How to Write Brooklyn Drill Songs

You want heat that stomps the room and lyrics that feel like a story from the block. Brooklyn drill is a voice, an attitude, and a set of sonic tools. It borrows grit from Chicago drill and swing from UK drill while staying proudly New York. This guide gives you songwriting moves, flow drills, production know how, lyrical ethics, and real life scenarios you can use right away.

Everything below is written for busy artists who want to finish songs that land fast. You will get practical workflows, line level edits, beat recipes, vocal techniques, and examples to copy and adapt. Expect explicit language like a blunt on a stoop, but with editing tips that actually lift your craft. We will explain any term and acronym, because no one likes pretending to know what an 808 does and then nodding nervously like it is modern art.

What Is Brooklyn Drill

Brooklyn drill is a subgenre of drill rap that rose in the late 2010s. It mixes the raw storytelling and aggressive vocal delivery of Chicago drill with the sliding 808s, sideways hi hat patterns, and cinematic samples popularized in UK drill. Producers in Brooklyn took those elements and added east coast cadence, shout heavy ad libs, and anthemic hooks that sound like they were written for a corner cypher or a club with strobe lights and bad decisions.

Quick glossary

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• Drill A style of rap with dark beats and street focused lyrics. The term started in Chicago and then evolved into different regional flavors.
• 808 Short for the Roland TR 808, a classic drum machine. In modern usage 808 usually means the deep sub bass sound that can be tuned and slid.
• BPM Beats per minute. It measures tempo. Brooklyn drill often lives around 140 BPM or 70 BPM with double time flows.
• Topline The vocal melody and lyrics. In rap it often means the vocal performance and hook combined.
• Glide The pitch slide technique used on 808 bass notes so the bass slides from one pitch to another.

The Brooklyn Drill Feel

Sound matters and vibe matters. Brooklyn drill feels cold, urgent, and cinematic. It is not pretty. It aims to shock, to command space, to make crowds move and security watch you twice. The production creates a hollowed out room for your voice to stalk. Your lyrics should either pose as a threat or tell a story that justifies that voice. Both are fine. The important part is authenticity. If you pretend, it will show in your prosody and in your ad libs.

Song Structure That Works

Drill songs do not need complicated forms. Keep it simple and heavy on hooks. Here are three reliable structures.

Structure A: Intro → Hook → Verse → Hook → Verse → Hook → Outro

This is the classic. Put your hook early and let it hit like a repeated headline. The intro can be a vocal tag, a sample, or a chopped melody.

Structure B: Intro Hook → Verse → Bridge → Hook → Verse → Hook

Use the bridge if you want a change of tone. The bridge can be more reflective or louder depending on the message.

Structure C: Short Intro → Verse → Hook → Verse → Hook → Short Outro

This is tight and streaming friendly. It keeps the momentum and avoids losing listeners between big hooks.

Tempo and Key Choices

BPM matters because it affects how flows sit. Brooklyn drill usually sits around 140 BPM or 70 BPM. The difference is a feel choice. 140 BPM feels frantic and you can rap fast. 70 BPM feels heavy and gives space for sliding 808s to breathe.

Key choices tend to be minor. Minor keys sound darker and more ominous which fits the genre. Pentatonic minor scales also work for hooks because they are easy to chant and hum in a crowd.

Beat Blueprint: Build a Brooklyn Drill Beat

Here is a basic beat recipe you can copy in any DAW. If you do not know what a DAW is, it means digital audio workstation. Think GarageBand, FL Studio, Ableton Live, or Logic Pro.

1. Kick and 808 relationship Use a clean punchy kick for attack and a tuned 808 for low end. Tune the 808 to the key of the beat. Use glide or portamento on the 808 to slide between notes for that signature wobble.
2. Snare or clap placement Place the main snare or clap on the third beat of the bar or at an off grid position for tension. In UK influenced patterns the snare often sits around beats three and seven in an eight note grid. Experiment and trust your ear.
3. Hi hat patterns Use syncopated triplet rolls and staggered 16th and 32nd notes. Rapid hat rolls create momentum. Add pitch variation so they do not sound robotic.
4. Percussion Add rim shots, toms, and ghost percussive hits to create a rattling feel. Keep them in the high mid range so they cut through the 808.
5. Melodic content Use a minor piano, a detuned synth, or a chopped sample. Space the melody and leave open pockets for vocals. Reverb tastefully but avoid mud. Drier vocals sit on top of wetter instruments.
6. Atmosphere Add vinyl crackle, ambient pads, or reversed cymbals for cinematic feel. These are background characters not leads.

808 Tricks That Make a Beat Slither

808s are the personality. Make them slide, make them push, and make them hit the chest. Key techniques

• Portamento or glide Set glide so short notes slide into long notes smoothly. Use sample based 808s with pitch bends or synth 808s with portamento.
• Distortion Use subtle saturation to bring the 808 above the sub. Be careful. Too much distortion kills the low end.
• EQ High pass everything else under 40 Hz to let the sub breathe. Car stereo heads will thank you.
• Sidechain to the kick Duck the 808 slightly when the kick hits so both can be felt. Use a fast attack and medium release for punch without pumping.

Writing a Hook That Sticks

The hook is the headline. It must be obvious, easy to chant, and melodic enough to sit in a crowd. Drill hooks are often darker and less melodic than pop hooks. The trick is repetition and rhythm.

Hook recipe

1. Write a two to four line phrase that states the main idea. Keep language concrete. Use place names, objects, and nicknames.
2. Repeat a short phrase at least twice. A ring phrase helps memory. Example ring phrase: block cold. Block cold.
3. Add a melodic contour that is easy to hum. Use minor pentatonic scales for a dark sing along.
4. Keep vowels open. Ah and oh vowels travel better in a club and on a phone stream.

Example hook idea

Blocks on my chain. Blocks on my chain. City on my back and I never fold again.

Verses That Earn the Hook

Verses should add context, details, and show progression. They can be bragging, storytelling, or observational. Good verses do three things

• Introduce a small scene or image
• Use punchlines and surprises
• Set up the emotional or narrative tension the hook releases

Real life scenario

Imagine you are at a bodega and someone talks reckless about your crew. You do not need to name names. Instead you describe the rain on the stoop, the way your shoelaces drag, and a single action you took after the insult. That small scene gives weight. It reads like a movie and keeps the listener invested beyond the chorus.

Flow and Cadence

Flow makes drill distinct. Focus on rhythmic placement of syllables. Drill flows often use off beat accents, short staccato lines, and sudden double time runs. Here are drills you can practice.

Flow Drill A: Blocky cadence

Speak a line in chunks. Lock syllables to an almost metronomic grid. This is great for threat style lines. Example pattern

Chunk one. Chunk two. Chunk three. Finish with a short punch.

Flow Drill B: Triplet roll

Use triplet subdivisions to create pressure. Think one two three one two three repeated to make a rolling drum feel. Place internal rhymes at the edges of triplets for impact.

Flow Drill C: Double time contrast

Alternate bars of normal pace with bars of double time words. The change creates adrenaline and highlights lines you want the listener to replay.

Prosody and Stress

Prosody means matching the natural stress of words to musical beats. It is the secret sauce that makes lines feel right and not forced. Speak your lines as if you are yelling in a hallway. Circle the stressed syllables. Make sure they land on the strong beats. If the stress is on a weak beat rework the wording or the rhythm.

Real life prosody check

Say a line out loud like you are arguing on a subway. If you stumble, the line will trip when you record it. Change the word order. Replace long words with short ones. Drill favors short hard consonants because they cut through the low end.

Writing Punchlines and Wordplay

Punchlines are not just jokes. They are emotional shifts. A good punchline flips expectation. Build setup lines that describe a situation and then hit with a short line that reframes it.

Before and after

Before punchline: I ran the block last night like I owned it.

After punchline: I ran the block last night. My name was on the posters by dawn.

Techniques

• Internal rhyme Place rhymes inside lines to add musicality without forcing the line ending.
• Multisyllabic rhyme Chain sounds across words. It sounds smarter and tighter.
• Metaphor that lands Use one concrete metaphor rather than five abstract words. Example: Heart like a lock without a key.

Ad libs and Vocal Character

Ad libs in drill are like punctuation. They are short, loud, and often aggressive. Keep a small palette of ad libs and use them at the same moments in the hook so fans can shout them back. Popular ad libs can be one syllable words, short laughs, or a signature catch phrase.

Recording tip

Record multiple ad lib passes. Pan a couple of them wide and leave one center. Add saturation to the center one for grit. Cut reverb on ad libs that should be upfront and add reverb to ones that act as echo commentators.

Lyric Ethics and Safety

Drill lyrics often describe real violence. That can have consequences. You can be raw and still responsible. Options

• Use hypothetical framing. Talk about emotions and consequences instead of naming specific acts.
• Use metaphor to convey threat without explicit statements.
• Tell a story from multiple perspectives. Make one verse reflective to show complexity.

Real life example

Instead of naming names and dates you can write about the after effect. Show the phone that stopped ringing and the neighbor who glances at the curb. Those are true and carry weight without escalating risk.

Topline Workflow That Actually Ships Songs

1. Beat first Start with the beat. Drill is production heavy so the beat will guide the flow and hook.
2. Vowel pass Rap on pure vowels over the hook section until you find a cadence. Record the best two minutes and mark repeats.
3. Find the ring phrase Pick a two word motif that is easy to chant. Place it on the catchiest note or rhythm.
4. Write the hook Keep it short. Repeat. Add one twist line at the end.
5. Write verses Use the crime scene edit. Replace abstractions with objects. Add a time stamp. Build a final line that lands as a punchline.
6. Record multiple takes Do a tight take for clarity and a raw take for energy. Choose which to keep or comp between them.

Mic Technique and Vocal Processing

Vocal tone matters. Drill vocals are often aggressive but stay clear. Use these steps

• Proximity Move closer for boldness and farther for breathy lines. Closer gives more low end which is good over heavy 808s.
• Compression Use a medium attack and fast release for punch. Too much compression kills dynamics.
• EQ Cut mud at 200 to 400 Hz if vocals become boxy. Boost presence around 3 to 5 kHz to cut through the beat.
• Exciter or saturation Add mild harmonic excitement to give presence and warmth.
• Delay and reverb Keep primary vocal mostly dry. Use short delay or slight reverb on doubles and ad libs.

Mixing Tips for Drill

• Space for the vocal Make room with EQ and sidechain. The vocal should ride the beat not hide behind it.
• Low end balance Keep the 808 mono under 150 Hz so sound systems reproduce it properly.
• Automation Automate vocal level an extra 2 dB for the hook to make it pop.
• Reference tracks Compare your mix to a modern Brooklyn drill track at similar loudness to judge EQ and energy.

Examples and Before After Rewrites

Theme: Reputation on the block

Before: Everybody knows my name, I run these streets.

After: They point when I walk past. Old men shake their heads like clocks wound wrong.

Theme: Loss and grit

Before: I miss my brother and it hurts.

After: His chain is in the drawer. I wear it wrong like a hollow trophy.

Micro Prompts to Write Drill Lines Fast

• Object round Name one object in your place. Write four lines where that object is the witness to something dangerous. Ten minutes.
• Time stamp Write a verse where every line contains a time of day. Five minutes.
• Reverse brag Start with a line where you lose something. Flip it to a line where that loss becomes power. Fifteen minutes.

Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes

• Too dense production Fix: Remove one melodic layer and leave space for vocal bite.
• Chorus that is just noise Fix: Reduce words. Repeat one phrase and let the beat own the rest.
• Flows that do not match prosody Fix: Speak lines slowly and move stressed syllables to strong beats.
• 808 muddying vocals Fix: Shelf the 808 mid frequencies and sidechain the 808 to the vocal during key syllables.

Collaborations and Credits

Brooklyn drill is collaborative by nature. Producers, mix engineers, and vocalists often trade tags and ad libs. Give clear credits in your metadata. Tag your producer on socials. A good team creates chemistry and builds scenes where fans will notice you.

How to Test Your Drill Song Live

Garage test

1. Play the beat through cheap speakers and through headphones. Drill hits both worlds differently.
2. Perform the hook out loud and count how many people can sing the ring phrase after one play.
3. Record a short clip and post privately to a group of friends. Ask what line they replayed in their head. Fix the hook until that line is consistent.

Release Strategy

Release drill singles frequently. One strong hook can go further than an album of middling tracks. Use visuals. Black and white bangers, grainy cuts, and closeups in low light work well. Keep your captions short and let the hook be the headline. If you have a signature ad lib make it a recurring motif across singles so fans start expecting it.

Action Plan You Can Use Today

1. Make a 70 BPM loop with a minor piano and a deep 808. Keep it sparse.
2. Dial in an 808 with glide. Tune it to the key and program a sliding pattern.
3. Record a vowel pass for two minutes over the hook. Mark the best cadence moments.
4. Write a two line hook and repeat a ring phrase. Keep it under eight words.
5. Draft verse one using three concrete details and end with a punchline.
6. Record three takes of the hook and pick the one with energy. Clean it with small EQ and compression.
7. Test the song on three friends and ask what line they remember. Fix until one line sticks.

Brooklyn Drill FAQ

What tempo should I use for Brooklyn drill

Brooklyn drill commonly sits around 140 BPM or 70 BPM. The faster feeling at 140 lets you fit rapid bars and double time flows. The slower 70 BPM feel gives weight to sliding 808s and leaves space for vocal aggression. Choose the tempo that fits your cadence and the hook energy you want.

How do I get that sliding 808 sound

Use a synth bass with portamento or use an 808 sample and automate pitch bend. Tune the 808 to the key of your song. Use short glide times for quick slides or longer for a slur effect. Add light saturation and sidechain to the kick for punch. Keep the sub frequencies mono for club translation.

Do I need live instruments for authenticity

No. Authenticity comes from voice and story not instrumentation. Many classic drill tracks use samples and virtual instruments. Live instruments can add character but are not required. Focus on vibe, clarity, and lyrical truth first. Add live elements when they serve the song.

How do I write a catchy drill hook

Keep it short, repeat one ring phrase, and use open vowels so crowds can chant. Add a small melodic contour that is easy to hum. Place the hook where the beat breathes and let the beat carry energy with minimal melodic clutter. Practice shouting the hook out loud. If you can imagine three people yelling it in a corner store, you are close.

How do I make my verses stand out without being repetitive

Use specific scenes and objects, shift perspective between lines, and end verses with a punchline or revelation. Introduce a time or place crumb. Bring in a contrast in the second verse to show change. Verses should add layers to the hook not repeat it.

Is it okay to copy flows from popular artists

Study flows and steal elements for learning. When you write, change enough so your voice is recognizable. Fans respect influence but will notice direct copying. Use studied flows as templates but make the words and cadence your own by adding personal details.

What equipment do I need to start recording drill songs

Basic setup: a computer, a DAW, an audio interface, a decent condenser microphone, and headphones. You can start with budget gear and upgrade later. The song matters more than gear. Learn mic technique and vocal processing early to make the most of your recordings.

How do I keep drill lyrics from escalating real world harm

You can write impactful drill without naming real people or inciting violence. Use fictionalized accounts, metaphors, or consequences. Focus on emotion and the aftermath of conflict. Show consequences and reflection to humanize stories instead of celebrating harm.

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Write Drill Lyrics Like a Professional Songwriter

The ultimate songwriting tool that takes your creative vision to the next level! With just a few clicks, you can unleash your inner songwriter and craft a hit that's uniquely yours. Your song. You own it.

What type of mood do you want your lyrics to have?*

Example: Happy, sad, inspirational, romantic, gritty...

What topic or theme do you want your song to be about?*

Example: Love, loss, overcoming adversity, party, faith, personal growth, reflection...

Are there any artists you want to use as inspiration?

Example: Lil Durk, Pop Smoke, Sheff G, Chief Keef, Headie One

Do you want the song to have a bridge?*

A bridge is used to provide a new perspective or shift in your song's mood

Yes No

What email address should we send your new song lyrics to?*

Generate My Song...