Dru Benell's journey as a student rapper

Photo by Simran Gvalani

Dru Benell, whose stage name was inspired by Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, was drawn to the city in hopes of launching a music career. Having been musically inclined from a young age, Dru- real name Andrew O’Brien- has an affinity for hip-hop and, after meeting other creatives, found that his focus shifted from being an admirer of the genre to actively trying to become a rapper. Knowing next to nothing about production and beat-making, Dru set out to begin a new journey. It was challenging but, eventually, he released a SoundCloud mixtape of indie, experimental rap, which was a major milestone in his newfound career. The thing is, he may never have got to that point.

“The first beat I actually made myself- the track is now lost. Me and Tom put so many verses on it back and forth. We were really happy with it but it’s just gone now because my MacBook crashed which was heart-breaking.”

This could have been disappointing to the point of no return for someone just starting to figure out their passion and craft. But O’Brien thought of it as a tiny setback, forging ahead despite the adversity. Support systems are crucial in trying times. Having the right kind of people around him was critical, and Dru had some very close friends and frequent collaborators who pushed him to do better, be better.

“Tom pushes me quite a lot, especially when I started getting into hip-hop he was the one showing all the different things about it and broadening my horizons. There’s a few that we did with a producer I met at a JID concert who has some really nice beats and that drastically improved the quality of our song production.”

Creatively, collaborative efforts tend to stimulate more than solo sessions, according to Dru. It helped a young artist explore a whole new world of sound, and discover what they truly are into. O’Brien’s first mixtape was featured grungy, DIY beats layered with heavily pitched vocals. Dru had found a voice and vibe that truly allowed him to express himself, and says he may not have been able to do so without collaboration with other artists.

“When I first started in music and stuff I was always in bands and things and at first I don’t think I necessarily saw the value of being able to bounce off other musicians or at least took it somewhat for granted and didn’t really appreciate it. Towards the end of university I started focusing more on myself and solo stuff and tried to find a niche, really far-out style but having people around to really push you, build on your style and help you branch out is really helpful. I guess I could do with some more people around.”

The past year or so, the country has been in a constant state of limbo- uncertainty and disappointment dominated our adjustment to the new, socially-distanced status quo. Everyone endured, everyone suffered. But musicians were hit hard by the pandemic. Unable to meet anyone for months on end, Dru was virtually in a creative cul-de-sac, and needed a fresh perspective, which mirrored the core of the music industry since March 2020.

“You’re not really seeing people, going about doing things so there’s less to talk about. I was initially planning on using this year to improve my skills in production, making beats etc, but with Covid you can’t see people so the collaboration I needed for that to happen was missing. The whole situation in general leaves you more uninspired. I haven’t been making too much music so far, there’s less motivation in general.”

Currently about to achieve a master’s degree in the psychology of music at Leeds University, Andrew’s life is a cocktail of research, deadlines, group-work and a healthy dose of finals stress, all taking place on zoom calls. When asked about the prospect of being able to start returning to a more normal lifestyle, being out and about in his vibrant city, Dru’s eyes lit up. His relationship with Leeds is a central aspect of his music career, which he tells me is why he chose to settle in the city in the first place.

“I love the music scene in Leeds and part of why I moved here for university is I heard about how lively it is and about all the different kinds of venues and things. I felt like it would be a good place for my music career.”

Dru cited the “diversity in terms of music and people” and “the amount of raves and the types of music on display” as major reasons for his arrival in the North Yorkshire city. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone- Leeds is well known for its music scene, particularly its embrace of warehouse raves which are generally packed with herds of students. Dru found exactly that when he first arrived.

“Beaver works is one of the first places that come to mind when I think of Leeds, everyone goes there and its really famous. There’s loads of nights to choose from though, like Mission, Tunnel, Wire. Leeds has a really good balance of smaller, underground venue and bigger, club type deals.”

Having quickly assimilated into the Leeds lifestyle, Drew found that, while the northern powerhouse was a party paradise for students with cheap, mid-week night outs at larger venues an inseparable part of his first year, the music usually on offer was not inherently something he wished to take part in.

“One downside to the Leeds scene is its very electronic, very club culture. There’s definitely some indie nights and stuff but overall it’s a bit difficult to get off the ground with a career seeing as its very DJ oriented.”

So even as Andrew O’Brien deeply enjoyed the nightlife of Leeds as a student, Dru Benell the artist favoured more personal and intimate venues. Places with some character and edge, where artists can perform to smaller crowds and really get them engaged. As it happens, Leeds has many of those too.

“I feel like if Church was not shut down it would be a really good place to play, and it was one of my favourites to go to as well. I usually prefer some of the smaller venues, more intimate. I’m from Manchester though and one of my favourite venues there is St Albert’s hall or King George’s.”

Photo by Simran Gvalani

Growing up in suburban Preston, Drew was musically inclined from a young age. He had played a variety of instruments but by the time high school rolled around, guitar and bass pretty much dominated his musical spectrum. Drew shares the story of how he first became part of a band, and what the experience meant for him.

“When I was in high school I just stared playing guitar with one of my friends. We had this big fight and I tried to come and find him and their bassist had bailed out on them so I filled in and from then on I was just like into music. That’s like my origin story.”

Given the subsequent direction that his music career took, and shift in genre, it was quite interesting to note that Drew did not start off as a rapper. Indie bands had a significant impact on Drew’s musicality, and helped shape his current taste in music.

“There’s a very varied range of things that I enjoy, like the 1975- the way they use sounds a certain way and I find it really interesting. People like Cage the Elephant and Artic Monkeys as well; all your indie guitar, riff-based bands were very formative I guess, influenced me a lot.”

When asked if his favourite bands influence his production of music today, Drew emphatically agreed that they still play a crucial role.

“Nothing beats a guitar solo at the end of the day, I fell in love with hip hop and other genres of music and they all have their own elements that make them great but nothing beats a good guitar solo so if I’m working in a space where I can put a guitar solo in, I probably will.”

Dru’s creative process is influenced heavily by lyricism and narrative structures. Artists such as American rap-duo Earthgang and J.I.D. made a profound impression on Dru’s musical ventures via their ability to weave complex narrative structures, societal observations and extremely lyrical verses together. Perhaps his love of Eminem from a younger age deeply shaped his future stance on rap music.

“I grew up with Eminem, my mum was a big fan so it was always playing in the house and I got into him that way. I like good storytelling. My own stuff is very pensive and I try and write more poetically, and I’m not as drawn to more “fun” rap where they’re just having a laugh. No disrespect to it but it doesn’t quite do it for me.”

Leaning towards more conscious rap, where serious issues are tackled and dealt with in a meaningful way can be difficult to achieve while also trying to make a song that appeals to a wide audience. Dru attempts to strike a balance with his music and add a playful element to his verses, but that too poses its own challenges.

“It can be kind of difficult to find the vibe that I’m going for sometimes, even though my inspiration is Earthgang and J.I.D. and stuff not all of it is as pensive as I take it. They have a bit more of a sense of humour with it than I do. That is a plus and something I want to work towards. I would love to have that balance I guess I’m just not as funny as I think I am.”

Photo by Simran Gvalani

Establishing himself as a lyrical rapper was not an easy feat. Dru takes me through his writing process, and describes how he finds the whole experience cathartic in nature, helping him better understand himself and work through issues in his personal life.

“I write in almost a poetry format so that brings up imagery that’s sort of weird and out there. I think just personal stuff, like most musicians I guess you use it as a way of putting your personal stuff down on paper and work through it. It’s a combination of day to day stuff and then I throw heavier stuff into the mix, stuff I’ve been through I guess or am still going through, writing’s a good mechanism for helping cope with those kinds of things. I’ve written about family before and how they grew up or family members that aren’t here anymore and how it affects my mental health; that seems to crop up often.”

Beat-making and producing in general is an area that needs work, Dru admitted. Anyone with a laptop can make a beat nowadays, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be brilliant. Like with any other aspect of making music, production needs time, effort and skill. Dru reveals how he is essentially self-taught, and began making beats by simply messing around with the software.

“So I’m still not a pro, I’m still very much learning, but just through watching tutorials of how to use the software and just playing around with different functions and stuff on the DAW. Because I’m still learning it I don’t have a very direct approach to that side of making music, I just kind of do whatever and if it sounds good I’ll try and write something over that or if it doesn’t sound good try and work out what doesn’t sound right and change that.”

When you look at hip-hop today, the diverse range of beats on display is truly staggering. There’s so much already out there, it could prove difficult finding what exactly suits your style and lyrical delivery. Dru stays fairly flexible with his choice of instrumentals, but looks out for certain features.

“It’s a bit more difficult to write to a slower beat but at the same time beats that are too fast or too heavy, like a drum n bass style beat that needs MC style writing is also too much. There’s a sweet spot in between, I need something with a swing to it but also quite punchy. Usually between 120-150 bpm. Definitely something that’s got a bit more punch is what I’m drawn to.”

It can prove complicated to figure out what you want your core identity to be as a rapper. Dru talks about how he wants his music to be perceived.

“The whole idea of what I want is to not be something that’s just hip-hop, just indie rapping and guitars and stuff. I wanted to make something that was a blend of the two and also takes cues from other genres of music. I want my music to represent me in a way and the music I listen to that inspires me so it’s a whole mash of different things. Like I said I want it to be weird, I want people to listen to it and be like “that’s odd but I kind of dig it.”

Dru is also passionate about sampling. The concept of sampling is one of the bedrocks of rap music today. Taking a part of a completely different song in a completely different genre and then altering it to become an integral part of your beat is a hip-hop staple. For example, Kanye West, one of the most well-known rappers in the world, is acclaimed for his ability to chop up vocals from old soul/funk music and repurpose it in a bright and engaging way. It’s a famous characteristic of his music, and an undeniably significant part of any producer’s toolkit. It makes it possible for rap to be genre-bending in many ways, as there are little to no restrictions on where your sample can come from. Indie guitar riffs, soulful vocals, even random everyday sounds have been sampled successfully by big-name artists. Dru tells me how sampling helps him integrate elements from different genres he appreciates into his music.

“With Hip hop there’s sampling culture, which makes it easier to have those links to different genres and be inspired by other music and incorporate it into the track whereas with more guitar focused stuff you can’t really sample in the same way and blend genres.”

Given how difficult the past year has been, and how hard the pandemic hit the music industry, it would have been easy to lose hope as an artist. But despite seeing his dreams of making it in music starting to slip from his grasp, Dru Benell doesn’t seem to be giving up.

“I still want to pursue music and make it happen. I had a breakthrough recently and wondered if I could get back into acting which is something I’ve enjoyed in the past. But I’ll never stop making music, it’ll always be a part of life somehow, whether it’s a hobby or more serious. Even if I get another job I can always make music on the side, it’s definitely a passion for me.”

Photo by Simran Gvalani