Abra Cadabra's debut feature-length film role, Trapping, is out now
The films explores county lines and out-of-town drug-dealing in the UK
Trapping, a new film starring UK drill star Abra Cadabra, is out now.
Announced back in July, the new film, directed by social activist filmmaker Penny Woolcock, sees the Tottenham artist cast in his first acting role. Exploring the reality of county lines drug-dealing in the UK, it has been released via recently launched independent film content platform, The Drop, the brainchild of Kidulthood actor Femi Oyeniran and So Solid Crew's Nicky "Slimting" Walker. Support for the film comes from the British Film Institute. Check out its trailer below and watch the film via BFI.
The film was shot between areas in London and Margate, and aims to present an honest representation of county lines. It is accompanied by an EP soundtrack featuring original tracks from Abra Cadabra himself. You can listen to that below.
Speaking about the film, Abra Cadabra said: "The movie speaks for itself, it's got a message behind it. It's an insight into what you could be getting yourself into trying to go down that road. If it's not your portion, don't go for it brother. It shouldn't be for anyone."
Speaking to Sky News, Abra Cadabra — real name Aaron Philips — also spoke of drawing from his personal experiences to play county lines gang leader Magic: "It's reality," he said. "It's what some of the kids in London go through growing up. It's good to show what's really going on... I've seen a couple of my friends go through stuff like that. It hit home."
On 14th September, Oyeniran and Walker took to parliament for a discussion about the reality of the UK's county lines problem, where vulnerable adults and children as young as six — according to the Children's Society — are recruited to move and supply drugs.
Calling on the government to launch a creative grants scheme to help young people in need, the pair were part of a panel also featuring author, activist and Power The Fight founder Ben Lindsay, campaigner and Enact Equality chief executive L'myah Sherae, filmmaker and youth coach Amani Simpson, and Labour MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy.
"[Trapping] gives a rounded perspective of drug dealing," Oyeniran told Sky News. "Sometimes you look at films about drugs and it's either a critique of drug use, or it's about drug dealers. This shows the real side, it humanises the drug users, and also it shows that it's beyond just a working class thing, it's also a middle class thing. And it's not just a Black problem, it's a white problem, too."
Abra Cadabra is among the artists discussed in a recent DJ Mag feature by Will Pritchard, which explores the impact being felt by artists in the UK drill and rap scene as a result of ongoing video takedowns by the Met. Read it here.
