criticalremixproject-blog

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Research clearly confirms the existence of a close relationship between mental health related variables and substance misuse.

Lo, Celia et al. 45

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Gif depicting Lil Peep with lyrics on screen “Money don’t help with the pain, where the drugs at?”

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“Praying to the Sky”

“Praying to the Sky” was written by Lil Peep in 2015, two years before the young rapper passed away. Lil Peep (real name Gustav Elijah Åhr) was a part of the SoundCloud ‘mumble rap’ genre and a leader in the trend of ‘emo hip-hop’ or ‘sad rap’ which features lyrics about depression and vocals in the style of classic emo. Similar to most other SoundCloud rappers, Lil Peep abused prescription drugs, which ended up costing his life in 2017 after taking Xanax cut with Fetanyl. “Praying to the Sky” is a look into Åhr’s depression and mental health issues and how Åhr copes by using prescription drugs. Åhr’s raps:

           I hear voices in my head, they tellin’ me to call it quits

           I found some Xanax in my bed, I took that shit, went back to sleep

           They gon’ miss me when I’m dead, I lay my head and rest in peace

           I’m prayin’ to the sky, I don’t even know why, aye

In this verse Lil Peep raps about his suicidal thoughts. “Praying to the Sky” compares the peaceful feeling Xanax provides to what Peep dreams it would be like to be a dead body (“rest in peace”). Prescription drugs are typically prescribed to patients with mental health issues such as Gustav Åhr but can become a problem when prescription drugs become recreational and dosages are ignored. Prescription drugs can also become a problem when they are being obtained from non-medical sources. Prescription drugs that do not come from a pharmacy are often cut with Fetanyl and other chemicals to increase product amount. Fetanyl has been infiltrating the drug trade and causing serious problems, such as the tragic early death of Gustav Åhr at age 21 and the recent death of Mac Miller at age 26. “Praying to the Sky” suggests the connection between mental health and prescription drug abuse.

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Youth cultures, as taste clusters of values, styles, norms and sensibilities, remain one of the key influences of drug use among teenagers and young adults.

Kelly, Brian et al. 289

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Gif from the music video for “Super Xan” depicting Noel Miller mocking ‘SoundCloud rapper’ culture by using a banana as a gun and wearing two pairs of ‘clout goggles.’

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“Super Xan”

“Super Xan” was released by comedic rap group Tiny Meat Gang in September of 2017. Group members Cody Ko and Noel Miller created “Super Xan” as a parody of ‘SoundCloud rappers,’ such as Lil Pump, Lil Xan, Lil Uzi Vert and 6ix9ine. A ‘SoundCloud rapper’ is a rapper whose music was discovered online and spread throughout social media. ‘SoundCloud rappers’ share a similar aesthetic of face tattoos, colored hair, and is commonly associated with prescription drugs such as the benzodiazepine Xanax. “Super Xan” mocks the excessive discussion of drugs in the emerging ‘SoundCloud’ or ‘Mumblerap’ genre:

Speaking of Xans, I got hella Xans

Xans in my cargo shorts, Xans in my mini-van

High five your bitch with both hands and take a handful of Xans

Bitch I pop bands, I take a hundred Xans and I’m a Harry stan

Crush all the Xans, whippin’ the Porsche on the block.

These lyrics also parody the ‘luxury lifestyle’ associated with hip-hop culture by referencing mini-vans and previous One Direction member Harry Styles. The parody rap “Super Xan” provides commentary about the excessive and exaggerated lifestyles associated with prescription drug abuse and hip-hop culture.

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Despite the deaths of these prominent rap artists, and the dangerous potential for death due to codeine misuse, other rappers including Project Pat, Three 6 Mafia, Lil Wayne, Lil Flip, Kanye West, Mike Jones, Eminem, David Banner, Nicki Minaj, Paul Wall, and others have included seemingly positive messages about purple drank in their music and in public appearances. For example, rapper Lil Wayne discussed his frequent use of purple drank in a 2009 interview with Katie Couric on The Today Show, where he acknowledged using the concoction which he referred to as ‘syrup.’ Despite acknowledging in the interview that the drug is bad, because it messes up your stomach, Wayne has devoted several popular songs to purple drank. He was even hospitalized in March, 2013, for seizures that may have been associated with his frequent abuse of purple drank along with other drugs.

Hart, Melanie et al. 173

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A word cloud figure from the journal article Representations of Codeine Misuse on Instagram: Content Analysis. This figure represents the most common hashtags on social media associated with #codeine. Several rappers including Lil Wayne, Yung Lean, $uicideboy$, Rick Ross, Three 6 Mafia, OFWGKTA, Jay Z and A$AP Mob appear in the figure. 

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“Codeine Dreaming”

“Codeine Dreaming” by Kodack Black featuring Lil Wayne discusses the high associated with codeine, also known as purple drank, syrup or sizzurp. Black and Wayne’s lyrics join the feelings of codeine highs and visions of space exploration: “Codeine dreams and they come true too/ That’s my spaceship, brp brp/My milky way got pregnant, she said it’s for you.” “Codeine Dreaming” also follows the running theme of associating prescription drugs with a luxury lifestyle. Lil Wayne is a notorious codeine user and references codeine in several songs such as “I Feel Like Dying” where Wayne’s hook is “Only once the drugs are done/ Do I feel like dying, I feel like dying.” In “Codeine Dreaming” Wayne compares codeine with caviar: “Got the codeine on my breath, it smell like caviar, yeah/ Codeine dreams and they come true too.” Of course codeine does not smell like caviar, rather Wayne is equating the drug with a luxury delicacy. Kodack Black has a peculiar lyric on this song regarding his son: “I know my son gon’ like this song so I ain’t finna curse.” While “Codeine Dreaming” lives up to Black’s promise to omit curse words, the song discusses drug abuse in a positive light. This lyric in “Codeine Dreaming” suggests that drug abuse is more normalized and acceptable than cursing.

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The association between rap/hip-hop musical preferences and purple drank use is stronger than the relationships between musical preference and all other abused substances.

Hart, Melanie. 182

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Gif depicting Danny Brown’s interpretation of prescription drug abuse in the parody music video for “Ain’t It Funny”  

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“Ain’t It Funny”

“Ain’t It Funny” is the fourth single from Danny Brown’s album Atrocity Exhibition. In “Ain’t It Funny” Brown provides commentary on his own prescription drug abuse and on the connection between image, fame and drugs. Danny Brown raps about becoming addicted to prescription drugs that were supposed to help him cope with his problems:

Anxiety got the best of me

So popping them Xannies

Might need rehab

But to me that shit pussy (Brown)

“Ain’t It Funny” also discusses the aspect of fame and image in the lines:

Nose bleeds red carpets

But it just blend in

Snapping pictures

Feeling my chest being sunk in (Brown)

These lines reflect the prevalence of drug abuse among celebrities, referencing snorting drugs on the red carpet. Brown also discusses the consequences of drug abuse:

Live a fast life

Seen many die slowly

Unhappy when they left

So I try to seize the moment

“Ain’t It Funny” is fast paced, reflecting the manic and anxious energy of the lyrics. The music video, directed by Jonah Hill, is a dark parody of American sitcoms. The video for “Ain’t It Funny” depicts Brown’s suffering caused by drugs and alcohol while a crowd of middle-aged white people cheer and chant, which expresses Brown’s critical opinions of societies indifference, and even encouragement, of celebrity drug use.

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[Previous] studies have largely focused on purple drank use among African Americans and suggest that its use among young African Americans is associated with high levels of sexual activity, the use of other drugs, and listening to hip-hop music.

Hart, Melanie et al. 2446