Dear facilitator,

Welcome back to Drillosophy: a new educational video series combining contemporary music culture with social ​ science to help young people think more critically about their world. It aims to be fun, authentic and — most importantly — transformative for its audience. Drillosophy has been borne-out of two things.

First is an urgent recognition that COVID-19 and the lockdown of Spring/Summer 2020 has placed a growing strain on ​ educators’ ability to teach, connect with and care for teenagers stuck at home. This is especially true for professionals working with young people from low-income or cramped households, those who do not have access to a laptop, and those who are already disillusioned with, or feel excluded from, school life.

Second is our broader, long-term motivation to leverage cutting-edge digital technology, a deep-rooted understanding of ​ youth culture and applied social science to affect change in the British education system.

Drillosophy resources are neither exhaustive or the finished product. But we hope they will empower you to have a meaningful, co-investigative dialogue with young people — during this difficult time, and beyond.

We are aware that, at present, episodes, resources and their references are male-dominated. We are actively trying to catch and hold the attention of the hardest-to-reach boys and young men for legitimate reasons (e.g. their disproportionate rates of exclusion from school and incarceration). But we are working on making our work more gender-inclusive. Please watch this space.

Contact us on [email protected] if you have any questions, feedback or means of supporting us. Thank you for ​ ​ engaging.

The RoadWorks Team London, 14th May 2020

Episode 2: Therapy in the Trap

Summary

Please ensure that all facilitators and participants have watched the episode before starting this!

Episode aim: to explore how Aristotle’s idea of ‘catharsis’ can be applied to lyric-writing as a form of storytelling that ​ serves a therapeutic function.

Key words: therapy, catharsis, purgation, emotions, feelings, pain, numb, PTSD, drill, hiphop, theatre, storytelling, ​ distance, toxic masculinity, vulnerability, mindfulness.

Structure: (A) Check-in: discussion questions to introduce episode theme (B) Music: fact + discussion questions to introduce storytelling and narration (C)Theory: exercise to examine catharsis and purgation. (D)Music + Theory: two exercises to apply catharsis and dissect lyrics (E) Creation: follow-up exercise to encourage mindfulness of oneself and others.

Note: We recommend that you ask recipients of your facilitation to open the accompanying resource document on a ​ phone or laptop screen. This document is to provide you with additional context, ideas and questions with which to deepen your practice as you work through the resource.

You may want to focus on one page; you may want to stretch the resource out over several sessions. These resources are designed to be flexible for you to deliver to an individual or group of any secondary school, college or undergraduate age and academic ability.

(A) Check-in

Instructions: ask participants to choose a question to answer. Encourage them to take guesses if they don’t know. Allow ​ for an open, flexible discussion to introduce a relaxed tone to the workshop.

HOW DO YOU FEEL AFTER WATCHING ‘THERAPY IN THE TRAP’?

WHEN DID YOU LAST TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS? - If the young person has not talked to someone about their feelings and emotions, or feels like they have nobody to do this with, please use your judgment and follow links in the episode description for advice on mental health support.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BE MINDFUL OF THE FEELINGS OF OTHERS?

CAN YOU DESCRIBE A TIME WHEN YOU WERE MINDFUL OF SOMEONE’S FEELINGS? - Recognising how people’s mental state can affect their interactions with others is important. - How can we be more mindful of this? - Ask the young person to explain how they were mindful and why this was important. ​ ​ ​ ​

(B) Music

Instructions: work through the questions and pose them sequentially. Encourage open discussion and add details using ​ information below to spark further conversation. Answers to the third (Pop Smoke states that he goes on shopping sprees to ease his pain) and fourth (pride, jealousy, love, hate) questions are given in the documentary.

WHY DO YOU THINK AMBUSH NAMED HIS TRACK EASTENDERS? - In the track Ambush refers to beef over gyal (disagreements which develop between young men because of their relationships with a girl) as being “long”, “mad” and “cursed”. - He is talking about problems that arise over petty jealousies in relationships and friend groups. This is not gender specific. - ‘Eastenders’ is in reference to the popular BBC soap opera in which the lives of the residents of an area are dramatised. Each episode usually follows several plotlines similar to how Ambush tells 3 stories in his track. Eastenders often depicts drama affected by the ‘he said, she said’ nature of gossip, as in the song’s narrative.

WHERE WAS POP SMOKE FROM? WHY IS THIS SIGNIFICANT? - Pop Smoke was from Brooklyn, New York. - Pop Smoke’s music can be defined as Drill music but not UK Drill. - Fact: the popularity of the UK Drill sound has influenced the sound of current Brooklyn Drill, specifically with Brooklyn artists such as Pop Smoke having sought production from UK producers such as 808 Melo.

WHAT DOES P.T.S.D. STAND FOR? - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. - What is interesting about Pop Smoke’s choice of words in expressing his feelings?

(C) Theory

Instructions: Use questions and image of greek amphitheatre to facilitate a discussion on the role of catharsis as ​ purgation for members of society. Perhaps begin by introducing the theatre as one of the places that Greek society would frequent to experience stories in the form of dramatic performance.

ON ARISTOTLE: - Aristotle was born in 384 BCE on the Greek island of Chalcidice and died in 322 BCE. - Alongside his teacher Plato, Aristotle is considered as being a very important thinker in the tradition of Western philosophy. - Aristotelian thought has also heavily influenced other lasting types of philosophy, such as virtue ethics. - Where Plato believed that stories, art and performance should be banned, as they would influence people to act in negative ways, Aristotle believed the opposite. He felt that experiencing stories is good for society, as stories allow ​ ​ people to purge their negative emotions. - The Plato vs Aristotle debate on this topic is applicable to attempts to ban modern drill music on account of its alleged ability to influence young people in a negative way.

THINK OF 3 PLACES IN THE MODERN WORLD WHERE YOU CAN TELL OR EXPERIENCE STORIES: ​ ​ ​ ​ - Examples could include: cinema, theatre, soap operas and dramas, books, songs, concerts, social media posts, YouTube and video content. - Ask participants what effect experiencing stories has on their own emotions. - Psychic distance: a narrative device that there are different perspective standpoints a narrator can take whilst ​ telling a story. E.g. third-person (Ambush in ‘Eastenders’); first-person (Knucks in ‘Home’; Konan in ‘My Story’).

(D) Music + Theory

Instructions: these are two exercises which use the lyrics of both Knucks and Konan respectively to explore the ​ episode’s themes in a different way.

KNUCKS, HOME (2020) - The first exercise using Knucks’ lyrics is an opportunity to talk about reasons why he felt more comfortable talking to his friends, or why he didn’t feel like he wanted to talk to his Mum. - Do you think he regrets not talking to his mum in hindsight? - Some suggestions on why Knucks prefers talking to his friends than talking to his Mum: feels embarrassed, thought she wouldn’t understand as well as his friends, did not want her to judge him, was afraid of getting in trouble if he told her something. Encourage participants to think about whether his reasons were helpful to him or not. - Effects that telling the story may have had on Knucks: relief, reflection, understanding, regret, remorse, sadness, purgation, closure. - Point to the fact that Knucks is able to explain his thoughts and motivations while telling the story such as the fact that he was not intending to do anything when he approached the person at the party and that he states that he was actually just bluffing. Point out that this an example of revisiting an event with distance to be able to examine it more closely.

KREPT & KONAN, MY STORY (2013) - Parts from Konan’s verse that show purgation of negative emotions include: - Ran into my mum's room panicking, somebody wake me from this dream now, somebody come and save the day somebody take this pain away, Is this how my life ends? (Nowhere to run, no place to hide in), wishing I could disappear, I couldn't even shed a tear, trapped in this nightmare, how did I get here? - Vocabulary: why did he choose to use these words to express himself? ​

- Meaning: who and what is Konan talking about? What effect do participants think the experience and storytelling ​ process had on him? - Refer to the interview quotation where Konan states “It's really helped me through the process. Watching it back ​ was just mad and when I released it on Sunday, it was just like relief flooding through me, that maybe this was going to be all over” as a direct confirmation of purging negative emotions. ​ - Form: Personal narrative comparable to Knucks’ Home. ​ - Whilst both tracks revolve around the retelling of an event that took place, ‘Home’ takes place over a longer period of time and ‘My Story’ refers to an event that happened in a much shorter space of time.

FURTHER POINTS: - Toxic Masculinity can be defined as the harmful and socially-constructed attitude that men can be expected to be ​ violent, unemotional; that strength is shown by a lack of emotion and the possession of physical force. - Be mindful of language used; people may be victims of events that have taken place but referring to people as ‘victims’ of disorders or as ‘suffering’ from mental conditions may be leading and have negative connotations.

(E) Creation

Instructions: Encourage participants to discuss music that make them feel relaxed, mindful and positive. ​

What makes them feel that way: the instrumentation, lyrics, or both?

Encourage participants to then think of someone who might benefit from hearing their song, and share it with them.

Ask participants to create (draw, write, rhyme etc.) a piece that reflects the same mood that they feel when they listen to their chosen track.

Participants are welcome to submit their creation to us by email: [email protected] — or upload it to and ​ ​ tag us on Instagram: @roadworksldn. ​ ​

FURTHER QUESTIONS: - What steps could you take to learn more about your emotions and to be more open? - Do we always have to feel happy? - Are there people in your life you could be more mindful towards? - What steps could you take to be more mindful towards others in your life? - What could people do to be more mindful of you? Do you always communicate this clearly to people? - What actions could you take if you find yourself in a situation where someone is not being mindful of your feelings? Suggest action such as: Take a step away from the situation, politely and calmly explain that you refuse to engage with the person unless they agree to take your feelings into consideration, ask a responsible and appropriate person to intervene, consider just walking away from the situation.

Bibliography and Further Reading

Ciaran Thapar, youth worker and writer: https://www.ciaranthapar.uk/ ​

Reveal Poison, youth worker and HipHop educator: https://revealpoison.com/ ​

Educational video on Aristotle’s Poetics, Greek tragedy and catharsis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Ue3SxCQ_Q ​

Interview with Kenny Allstar: https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/kenny-allstar-uk-drill-interview ​

NitoNB - Mad About Bars w/ Kenny Allstar [S3.E13] 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndzUk7lt4bA ​

Interview with George the Poet: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/21/george-the-poet-young-people-excluded-podcast-royal-wedding

Franklyn Addo (journalism): https://www.franklynaddo.co.uk/portfolio ​

Franklyn Addo (music): https://www.frxnklyn.co.uk/ ​

Franklyn - A13 (2018 - video forthcoming), taken from Archives EP (2019): https://lnkfi.re/archives ​

Ambush - Eastenders (2020) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehFs36iS5XY ​

Pop Smoke - PTSD (2019) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELNUK2W0aVs ​

On Brooklyn Drill Music (2020): https://www.complex.com/music/brooklyn-drill-the-new-sound-of-new-york ​

Aristotle - The Poetics: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/poetics.1.1.html ​

Reveal - Warning (2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rcmc8o5tg0 ​

Knucks - Home (2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKb0XPEnwOk ​

Krept and Konan - My Story (2013) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9rcAzic4zE ​

Interview with Konan about events of My Story (2017) - https://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/news/croydon-news/my-rap-tribute-brave-dad-433070

Therapeutic Uses of Rap and HipHop - Hadley; Yancy(2012) - ​ ​ https://www.worldcat.org/title/therapeutic-uses-of-rap-and-hip-hop/oclc/641536886

Hip-Hop Psych, researching HipHop and clinical psychology https://www.hiphoppsych.co.uk/ ​

Young Minds, mental health support for young people - https://youngminds.org.uk/ ​

Mind Charity: https://www.mind.org.uk/ ​

CAHMS advice for young people: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/camhs-information-for-children-and-young-people/ https://camhs.cnwl.nhs.uk/young-people-adolescents/mental-health-tips-coping-strategies/