Drill music & gang affiliation: not always hand-in-hand?

• There is a considerable grey area between a legitimate artist and a genuine violent gang member.
• Any trial judge must be urged to take care before allowing violent lyrics and videos, especially if not supported by other evidence, to go before a jury as potential evidence of gang affiliation.

From its origin in South London from 2012 onwards, drill music has developed an ever increasing following and popularity. It is a legitimate form of musical entertainment notwithstanding that the genre’s lyrics often necessarily include reference to violence, firearms and gangs. Power ballads they are not.

Yet despite that legitimacy, the Crown frequently seek to rely upon the lyrics and accompanying videos to show that the artist, with aspirations of fame and fortune, is in fact affiliated with a particular gang and glorifies the use of weapons and violence. Obviously, every case is fact-specific, and undoubtedly