This morning, I finally got around to listening to the late Mac Miller’s new album, “Circles,” which was released on Jan. 17 by his family due to his death in 2018 because of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 26. This beautifully done album means a lot to me. Miller was one of my favorite artists growing up, and while it was an overall happy and uplifting tape, I couldn’t help but be a bit gloomy, knowing this could quite possibly be the last of his music that was left in his “vault.” This drug overdose, while accidental, represents a trend in music: rap culture and drug culture are interminglings, becoming almost synonymous with one another.
This acquaintance of drugs with rap music stretches back to the 1980s, when crack cocaine began to take the culture by storm. It is not uncommon today to hear rappers talk about the sale of the drug, as a matter of fact. My question is, however, is the following: why has it become “cool” for rappers to boast about their use of drugs, which can influence the future members of the game? To me, it’s unfair to the families of these artists and the artists themselves whose lives are taken by drug use to promote drugs as a means of fitting into rap culture. Rapper Jarad Higgins, known professionally by his stage name Juice WRLD, also passed away from a drug overdose on Dec. 8, 2019, at Midway International Airport at the age of 21. For the sake of emphasis, Gustav Elijah Åhr, known as Lil Peep, passed away at 21 as well because of a laced drug overdose. These talented young men were taken because of the influence of drugs in their everyday lives, whether it be by their peers or by those who they thought cared for them. To see anyone pass away at such a young age, with so much talent and potential left on the table, is heartbreaking. It’s been a part of the culture for the better part of three decades, but needs to be eliminated altogether if we want to see artists reach their full potential and save months or years of grieving for their fans, friends and family.
Photo: J. Strecha
