavy.

The scene emerged organically around 2010 to 2012 from the South Side, especially Englewood, with Chief Keef (then 16), Lil Reese, Lil Durk, King Louie, Fredo Santana, and the producer Young Chop. Kanye West's 2012 remix of Chief Keef's 'I Don't Like' brought drill above ground, and 'Love Sosa' the same year became the genre's national breakthrough. The shootings of multiple young rappers in those years — Lil Jojo in 2012, Fredo Santana's 2018 death from a seizure — shadowed the scene throughout. Drill subsequently migrated to London (2014), Brooklyn (2018), Paris, and beyond, and the Chicago scene continues with figures like Lil Durk now mainstream stars.

Listen for the synth pad: it's usually a single sustained chord with subtle filter motion, designed to feel oppressive. The hi-hats roll in triplet patterns even when the kick is straight. Vocalists ride significantly behind the beat compared to other rap subgenres, which is part of what makes drill feel slowed-down and heavy even at fast tempos.

Single: Chief Keef, 'Love Sosa' (2012). Album: Chief Keef, 'Finally Rich' (2012), or for a more recent reference, Lil Durk, '7220' (2022).

The producer Young Chop was 18 when he made the beat for 'I Don't Like' on FL Studio in his bedroom, using a cracked copy of the software. He has said he doesn't remember spending more than 20 minutes on the instrumental.