Hip-Hop Meets Health

The intersection of hip-hop and health may seem like unlikely territory – but the correlation is evident. Last year alone, 15+ notable rappers died due to various causes, including mental health and gun violence. Notably, in 2020, XXL did a study and found 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.

As we enter 2024, we are closing out on a celebratory milestone within the hip-hop music community – 2023 marked the 50th anniversary year of hip-hop since the first party in the Bronx, where hip-hop was born. Hip-hop has changed lives. And – we have lost many lives within hip-hop.

 It has been found that musicians in particular are nearly three times as likely as the general population to lack health insurance.  The structural reasons include lack of healthcare: In America, most workers get their insurance through their employer – for musicians, their ‘employment structures’ are a lot more complex and varied than for the average American laborer.