Is talking about mental health and suicide in Hip Hop becoming more prominent?
In today’s hip hop many artists have opened themselves to becoming more vulnerable and having songs that centre around mental health, addiction and suicide. To better understand what the effects of talking about such sensitive social topics we will delve into some prominent figures in hip hop who have championed the talk of mental health and how that has changed the scope of hip hop today.
Joe Budden was one of the first to champion mental health conversations while actively rapping about his depression, talking openly about his suicidal thoughts and his addiction. Every week the topic of mental health comes up regularly on The Joe Budden Podcast. Joe highlights how as men in Hip Hop do not really open up or seek help from their peers when they are in need help and is actively trying to get people to start conversations, even a simple “How are you today?” or “Have you eaten today?” could really help someone take the first steps to seek help.
On his song Only Human (Feat. Emmanny)
“Tryin' to weather the storm
I thought that black cloud was gone
It's been beside me all along, not the song”
This song came out a day after he was released from jail and details almost attempting suicide due to the mother of his child who was keeping him from his son. He says it’s one of his Top 10 songs and that it was the most difficult to write creatively and emotionally.
Mac Miller’s career has been coloured with talk or lyrics about drug abuse, depression and death. Mac recently passed away due to an accidental overdose of a combination of drugs and alcohol. Mac found an outlet for emotional expression through his music, he explicitly called it great therapy for depression in his Billboard interview of 2015.
Mac also pointed out that fame and success doesn’t solve problems
“I think it started [with success],” Miller said during the interview. "It's funny, because you talk to people, and they say, 'What do you have to be depressed about? You have money.'... Fame is tricky because you read what's said about you, and you know what you know to be true, and the lines start to blur.”
On his most streamed track Weekend feat. Miguel he raps
“Never will I walk in line
I cross the T's and dot the I's
Wondering, well, wonderin' how I got this high
Fell asleep and forgot to die, God damn”
XXXtentacion was part of a new wave of artists, sometimes referred to as “soundcloud rap”, whose music embodied a disconnect with societal norms, and embraced internet culture and heavy Xanax use. The role of Xanax, an addictive and potent pharmaceutical used to treat anxiety, to help soothe or numb pain, and created a floating disconnection from reality.
On his first two albums (17 and ?), which debuted at number 2 and number 1 respectively on the Billboard 200, XXXtentacion explicitly talked about loneliness, depression, and the urge to end his own life.
On the song Jocelyn Flores X raps about a tragic suicide of his close friend
“Picture this, in bed, get a phone call
Girl that you fucked with killed herself
That was this summer when nobody helped
And ever since then, man, I hate myself
Wanna fuckin' end it”
His music spoke to young people who shared similar struggles with mental health. That, coupled with his almost sermon-like posts to Instagram Live in which he directed reassuring messages to people suffering, placed him at the forefront of a movement of young rappers who became musical extensions of a national opioid and suicide crisis, one that transcends genre as well as racial and social lines.
I believe with prominent figures in hip hop bringing awareness to mental health and other struggles has opened hip hop up to becoming more about yourself. Frank Ocean’s beautifully and elegantly written letter about loving a man was released in 2013, it was a talking point of that year and was a very powerful moment when he performed Forrest Gump at the Grammy’s. Hip hop isn’t as accepting towards LGBTQ+ community as other genres of music but it slowly becoming more welcoming in the same light as mental health becoming an increasing conversation in hip hop. Frank has been seen wearing “drag queen” like make up on his artist headshots, we’ve had artist like Lil Peep, who also passed this year, and his boyfriend Ilovemakkonen being openly gay couple in Hip Hop. We’ve had artist like Young Thug who’s defying gender stereotypes by wearing a dress on his album cover and openly stating “Ninety percent of my clothes are women’s.
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