Recently I have
noticed a trend in music videos where artists use or portray drugs in a
glamorous way. This idea sprung up in my head ever since the Presidential
election earlier this month. During this 2012 election, Amendment 64 passed in
Colorado, allowing the recreational use of marijuana. Immediately I thought how
will this Amendment shape our current culture?
Two days after
the election, Rihanna released the music video for her new single, Diamonds.
The initial shots are of Rihanna with diamonds as she rolls them into a blunt. So
right off the bat, Rihanna is symbolizing the word “diamond” to mean marijuana.
Although this is not the original meaning for the song, Rihanna creates a
correlation between the two with this imagery. The whole diamonds/marijuana
scenario generates an allure for viewers. Many young girls may watch this video
and be attracted to this subconscious notion that marijuana is like diamonds.
Diamonds by Rihanna
Amendment 64 and
the Diamonds video coincidentally happened around the same time, however
artists have been glamourizing drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex in music
videos for decades. For instance many hip-hop artists portray drugs in their
music videos. It’s to the point where hip-hop artists have created a stereotype
for themselves based on this occurrence.
Afroman’s,
Because I Got High is a perfect example of the most extreme marijuana use,
particularly because the entire song was written about smoking weed. Naturally
the music video fits the theme of the song and shows Afroman smoking a lot of
weed. I think this video is important to mention because Afroman collaborates
with two famous characters in pop culture, Jay and Silent Bob. In doing so,
Afroman is appealing to the fans of those characters while attracting viewers
to use marijuana.
Because I Got High by Afroman
As Rihanna and
Afroman stylize the use of drugs as a chic endeavor, some artists use drugs to
show hardship. For example Prodigy’s, Smack My Bitch Up shows a dark side of
drug and alcohol abuse. According to a survey conducted by PRS for Music, the
song was voted the most controversial song of all time. The video is just as
controversial portraying acts of cocaine use, theft, binge drinking and
violence. In this particular example, I think the music video de glamourizes
the use of drugs and alcohol because the viewer gets to witness first hand the
effects of these substances.
Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy
I’m particularly
curious to see how Amendment 64 will shape the use of drugs in music videos.
Although artists already portray these substances in their videos, I can only
imagine what is to follow now that certain states have legalized marijuana.
What will be the pop cultural repercussions of this Amendment and how will it shape the next generation of musical artists?
I was glad to see a post relating to this topic, as I have wondered the same thing. It seems to me that there will be an increase of drug use in music videos in response to the passing of Amendment 64, since it is going to become a more mainstream ideal of daily life. I also think that people will probably become more desensitized to the portrayal of drug use in the media in the future, due to the passage of this Amendment.
ReplyDeleteAs for Rihanna, I think she just likes having drugs in her videos to make them more edgy. In "We Found Love," the whole story revolves around drug use. I really love that video, despite the graphic nature of the content involved. The story, production value, and concept were all top-notch. This just goes to show you that a mainstream music video can contain controversial themes without selling itself out.
Very interesting point you made in this post. The passing of the Amendment 64 has already started to have its effect on popular culture, as you stated in your post. Although a lot of artists have been glamorizing drugs for decades, it seems like there has been an increase of drug use in popular culture, to the point where drugs have become a central character in a lot of music videos. When drugs seemed to appear in just a couple of videos, from certain genres like hip-hop and heavy rock, it seems like its becoming mainstream for all types of genre. I think this is a trend we will continue to see for a couple more years, until the Amendment is passed in more states. Once marijuana becomes legal across the US, artists will have to rely on other substances to make their videos edgy and controversial.
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ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your comments and analysis about how music artists have expressed drug consumption through their music. It is common knowledge that many of these artists fall in the consumption of these substances because their busy and stressful careers. They resemble it in their music videos and daily life. The recent approval of using marijuana recreationally neither helps the situation. Artists are spokespersons and role models for their fans, driving them to probably adapt their behaviors also. It is like saying “if they can do it, why can’t I? And yes, sadly this is what happens.
ReplyDeleteDrug use in music videos is not a new issue. Since the beginning of the urban genre in Puerto Rico, illicit drug use has been promoted in many music videos. Similarly, many songs have also been engaged to such conduct. So, I believe that recreational use of marihuana should remain “not allowed”. I understand that the freedom of speech is a constitutional law, but artist -as public figure- should assume more social conscience and contribute to the benefit of the community. It is also their responsibility to avoid promoting corrupts conducts. They should be proactive to society.
This is an intriguing and aptly timed post. it seems that the passing of Amendment 64 has brought to light some issues that many citizens would have been content to leave under the rug where they have been swept for the last few decades. It would be easy to assume that the legalization of drugs for recreational use would be a bad thing, but the curious case of Portugal proves the opposite to be the case. In addition, we need only look into Americas history of prohibition to see that the policy has a tendency of backfiring. Not only does outlawing a controlled substance determine who will be the outlaws, but it also places a great amount of power firmly into the hands of said outlaws.
ReplyDeleteThis effect is drastically amplified by the glamorization of recreational drug use. I can almost guarantee that if NyQuil was outlawed tomorrow,there would be an almost overnight black market for the currently benign cold remedy product Along with this would come an accompanying cadre of celebrities and recording artists promoting it's use, simply in an attempt to appear rebellious. As I'm currently relocating to Colorado, I'm curious to see how the implementation of Amendment 64 will pan out, given the fact that this amendment is in direct conflict with federal law.
Regardless of how the laws pan out, it is almost certain that celebrities will continue to promote the recreational use of drugs. This is not the root, but rather a symptom of a greater issue. The celebrity promotion of drugs stems from the idea of promoting rebellious activity. It seems that rebellion is becoming the new norm, and the real rebels of society are actually the people who attempt to adhere to traditional ideals and behavior. For evidence of this, try having a conversation about proper discipline of children in a public place, and see how many people begin to shift about uncomfortably. The problem is that society as a whole is beginning to accept rebellion as normal, trendy, and acceptable, and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon.