What is Drill rap? Sha Ek, 22Gz and Ron Suno removed from Rolling Loud New York at request of NYPD

The Rolling Loud New York festival has reportedly removed three drill rappers who were scheduled to perform this weekend.

The festival has excluded the names of 22Gz, Sha EK, and Ron Suno from the show's lineup at the request of the New York Police Department. The rappers have been removed due to their musical affiliation of the sub-genre with violence. The three-day festival will take place at Citi Field in Queens from September 23, 2022.

This is not the first time Rolling Loud has canceled New York drill rapartists from performing due to pressure from the NYPD. Artists like Pop Smoke, Casanova, Sheff G, 22Gz, and Don Q were blocked from performing in 2019 at the request of the police due to public safety concerns.

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Why are the drill rappers being removed from Rolling Loud New York?

The move came just a day ahead of the Rolling Loud New York Festival. Out of the three drill rappers removed from the lineup, one artist, 22Gz, was arrested in June. The rapper was accused of being involved in a shooting incident that took place in March 2022. However, the remaining two rappers, namely Sha Ek and Ron Suno, do not have any previous criminal records, as per their representatives.

In a statement to XXL, a representative for Sha EK said:

“Sha Ek is disappointed in the NYPD’s decision. He hasn’t been charged with anything to justify it. The police try to associate what he’s doing with violence and negativity. They don’t respect that he’s an artist and entertainer trying to better himself and feed his family at 19 years old."

He further added:

"Sha Ek has performed all over the Northeast this year. The crowds at his concerts are full of kids dancing and having fun. He’s excited to keep growing his touring business and proving the police wrong.”

Ron Suno was reportedly involved in a fight at last year's Rolling Loud festival in NYC. His manager, Diamond Brown, questioned the move to cancel his set with the Times. He asked:

“How can a person who has no criminal record and no gang ties—the kid never even made a diss record—be denied to perform in his hometown after all his hard work?”

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What is Drill rap?

Drill rap is a popular but controversial sub-genre of hip hop music that originated on Chicago's streets in the early 2010s. Drill music has been around for a decade into the American mainstream after the success of rappers including Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Lil Reese, Fredo Santana, and Young Chop, among others. The lyrics of the drill music tend to be violent, gritty, and nihilistic. The songs have a darker tone with taunting and dissing lyrics, reflecting on the violent side of life on the streets.

Earlier in February 2022, a 18-year-old drill rap artist, Jayquan McKenley, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Brooklyn. NYC Mayor Eric Adams at the time had criticized the drill rap genre and said it was partially to blame for the spike in gun violence. He pointed out the sub-genre's affiliation with gun violence and called it alarming.

Adams, at the time, told reporters:

"Violent people who are using drill rapping to post who they killed, and then antagonize the people who they are going to kill is what the problem is.”

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The New York iteration of the Rolling Loud festival is scheduled to take place from September 23 to 25, 2022. The festival will take place at the NYC Stadium at Citi Field in Queens, New York. The headliners for the festival include Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky, and Future.