There is evidence of that aim all over BIBLE, a drill album notably lacking in the genre’s typical idiom of guns and gangs. I don’t like to depend on anything, even if it’s drugs’ (Fivio Foreign) But in the meantime, Fivio is working tirelessly to prove that drill is not inherently violent. For the lyrics to change, ultimately the surroundings need to as well. Like any musician, a drill rapper takes inspiration from their surroundings. Heartbreak comes first, not music about heartbreak,” he says. It’s the violence that comes first, not the music. Though vague on the subject, he is passionate about ensuring that his chosen genre is not reduced to a monolith. Fivio is on a mission to sever that association. Law enforcement and politicians in cities like Chicago, London and New York have connected the rise in popularity of drill with a surge in knife crime and shootings. Lyrics in drill – the brutal threats and the hyperlocal specificity of those threats – have been linked to real-life acts of violence. Their music, at least to begin with, was tightly bound to those violent roots. It helped that Pop and Fivio were on the same side of the Brooklyn gang war. I might not have asked questions but I’m always watching.”

That’s my brother, so I got to keep his name alive,” he says. “I definitely want to continue his legacy. On BIBLE’s lead single, he proclaims that coronation complete: “Welcome to the city of gods/ Pop was the king of New York/ Now I’m the n***a in charge.” Fivio sees the album as a tribute to his late friend and teacher. After he died, Fivio was one of few potential successors to the throne. Pop tried to convince the label that signed him to sign Fivio too. Although Fivio was around a decade older, the pair were good friends. The 20-year-old big-hitter – behind tracks including “Dior” and “Christopher Walking” – was poised for an international breakthrough when he was killed in February 2020. Up until recently, Brooklyn drill was associated with another name: Pop Smoke. Melding punishing drum patterns with hectic basslines, the genre’s sound is just as ominous and menacing as the lyrics. He held his own on West’s “DONDA” and Nicki Minaj’s recently released “We Go Up”.Īlong the way, Fivio has emerged as the new voice of Brooklyn drill, a descendent of the Chicago-born rap style with links to gangs and violence. Over the next few years, he released tracks with Nas, Drake, and French Montana.

He then went viral on a remix of “Body” by UK rappers Russ Millions and Tion Wayne. In short order, Fivio found his feet with the 2019 ad-lib “Big Drip”.

But then, the way my career is going, man, anything is possible.” BIBLE is the latest chapter in Fivio’s fast track to hip-hop’s upper tier. The 32-year-old, real name Maxie Lee Ryles III, is in a similar state of shock over the fact West wanted to work with him. It might be just the thing to finally take drill mainstream. Offering a softer side to drill, the album trades in catchy choruses and R&B inflections, which make it accessible to masses beyond the genre’s most hardcore demographic. “Crazy” is how Fivio describes the release of BIBLE, his Kanye West-produced debut. “I just woke up.” His baritone voice, typically heard growling over a club sound system, is heavy with sleep. “I’m in the studio every day,” he says over Zoom, his camera off. They’re the product of day-in, day-out grinding. After all, collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Drake, Alicia Keys, and Kanye West don’t materialise through rest. Never mind that his debut album dropped only a week ago relaxation isn’t on the agenda. It’s morning in New York City, where the rapper grew up and continues to live, and he was up late last night in the studio. Ââ Fivio Foreign isn’t in the mood to chat. Fivio Foreign’s debut album offers a softer side to drill, with talk of guns and gangs kept to a minimum (Fivio Foreign)

Foreigner pop smoke