Late 2019, Drake who is arguably the most celebrated musical artist in mainstream music released a single by the name of “War“. This single was his latest nod to the ever-growing drill and grime music scene in the United Kingdom. Drake has previously expressed his admiration and respect towards the British music scene in collaboration with featured artists such as Skepta, Giggs, and Santan Dave. The track “War” sets an ominous, ethereal and confronting mood with production from the well-renounced British producer “AXL Beats” who has been known for flooding the American Hip-Hop/Rap scene with sounds that express the spirit that is the streets of London. 
Grime is to the U.K. what rap is to the U.S. and it is exciting to see it being appreciated in American culture. Like rap, grime has transcended music as it exists as an entire culture inspiring everything from: language, politics, film, and fashion. It has its own pulse which was initially in-sync with that of American culture until it grew its own two legs.
The track War is just the latest installment in Drake’s adaptation of this foreign music genre with earlier tracks such as Behind Bars (freestyle), and No Long Talk (ft. Giggs). Being such a big artist, anything that he choses to indulge in will receive a major look from a mainstream audience and the growth in popularity of this genre can be partially credited to him and his endeavors. This is not to discredit the grime artists such as: Skepta, Stormzy, Santan Dave, Octavian and many more who have remained authentic to the integrity of their culture and sound over multiple years. However it is tough for a genre such as grime to become popular in the U.S. especially because of the variance in English accents and the lack of acknowledgment towards British culture.
Film is an integral part of how people who are not a part of a particular culture perceive said culture. In American film, Britain is portrayed as a place where everyone is white, posh, and proper and eat crumpets. It is not a culture that is seen to have the complexities that are present in American culture with variances in socio-economic classes, races, ethnicities, etc. Therefore it is a tough sell to for British rappers to be respected on the same playing field as American rappers. However, this is why Drake should be celebrated for reaching out and endorsing it because if he respects it then why shouldn’t your average American rap fan?
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