Drill rap is no more violent than Beatles, gang trial told

DRILL rap lyrics blamed for glorifying knife crime are no more violent than some songs by The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, a court has heard during a murder trial involving rival gangs.

Prosecutors claim the two men and three teenagers accused of stabbing 19-year-old Kamali Gabbidon-lynck to death “bragged” about killing him in a music video published after the murder in north London on Feb 22.

But John Cooper, defending, told the Old Bailey that the lyrics posted by the defendants – allegedly members of a group known as the NPK – were a “red herring” in cases of gang violence.

Quoting The Beatles’ Run For Your Life, he said: “‘I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than be with another man.’ This is not a drill artist – this is Paul Mccartney and John Lennon ... It is an utter, utter red herring. It’s not simply the domain of drill. Let’s not presume to understand everyone’s culture and everyone’s musical genre.”

Mr Cooper went on to read out the lyrics “I’ll stick my knife down your throat, baby, and it hurts” and asked jurors which song they featured in.

Informing jurors it was The Stones’ Midnight Rambler, he added: “This should be put in the box where it belongs – marked ‘irrelevant’. “It’s hard to get your head around the tragedy that runs right the way through this trial.”

The five defendants are also charged with attempting to murder Jason Fraser, Mr Gabbidon-lynck’s friend, who was stabbed eight times and shot once but survived the attack at a hair salon in Wood Green. Both victims had links to a gang called the WGM.

Oliver Glasgow, QC, prosecuting, said earlier: “The rivalry between these two groups has been a violent and bloody one, with each gang carrying out attacks on their rivals and then boasting about it online.”

The lyrics in the drill music rap said: “The NPK got their Rambos out. They were wiping Wood Green off the map.”

Tyrell Graham, 18, of Leyton, a 20-year-old and a 17-year-old from Tottenham, a 16-year-old from Wood Green and another 16-year-old from Edmonton, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny murder and attempted murder. The 20-year-old denies possession of a handgun with intent to endanger life and the 16-yearold denies possession of a knife.

The trial continues.

‘Let’s not presume to understand everyone’s culture and everyone’s musical genre’