Video-sharing website YouTube has insisted that it will not ban drill music videos because they “provide a place for those too often without a voice”.
Ben McOwen Wilson, the UK head of the platform said the company supports free speech and open dialogue, but wishes to work with the government and regulators to ensure YouTube is a safe space.
The Metropolitan Police body has been strongly critical of the controversial Chicago-born genre, going as far to say that there is a direct link in gang-related crime across the capital. The force also says it has created a database of more than 1,400 videos to use as an intelligence tool in an attempt to reduce London-based crime.
Many UK rappers have fallen victim to the blanket policy of removing drill music across YouTube, with some being forced to censor future tracks or leave the music scene altogether.
Last month, rap duo Krept and Konan defended the genre in a debate with Parliament. Skengdo & AM attended the meeting to make the business and moral case for UK drill, as the south Londoners received the first sentence for a music-related crime (performing their track “Attempted 1.0” at a London venue) by breaching a gang injunction.
Alongside their new single “Ban Drill”, Krept and Konan have launched a petition on Change.org, asking the Crown Prosecution Service to stop police from using the Serious Crime Act to target drill musicians.
“Drill may not, technically, be classed as protest music, but the state should think twice before stifling the genre,” said the duo.
They also added, “there is a long history of suffering in black music. That collective expression is important, particularly for a deprived and otherwise voiceless community.”