Another drill rapper deceased? Well, that is to be expected.
Ethan Reyes aka “Notti Osama,” 14, was fatally stabbed in a Harlem train station last week after getting into an altercation with Kelvin Martinez, 15, who was apparently one of his “opps” from a rival gang. Interestingly, Notti and two of his friends started the confrontation on the street before following Martinez down into the 137th Street train station. Once they were all down there, Notti attacked Martinez with a broomstick. Martinez responded in self-defense by stabbing Notti in the abdomen with a knife. Even though he was badly wounded, Notti pushed the other teen onto the train tracks but Martinez was able to climb back onto the platform and escape. By that point, Notti was bleeding profusely and he soon died from his stab wound.
It appears to me that the situation was juvenile, stupid, and totally avoidable. The ridiculous ordeal turned out deadly for Notti, which he probably wasn't expecting, so now he’s history.
The NYC drill rap game is deadly and ruthless. There are no innocent actors and there are no good guys. All NYC drill rappers are cold-hearted gang members and all of them get into petty altercations that often turn deadly. As all drill rappers do, Osama rapped about wanting to see his enemies killed. He also often mocked his dead rivals in his songs. There’s no doubt that if Notti Osama had survived the attack and killed his “opp,” then he and his gang would be disrespectfully celebrating. But since he was the one who died, his gang has taken a loss and his “opps” are celebrating his death instead. That's how the game goes.
NYC drill rap primarily revolves around how many different ways a person can shoot and kill their enemies (opps). It’s like 1000 Ways to Die, but in a recording booth. I’d say that roughly 100% of NYC drill songs are filled with vicious disses and death threats. The only truly artistic and creative aspects of the music are the beats, which can be very catchy, and the varying vocal styles and dances of the rappers. But that’s about it. The rest of the content isn’t very innovative at all. The lyrics are either about violent crimes that have already been committed or violent crimes that will soon be committed.
After listening to an NYC drill song, you can expect one of two things: 1) the artist will likely be arrested soon or 2) the artist will be attacked and/or murdered soon. Of course that’s if you can manage to decipher what they’re saying. NYC drill rap can be very difficult for the untrained listener to understand for two reasons: 1) a large chunk of the songs include slang that only modern day urban teenagers are using and 2) the lyrics reference people or specific events that only dedicated fans and Internet bloggers would be aware of.
The problem with drill rap is that there is no boundary between the lyrics and real life violence. Most of the artists are going to end up dead like Notti Osama or in prison. Now don’t get me wrong. It would be hypocritical of me to unequivocally criticize drill music when I still enjoy listening to angry and aggressive rap music. Street rap is certainly entertaining to me and sometimes it can be cathartic. But I prefer when the murder talk stays within the realm of fantasy. I can’t listen to drill with a carefree mind or in good conscience because I know that the violent content is 100% real. There is no element of fiction in the music. When it comes to drill, the music fuels the murder and the murder fuels the music. It’s a vicious and demonic cycle that leads to a brutal death or a lengthy prison bid for almost everyone involved. For that reason, I can’t endorse it. That would be totally wrong.
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