His upbringing was rooted in the reality from which drill first grew. “I just wanted to provide for my family and get my mom off welfare not be just another mouth.” “It doesn’t matter whether it’s legal if you’re focused on triumph,” Wilson says. He ploughed his enthusiasm and energy into the family business of drug dealing, and claims that he was earning $5,000 a day “hustling the streets of Chicago”.

To take orders from a boss means you don’t control your life.” I automatically disrespected anyone going to work. “But I watched structured households who just seemed boring. My brother got into heavy gang activity very young,” he tells VICE. With his father incarcerated, Wilson’s mother was more concerned by the prospect of her son ending up in a suit and tie. We've always been the most known family in every area.” We actually got kicked out the projects, so moved to another crime and gang-infested area. “We were one of the worst families in the neighbourhood. “In my household, to have a regular job was seen as soft you were lame, square,” recalls Wilson, when asked if his family discouraged musical endeavours in favour of 'a proper job’. The story begins in Chicago’s Racine Courts housing project, in 1996, as gangster rap is busy defining the decade. As “founder, director and sole owner of Lawless Incorporated”, Wilson was responsible for the career of King Louie, often dubbed drill’s godfather. But if that defines drill in 2023, what of its Chicago roots? What is drill? What will its future sound like? And why has it resonated so profoundly across social and geographical boundaries?įifteen minutes into our call, Larro Wilson declares himself “one of the true pioneers of drill music”. UK drill has earned autonomy and is currently enjoying its reign as drill’s most successful incarnation. With various manifestations encompassing diverse sounds and new takes emerging every other day, it’s easy to get confused.ĭrill’s most notorious dynasties – its Chicago originators and UK successors – are very different beasts. While its omnipresence is unarguable, the actual definition of drill is the subject of vigorous debate. When any subculture experiences commercial crossover, purists moan about it being co-opted by imposters unable to fathom its true meaning and thus the dilution of “the real thing”.

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