Born from the heart of urban block parties, from mixtape muses of Afro American roots, rap is the voice of the historically segregated. Of poverty, gang violence, police brutality and the war on drugs. Of the struggle against systemic and overt racism. Of the battle for equity.
As of late, it is revealing depths to the rapper psyche that have been smothered by the cultural phenomena of stereotyping men, especially black men, as hyper-masculine: prone to rage, unfeeling of pain or fear or love, desensitized to depression, void of anxiety.
It’s 2018, and these stigmas are actively being dismantled. More often we’re seeing rappers step onto stage to make their internal struggles known, using their platform to create consciousness. Logic’s 1-800-273-8255 swept the nation, opening a major discussion on depression and suicide, but he’s not the only artist using music as a medium – and, needless to say, an outlet.
Let’s start with Lil Peep. He braved the world with his bisexuality, with his depression, with his drug use and ultimately, abuse. We lost him to a Xanax overdose this past year. With a hurting heart, here’s one for his memory: The Way I See Things.
“I don’t feel much pain / got a knife in my back and a bullet in my brain / I’m clinically insane”
In Neighbors, J. Cole discusses his anxiety over unsuccessfully integrating himself into a more private – predominantly white – community directly referencing the Trayvon Martin shooting as a cause for paranoia. In fact, a S.W.A.T. raid on his home which was caught on camera and the footage is featured in Neighbors’ music video.
“I can’t sleep cause I’m paranoid / black in a white man territory”
Lil Uzi Vert opens up about heartbreak in his song The Way Life Goes and confronts his suicidal thoughts on XO Tour Lif3, and brings up his turn to prescription pills to numb his pain.
“I might blow my brain out / Xanny, help the pain, yeah”
NAV voices the discomfort of facing himself soberly, lyrically depicting a cycle of drugs and denial in his song Myself.
“I was sober for an hour but I’m rollin’ off a bean now / the drugs, they give me confidence, I’m sayin’ what I mean now”
Notorious B.I.G.’s Suicidal Thoughts is one of old school rap’s most explicit expression of suicidal introspection. Always ahead of the times, Biggie helped bring mental health to light during the 90’s, way before it became a trend amongst this generation’s rappers.
“I swear to God I just wanna slit my wrists and end this bullsh*t / throw the Magnum to my head, threaten to pull sh*t”
D12, made up of Eminem, Bizarre, Kon Artis, Swifty McVay, Kuniva, Proof, amongst others, let loose on Revelation discussing abusive parents and teachers, anger issues, drug abuse, and even genetic predisposition as a preamble to suicidal tendencies.
“It’s apparent that my parents weren’t parents at all / that’s why I blew out my brains in front of the wall”
Kid Cudi recently checked himself into rehab for depression, shining new light on his album Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin’. He conveys a feeling of introspective pain, summoning despair while rallying hope on his song Rose Golden (feat. Willow).
“Look at who you are, how could it be? / All I ever wanted was to find some inner peace.”
Rex Orange County released UNO in 2016. Being upbeat, it makes you compulsively bob along, which spins an interesting feel to the song itself, because lyrically, there’s a struggle between staying positive and feeling low.
“Every now and then I think about the fact that I’d become a legend if I died at 27”
The last verse gives the impression he’s in a consultation with a psychologist – you can hear affirmative “mhm” and “oh”’s in the background of the track as he talks about what’s stressing him out – again, giving more credibility to mental health and our duty to not only speak about it, but to hear each other out.