7th
Years active2006–present
TerritoryWoodgrange Estate, Forest Gate[1]
Membership50+ (2012)[2]
ActivitiesDrug trafficking, murder, robbery, attempted murder, assault
AlliesNorthside Newham; CGE[3]
RivalsACG,[4] Custom House[5]

7th is a street gang based on the Woodgrange Estate in Forest Gate, London.

History

In July 2016, a fight occurred in Stratford Park that resulted in a person being fatally stabbed; his killer was found to have been from Beckton. As a result of the killing, violence would escalate between 7th and ACG - a gang from Beckton - including a fight between the two gangs in summer 2017 in Westfield Stratford City,[1] where an 18-year old was stabbed.[6] It was also noted that the violence could've been a result of 7th getting a supply of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana through an Albanian gang, allowing them to send younger members to the home counties to establish new markets.[7]

In April 2017, Ahmed "Grinna" Jah[8] was stabbed to death in Canning Town.[9] Grinna's death was noted as having increased tensions between gangs in the north and south of Newham, resulting in several shootings and stabbings in summer 2017 that resulted in the death of CJ.[8]

In September 2017, Corey "CJ" Davis, an affiliate of 7th,[7] was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.[10] A podcast from The Times alleged that the gunman that killed him was affiliated with the Beckton Boys (or ACG), located in south Newham. In addition, it was found that Issac "Young Dizz" Donkoh, Sabir "Twin S" Rashid, and Hafedh “Twin H” Rashid, all affiliated with the Beckton Boys, were arrested in connection with his murder; however, they were released due to lack of evidence.[4] It was also found that the Beckton Boys used a gang database made by Newham council in order to find potential targets; as a result, the Information Commissioner's Office fined the council £145,000.[11]

In November 2017, Kasende Kasongo was found to be affiliated with 7th; he would be convicted of two counts of being concerned with the supply of class A drugs and sentenced to 4+1⁄2 years.[12] He would be sentenced to 6 years in prison in 2021 on charges of being concerned with the supply of heroin and cocaine, following him being linked to two county lines operations in Essex.[13]

In 2019, Lekan "CB" Akinsoji and Nathaniel Lewis, both members of 7th, were sentenced to 23 years in prison and 3 years on extended license alongside Darnell "D Boy" Joseph-Newill and Troy Ifill, members of the Stratford Gang.[14][15] The group were under an alliance known as "Northside Newham"; they were riding out to rivals in the E11 postcode when they were pursued by police.[14] Following this pursuit, a gun fight would ensue between police and the Northside Newham members; CB and others were arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder, possession of a shotgun, possession of a shotgun to endanger life and two counts of possession of a knife.[16] They were found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.[14]

Music

7th has a history of music going back to 2012, when members released a five-minute song titled "Who's that Click?",[2] remixing "Who's that Girl?" by Eve. The song was taken down alongside 75 others as a result of Newham hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics; it was later reposted in April 2013.[17] An article in YOUNG noted that the creation of such videos was a noticeable event that would result in the scrutiny of those involved.[18]

Members of 7th are also involved in the UK drill scene, with rappers including CB[19] (short for Cracky Blackz),[20] Y.CB,[21] and YB Gaza.[22] There are also members of BWC, a set of 7th, that are involved in the UK drill scene as well, including Yanko[21] and Joints.[23] Complex mentioned CB as "one of the realest to ever pick up a mic", according to drill scene fans.[24] In 2019, a song made by CB was noted by The Times as having mentioned numerous crimes and having been viewed 45,000 times via YouTube; it was taken down from YouTube at the request of the newspaper.[25] Another song by 7th, hosted on Tim Westwood's YouTube channel, was taken down in 2018.[5]

In 2019, Woosh, a rapper affiliated with 7th, released Gang Unit, which included a feature from Loski.[26] Later that year, CB released A Driller's Perspective.[27] In 2022, he released A Driller's Perspective 2.[28]

References

  1. 1 2 Townsend, Mark (1 May 2021). "London killings: 'It's like a war zone. How did it come to this?'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 Armstrong, Gary; Rosbrook-Thompson, James (13 October 2017). "'Squashing the Beef': Combatting Gang Violence and Reforming Masculinity in East London". Contemporary Social Science. 12 (3–4): 285–296. doi:10.1080/21582041.2017.1385833. S2CID 149440779.
  3. ↑ "RELATIVES WAIL AS DRILL RAPPERS GET 23 YEARS EACH". courtnewsuk.co.uk. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 Simpson, John (4 September 2020). "Times podcast reveals suspect in gang murder of 14-year-old CJ Davis". The Times. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 Simpson, John (7 April 2018). "Top DJ Tim Westwood profits from gangs". The Times. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Corey: 14 and dead in Newham gang revenge attack". eastlondonnews.co.uk. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  7. 1 2 Simpson, John (9 September 2017). "Boys dying on the streets in gang turf war". The Times. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  8. 1 2 Simpson, John (28 April 2021). "Fears of new London gang war after teenager stabbed to death". The Times. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Davis, Barney (3 April 2017). "Ahmed Jah: First picture of young man stabbed to death while buying soft drink". Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  10. ↑ Casciani, Dominic (28 February 2019). "Corey Junior Davis: The gang grooming that killed a 14-year-old". BBC News. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  11. ↑ Simpson, John (22 August 2020). "Murder suspects of east London schoolboy CJ Davis used police gang database". The Times. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Morton, Sophie (29 November 2017). "East Ham drug dealer jailed after YouTube videos prove gang involvement". newhamrecorder.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  13. ↑ Whitehouse, Ellis (23 September 2021). "Essex crime: Drug kingpin running operations in Essex and Suffolk had 13,000 drug texts on phone". essexlive.news. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 Dunne, John (1 March 2019). "Drill rapper who pointed shotgun at police while wearing clown mask jailed for 23 years". Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  15. ↑ Simpson, John (9 January 2019). "Police shootout with car gunman in clown mask". The Times. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  16. ↑ Greenfield, Patrick (28 July 2018). "Four men charged with attempted murder after police gun fight in London". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  17. ↑ White, Joy (2020). Terraformed: Young Black Lives In The Inner City. Watkins Media Limited. ISBN 9781912248698. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  18. ↑ White, Joy (23 October 2017). "Controlling the Flow: How Urban Music Videos Allow Creative Scope and Permit Social Restriction". YOUNG. 25 (4). doi:10.1177/1103308816644110. S2CID 147823186. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  19. ↑ Rattu, Aaron (11 May 2018). "(7TH) CB DROPS HIS LATEST BANGER 'TALK ON MY NAME'". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  20. ↑ Patterson, Joseph (15 July 2022). "Getting To Know CB, The Self-Crowned King Of Drill Taking It Back To Basics". Complex. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  21. 1 2 W, Courtney (3 July 2019). "7TH'S YANKO & Y.CB LINK UP FOR FRESH 'LIGHTWORK' FREESTYLE". GRM Daily. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  22. ↑ W, Courtney (12 November 2020). "7TH'S YB DROPS NEW "FRONTPAGE" VISUALS". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  23. ↑ Forte, Luke (28 October 2021). "YANKO & JOINTS LINK UP TO DELIVER JOINT FREESTYLE IN 'THE COLD ROOM' WITH TWEEKO". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  24. ↑ Keith, James (8 April 2022). "UK Drill Legend CB Returns With New Single "Rap Or Road"". Complex Networks. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Harper, Tom; Mararike, Shingi (10 March 2019). "Knife attackers use YouTube to issue death threats from prison". The Times. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  26. ↑ Archibald-Powell, Naimah (8 July 2019). "WOOSH DROPS 'GANG UNIT' FEATURING LOSKI, J STYLES & MORE". grmdaily.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  27. ↑ Keith, James (7 January 2020). "CB Provides 'A Drillers Perspective' On Captivating 16-Track Project". Complex Networks. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  28. ↑ Keith, James (8 July 2022). "CB Makes His Return With 'A Drillers Perspective 2' f/ M24, Squeeks, Kwengface & More". Complex. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
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