“Meditate, Don’t Medicate!” an Analysis of Addict Rap, Black Men’s Social Issues, and J. Cole’s K.O.D. Album

Abstract

Historically, drugs authenticated and created hip-hop, as the overuse of drugs was used to validate a drug consumption subculture known as “addict rap.” As a rap subgenre, addict rap illustrates deeper issues of drug overconsumption, hip-hop authenticity, and Black hypermasculinity, while claiming the lives of some of its most noteworthy rappers. In response to this rap trend, American rapper J. Cole released his fifth studio album, K.O.D. to present politicized counternarratives to addict rap’s discourses of drug use, hypersexuality, and materialism. Conducting a textual analysis of rap lyrics, this research examined how Cole used the K.O.D. album to: 1) discuss issues of drug addiction and drug use in the Hip-Hop community and 2) address additional social issues facing Black American men. The analysis advanced three dominant themes, which were: 1) addict rappers use drugs to cope with their inner demons and depression, 2) hip-hop drug use is linked to the systemic oppressions facing Black Americans, and 3) healing should come from self-reflection and redemption from God, not from drug use. Ultimately, K.O.D. deconstructed the drug-laden, machismo-infused, images of addict rappers and revealed the harsh realities of being Black, male, drug addicted, and depressed by fame.

Keywords:

• Addict rap
• Black men
• J. Cole
• hip-hop studies
• K.O.D

Notes

1 In this study, all rappers are first introduced by their full and stage names and then referenced by their stage names.