Defsounds

American drug culture. Not too well known or embraced until the revolutionary 60s, gained mainstream fame in the 70s, caught heat in the 80s under the Reagan Administration (remember the “Just Say No To Drugs” campaign?), re-accepted and expanded even more in the 90s on forward. Hip hop, being a part of the American culture, has had more than its share of its encounters with drugs:

History:

During the early years in hip hop until about the emergence of G-Funk, drugs were looked down upon in the hip hop community as the crack epidemic was in full effect during that time. Inner-city urban communities fought back the negativity and partook in doing anti-drug commercials like the one here:

Even well known groups like NWA (ironically Dr. Dre), wrote a couple of lines about his opinions of Mary Jane on the song “Express Yourself” (between 1:08 and 1:21)

It wasn’t until the West Coast started gaining momentum that drugs were looked at in a different light in the hip hop community. Acts such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Cypress Hill puff-puff-passed their way into fame and success because of their more accepting attitudes on the plant and because they apparently smoked a ton of it. Meanwhile, the rest of the hip hop nation slowly took in (or toked in?) which some argue helped propel the genre into the mainstream culture and what is known by some as the renaissance (early to mid 90s).

But it wasn’t just MJ that some rappers were taking for “creativity purposes”. There were other illegal substances that had their say, too:

LSD:

Discovered by Albert Hoffman by accident in 1938. Used by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and countless others involved in the psychedelic/hippy culture in the 1960s. But to find a case of a rapper doing acid was like looking for an ice cube in a fire (no pun intended). That is, until Dr. Octagon released the sci-fi trip into the 4th dimension album known as Dr. Octagonecologyst. Here’s the video for “Blue Flowers”. Watch it and see if YOU can understand what the hell he is saying:

MDMA/Ecstasy/X:

A popular drug among ravers in the techno/jungle/trance scene, it took until the 2000s when the pill was accepted into the hip hop culture. I was thrown off one day when I heard Dr. Dre mention it in a song. Nowadays it’s mainly used for clubbing, because according to some users that’s the best environment in which to do it.

PCP/Angel Dust/Leak/Sherm/Fry:

The drug that a lot of stoners and “clean” people are scared of. The reason why is because of the intensity, hallucinations, and negative feelings that it brings along with the actions that one would do while under the influence. But this was the drug that most or all of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan were doing when they snatched the crown from the West Coast back into their dusted hands. But, on the other hand the negative effects of embalming fluid with squares doesn’t always turn out as productive. Houston, singer known for the club banger “I Like That” did some PCP and ended up stabbing out his eye with a hanger, claiming that he was Jesus. And Big Lurch, a once up and coming Houston rapper ended up killing his girlfriend and eating a portion of her ribs. Later, when asked about why he did the gory act, he explained, that while dusted, he thought that his girlfriend was the devil so he felt that he had to kill her.

Rappers Cage Kennylz and Tame One made a whole album dedicated to the drug in 2004, which was named Waterworld. Here are a few cuts from the album:

Cocaine/Coke/Crack/Rock:

This drug has usually always been either shunned or just sold when rappers described them in their rhymes. I’m not sure if this is legitimate, but entertainers like rapper DMX, singers Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston have been connected to the drug that many believe was introduced into America by the CIA and the Reagan Administration. But that’s another story for another day…

Codeine/Syrup/Lean:

What the Dirty South has known (and done) for years. Brought into the light by Three Six Mafia, Project Pat, and the late Pimp C on the well-fitting song “Sippin on some Sizzurp”. A new style of DJing known as “Chopped and Screwed” used mainly by the late DJ Screw became nationally known outside of the region. Lil Wayne heavily promotes it in some of his songs, videos, and the unofficial Carter Documentary.

Known to give you euphoria and made you more laid back than Hugh Hefner in his prime, this is the official drink of choice to do in the South. But as with any drug, moderation is the key to prevent a trip to the ER or death. Unfortunately Pimp C, DJ Screw, Big Mo, and others had leaned too much until they fell…

Other Drugs There’s a much larger catalog of drugs that would either be too long to list on this article or just from the fact that I do not know any rappers/DJs/producer/singers who have been under the influence of the unsaid ones. So in conclusion, the drug culture is here to stay. And only time will tell if another rapper will be brave enough to walk into the no-man’s land of time and space. I’ll leave you with this song “Dimethyltryptamine” which is also the name of the drug (DMT) known as “the new LSD” by rapper Jay Electronica (who did some DMT):

P.S. If you have some more to add to the article, feel free to post it in the comments below.