Drug Abuse and the Music Industry

Keffus Falls III

June 30, 2016

SPCH 1315

Salisbury

Take a Stand — Drug Abuse and the Music Industry

Growing up in a metropolitan city the size of Houston, Texas, I’ve come to learn that the youth of today are heavily influenced by pop culture, whether it be fashion, entertainment, music, and yes, drugs. Today, I want to talk about the drug aspect of pop culture, and how it has impacted our society then and now.

Cities today such as LA, Chicago, New York, and Houston has shown that whatever an artist says, the people usually follow. For example, following the Twitter shots taken at Drake by Meek Mill, Drake had the whole world yelling, “Is that a world tour or your girl’s tour?” More relating to drugs though, it seems that drugs in a sense have proven to only affect careers of artists who are notorious for drug use, such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, and one we all know, Future.

Although this artist named “Future” may be a favorite for many young people ages 25 and below, we need to really listen to what he's singing about. In the first verse of his “Digital Dash” collaboration with “Drake,” Future says, “I showed up with racks and they love me. I'm smoking that pack and I'm muddy. Taliban on these hoes. Give a Xan to these hoes. Got em playing with they nose.” According to Genius, this is the translation: “With so many girls chasing him, Future sounds like he’s regretting becoming successful. He smokes the “taliban” strain of marijuana and sips lean while his playmates pop Xanax and snort amphetamines. Even though Xanax is commonly used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, it’s often used recreationally to help people relax.” Statistics show that emergency room visits due to the recreational abuse of Xanax has more than doubled from a little over 57,000 in 2005 to roughly 125,000 in 2010. Xanax, however, is not the only drug to be talked about in this matter. Many artists have died from overdosing on various substances such as xanax, promethazine/codeine syrup, barbiturates, heroin, valium, morphine, cocaine, alcohol, you name it.