To explore the narrative about Drill Music in UK documentaries?
“Our job as scholars is to unpick the paradoxes, now are you not a scholar? Well get your lock-pick ready” - (Matthew Grimes, 2018)
Introduction
Within this essay, I’m going to explore the narrative that has been created around the style of music which is UK Drill. The London rap based genre has grown exponentially since its emergence or re-emergence around late 2012-2015 onwards. (Isaac, 2018) This is because of the negative connotations which have derived from it. Knife & gun crime has also risen since its emergence, themes of violence and illegal activities surround the genre because of the lyrics contents. Ultimately, the genre has been seen to glorify crimes committed and a wide debate has arisen around the power of music and its exposure to audiences, particularly younger.
Throughout this essay, I’m going to look at where Drill music gained its name and popularity and where it broke away from its roots and became its own style and in turn identity. This will be done through considering other UK genres such as Garage, Grime, UK Rap & Hip-Hop which it draws influences and inspirations from. I will look at the artists who’ve pioneered the scene and the audiences who consume it. The Audience is of significant importance, a consensus that I’ve drawn is that many who are ‘in the loop’ and listen to the music will defend it whilst everyone else on the outside develops their opinions from what the media has shown them. I intend to unbiasedly explore the music and culture and use documentaries as ways to discuss misrepresentation of it or potentially the accuracy of it. Being a part-time fan of the music, surrounded by the culture and a DJ who plays this genre at nightclubs and events I have to be careful not to accidentally push my own views through this essay, but instead use my inside knowledge as an advantage to tell a much clean cut story with information only obtainable because of my circumstances.
Lastly, I will consider the genres narrative, the image it portrays and how UK society has marketed it. I will look at the way UK documentaries have taken this art form and painted it in the public eye. How UK documentaries construct truths, change perceptions of music and tell the stories of peoples lives. This new and emerging style of music has generated a lot of attention and has such opened a gap in the market for further study, something which the genre lacks at this present time. This is why intend to use primary & secondary research because this is a new topic area and the ambiguities of the music have increased the lack of primary sources out there which are obtainable.
Literature Review
The easiest place to start is the beginnings of UK urban music and follow its evolution from there. American hip-hop dates back to to the early 1970s & 80s, particularly in New York, during a time of “crisis for many black and Latino youths.” High levels of “social deprivation, unemployment, poor education and housing.” (Charles, 2007) Melville describes hip-hop as music style that “marries the production techniques of scratching and sampling to spoken word rapping.” (2007)
Notable names are ‘The Sugarhill Gangs Rappers Delight’ (Miyakawa, 2005) or even “Public Enemies who were deemed as “game changers” and “innovative, experimental and above all, loud.” (Prophets of Rage, 2015) American Hip-Hop/Rap, UK Rap, Grime & Drill are connected to the African-American repertoires, this form of music focuses on European structures and rhythms, improvisation and an emphasis on performance. Its uniqueness comes from its ideas of interdependence, community and re-affirmation in society. Other styles that share the repertoire commonality would be Blues, Jazz, R&B and Soul.
Following the mass migration of working people from places such as the Caribbean, Africa, India and so much more to help rebuild Britain post World War Two, the UK was infused with rich new unique culture. The years following the 1950s, 60s & 70s brought the second generation of British born children, their identities linked to their parent’s travel, struggle, success and journey of building a new life in the UK. “As a result, a whole generation of migrants' children are dealing with the experience of being British and black. They have roots in former colonies such as Jamaica and India, but have been exposed to a myriad of other media and cultural influences.” (Hesmondhalgh, 2001) Even though rap & hip hop originated in America, which would take “decades to establish roots in Birmingham” (Prickett, 2016) or the UK as a whole when it finally did there was no turning back.
The UK sounds
As time moved into the late 80s and into the 90s UK urban music shifted. UK Rap at the time was “hopelessly derivative of American styles” (Melville, 2004) and was in desperate need for its own identity. As a result, UK music began to evolve new sounds adopting elements from others but ultimately creating its own identity. Several parts of the UK began to produce its own unique sound, Bristol became notorious for its nightlife and fusion of sounds and cultures. “The Dug Out Club” hosted nights where a night could encounter “punk, soul, funk, hip-hop, trip-hop” and much more. (Wire, n.d.) Massive Attacks ‘Tricky’ was an important figure for the UK in the late 90s in “establishing an authentic, non-American voice for British Black Music.” (Melville, 2004) Moving away from the ‘house & electronic’ inspired ‘acid house’ music we were so well known for.
This lead into the new generation of UK urban music into the 2000s. Sounds of Jungle and next Garage became the centrepiece of UK ‘underground’ music. The pioneers of the music game changed from the likes of Goldie, Rebel MC, Shy FX to Daniel Bedingfield & Craig David and then DJ Pied Piper, So Solid Crew. Jungle music usually featured very distinctive fast tempos ranging from 150-200 bpms. It featured breakbeats and dub reggae basslines, this was topped with percussive loop samples and long pitch shifted snare rolls. Jungle, is known to be the predecessor to drum and bass, creating it drum patterns by cutting apart breakbeats to create something truly revolutionary.
UK garage, on the other hand, was best known 4/4 percussive rhythm, featuring hi-hats and snares and some irregular kick drum pattern. Usually accompanied with some chopped up time-stretched vocal samples over a usually 130-140 bpm instrumental, Garage was a fast pace very different sound to what had been heard before. However, the UK still suffered from an “identity problem,” (Campion, 2004) not truly knowing or having its uniqueness besides an adaptation of style. This was however short-lived because what game through UK Garage was Grime, a new sound unheard of before.
Somewhat a “hybrid of American rap, hip-hop & Jamaican dancehall,” Grime which drew musical inspiration from 15 years UK Dance music to “jungle and two-step garage,” had pioneering figures such as Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder, Skepta. (Campion, 2004) (Barron, 2013) However, there was a clear distinction which made UK grime what it is, a defining characteristic was its British musical style that signified hip-hop as not a “consumerist bling bling soundtrack” but a “cri de couer of the dispossessed.” (Melville, 2004) A ‘passionate complaint’ almost, of the narrative of the urban life. These messages were rapped over a 140 bpm instrumental, similar to jungle but featured more aggressive or jagged electronic sound, with more aggressive and gritty lyrics.
Iconic breakthrough track ‘Eskibeat’ by Wiley (2002) is “widely considered as the first grime song ever.” This paved the way for the names mentioned above. (CapitalExtra, 2016) From there artist, Dizzee Rascal released his debut album ‘Boy in The Corner’ (Rascal, 2003) regarded as “one of the best Grime Albums” of all time. (CapitalExtra, 2016) Years following other artists emerged such as Lethal Bizzle, BBK, Kano, Roll Deep etc. which only fuelled the scene.
However, as time progressed many hard-core fans, inspired artists or music enthusiasts began to lose faith in the genre because it started to lose it’s “authenticity.” What I mean by that is “authentic music is meaningful, unique” but most importantly “politically uncompromised.” Walter Benjamin, (1935) feared the mass production and mechanisation of the world of art and music. That the rise big industry would standardise popular culture. This would mean “business interest, marketing departments and corporate boardrooms etc” would guide the production on the sheer question of “profit for sale and consumption of the masses. (Adorno, 1991) Which begs the question once the marketability is seen in something how long till it begins to lose its value?
Unfortunately, for UK grime it was merely a couple of years, grime originators turned into ‘mainstream’ sellouts, regardless of accolades such as Dizzee’s Mercury Music Award. (Guardian, 2003) We began to see UK music artists, grime to be more specific receiving not only mainstream attention but top of the chart accolades. Artists like Skepta and Chipmunk began to venture out to America and others such as Roll Deep who decided to go “more commercial” (CapitalExtra, 2016) with the album ‘In at the Deep End.’ (2005) This in cooperation of “commercial sound” soon became the final nails in the coffins.
The Beginning’s of Drill
From grime came ‘Road Rap’ also known as ‘British Gangsta rap’ which became a direct backlash of the commercialisation of grime in the late 2000s. (FACT, 2012) Road rap retained the explicit depictions of gang violence and gang culture seen in some very early grime and American rap and combines this with inspiration from UK garage, Jungle and Dub. Very similar aspects of another style of music called Chicago Drill. Pioneered by American rappers Chief Keef & Fredo Santana and described as a “macbre style of hip-hop,” emerging in the early 2010s that “depicted young lives of violent criminality.” (Isaac, 2018) An amalgam of the hatred for commercialisation of UK grime and similarities in lyrical description and a desire to tell their story birthed UK Drill music onto the streets of London. UK Drill borrows “lyrics dominated by violent threats” and an “aura of menace” to create its unique sound. With a “hypnotic approach to rhythm and language” Drill music explores local experiences of real people lives, who live streets away. (Isaac, 2018)
UK Drill is very different from its predecessor styles and its Chicago counterpart, usually leading with a “driving, pounding kick drums” which is followed by eerie spacious melody, Drill draws out a truly unique sound which is entirely unique to the UK. Rappers flows are usually forceful and stern, almost demanding its audiences to listen intently, hanging on every word as it flows into the next. It blends genres such as Grime and UK garage whilst retaining a 140 bpm, unlike American Drill. It also reinvents itself, depending on the artist or beat producer some of the songs can go to 150 bpms, drill producer Carns hilled commented that it needs a “new name” due to its unfamiliarity’s with Chicago Drill. (FACT, 2012) It also adopts a much natural state, dropping the auto-tune found in its American counterpart. Whilst American Rapper Chief Keef uses his “mournful voice as an instrument, blurring with the stabs of the synth” British drillers use “harsh, stripped-back delivery indebted to grime,” adopting the two-step space which “echoes in grime instrumentals.” (Broomfield, 2017) These artists don’t stray from “topics of illicit drug economics, territorial pride…weapon wielding violence” (Thapar, 2018) but this is the reality for these young artists and this young sound.
By late 2014 UK, MCs in Brixton began to clock up hundreds of thousands of views as artists such as ‘67’ and ‘150’ rapped “over trappy, American-style instrumentals” (Thapar, 2018) still retaining the UK grime sounds and flows and keeping Jamaican patois in their lyrics. Fast forward to present day other notable artists and groups in the Drill Music scene are 410, Zone 2, B-Side, SMG & Moscow 17. More notable names would be S1, Harlem Spartans Skengdo and more mainstream Drill artists would be Abra Cadabra, Headie One & Homerton B. (Broomfield, 2017)
Nevertheless, when we think about the depiction of rap music it is often negative, often depicted as a ‘scapegoat for escalating gun crime’ or any crime for that matter. With UK Drill music nothing has changed and mainstream media isn’t completely wrong. In the UK 39 young people were killed with a knife in 2018. Now this correlation which has been drafted isn’t as clear-cut as one may think. This obsession with drill music is because teenage boys want to be involved in this “closed world.” (2018) Similar to how I mentioned it above, there are the people who are in the Drill scene and the bystanders watching from the outside. And this obsession is fuelled by the post millennia’s connection to social media, they check which ‘driller’ has been sent to prison or they become part-time detective gathering intelligence about which “gang member has been violated by who” adding to the fuel of turf wars which only increases this metaphoric “scoreboard” which is, in fact, a tally of how many people a particular group have collectively stabbed. (Thapar, 2018)
In response to the ongoing debate regarding the correlation between UK crime and UK Drill music, a series of documentaries around the topic area has emerged. They attempt to discuss the music and explore the crime which surrounds it. Annette Hill highlights that the restyling of factuality “has had a disruptive influence on core issues concerning truth claims, knowledge and fairness.” (2007) Within the medium of documentaries, we have to begin to question the authenticity and the validity of the perception and narratives created about UK Drill music.
Methodology
Textual Analysis
My first research method will be a textual analysis of two prominent UK documentaries on Drill music. Panorama’s (Murder on our Streets, 2018) focuses on the aftermath of the murder of Rhyhiem Barton, a seventeen-year-old boy who grew up on Brandon Estate in South London. It explores what might’ve led to his murder and how the community responded to his death and have tried to prevent more of their children from being killed. It starts off by introducing Rhyhiem, it gives context to the story and allows us to see intimate moments of the family mourning. Then it focuses on his background and acknowledges that as a child “he was repeatedly excluded” from schools, five in total. (2018) The use of photographs and videos of him as a child reinforce this picture of a ‘bad child’ growing up to its audiences which begin to foreshadow what happened of recently in his life. Louise Spence comments that a documentary has a “sense of that ontological authority.” (Spence, 2011) The fact that Panorama created it and it was aired on BBC One it gives the documentary a high level of authority and authenticity.
The next segment following this was a piece to do with his mentor, this gave its audience a redemption story. We learn more about the lack of youth centres and the piece begins to engage on this idea that the areas are rough “gang territories” and an easy way to keep young people out of trouble, which may have saved his life is to invest in these youth centres. However, straight after this, we see some ‘authentic’ visuals of a Drill music video. The narrator’s words to describe the music were that the “lyrics reference stabbing and murder, while not all drill artists are in gangs there is sometimes overlapping between drill crews and known criminal groups.” (2018) It specifically highlights his face in one of the shots which reinforces this gang tie connection. With no proof or anything to disagree with it the audience is left to believe that his fate was inevitable due to the inferred criminal actives. Jean Rouch, in an interview, described film-making as a ‘subjective process’ in which the “camera eye is more perspicacious and more accurate than the human eye. The camera eye has an infallible memory.’ (Macdonald & Cousins, 2006, p. 265) From that scene, we know what happened and how it happened because the camera was there to record it. Thus, leaves us thinking that Rhyhiem was no better than the gangs that are described as the public’s enemy.
Later on in the documentary the narrative shifts, it begins to focus on the music group ‘Moscow 17.’ It discusses the groups rise to popularity and their most viewed video. Notorious well-known music group and gang affiliated Moscow 17 become the main topic, we see an interview with some of the lead rapper Incognito and some of the other members. When asked if they feel Drill music insights violence, Incognito responds that with the “crime that is happening right now” there is some influence music has but he follows this statement up by saying that “knife crime and gun crime were both happening before Drill Music.” (2018) This is true, these crimes have littered the streets of London before these artists of today were even born. However, in modern day whilst crime hasn’t changed, the method has adapted.
Lastly, in the documentary, we hear from another prominent artist in the UK Drill Skengdo. He feels like an artist he is being “unfairly targeted” through the perpetration of his music and removal of “dozens of Drill videos” from YouTube. (Waterson, 2018) Skengdo goes onto say it is not his responsibility to “stop other people’s kids from listening to my music.” He goes onto compare his music with film ratings and children watching films or playing video games over their age. When we consider that these are artist’s are contextualising their day to day lives within a 3-minute song where they discuss “social conditions...and high levels of police brutality” (Herd, 2009, p. 402) one can begin to understand the divide in UK Drill music, where some people acknowledge their music effects of young people and others feel like it isn’t their responsibility as there was no age restriction/guidelines to their life experiences.
He moves to talk about the reasoning for why he makes music. “It provides! We’re just trying to make it better for ourselves. That’s how I get my money legally. I don’t do anything illegal.” (2018) The choice of words here is vital, Skengdo has an objective, an endgame where his music will provide a better life and a better future for him. Herd suggest that to solve the problem with rap music and crime is to evoke change to “social conditions – poverty, poor access to education” (Rose, 1994, p. 12) the things in the communities the rappers emerge from. Radical change to give disadvantaged communities an “opportunity structure” to give residents jobs, roles and opportunities that they can be proud of and will make an honest living worth their time.
The next documentary I would like to focus on is BBC Radio 1Xtra’s (Gangs, Drill & Prayer, 2018) which looks at the life and journey of south London gangster rapper/pastor Enrique. It looks at how young Christians in the UK are using drill music to lure gang members from the streets and towards church. However, these movements cannot arise without controversy; it looks at these accusations of being a cult, wearing balaclavas in church etc. and begins to investigate how authentic this movement is.
Enrique now a reformed gang member turned young pastor believes that following a near-death gang-related experience his music and lyrical content is now for the better. He uses the group Hope Dealers as an example of some reformed gang members turned artists on a spiritual mission. Whilst the beats are the same and the visual content is the same by use of Balaclava’s in videos, the message is different. He says if you “listen to our lyrics, there’s a better life. You can come from the as me background as me but life can change.” (Gangs, Drill & Prayer, 2018) We see a different narrative of the same music, whilst there are negative connotations related these artists are “representing a lifestyle they “used to live and a lifestyle...now living and putting it in context of music and communicating our lives through music.” These artists are taking elements from the genre and giving it a different perspective, one which is positive from their lyrics to their ideology behind it.
Enrique goes on to talk about the narratives that have been drafted about UK Drill music and why young people indulge in the music so much. He believes that “every young child is looking for an economic solution.” Rose suggests that these aspirations for financial advancement amongst peers didn’t appear out of anywhere. Through years of “globalization and deindustrialization” and the “concentrated disadvantage found in many urban African American communities” (1994, p. 362) which Enrique grew up in, youths strive to take the negatives in their lives and use them to fuel their positive which is music.
Another prominent point in within the documentary is where Hope Dealers begin to discuss the already preconceived narratives and why they choose to fuel it. One of the members described the Balaclava as “synonymous with criminal activity” understanding why some people would question or even be angered. He then goes onto to talk about how he sees the negative influence on young people, believing it needs “to come to an end.” This is why they wear the Balaclavas, to signify they’re no different but are very much distinctive at the same time. They attempted to separate the negative interpretations by presenting them to the audience in an ironic way. How can gangs be affiliated with a church? One of the members also spoke about applying for university and believing if he showed his face “they wouldn’t understand” if they saw him rapping. (2018)
What we can infer from the Drill music scene is we have artists who live the life they speak over their tracks, who indulge in criminal activity and wish to benefit from their new found fame financially but also continue to live this ‘gangster rap lifestyle’ unable to escape their criminal history and loyalty to their gang and street code. And can you be surprised when artists like Digga D from group 1011 talks about his domestic lifestyle, “Blood on my shank, man keep it, clean it, use hot water and bleach it.” (2017) It’s clear there’s a sense of pride in the lifestyle he lives. Then we have the other set of artists who may live in the area and have no afflation, or may have been involved in such estate criminal activity years prior and now are using music as a platform to express their feelings and their day to day lives, as well as attempt to get a better life and go ‘legit’ through music to hopefully get out of the area and into a better life compared to their previous. Rapper ‘AM’ on the track “Jump that Fence” states “broken hearts, broken phones, diligent yutes from broken homes.” A clear contrast in messages, same music, same beats but the mind set behind the lyrics are different. (AM (410) & Skengdo, 2017)
Now regardless those who practice what they preach or don’t this negative perception continues to strive through media’s representation. Salaam argues that that rap music in 1989, which had initially been “exclusively recorded by independent record companies” became dominated by “major recording labels.” (Salaam, 1995, pp. 306-310) He believed that the artistic creativity and overall quality of the music declined because of an increasing focus on profiteering and the profit was in the violence and graphic sexuality themes. However, this profiteering doesn’t stop their, companies such have Nike have been accused of capitalising on London’s gang culture, selling Balaclavas and helping promote it with a new clothing line. In response to these accusations, Nike removed the “sold-out items” from their website. They acknowledged their actions and said they were in “no way condoning or encouraging the serious issue of criminal and gang culture” (Oslen-Berg, 2018) but by that time damage been done as now more Balaclavas were on the streets indorsed by Nike resulting in their financial gain.
Ethnography
The second part of my methodology is a small Ethnography. This research strategy allows me to examine cultures and societies that I study over a length of time. (Murchison & Cooper, 2010) It is noted that the research has to be carried out in a “natural setting” (LeCompte & Schensul, 1999 ) which is considered one of the main characteristics. It must be noted that by immersing myself in the style of music’s natural habitat I am able to understand the “nature of current social conditions, their past and their future.” (Atkinson & Hammersley, 1986, p. 15) However, I had to set certain rules to avoid disrupting the event I was studying, direct contact could result in the authenticity of the audience decreasing as they may question my intentions.
I attended a Drill event in London on the 23rd December, following several cancellations and reschedules I was finally able to attend an event. The challenge of getting a ticket added to the experience as it is known to its audience that these type of events tend to get shut down before they start due to the nature of the music and the potential hostilities that may arrive. The price was £20.00, they had a range of tickets ranging from early birds £15 to late bloomers which were £30.00, there were special options for better seating and VIP which would’ve cost much more. Located at the KoKo Club in Camden, it is one of the largest theatres in London outside of the West End. It is a multifunction venue hosting music events, concerts, gaming reveals, comedians etc. The room I was in was gigantic, endless height and space waiting to be filled, with a maximum capacity of 2,434 I began to realise that they might’ve undersold the event due to the size of it.
However, I didn’t know what to expect as I hadn’t travelled to that part of London before but as soon as I got off Mornington Crescent I didn’t have to look far. From 9 PM lines of people began to flood the streets and around the building. You could tell who was attending the event from the similar styles of clothing, expensive Nike trainers, jeans and jackets. The average age was 18-25 which makes sense as the young people tend to want to be “rebellious and popular” (Herd, 2009, p. 403) which fits the music perfectly, and also have the expendable money to attend these events.
I decided to focus my research on two areas. Social Experience and Sense of Community. As soon as the doors opened the DJ was already playing Drill music, UK rap etc, this was to get the crowd hyped up and ready. Drinks were purchasable from the bar but I noticed that people brought their own interestingly coloured drinks in bottles, London’s extortionate prices seem to have an effect on all walks of life. People sung at the top of their longs and energy began to build in the room, if you couldn’t sing or dance it didn’t matter, with that much noise and movement around you it was incredibly difficult not to. Before you knew it all creeds of people began to mosh, and as Malbon notes the mosh pit has its own “unwritten codes, rules…customs.” (1998, p. 94) So the pushing and shoving and jumping begun and it was truly a beautiful sight. It was violent and no fights broke out, it was just young boys and girls bouncing off the walls into each other for 30-second intervals until the track was either ‘pulled up’ or mixed into the next.
Not too long after the leading act and a big name in the drill scene Russ came on stage and began to perform smash hits ‘Splash 2.0 (2018), Gun Lean (2018) & Link Up (Russ & Mr Affiliate, 2018) all to the crowd’s delight. The lyrics of his songs echoed around the venue as the DJ dropped the volume and left us the audience to a cappella the chorus and verses. What I found most astonishing is the lack of trouble, everyone who attended the event was there to enjoy the music for what it was. I feel there was a sense of community with that room. Young people of different ages and races all acknowledging the negativity often associated with the music but still attend as a rebellious act but more importantly as support for something shunned by the mainstream. Straight after he finished performing the DJ played roughly a forty-five-minute set before everyone left. I heard talks of after parties and going out as the underground began to flood with us, young people. I found it truly memorizing that something deemed so negative couldn’t be anything purer and honest, just young people enjoying their youth.
Conclusion & Findings
Through my textual analysis and ethnography research, I have investigated how Drill music has been portrayed to mass audiences and the narratives which have been drafted about it. Any form of rap music from the 1970s to the present day will always have a negative nuance to it. Rap music has also been seen as a ‘rebellious’ sound which depicts the inner struggles of communities from New York to South London. Drill music is no different, it encompasses the true stories from the streets of London, the rough and dangerous lives these artist’s live day by day on the estates. However, there is a division in the music, there are artists which create the music to glorify the ‘gangster road-rap’ life they know well. Then there are the artists who are making the music to get out of the estates, to provide a better life for themselves and their family and make music for people to truly immerse themselves in.
This divide in the music scene is what I feel will fuel is flame. Despite the indifference, Drill music “sits on the brink of the mainstream” (Broomfield, 2017) and is currently the big conversation of UK music going into 2019. Artists such as Russ & Unknown T, who have made Drill songs which still contain some of the lyrical nature other Drill tracks do, have been able to bring Drill music onto Radio 1Extra and Radio 1. ‘Gun Lean’ by Russ which has developed its own dance challenge which the young children are getting involved in continues to show the positivity that the music holds. The negative image that some UK documentaries have drafted can begin to be questioned. Is Drill music and crime related? Or is Drill another genre telling a story of a neglected section of our society?
To take this piece further I would conduct a Rhetoric Analysis to explore the music and where it is consumed. This would move the research away from the preconceived ideas that have been created and allow the Drill music scene to begin to tell its own story. The music and lyric content would be able to be dissected and then the music scene in which it thrives in and be investigated alongside it, unpicking the paradoxes that surround the music and allow the music to shape its identity for itself, by itself.
Ultimately, Drill is connecting the neglected young generation, they ignored adolescence who’s mindset has been left to fend for itself. The government has failed these people through cuts to public spending, youth services and education which has rendered these communities and these young unable to fend for themselves and isolated to their estate blocks or colder sacks. To proclaim the music is the problem is wrong, it is a powerful tool on the vulnerable minds, the ones that are still developing but by itself its another art form. The pictures painted on the London streets are nothing but a reflection of everything the country has put in. Drill music is a rebellion. But in the same breath I’d argue that if you look past the stab-proof vest, the glorification, the stereotypes and the bravado, it’s simply just a passionate cry for help.
