{"id":155,"date":"2024-05-03T03:12:33","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T03:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/?page_id=155"},"modified":"2024-05-03T03:12:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T03:12:33","slug":"health-meets-hip-hop-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/health-meets-hip-hop-2\/","title":{"rendered":"HEALTH MEETS HIP HOP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Health Meets Hip Hop<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intersection of hip-hop and health may seem like unlikely territory – but the correlation is evident. In 2023 alone, more than 15 notable rappers died due to various causes, including mental health and gun violence. In 2020, XXL did a study<\/a>, finding that of 77 rapper deaths they examined, more than 40 remain unsolved, including the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, the 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G., and the 1999 murder of Big L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we enter 2024, we are closing out on a celebratory milestone within the hip-hop music community. In 2023, we celebrated the 50th anniversary year of hip-hop, honoring the August 1973 outdoor party<\/a> in the Bronx that is recognized as being where DJ Kool Herc first spun his turntables, and hip-hop music first was born. Hip-hop has been changing lives since 1973, and the unfortunate reality is that many lives within hip-hop have been lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hip-hop music community has been privy to a lack of resources and support for many years now, an overarching theme across musicianship as a career. Musicians are nearly three times as likely as the general population to lack health insurance, with the structural reasons including a lack of healthcare. In the U.S.A, most laborers get their insurance through their employer. However, for musicians, the structure of their employment is a lot more complex and varied than for the average American laborer, and many musicians lack structured healthcare and support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s Talk About It<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, Kendrick Lamar released \u201cMr. Morale and The Big Steppers<\/a>,\u201d an album that publications like The Cavalier Daily<\/a> have referred to as a \u201ccathartic therapy session,\u201d filled with insightful, thought-provoking commentaries and introspective songs discussing themes of therapy, homosexuality, trans rights, toxic relationships, and more. The album<\/a> was received well by some, but many others have criticized it over the years for being overly-soft and \u201cfeminine,\u201d and for \u201clacking replay value.\u201d<\/a> Many other artists across the genre who have released albums featuring similar messaging have been greeted with similar responses. Why is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the genre, there has been a history of not talking about certain \u201chush hush\u201d topics, perhaps a nod to toxic masculinity in a genre that\u2019s historically been male-dominated. According to Kerrington Dillon, the hip-hop music scene across the board has been in need of better resources, and of better transparency across the board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe the main roadblock people may feel in the Hip Hop community is the sense of shame. So many people are afraid to express when they are hurting until it eventually makes them physically sick,\u201d Dillon explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerrington Dillon is the daughter of Wytony \u201cBig Wy\u201d Dillon<\/a>, one of Inglewood\u2019s most influential rappers. Big Wy was born in 1973, the year that represents the birth of hip hop. Big Wy made his debut as \u201cRed Rag\u201d in 1993 as a member of Bloods & Crips on the album \u201cBangin’ on Wax.\u201d  Big Wy is best known for creating the viral \u201cTeach Me How To Dougie\u201d song and the iconic corresponding dance. We lost Big Wy in June of 2023, but his daughter, Kerrington Dillon, a publicist and music industry professional, is continuing to pioneer his legacy and her own in Los Angeles, where Big Wy pioneered the budding hip-hop music scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proactivity or Reactivity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, the music business is a business, and it runs off of a profit-based model and structure. Record labels offer and sign deals in order to generate a profit, but sometimes those profit-leaning structures end up affecting more pain than originally intended. In a label deal, the said \u201cproduct\u201d becomes the artist themselves – a human. When you\u2019re in a record deal, you\u2019re often held to terms and conditions that may end up prioritizing financial gain over other factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you’re in a capitalistic society, running a business leads us to be more reactive than proactive,\u201d explains Joshua Salmon, \u201cSeeing how far you can push the button.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Salmon is a senior at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA who works in the music business as a Strategic Partnerships Representative at Universal Music Group in the \u00b01824<\/a> Department. Salmon<\/a> is also a musician, drummer, producer, and overall creative who\u2019s been working in the music business for the past several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe best thing the industry and artists could do for artists is have a standard – have morals,\u201d explained Joshua Salmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe media does stir this negative narrative that hip-hop is bad for health,\u201d said Joshua Salmon, a senior at Morehouse College. \u201cWhen hip-hop was started, it started as a genre that was meant to communicate the feelings of Black people\u2026The culture has shifted a lot from what it was in the 90s\u2026We could do a lot less to promote drug abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of music in general talks a lot about depressive topics and if we’re not careful, we could promote a depressive culture,\u201d explains Salmon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, though, hip-hop music has been a healthy coping mechanism for many people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHip-Hop has been something that\u2019s been healthy for a lot of people,\u201d finished a reflective Salmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to our artists, a lot of the times when an artist passes away, people get upset but it\u2019s a one and done,\u201d explains Salmon. \u201cWe need to become proactive rather than reactive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is light at the end of the tunnel, however. Organizations like \u201cHealth N Hip Hop\u201d look forward to a future where the hip-hop music scene is offered better resources and support for it;s artists and inhibitors. The organization was started by Michelle Locke, an employee at Universal Music Group who wants to be able to \u201cprovide resources, knowledge, building spaces and communities where artists can come together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locke\u2019s passion for hip-hop \u201cgoes really far back\u201d and during her youth, she <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did not truly \u201cunderstand the role it would play in her life.\u201d Her current favorite artists are Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Cash Cobaine, Anycia, Baby Blue, Don Toliver, Ciara<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locke discusses the impact of environments on artists wellbeing: \u201cA lot of artists come from food deserts, working with people from these areas, a lot of artists do come from these areas where there are food deserts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s really what \u2018Health N Hip Hop\u2019 is meant to be, and what I hope it\u2019ll be,\u201d she explains, on her growing platform that she intends to utilize to promote better health across the board in the hip-hop music industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou really don’t see a lot of other genres getting talked about in the way that hip-hop is talked about.\u201d i.e. \u2018hip-hop saved my life,\u2019\u201d explains Locke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  <\/strong>Isa Whitaker, an educator, teaches 5th and 6th grade students in Asheville, NC, where he works for a non-profit for urban agriculture, teaches about healthy, been teaching a hip-hop class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his classes, he likes to share philosophies from J. Cole and Wu-Tang Clan, bringing their messaging to the youth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vitality and Sustainability Across The Genre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do think it’s certainly been concerning the last couple years when youre talking about some of the multiple artists at a young age who’ve lost their lives,\u201d said musicologist and music history professor, Dr. Sean Nye, who teaches Hip-Hop History and Culture at USC.  \u201cThat can cross from violence to mental health issues and drug use as well.  There\u2019s certainly a major concern there, in terms of the music industry\u2019s support for artists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong>30 years ago, early contenders of the rap music genre like Common, Snoop Dogg, and Big Wy were in the primes of their careers, enjoying the pioneering hip-hop music industry which began being trailblazer after it\u2019s 1973 conception by some early pioneers who are no longer with us, like Tupac Amaru Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nye cites one of the industry\u2019s issues as \u201cOvercoming the stigma,\u201d and adds: \u201cBut, you actually have to have the structural support to get that  access in the first place\u2026\u201cProper compensation, ongoing support, for later generations – feeling supported. It\u2019s a multigenerational question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Common and Snoop Dogg are still with us, many of their peers are not, and they themselves have even begun condemning certain practices and methods within the community. Common recently released his third book, a book chronicling mental health and wellness in Black and Brown communities, and Snoop Dogg himself has started condemning his past actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s hip-hop music industry has seen feuds amongst some heavy-hitters including NBA Youngboy and Lil Durk, even seeing some consequent deaths of rappers including Chicago\u2019s King Von, who died in 2020 at 26-years-old in Atlanta, GA, outside of a nightclub. Many rappers have called for an end to feuds and violence across the industry, including J. Cole, a proponent of peace within the hip-hop community, who issued an apology at his Dreamville Festival, for a diss track<\/a> against Kendrick Lamar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who survived and how? What aged people  faster? Drugs alcohol lifestyle choices etc<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Percentages and Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing the Light: Common on Community Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common, one of Chicago\u2019s most beloved rappers, has recently been shifting his focus to health in the hip-hop music industry. Common recently released a book detailing his ever-expanding relationship with wellness and mindfulness: \u201cAnd Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self<\/a>,\u201d a tribute to celebrating and encouraging health and mental health in Black and Brown communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common visited USC in February to discuss his newly-formed and ever-expanding relationship with mindfulness wellness, health, and himself.  He discusses: \u201cWe celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop –  this was the 50th anniversary.<\/strong> It’s been an outlet for [Black and Latino People] – it started in the Bronx with Black and Latino people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, Hip-Hop has acted as a major outlet for all, especially for the early Black and Latino pioneers of the illusive musical genre. \u201cIt’s been a bridge for all nationalities, to get together and just enjoy this art and express ourselves,\u201d explained Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the genre being such a powerful and positive influence in the lives of so many, there is a bleak semblance across the genre – one of pain, violence, and grief, extending back as far as to the early 90s where rivalries between artists caused death and disillusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common refers to the concept of a lack of healthcare being a major source of the issues within the industry that still persist today. \u201cOne thing we missed out on, in fact, in music, was support for healthcare,\u201d he explains. \u201cI want you [all] to be taking care of yourself and live the healthiest and brightest and happiest life possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Hip-Hop, we have so many of these great artists. They try to find out what to do and, and ok to this, to be a musician and you thought that was gonna be your career,\u201d explained Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens when you find that your career doesn\u2019t necessarily support your health or offer you the benefits necessary to take care of yourself? This is a common trend within the music business. Where do musicians go, when their career is so \u201cuntraditional,\u201d but they still need to be able to take care of themselves? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe simple thing of health care would have benefited so many of the artists that we’re talking about,\u201d nailed down Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we age, we feel like one of the things that my mother always used to say to me and I the book also is that stress can affect you, and eating 7-Eleven just like, the health<\/strong> and mental health as well as the fact they are all tied together,\u201d said Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the stresses that we have experienced are all going, we could have some if we were not a human. And I think, you know, we missed, we missed it in, in that place. And I hope that maybe, you know, for young artists something like that before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know, this is, this, the industry is not and I’m a big and you just take the on two hands are that you in your lifetime that you’ve changed, stay as successful as, yeah, I can’t even name and even those that might not be as big as the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artists like Common are out in the industry doing work to work towards a more equitable industry. It\u2019s integral to the cause that their voices are empowered, so that the industry and artists themselves know that there are potential solutions and ways to make the industry healthier and more accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also need to empower artists in hip-hop who are doing things healthily. Artists who are doing the work,\u201d explains Salmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are certain topics that are hush-hush in the industry, and popularity is one of those that can ultimately affect people\u2019s feelings, emotions, identities, and self-perceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common reflects on his career, and the fact that he\u2019s experienced many ups and downs across his long and wide musical career: \u201cUltimately, those emotional roller coasters –  being popular and not being popular – affect your emotions too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even right now, there is discourse across social media over who\u2019s \u201cin\u201d and who\u2019s \u201cfell off.\u201d With social media playing such an active role in the lives of this generation, it can be difficult to ascertain what’s real as to what is abstract, and what really matters. To some, social media discourse can inflict real pain and hurt. Others let is slide right off of them – but not everybody is so thick-skinned, and many don\u2019t realize the lasting implications that social discourse can have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMean Tweets\u201d is a series on YouTube that features artists reading tweets written about them. There are editions for each genre, including for hip-Hop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mean Tweets: Hip-Hop Edition<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to the future, Common hopes to be more instrumental in the future of the next generation in hip-hop music:  \u201cI  think we could do more for young generation students. I mean, I think it’s something I would love to implement with the right people,\u201d explains Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothin[G] but a Health Thing <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After beating his murder case, Snoop Dogg did a 360 of his life, and has changed his narrative ever since, especially in his songwriting and in the musical projects he has put out in more recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn my second album, \u2018Tha Doggfather,\u2019 when I beat my murder case, I redirected my pen to write life because I felt like I had wrote death all up until that point,\u201d explained Snoop Dogg in an interview with DJ Fatman Scoop on Instagram live. \u201cWhen I started writing \u2018Tha Doggfather,\u2019 I lost a lot of fans. I lost a lot of homies because they wanted me to keep it gangsta after beating the murder case. They wanted me to glamorize and glorify, but I was like, somebody\u2019s life was lost. My life was changed. This is a real situation,\u201d Snoop said. \u201cI have actual remorse. I feel bad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snoop Dogg made a decision to stop rapping about \u201cdeath and violence,\u201d as he refers to in an interview with Rolling Out<\/a>. In recent years, Snoop Dogg has taken a stance against the violence he used to previously rap about in his younger years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Love-Hate, Love-Concern Relationship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jae Deal is a music producer living in Los Angeles, although he is originally from the East Coast. He\u2019s been involved in the hip-hop music scene for quite some time: \u201cI’ll start with the positive sides: it really drives popular culture, communications. It’s used as a powerful tool for developing self-concept. It\u2019s a revenue generator, it keeps money circulating,\u201d explains Deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt can really be a tool for mental health and can give some alternatives to options that aren’t constructive. Parties instead of gun violence. Graffiti, as an artistic outlet. Dancing, breakdancing, physical health, alternatives to violence. Artistic outlets,\u201d explained Deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome could argue now that music is less collaborative, with the advancement of technology. It\u2019s interesting that the current state: I have a love-concern relationship with,\u201d explained Jae Deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome could argue now that music is less collaborative, with the advancement of technology. It\u2019s interesting that the current state: I have a love-concern relationship with,\u201d explained Jae Deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deal brings up a metaphor about on-stage microphone feedback. \u201c<\/strong>As far as messaging and intention in hip hop, is a feedback loop for just a very narrow, niche lane of messages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo much of a focus on negative subjects, but it makes money \u2013 too much focus on making money over quality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Care<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jared Oluwa was born and raised in Los Angeles to musician parents. He has worked in sync licensing since 2017, which he got into because of previously not getting credits and proper compensation. One of Oluwa\u2019s inspirations is Nipsey Hussle: He had Jared reading books and all, talking to him expanded his experience and elevation in education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI would like more artists to be more vulnerable,\u201d he explains, \u201cFor ourselves and for our own city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would like more of a community culture engaged – A lot of people like Issa Rae do a lot of community engagement things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe still have older people that are pushing the narrative too. If that’s the elder, the role model, how are we going to help the youth? He wonders aloud. \u201cI think we just need to bring more awareness together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen people are going through a lot, they lean on music,\u201d explains Troy Oglesby, Jr., a music producer who also has a tech company, Off The Leash Games, LLC., where he develops games, apps, websites, animation, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSelf-care should be more prioritized than it is,\u201d explains Oglesby. The money, glamor, and fame is higher on the docket – which is unfortunate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Oglesby, self-care \u201cIt means everything. If you are not right within, there’s no beneficial impact you have on anyone else’s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s all for the image, not the art anymore…We’re focused more on being profitable than we are being sustainable\u201d – Troy Oglesby<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Health Meets Hip Hop The intersection of hip-hop and health may seem like unlikely territory – but the correlation is evident. In 2023 alone, more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-155","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155\/revisions\/156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/spring-2024\/contarin\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}