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

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.