Inside the UK drill factory: the London studio at the heart of the scene
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Meet the MC: Master Peace
Master Peace is settled into a booth at The Courthouse Hotel in Shoreditch. Nestled amongst bare bricks and leather seats, the South London MC oozes an infectious confidence as he sips an apple juice, looking at ease in his suitably comfortable uniform of cargo trousers and checkerboard Vans, paired with a black top.
“YS was listening to stuff like Max B and French Montana, so I was hearing all of that. I wanted to be a contemporary dancer then, but a lot of things happened and my group kind of split up,” he tells us. “My brother and my mum kept asking me, ‘What are you gonna do after high school? You're just staying at home playing your XBOX’ and shit. I knew I had to do something.
His confidence could never be construed with arrogance. Peace is self-assured, but endearing. He’s not cocky, and pushes himself constantly. “Keep Hush was a way to test myself,” he says. “If people pull up when I’m the headline, then I know I’m doing the right thing. I was worried. I thought, ‘Fuck. What if people don’t turn up?’. A lot of people wanted to come who were industry. We sold it out in two to three days. I had to take the risk.
Two rappers sentenced after breaching injunction by performing drill music
Skengdo and AM have both been sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years. Both south London rappers, whose real names Terrell Doyley are Joshua Malinga, pleaded guilty to breaching an interim gang injunction, issued in August 2018, for performing drill music.
Police apply for court order to ban gang members from making drill
London’s Metropolitan police have applied for a court order to ban five gang members from making drill music.
The unprecedented move comes shortly after it was announced that YouTube had deleted more than 30 UK drill videos from its platform after police claimed the London-rooted style of rap music incited violence.