Its hard for me to say cause i very much get where Luka is coming from but its that simulcrum and the way in which Euros like us approach rap and picking up the signifiers and focusing on who gets signed and interviewed or whose "gonna blow next" or whatever (its the only explanation as to why all even now people still hunger for that U.S. approval and take whatever garbage put out by DJ Vlad,Akademics,Charlamenge seriously).
It explains why its only in the last few years that people have started to take UK Rap seriously because the youngers coming up dont have as much of that weird baggage and backpacker understanding of rap the way say Skinnyman,Chester P or one of them brehs from that era look at things,partially because them man arent of their frame of refference but DJs who are old enough to remember when London Posse was relevant and taken seriously do they see the links. UK rap was considered the red headed step child as far as rap subgenres go and last year im hearing a bit of J Hus being used in the NYE celebration. I cant say anybody could predict this happening.
I always think back to one piece i read where the title was something along the lines of "Gucci Mane might be maniac but hes still my hero" as an example of "this is why Americans dont take Europeans talking about rap seriously" all comparisons to Joyce and Rowland S. Howard and it just comes across so rediculous and tone deaf when you dont get the context of where hes from.
I know Crowley and Trilliam probably feel that im pretty harsh on UK drill but while i wont go as far to call it "artless" like Luka and do think theres some good tunes that have come out at its worst for me alot of it is the most "in one ear out the other" music going "defibilate the patient" piano keys,shooter talk,everybody in the video with ballys on,triplet/variation on triplet flows and all. It has its rhythmic differences and once in a while there will be a sound or texture that catches me off guard, alot of the time its just a dull monochrome thud. Especially when you consider where Keef, Durk and others have taken that drill sound to other directions. It feels like them man are just happy to drive this one sound into dirt.
its like the South London equivalent of d-beat in that sense
btw luka Dean Blunt would agree with you on what you said about South London musicians, i remember reading and interview he did with Gaika where he said them man are always usually the quickest to latch on to Americanisms in their music,which for me is probably why all the hype over much of the musicians not just rap and people involved in UK "urban" media being from that side is baffling to me (then again im also from North so there is an inante sense of bias there so take it as you see fit)