{"id":1166158,"date":"2021-08-20T15:01:34","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T12:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1166158"},"modified":"2021-08-20T15:01:34","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T12:01:34","slug":"breaking-down-the-many-indignities-of-ed-sheerans-uk-drill-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1166158","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down the Many Indignities of Ed Sheeran\u2019s UK Drill Video"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Columns<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Breaking Down the Many Indignities of Ed Sheeran\u2019s UK Drill Video<\/h1>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Just as drill music is being commodified by one of pop\u2019s biggest stars in London, the subgenre is also moving in exciting new directions in the Bronx.<\/div>\n
\n
\n
By <\/span>Alphonse Pierre<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

One of many unfortunate scenes from Ed Sheeran\u2019s \u201cBad Habits\u201d drill remix video. Graphic by Derek Abella<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Pitchfork writer Alphonse Pierre\u2019s<\/em>rap column<\/em>covers songs, mixtapes, albums, Instagram freestyles, memes, weird tweets, fashion trends<\/em>\u2014and anything else that catches his attention.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Ed Sheeran\u2019s UK drill video is somehow even weirder than you\u2019d expect<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

It\u2019s happening again: Subgenres that have been dismissed by the popular music industry for years are being adopted by its biggest white stars. Just a couple of days after Justin Bieber laid down vocals on WizKid and Tems\u2019 Afropop hit \u201cEssence,\u201d Ed Sheeran put out a drill-inspired remix of his single \u201cBad Habits,\u201d which currently sits at No. 3 on the Hot 100. You may argue, \u201cWhat\u2019s the big deal? Bieber and Sheeran are actually raising the visibility of these styles.\u201d And while that may be true from a numbers standpoint, \u201cEssence\u201d was already a landmark moment for Afropop before Bieber, and drill was a worldwide phenomenon before Sheeran. Neither needed a boost.<\/p>\n

But of the two awkward collaborations, the Ed Sheeran remix, which features two of UK drill\u2019s biggest current stars, Tion Wayne and Central Cee, is by far the weirdest. Not because this is the first time Sheeran has strayed outside of big-budget pop\u2014he has a documented history with reggae\u2014but because it feels like a parody that doesn\u2019t realize it\u2019s a parody.<\/p>\n

Ever since it started in Chicago in the early 2010s, drill has been praised for the creative ways in which its many stars have built on trap, and criticized (sometimes unfairly) for amplifying neighborhood tensions. It went on to spawn similar scenes throughout the world, from Brooklyn to Ghana to the UK. It has often struggled to break through on a mainstream scale, as the powers that be have fought against it\u2014Chicago\u2019s Chief Keef can\u2019t perform in his own city, Brooklyn\u2019s drill stars have had to go through hoops to put on hometown shows, and the UK\u2019s war against the subgenre has been highly publicized (most recently, rising London star Digga D wasn\u2019t able to do an interview for his first magazine cover story).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

So, given all this thorny history, it is really freaking weird to see Ed Sheeran mug in this \u201cBad Habits\u201d remix clip with an \u201caw shucks\u201d smile on his face, like he\u2019s a fan who just won a make-a-drill-video contest! It\u2019s even stranger once you watch the whole behind-the-scenes visual\u2014it\u2019s supposed to be funny and sweet, but it\u2019ll probably just make you cringe. Here are six lowlights:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Ed Sheeran shows up to the studio in a backpack, which I imagine is filled with props like a ski mask, a handbook titled How to Do Proper Finger Guns<\/em>, and a Stone Island fleece, and gives remixer Fumez the Engineer the most awkward handshake<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n
    \"Image<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n
      \n
    • Ed Sheeran puts on a chain. A white guy wearing a rap chain hasn\u2019t been (kind of) funny since Malibu\u2019s Most Wanted<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
      \"Image<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
        \n
      • He can\u2019t even keep a straight face when throwing up middle fingers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
        \"Breaking<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
        \n
        \n
        \n
        \n
          \n
        • Ed Sheeran does the gun lean. It feels like when a new viral rap dance ends up on The<\/em>Ellen Show<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
          \"Breaking<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
            \n
          • There\u2019s a mean mugging session, of course. How did we get to this point? How are Tion Wayne and Central Cee not embarrassed?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
            \"Breaking<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
            \n
            \n
            \n
            \n
              \n
            • Ed says goodbye to everyone, and they\u2019ll probably never hear from him again (unless he\u2019s trying to co-opt some more cool down the line).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
              \"Image<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
              \n

              Scene report: Drill migrates to the Bronx<\/h2>\n

              Not all recent drill developments have to do with regrettable music industry shenanigans. Since the subgenre began to ripple through New York in the mid 2010s, its home base has been Brooklyn. But in the last year or so, in the wake of the devastating murder of Pop Smoke, the scene has struggled to power ahead. There has been a clear lack of creativity for some time now, even as notable rappers like Bizzy Banks and 26AR have come into their own, and Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow have experienced star turns. But as of late, New York\u2019s drill scene has gotten a jolt of energy through a wave of charismatic rappers from the Bronx.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

              \n
              \n
              \n
              \n

              Up in the BX, flows filled with the type of headbanging rage that is usually looked down upon outside of a football field are being laid over a mix of both brutish and soft, sample-based beats. Unlike the approach popularized by Pop, where flashiness outweighed violence, Bronx drill is straight up ruthless. These guys could care less about fashion, or expensive cars, or anything that doesn\u2019t pertain to their neighborhoods. Yet, like most drill scenes, this one is at risk of being stifled by beef, threats, and diss tracks. Thankfully, so far the main appeal has been the music, which has forced the city to reconsider if its most exciting drill hotspot has relocated uptown. Here are a few notable tracks:<\/p>\n

              Kay Flock: \u201cIs Ya Ready\u201d<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              \n
              \n

              Kay Flock is Bronx drill\u2019s biggest name so far. He\u2019s had a hand in the scene\u2019s signature posse cuts along with out-of-borough collabs with premier drill rappers in Brooklyn and Harlem, and he has an ability to hold his own on solo records. Dive deep enough into the scene and Kay Flock leaks may become a part of your daily regimen. His most recent single, \u201cIs Ya Ready,\u201d might be his best yet; his raspy flow is unforgettable, his barking energy contagious.<\/p>\n

              DThang: \u201cPlay It Back\u201d<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

              DThang\u2019s light, almost childlike voice is starkly different from the gruff, been-through-some-shit vocals that are everywhere in the Bronx. But it also gives his songs a distinct breeziness\u2014despite the fact that he\u2019s vividly recounting hopelessly bleak local chaos.<\/p>\n

              Dougie B: \u201cBrotherly Love\u201d [ft. Kay Flock and B Lovee]<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              \n
              \n

              Dougie B is the wildcard. He doesn\u2019t have many official solo tracks to his name yet, but he\u2019s quickly become the go-to mercenary for flipping posse cuts like \u201cBrotherly Love\u201d into mayhem.<\/p>\n

              B Lovee: \u201cIYKYK\u201d<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

              Just when I thought sample-based drill songs were getting played out, B Lovee dropped \u201cIYKYK.\u201d With a blood-boiling delivery, he lays down an endless onslaught of mean-spirited one-liners on a sweet Wayne Wonder sample. It may very well end up as the song that alerts the entire city and beyond that Bronx drill has arrived.<\/p>\n

              \n

              Monaleo: \u201cSuck It Up\u201d<\/h2>\n
              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              \n
              \n

              Earlier this year, Houston rapper Monaleo put out \u201cBeating Down Yo Block,\u201d where she verbally ambushed all of the dudes who had been playing with her feelings over a sample of YungStar\u2019s \u201cKnocking Pictures Off Da Wall\u201d: \u201cWe toss niggas around, we treat these niggas like they bean bags.\u201d \u201cSuck It Up,\u201d her latest single, switches the target of her wrath from hopeless exes to girls whom she has no respect for. \u201cTook her baby daddy accidentally, now she mad at me\/But I\u2019ma give him back so I can put her out her agony,\u201d she raps, sounding like the biggest bully since Regina George. Even the outro is some supervillain shit: \u201cFuck you, hoe, and stop calling that nigga phone while we\u2019re together,\u201d she continues. \u201cHe busy, bitch!\u201d<\/p>\n

              \n

              Live set of the week: Navy Blue at The Good Company in Manhattan<\/h2>\n

              Navy Blue largely came into his own as a rapper with releases that came out during the pandemic, and he has only played a few live shows thus far. So his set last Saturday outside of streetwear store The Good Company in Manhattan\u2019s Lower East Side felt special. Fans and rap peers flocked around his humble sidewalk setup, and eventually the crowd grew so large that it stretched out into the street and made cars honk in frustration. For someone with such little experience performing live, Navy Blue seemed comfortable once the warm loops dropped and he was able to shut his eyes and let the words flow out. Though he doesn\u2019t yet have the commanding and hypnotic stage presence of fellow New York underground hero MIKE, who took the mic after him, you can tell it\u2019s a skill that is rounding out.<\/p>\n

              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
              \n

              Cootie: \u201cOn the House\u201d<\/h2>\n
              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              \n
              \n

              Memphis\u2019 rich rap history has influenced countless rappers, and Cootie, who\u2019s from Blytheville, Arkansas, about an hour away, is no exception. He avoids the dominant influence of the mid-\u201990s underground era of Three 6 Mafia, choosing instead to draw from the well of Project Pat\u2019s boom in the late \u201990s and early 2000s. His new single \u201cOn the House\u201d takes its structure from Pat\u2019s timeless \u201cBlunt to My Lips,\u201d updating it with thudding drum patterns. Similar to the Memphis star, Cootie raps in a way that makes every line feel like it should be chanted by a football team gathered in a huddle. Yet despite the heavy inspiration, Cootie\u2019s verses display a playfulness\u2014especially when he pants like a disturbingly horny cartoon character\u2014that could only belong to him.<\/p>\n

              \n

              Da$h: \u201cDiabolique\u201d and ANKHLEJOHN: \u201cDipset Reunion\u201d<\/h2>\n
              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
              \n
              \n
              \n
              \n

              Honey Sweeter Than Blood,<\/em> the new joint album from New Jersey\u2019s Da$h and D.C.\u2019s ANKHLEJOHN, works because their respective dirty East Coast flows suit each other. Even so, the project\u2019s solo tracks have been my early favorites. On \u201cDiabolique,\u201d Da$h\u2019s raspy delivery sounds just right over the misty LOOK DAMIEN! production as he gets off his slick shit talk, usually punctuated by a pop culture reference (\u201cI wear the belt around my body like I\u2019m Triple H\u201d). Then, on \u201cDipset Reunion,\u201d ANKHLEJOHN sounds like he\u2019s rapping with a mean scowl on his face, and his dense verses and fleeting thoughts melt into a beat that\u2019s uncharacteristically warm. Together, these tracks make a nice one-two punch.<\/p>\n

              \n
              \n
              <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
              \n

              The three new New York Knicks<\/h2>\n
              \n
              \n
              \n

              X content<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

              Let\u2019s hope that Fat Joe has a better jumper than his friend, confidant, and business partner DJ Khaled.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

              Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/ed-sheeran-uk-drill-video-bad-habits-remix-tion-wayne-central-cee\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Columns Breaking Down the Many Indignities of Ed Sheeran\u2019s UK Drill Video Just as drill music is being commodified by one of pop\u2019s biggest stars in London, the subgenre is also moving in exciting new directions in the Bronx. By Alphonse Pierre August 20, 2021 One of many unfortunate scenes from Ed Sheeran\u2019s \u201cBad Habits\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1166160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1166158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1166158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1166160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1166158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1166158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1166158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}