Hey Music Mag - Issue 2 - October 2018

Lil Peep
into drug-infused-rap and the kids love it,
streaming platforms allowing consumption
without filter. Life imitates art; if our curators
are doing what we all love from a destructive
mind state, how long before impressionable
fans follow suit?
All genres of music have this issue to
tackle. Earlier this year, international pop
star Demi Lovato found herself in the midst
of an apparent overdose. She had been
battling mental illness and addiction for
years. Fortunately, she was immediately
hospitalised after overdosing, which saved
her life. The electronic dance music scene
was sent reeling when world renowned EDM
DJ and producer Avicii committed suicide
while on holiday in Oman. He was 28. Even
Hip-hop is littered
with artists who
don’t know they’re
suffering
Mac Miller
with the stress and responsibility brought
on by the music business. Last November,
21-year-old rapper on the rise Lil Peep died
from of drug overdose and, more recently,
26-year-old hip-hop star Mac Miller’s death
was drug related.
Just as Morpheus told Neo, the rabbit hole
is deep. Hip-hop is littered with artists who
don’t know they’re suffering; there are music
moguls enabling said artists and listeners
who are affected directly. Artists like J. Cole,
who make a conscious decision to use
their music to champion a healthy lifestyle,
are outnumbered. Trap-rap has morphed
Kanye West took his own approach to telling
the world that he may be in need of help by
captioning his June released Ye album cover
with the statement: “I hate being bi-polar,
it’s awesome.” It’s not uncharacteristic of Ye
to be controversial but this message gave a
little more cause for pause and reflection.
There’s been a concerted effort to bring
mental health issues to the fore in the dance
scene. The Association for Electronic Music
has teamed up with Help Musicians UK to
provide a 24/7 support hotline, while last
year Pioneer DJ Sounds released Why We
DJ – Slaves To The Rhythm, an eye-opening
film that illuminates mental health issues in
electronic music.
More and more artists are now being open
about their fight with mental health and drug
abuse. But there’s a tonne of work needs to
be done to fully address the situation. We
need to talk more. We need to continue to
have these conversations and ensure they
always take precedence over mundane
subject matters so we can battle mental
health issues in hip-hop more effectively.
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