South London drill rapper Psychs has released a new track about the effects of the coronavirus on daily life, ‘Spreadin”.
Speaking to the BBC about the song, he explained: “I knew that if I’d done this in the right way, it would grab people’s attention… especially my generation.”
The songs lyrics cover a multitude of issues affected by the outbreak, including the postponement of the Premier League season, alternatives to handshakes like using feet, The Simpsons references, and flashes of humour: “Sneeze, but don’t get snot on me/ that might lead to quarantine”.
Watch the video below:
The rapper added: “One of the hardest things I’m anticipating is just not being able to see my friends if we do go into lockdown.”
Psychs, who is also currently studying for a BTEC in performing arts, sport and business, discussed his fears about how the school closure will affect his exams – which he’s already taken: “I guess I’m in the same predicament if exam boards close – maybe I’ll get a predicted grade? I just don’t know.”
Psychs’ track has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on YouTube since the rapper shared the track on March 16. “I think it’s the fastest project I’ve ever put out in my whole time of doing music, to be honest,” he said.
Last month, speaking to NME about new drill documentary Terms & Conditions, the film’s narrator Mr. Montgomery explained how he hoped that drill could start to be recognised as a positive force in the UK.
“The internet has spread a lot of misinformation about the UK drill scene, so this was a good chance to set things right. We are at a point where the government can’t hide behind blaming drill any more.
“We can see the real problem is behind the government not wanting to tackle the fact that inner cities have had no investment, and that the subsequent rise in poverty has created so much more fear.”