Photo: ProjectKnow.com
A series of charts have been made, breaking down and documenting the history of drug references in rap and hip-hop. Check them out below.
Expertly made by ProjectKnow.com, the series of charts and graphs answer the question 'Which drugs have faded like fads, and which continue to bounce with the bass of every generation?' in a refreshingly matter-of-fact and mathematical fashion, determining the popularity of each drug by "dividing the total number of songs containing a given phrase" by the "total number of rap songs that year."
"Hip-hop isn’t the first musical genre tied inextricably to drugs – just think back to the trippy tunes of the 1960s and 1970s," say ProjectKnow. "But rap’s celebration of all things intoxicating outpaces that of even its wildest pop-culture predecessors, by a long shot.
Drug mentions in rap lyrics have been enormous is quantity and explicit in quality since the genre’s earliest days. From sale to use and even overdose, rap verses reflect the history of drug culture. But how has the relationship between drugs and hip-hop changed over the years? Are today’s emcees still rhyming about the same substances as popularized in the 1980s? Which drugs have faded like fads, and which continue to bounce with the bass of every generation?"
They also break down which rappers mention which drugs the most, showing that Lil B takes top ranking for Cocaine, Codeine and MDMA, Eminem is the top rap spokesman for pharmaceutical drugs, Three 6 Mafia comes in at No.1 for weed.
"The sheer number of hip-hop songs that mention marijuana and cocaine in the lyrics is alarming, but not surprising, given the aggressive nature of the rap game," say ProjectKnow. "Though many rappers are guilty of drug and violence references through the decades, there are two rap artists in the lead for drug-laden songs: Lil B and Lil Wayne. Holding three of the top (dis)honors, Lil B may not want to tout his drug reputation to the athletes he’s apparently trying to recruit in his new role as a sports agent."
See the charts below
