G Herbo and Southside are going to be at The Neptune for the SWERVO Tour on Tuesday, November 13th. Earlier this year, the Chicago rapper and 808 Mafia co-head collaborated on SWERVO, a 14-track album with features from Chief Keef, 21 Savage, Young Thug, and Juice Wrld. G Herbo, a Chicago native, comes from a background in drill music. He first gained attention in 2012 as Lil Herb, when he and fellow Chicago rapper Lil Bibby released Kill Sh*t, which has since amassed over 35 million views on YouTube. If you’re not familiar with drill music, Kill Sh*t is a G Herbo must-listen. Drill originated in Chicago, after rappers and producers like King Louie, Young Chop, Chief Keef, and Lil Durk blew up mid-2012. Although drill was birthed in Chicago, Waka Flocka flame is credited with taking it mainstream with Flockaveli, which debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200.
Drill is characterized by its reflection of the culture it was born into. The word drill comes from Chicago slang, used to represent automatic weapons, where old-time Chicago gangsters would ‘drill’ someone. Musically, it illustrates the life that isn’t represented by the “formal” hip hop sound. Many of the videos are shot in the schools, backyards and parks of Southside Chicago. The beats have trap influences, while the raps echo the lingo, dances, and violence of the streets. Although it was met with backlash for romanticizing life on the streets, some see it as an outlet to stay off the streets. One thing for certain is that the genre was birthed by the pain from gang violence in Chicago. That’s where G Herbo is different. New, mainstream rap is riddled with references to romanticizing violence, because it sells. But G Herbo represents broken communities scarred by the violence. He stands as an example to the Chicago youth. In The Field, a documentary about the importance of music to Chicago youth, Larry Wilson, CEO of Lawless Inc., sums it up perfectly. Drill music proves that youth from Chicago can do something positive to provide a long-term income, as opposed doing something negative for short-term income. And that’s why I admire G Herbo.
Check out the documentary below:
To learn a little more about G Herbo, check out this Mass Appeal documentary that shadows G Herbo through the neighborhood he grew up in.
The SWERVO Tour is making a stop at The Neptune next Tuesday. G Herbo and Southside are going to be accompanied by Lil James and Q Money. Born in Detroit, Lil James is an Atlanta based rapper. Growing up in the foster system, his grit and work ethic kept him focused, to get where he is today. Listen to his album, 21 Years Later on SoundCloud. Q Money is an emerging rapper from Cleveland who recently signed with Warner Bros Entertainment. Check out his stuff on SoundCloud.
Doors at 7:00 PM and the show starts at 8:00 PM.
For tickets and more information on the SWERVO Tour, check it out here.
JORDAN CHAN | I hope Southside is DJing | KXSU Arts Reporter