How Melbourne gangs are turning gangster filming drill rap videos with weapons

Shocking footage has revealed Melbourne youth gang members filming rap videos in the city’s inner suburbs while brandishing weapons and rapping violent lyrics.

Victoria’s most notorious youth gang members are being influenced by overseas drill rap culture, with shocking footage showing teens brandishing weapons in music videos filmed in Melbourne’s inner suburbs.

The Herald Sun can reveal youth gang members are filming drill rap music videos at some of Melbourne’s busiest train stations, in vacant carparks and even quiet suburban streets, with young teens singing gritty and violent lyrics while holding guns, knives and money.

Drill rap music originated in Chicago in the late 2000s, rising to popularity in the UK in 2014.

Shocking footage obtained by the Herald Sun shows members from a youth gang understood to be from Melbourne’s southeast rapping in the back seat of a car, while brandishing what appears to be a real firearm and a bullet.

Other videos show the members rapping late at night outside Berwick station and in quiet suburban streets, with some dressed like gangsters wearing designer clothing and holding knives.

Melbourne youth gangs are brazenly brandishing weapons in drill music videos.

The youths often tag suburbs in their social media posts, which have included Ringwood East, Glen Waverley and Berwick.

In one Instagram post, youth gang members also brag about police catching them with firearms last year by copying and posting what appears to be a police document detailing their offences.

“Members of the gang were in possession of firearms … South eastern Melbourne youth gang involved in serious offences such as stabbings, armed robberies and assaults on rival gang members,” the post says.

A mum of a former gang member, from Melbourne’s southeast, told the Herald Sun her 16-year-old son was lured to join a gang at school.

“Social media has a big influence on these gangs, they post videos of themselves with weapons and rap music to show that they’re part of that ‘gangster scene’,” she said. “The most concerning thing I saw was looking at my son’s friends accounts and some of them had knives and really expensive clothes and bags; there’s no way they could afford those items.”

Melbourne youth gangs are brazenly brandishing weapons in drill rap videos.

A criminal psychologist has described it as a ‘new, emerging trend’.

Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro said youth gangs filming drill rap music videos appeared to be a “new and emerging trend”.

“It’s certainly a developing trend and I understand why they do it. The thing about social media, it gives them a voice,” he said.

“They’re using the power of social media including TikTok and Instagram reels to gain notoriety, more followers and influence.”

Mr Watson-Munro said guns were easily shipped into Australia.

“There are tragic consequences that occur with this gang behaviour that lead to members of one gang meeting up with another gang in the street and someone ends up getting stabbed to death or someone is shot to death,” he said.

Youth gangs are filming music videos in Melbourne's inner suburbs, while brandishing weapons.

Bond University associate professor of criminology and former Queensland police detective Terry Goldsworthy said rap music had always had a stigma of “gangster” culture attached to it.

“They’re doing this for a sense of belonging and excitement of that gang culture where they go out and do something unlawful and take a risk,” he said.

“But youth gangs are treated in an ad hoc manner compared to bikie gangs … youth gangs seem to bubble up and go away.

“The gangs may morph and change as different trends change.

“The people mature themselves, they may grow out of crime, others may not and go on to more serious crimes.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police had been relentlessly “pursuing, disrupting and dismantling” the state’s worst youth gangs as part of Operation Alliance.

“In the 12 months to the end of June 2022, Victoria Police arrested 371 known youth gang members a combined 1176 times,” she said.

She said 112 of those arrested had not reoffended.

Originally published as How Melbourne gangs are turning gangster filming drill rap videos with weapons