What is drill?
Drill is one of the most influential music movements of the past fifteen years. Born in a Chicago neighborhood, it crossed the Atlantic, transformed British rap, reached Brooklyn, then France.
Chicago, the birthplace
In the early 2010s, in Chicago's South Side, Chief Keef released his first tracks at 16. His lyrics described his neighborhood, its rules, its tensions. He became a global sensation before he had even come of age.
But it was a producer from the same neighborhood, London Buckner aka DJ L, who gave the genre its signature sound. He began introducing off-beat snares: that sharp, dry crack pulsing through a track, landing late or too early. The brain anticipates something that never comes on time, creating a sense of floating, almost of instability. That subtle rhythmic tremor would give drill its sonic identity.
Brixton, drill crosses the Atlantic
A few years later, the sound landed in Brixton, south London. This neighborhood, with its strong Afro-Caribbean community and a history of successive economic hardship, made the genre its own. Local producers fused DJ L's off-kilter rhythm with grime, an electronic genre born in London, dense and aggressive. UK Drill was born, with a darker, colder sound rooted in the reality of London streets.
Pop Smoke and the globalization of the genre
Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, rappers discovered Brixton's productions on YouTube and adopted them. Pop Smoke emerged with a less dark approach, closer to the East Coast sound. "Welcome to the Party" and "Dior" traveled the world. Murdered in February 2020 at just 20 years old, he had done enough to carry drill to audiences worldwide.
In France, a scene emerges
The first traces of French drill date back to 2019-2020. Gazo, Ziak, and Freeze Corleone laid the early foundations of the genre in French neighborhoods. 1PLIKÉ140, however, quickly established himself as one of the movement's pioneering figures.
How did 1PLIKÉ140 become one of the pioneers of drill in France?
In 2019, an 18-year-old released a series of freestyles from Clamart, a suburb in the south of Paris. His name is 1PLIKÉ140: the 140 is his city's postal code, which he turned into both an identity and a label, 140Bricks, a reference to the red bricks of his housing project.
His sound stood apart from anything else in France at the time. Drawing from UK drill, his staccato flow, on the edge of spoken word, quickly established him as one of the genre's pioneers in the country. Binks Beatz and Myth Syzer, two of the most prominent producers in French rap, joined his first project, a sign the industry had taken notice early.
1PLIKÉ140 keeps a low media profile. His lyrics, unfiltered, deal with lived experience, the streets, regret, religion. Some outlets have described him as one of the finest lyricists of his generation. His music videos, directed by Nefast, his producer, have accumulated millions of views on YouTube. Canada and Lopsa Story are among the most-watched.
Over the years, certifications have stacked up: 6 Gold singles, 2 Diamond singles, 1 Platinum single, 1 Platinum album, 1 Gold album. His catalog has accumulated over half a billion streams. His latest single, NO STRESS, confirms he is still very much active.
French Drill Vol. 1 is available on Bolero
The majority of 1PLIKÉ140's works are now available for investment through French Drill Vol. 1, a catalog of 50 recordings including 14 video rights, co-produced with his original label 140Bricks and Capitol Music France, a Universal Music France label, covering the period 2020-2023.
On the financial side, the rights have been valued at €199,279. The catalog generated €32,345 over the past 12 months, representing a yield of 16.23%. With an entry multiple (PRR) below 7, the entry point is competitive within the music rights market. The estimated IRR stands at 8.23% for a potential ROI of 57.5% over an 8-year horizon, with semi-annual rights distributions starting October 30.
Shares start at €5, with a minimum investment of €100, in a music market projected to grow by +54.4% by 2030 (Goldman Sachs, 2025).
To better understand how music rights investment works, read our guide Understanding music investment: how to invest in music rights with Bolero?
French Drill Vol. 1 is available now. To join our 30,000 members and discover the catalog, visit boleromusic.com.
Investing in music rights involves risks, including partial or total loss of capital. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
