As a girl growing up in Charlottesville, RVA (Richmond, Virginia) Drill music was a staple of my high school years. I’d listen to it by myself or with guy friends, but when it came on I couldn’t help but notice how few of my female friends knew the lyrics. It wasn’t that they didn’t like music; it just didn’t feel relatable in the way pop or mainstream rap does. But RVA drill isn’t built on relatability, it’s built on flow, energy, and style. I think if more girls gave it a real chance, that alone might be enough to change their minds.
When you look past your assumptions and actually listen to RVA drill, what makes it distinct is its sound. All of the songs have similar beats, fast, bass-heavy and repetitive, making it easy to recognize. The flow also often follows a pattern and consistency which makes the songs feel connected even across different artists. A lot of songs reference Richmond directly, so once you hear certain names or places referenced you immediately recognize where it’s coming from.
Although the lyrics sometimes can be blunt and violent, which can turn people away, they’re also what makes the music feel uncensored and real.
Even with all that, I can see the reason why girls aren’t turning to RVA drill. A lot of women enjoy relatability in lyrics and that’s something they often can’t find in the genre. Compared to pop or mainstream rap, the lyrics don’t feel as easy to relate to. The delivery and subject matter can also be a turnoff at first. It’s also a heavily male-dominated space, both with artists and listeners.
RVA drill is easy to get into once you’re introduced to it, but if your friends don’t listen to it or you don’t hear it around, it makes you less likely to explore it on your own. For a lot of girls, it’s easier to ignore the genre than give it a real chance.
But although all of these reasons to not listen are relevant, they don’t hold up. Relatability isn’t required and writing off the genre just because of its lyrics ignores everything else RVA drill offers, like the flow, beat, and energy. You don’t have to see yourself in every lyric to enjoy the sound.
By neglecting the genre, girls are missing out on the energy and hype that comes from RVA drill. It’s not about lyrics, it’s about the sound and feeling. Once you start, it’s easy to get into. Just listening to one song will quickly open you up to more artists and soon you’ll have a whole playlist.
A lot of the time, people are surprised when they find out I listen to RVA drill. They assume I’m from Richmond or that I don’t know much about the genre. That reaction is part of the problem and the reason I want girls to open up to it and explore more.
RVA drill isn’t for everyone but to write it off completely is part of the problem and keeps the genre male-dominated. You don’t have to relate but give it a chance anyway.