Changes in drug use prevalence in rap music songs, 1979–1997

Abstract

This article explores the role of changing images of drug use in rap music from the 1970s to the 1990s. A sample of 341 rap music lyrics were coded for drug mentions, behaviours and contexts; drug attitudes and consequences; and music genres. The results show that from 1979–1997, songs with references to drugs increased over 6-fold; those exhibiting positive attitudes and consequences rose substantially and that references to particular drug types changed significantly. In addition, there were significant changes in the social context of drug use such as increased references to using drugs to signify glamour, wealth and sociability. The article examines potential explanations of the increasing focus on drug use rap music which includes the rise of the drug war; changes in the drug use habits of rappers and listeners; rise of gangsta rap and other rap music genres, and changing social images of drugs in American society.

• Illicit drugs
• rap music
• race and ethnicity
• popular culture
• content analysis

Notes

Notes

1. Songs included in the analysis are all performed by artists who are African American or artist groups with significant representation of African Americans. Songs performed by non-African American artists such as the Beastie boys (n = 13 songs) were excluded because of concern that they were not representative of African American rap music. Analyses were performed with and without inclusion of these songs and the basic trends reported in this paper are similar. (Tables including these songs are available from the author).

2. The authors focus on Manhattan is appropriate, since much of the rap music produced during this period draws on the urban Black culture of New York.