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 Under
The Influence
article
0077 added
18.03.04 words Mike
technical:
QED
 There
isn’t much focus on drug taking in the world of hip hop beyond the
gangsta staples of blunts and 40s. Sure, everyone’s heard Eminem reeling
off a veritable shopping list of pharmaceuticals and more illegal stuff
in his songs such as ‘‘I’m Shady’’. And I’m certain we all know that
artists do take more then they might let on in their musical output.
Shrooms, ‘x’, and cocaine are regularly ingested by stars either when
partying, relaxing, or even recording in the studio. But where are the
songs that give us the experience of tripping or being loved up? All
substance related hip hop seems to focus on the negative results such as
overdosing or addiction. But as Bill Hicks says “…drugs have done some
good things for us. If you don't think drugs have done good things for
us then do me a favor [sic]. Go home tonight and take all of your
records, tapes and all your CD's and burn them. Because, you know all
those musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives
throughout the years? Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreal fucking high on
drugs, man.” Of course, he was referring to rock music, which brings me
to my point.
 When hip hop started all them years ago, it was party music. So it would
seem inevitable that drugs and hip hoppers would be inextricably linked.
But more than that, you would think that magazines would be gleefully
telling us of the tales of debauchery and high living that come with
taking lots and lots of pills and booze. But no. So where are the ‘rock
star’ stories in hip hop? Why isn’t P. Diddy driving his Bentley into an
Olympic sized swimming pool in his garden after ingesting 4 litres of
Jack Daniel’s? Where’s the Ozzy Osbourne of rap? Throughout rock’s
history there have been stories rife with drug use and misadventure,
ranging from the Beatle’s psychedelic phase, Jimi Hendrix choking to
death on is own vomit, the mad excesses of the 80s ‘hair metal’ bands
such as Motley Crue, and on through to Kurt Cobain’s well documented
heroin addiction. I could go on.
Are rappers more sensible? Do they know their limits? Or are they just
boring? I mean, who doesn’t love hearing all those tales of wantonness,
immorality and living it up? It depends on your own view of drugs and
users of course, but for me, I think an incident happening due to an
excessive ingestion of drugs can be insightful as well as humorous (as
long as there isn’t any injury, or God forbid, death involved). Drugs
are an experience, and a fun one at that, for a majority of people who
have tried them. Of course, there are the people who only function
because of the drugs in their system, look at Lemmy from Motorhead, he
was told by his doctor during a blood transfusion that pure blood would
kill him as his was too toxic! But there just doesn’t appear to be any
hip hoppers even coming close to this kind of lifestyle, and if they
are, they’re keeping it extremely quiet somehow.
 This needs to change. People need to know what enjoyable times can be
had whilst bombed out of your skull on any number of intoxicants as well
as the negative effects if they are to make informed, adult decisions in
their lives. A lot of people do look up to these artists to get their
education, and if these artists are taking it on themselves to school us
about the tyranny of evil men (George Bush and Tony Blair anyone?), then
we need someone out there, not pushing as such, but at least telling it
like it is. Some of the most sensible people I know are major
‘medicinal’ consumers, they have brilliant jobs and lives, and this to
me is proof against the stereotype of you’re typical druggie. This
stereotype doesn’t have to be the only view accorded to us, with the
Daily Mail’s of this world linking someone shooting (and killing)
someone else because they had smoked a spliff then it’s up to others
with a bit more common sense who reach a large proportion of the
population to inform as well as entertain.
 Of course, as stated above, there’s no need for drugs and their use to
be completely over-hyped. This could lead to more bad press, resulting
in more negative imagery for drugs, but a sensible approach to letting
the listener’s out there know about the positive’s can only be a good
thing. Maybe, just maybe it could also bring about the much talked about
(and wanted?) legalisation of cannabis and more. But I digress. At the
end of the day, all we really need is a balanced view, and if that means
rappers have to be more vocal about their indiscretions, or even
actually go and have some, then I’m all for it. So, here’s to the first
hip hop star to be arrested for biting the head off a bat whilst wearing
his wife’s clothes and pissing on the Houses of Parliament.
- Mike
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