I found out about a new hip-hop collective earlier today named Shoreline Mafia based out of Los Angeles, California. They are known to avidly drink lean, and were even a center-piece in a story on Fox about rising lean use among the youth. Listening to their music was making me think about the glorification of drugs in hip hop and more specifically the Lil Pump and Joyner Lucas controversy from December.
Lil Pump vs Joyner Lucas
So after listening to some Shoreline Mafia tracks, I went back and listened to Joyner Lucas' remix of Lil Pump's song, Gucci Gang. In this remix, Joyner takes shots at young rappers coming up...
All you new rappers don't be talkin' 'bout shit except doin' drugs
Wonder how you got a name (damn)
Sippin' lean, takin' E, Percocets, Purple drank, Xanax, everything sound the same, fuck
Joyner Lucas' version of the song was less about beefing with Lil Pump and more about his views on that culture as a whole. He said on twitter that the remix was not a diss at Lil Pump. Additionally, in a HOT 97 interview, he said "everybody has their vices. Everybody has their poison whether you smoke cigarettes, weed, do pills..., but do that shit behind closed doors... I just don't like the fact that these n****s sensationalizing the shit"
My Opinion
I think a lot of people can get behind what Joyner has said. Although, for these rappers, drugs are their reality. From their point of view, I don't think it's promoting the use of drugs; it's expressing what they are actually going through. I think one aspect that matters is connotation. I think rappers could do a better job at giving drugs a negative connotation in their songs while still maintaining the gritty realism in their music.
Let me know what you guys think in the comments!
The punchlines are there for me, and I'm pumped homies from my area are getting shine. My only issue is that the chorus stayed on topic, but the verse veered off a really solid point. Solid remix, I'm not upset but, more rappers should use their influence to at least enlighten the masses, you feel?
Yeah I agree. The message is music is key!
"we all have that clutch that can shift us to want, its the amount you grab when you get to the pot" - Prevail1
True shit
I think your point is true. It is tough though since a lot of their songs are entirely based on drugs, sex and violence so it would be interesting to see what rap songs would be like without this influence.
Yeah it's difficult because they rap about these topics because that's how they actually live. Artists generally rap about what they experience and censoring that could be a problem as well.
I definitely think there is a way to provide a better message to their audience about drugs like you mentioned in your personal opinion section. All sorts of members of their audience from kids to adolescents hear these words, so in my opinion, artists with this much clout should try to use that in a positive manner. An attempt to bring out the negative connotation is definitely one to strive for, as you said.
Agreed. Thanks Alexi!