Project Alpha is a British Metropolitan Police Service intelligence gathering initiative set up in June 2019. [1] One of the functions of the initiative is gathering information from social media. [2] Its activities have included monitoring videos released by the UK drill music scene. [3] [4]
According to The Guardian , it has been involved in large-scale gathering of information about children. [1]
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid-to late 1980s in Los Angeles as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of urban American gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappers flaunt associations with real street gangs, especially the Crips and Bloods. Gangsta rap's pioneers include Schoolly D of Philadelphia and Ice-T of Los Angeles, later expanding with artists such as N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, and the Notorious B.I.G. In 1992, via record producer Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg, and their G-funk sound, gangsta rap broadened to mainstream popularity.
"Jesus Walks" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004, as the fourth single from his debut album The College Dropout (2004). The song contains a sample of "Walk with Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. "Jesus Walks" was acclaimed by music critics, who praised its compelling sonic atmosphere and boldness in its open embrace of faith. It was met by widespread commercial success, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming West's fourth consecutive top-twenty hit in the United States.
Comando Vermelho, also known as C.V., is a Brazilian criminal organization engaged primarily in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, protection racketeering, kidnappings-for-ransom, armored truck hijackings, loansharking, irregular warfare, narco-terrorism, and turf wars against rival criminal organizations, such as Primeiro Comando da Capital and Terceiro Comando Puro. The group, originally known as Falange Vermelha, was formed in 1979 as an alliance between ordinary convicts and leftist militants who were incarcerated together during the military dictatorship of 1964–1985. In the early 1980s, the group changed its name to Comando Vermelho and abandoned its far-left political ideology.
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of social media arise due to the variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available, there are some common features:
"No Church in the Wild" is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring American singers Frank Ocean and The-Dream, from the former two's first collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). Opening the album, the song explores themes of religion and decadence. The track received highly positive reviews from music critics, who praised Ocean's vocal hooks, the depth of the verses, the cinematic production and the song's power as an opening track.
Social media intelligence refers to the collective tools and solutions that allow organizations to analyze conversations, respond to social signals and synthesize social data points into meaningful trends and analysis, based on the user's needs. Social media intelligence allows one to utilize intelligence gathering from social media sites, using both intrusive or non-intrusive means, from open and closed social networks. This type of intelligence gathering is one element of OSINT.
Drill is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in Chicago in the early 2010s. It is sonically similar to the trap music subgenre and lyrically similar to the gangsta rap subgenre. Artists within drill music have been noted for their style of lyricism and association with crime in Chicago. The genre progressed into the American mainstream in 2012 following the success of rappers like Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Lil Reese, Fredo Santana, G Herbo, Lil Bibby and King Louie who had many local fans and a significant internet presence alongside producer Young Chop. Other rappers, such as LA Capone and RondoNumbaNine also contributed to the early drill scene. As the audience grew, media attention and the signing of drill musicians to major labels followed. Later, after the initial momentum from the early 2010s somewhat subsided, Chicago drill had a resurgence in the late 2010s, with artists such as King Von, Polo G and a renewed Lil Durk.
Hashtag activism refers to the use of Twitter's hashtags for Internet activism. The hashtag has become one of the many ways that social media contributes to civic engagement and social movements. The use of the hashtag on social media provides users with an opportunity to share information and opinions about social issues in a way that others (followers) can interact and engage as part of a larger conversation with the potential to create change. The hashtag itself consists of a word or phrase that is connected to a social or political issue, and fosters a place where discourse can occur. Social media, provides an important platform for historically marginalized populations. Through the use of hashtags these groups are able to communicate, mobilize, and advocate for issues less visible to the mainstream.
UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Borrowing from the style of Chicago drill music and road rap, UK drill artists often rap about violent and hedonistic criminal lifestyles. Typically, those who create this style of music are affiliated with gangs or come from socioeconomically-deprived neighbourhoods where crime is a way of life for many.
67 are a British hip hop collective originally composed of rappers LD, Monkey, Dimzy, Liquez, ASAP and 67 Sj. The group has expanded since its inception, with many new members joining. They are best known for their 2016 track "Lets Lurk", and are widely regarded as highly influential on the UK drill scene. They were nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2016 MOBO Awards.
Irving Ampofo Adjei, known professionally as Headie One, is a British rapper and singer. In 2018 he released his second solo mixtape, titled ‘The One’, which included the single "Know Better" featuring rapper RV, it became an "underground hit". Headie One is a member of the UK drill group OFB and is considered to be a pioneer innovator of the UK drill scene.
Zone 2 is a British hip hop collective based in Peckham, London. The group has gained millions of views and streams through their music on YouTube and streaming platforms. The group is noteworthy for its rivalry with Moscow17. The rivalry began around 2016 and has resulted in various diss tracks between the two groups, as well as physical violence.
Harlem Spartans, often abbreviated to HS, also known as Harlem O or simply Harlem, is a British hip hop collective based in Kennington, London. Members of Harlem Spartans have acquired over 100 million streams through their music. The name, "Harlem", is a nickname for their local area of Kennington. The police allege that Harlem Spartans is a gang, however this is denied by the group.
Skengdo x AM, whose real names are Terrell Doyley and Joshua Malinga, respectively, are a British hip hop duo from Brixton, London. They are both members of the UK drill group and alleged gang, 410, which is known to have conflict with neighbouring Harlem Spartans, based in Kennington. The duo gained some media attention in 2019 where they were handed a suspended jail sentence due to performing a song that police alleged encouraged gang violence.
Brooklyn drill is a regional subgenre of drill music, centered in Brooklyn, New York, that began as derivative of the drill music scene in Chicago and later became derivative of UK drill with its 808 percussion and sliding notes by producers from the UK drill scene. Brooklyn drill emerged around 2014 with the single "Hot Nigga" from the rapper Bobby Shmurda. Other early pioneers were rappers Rowdy Rebel, Bam Bino, Money Millz, Dah Dah and Curly Savv. It was again made popular in the mainstream in 2019 by the late Pop Smoke. With the success of his mixtapes, particularly the song “Dior”, Pop Smoke introduced Brooklyn drill into the mainstream music industry. Other notable Brooklyn drill artists include Fivio Foreign, 22Gz, Sheff G, Sleepy Hallow, and Dusty Locane.
Keron Joel Foriest, known by his stage name Ron Suno, is an American drill rapper, songwriter, comedian and YouTuber. In June 2020, Suno released his debut studio album, Swag Like Mike, dedicated to entertainment figures such as Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, and Michael Jackson, who inspired his art.
Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert, known professionally as Digga D, is a British rapper. He rose to fame in 2017 along with his UK drill collective 1011. His mixtapes Double Tap Diaries and Made In The Pyrex reached No. 11 and 3 on the UK Albums Chart, respectively. His third mixtape Noughty By Nature was released on 15 April 2022, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Predictive policing is the usage of mathematics, predictive analytics, and other analytical techniques in law enforcement to identify potential criminal activity. A report published by the RAND Corporation identified four general categories predictive policing methods fall into: methods for predicting crimes, methods for predicting offenders, methods for predicting perpetrators' identities, and methods for predicting victims of crime.
CGM, is a British hip hop collective based in Ladbroke Grove, London specifically the Portobello Estate. They were formerly known as 1011, named after the W10 and W11 postal codes. They are considered to be one of the pioneers of the UK drill scene.
7th is a street gang based on the Woodgrange Estate & Blackwater Close in Forest Gate.