Why do rappers fight and glorify drugs?

Between two truths: "Anti-drug" and "positive drug"

Freedom or Ruin? The Reality of Contradictory Words

“Drugs changed my life, for better and for worse.” These are the words of young American rapper Juice WRLD, who died a few months before his death. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 21 from a drug overdose. His songs always contained a mixture of admiration and fear, liberation and dependence. In fact, this “contradictory emotion” is the core of how hip-hop portrays drugs. If you listen to modern rap, you will naturally hear weed, syrup, and Xanax in the lyrics. However, on the other hand, painful cries such as “I lost my friends to drugs” and “I want to get out of addiction” are also coming out of the same microphone. Why do rappers glorify drugs and deny them at the same time? We approached the “reality” of modern hip-hop that lies behind that “duality.”

By “praising” oneself, one speaks of one’s past

“Drugs are also proof that we survived,” says a veteran MC in Tokyo. For him, marijuana and drugs were not just “luxury goods,” but symbols of survival. The roots of hip-hop lie in communities that grew up in poverty, crime, and discrimination. In that reality, drugs were work, escape, and bond. For example, the weed smoked by American artists Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa is not just a way to relax. It is a “ritual for those who are not accepted by society to regain themselves,” and a cultural counter to oppression. In Japan, there is a similar context in the depiction of marijuana as a lifestyle by artists such as Namedatsuma and Red Eye. “Smoking” is not just a hobby, but an expression that presents the way of their “life.”

But the struggle is real.

At the same time, rappers know the price of drugs. It is not an illusion, but a real pain that has cost so many of their friends their lives. Mac Miller, who died in 2018, Lil Peep, who passed away in 2017, and Juice WRLD. They were all consumed by drugs at a young age and left only their music behind. After their deaths, their friends began to express their regret for the “glorification of drugs” in their songs. In the United States, Kendrick Lamar left behind a lyric that religiously warns that “addiction cuts off the connection with God,” and in Japan, rapper Han a.k.a. GAMI continues to question “what is freedom” in the silence following his arrest. Red Eye stated on YouTube that “addiction is lame. Don’t let yourself be controlled by smoking.” In his words, we can read the compatibility of “enjoying” and “not being destroyed.”

The real thing lies between affirmation and negation

This “duality” is not a contradiction at all. Rather, hip hop is an art form that is inherently filled with contradictions. Holding a gun and speaking of peace, flaunting money while mourning the death of a friend. In a culture where this is considered “real,” this stance on drugs can also be seen as a sincere expression. Music is not something that preaches about what is right or wrong, but a mirror that reflects reality. Rappers may simply be trying to show this mirror without clouding it.

The role of hip-hop is to leave questions unanswered

Rappers are not justifying or glorifying drugs. They are just saying, “This is our reality.” Their stance is, “How you interpret this is up to you.” They are not abandoning their responsibility as artists, but handing over the question. Drugs and music. Destruction and creation. Their way of honing their words in that space may be the most real art of today.