Tion Wayne and Russ Millions’ Body becomes first number one drill song
The genre has grown steadily in popularity since 2018.
Body by Tion Wayne and Russ Millions has become the first drill song to top the UK charts in what has been described as a “landmark” moment for the genre.
The track climbed from number four to number one this week, racking up 71,000 chart sales including 10.7 million streams, boosted by a remix featuring artists including Bugzy Malone and Darkoo.
The duo said: “We want to thank everyone for getting us the first drill number one. Big up everyone on the remix, big up everyone involved, big up the Atlantic family. Mad love.”
Drill music, a type of hip hop characterised by its distinctive trap-style beat and ominous sounds, has steadily grown in popularity since 2018.
Wayne and Millions have in recent years became leaders in the genre – Body is Tion’s ninth top 40 single and Russ’ fourth.
Their 2019 collaboration Keisha & Becky peaked at number seven and became one of the UK’s biggest songs of that year.
However, drill music has also been blamed by some for fuelling violent crime and in 2018 Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick called on social media platforms to take down drill videos that were claimed to incite violence.
BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter Kenny Allstar said: “Russ and Tion is a winning formula, they’ve conquered the charts together for a few years now with such great chemistry, it’s sick to see an authentic number one single coming from the streets of London.
“This is yet another groundbreaking landmark for not only them but the drill scene too.”
Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said: “Over 69 years, the Official Singles Chart has seen a multitude of different genres pioneering a new number one sound.
“The fantastic achievement this week of Tion Wayne and Russ Millions marks a brand new high point for drill and perhaps the beginning of a new era for the Official Singles Chart.”
On the albums chart, Brighton duo Royal Blood earn their third number one album with Typhoons, which incorporates disco into their heavy rock sound.
With 32,000 chart sales, including 24,000 on physical formats and the most digital downloads of the week, the band outsold the rest of the top five combined.
Typhoons follows 2014’s self-titled debut and 2017’s How Did We Get So Dark?
