Drug culture in music: a raw review of how drugs have changed and defined music

  The glorification of drugs in hip hop has gone too far. The shocking and premature death of Juice WRLD really inspired the creation of this blog. Juice WRLD took the rap world by storm during his quick but mega-successful career. Juice WRLD’s music has broken records and fused genres, his first posthumous album,  Legends Never Die  (2020), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was the most successful posthumous chart debut in over 20 years and matched a record for the most top-ten song entries on the Hot 100 at one time. The 21-year-old tragically died at a Chicago airport after traveling from Los Angeles via private jet. Juice reportedly had a seizure and went to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Juice WRLD explicitly and regularly talked about his drug addiction in many of his songs, as well as public interviews. Drug addiction has been glorified as long as Rap music has been around, it is an unbroken generational cycle with each dec...

  I think the following link to websites is a good starting point for a brief overview of the topics discussed. I think these three websites really capture the skyrocketing impact that drugs have on rap music as well as the statistics associated with the genre. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34121603/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/rappers-keep-dying-fast-and-young-how-should-we-manage-our-grief/2020/02/21/36c21af0-541b-11ea-9e47-59804be1dcfb_story.html https://www.vulture.com/2018/02/the-drugs-influencing-pop-culture-right-now.html

Illegal drug use became increasingly linked during this time period to wealth, glamour, and social standing, marking a significant change from earlier years, when rap music was more likely to have depicted the dangers and negative consequences of drug abuse, according to the study authored by Denise Herd, associate professor at Berkeley's School of Public Health. "This trajectory in rap music raises a number of red flags," said Herd, who also is associate dean for student affairs at the School of Public Health. "Rap music is especially appealing to young people, many of whom look up to rappers as role models. As a public health researcher, and as a parent of a 7-year-old, I'm concerned about the impact that long-term exposure to this music has on its listeners."  "Rap is inherently powerful," said Herd. "It has experienced phenomenal growth in many sectors of society in this country and even abroad. Rap artists have become key role models and ...

Illegal drug use became increasingly linked during this time period to wealth, glamour, and social standing, marking a significant change from earlier years, when rap music was more likely to have depicted the dangers and negative consequences of drug abuse, according to the study authored by Denise Herd, associate professor at Berkeley's School of Public Health. "This trajectory in rap music raises a number of red flags," said Herd, who also is associate dean for student affairs at the School of Public Health. "Rap music is especially appealing to young people, many of whom look up to rappers as role models. As a public health researcher, and as a parent of a 7-year-old, I'm concerned about the impact that long-term exposure to this music has on its listeners."  "Rap is inherently powerful," said Herd. "It has experienced phenomenal growth in many sectors of society in this country and even abroad. Rap artists have become key role models and ...

A few summers ago, platinum selling rapper Russ attempted to promote an anti-drug movement in hip-hop when he wore a T-shirt that said only “losers” Abby Xanax and take Raine. Following Russ’s social media post, he received a huge amount of backlash. Many people including other rappers like Smokepurpp, and media outlets accused Russ of being insensitive to people struggling with addiction, especially since he posted this after the death of Lil Peep. I personally believe that such a direct and loud statement was a positive action on behalf of Russ as it stimulated real and important conversations that need to be had around Drug culture in rap music. Following the backlash, Ross stated that even if he stopped one kid from abusing drugs then his mission was accomplished, As it’s better than encouraging people to try drugs. I think it is really concerning that somebody received so much backlash for being anti-drug, compared to the little to no backlash that rappers and musicians get for be...