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Dec 9, 2020 · Hip-hop is one of the world’s most popular music genres, with its global prominence transcending language and geography. 1 More than ever before, hip-hop artists are publicly acknowledging their mental health struggles, promoting anti-stigma campaigns around mental health, and normalising seeking treatment for mental health issues. In our ...
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Jul 27, 2021 · The legendary hip-hop MC, KRS-ONE proclaimed, “rap is something you do, hip-hop is something you live” and I have been living hip-hop ever since. Hip-hop culture embodies five pillars that have made it the most influential movement of today. The pillars also make the connection between mental health and hip-hop much easier to understand.
Nov 11, 2014 · The co-founders are keen to take HIP HOP PSYCH into prisons, schools, and hostels to promote positive self-esteem through engagement with hip-hop artists. They have already taken their project to Mama Stone’s Exeter-based nightclub, lecture halls, the Oxford University African Caribbean Society, Cambridge Festival of Ideas and Pint of Science ...
- The Message – Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five
- So Many Tears - Tupac
- Drop The World – Lil Wayne
- Stormzy on Channel 4 News
- Cleaning Out My Closet – Angel Haze
- Broski – Krept and Konan
- 1-800-273-8255 – Logic
- Sell Out – Rico Nasty
- Man on The Moon – Kid Cudi
- 4:44 – Jay Z
In the 1970s, pioneering rappers such as Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five were ‘street epidemiologists’ who documented the harsh living conditions and social inequalities that could be damaging to mental health. Their 1982 hit The Message describes a world of poverty, deprivation, crime and violence. Don't push me Cause I'm close to the edge...
In the 1980s and 1990s, mental health issues began to emerge more explicitly in lyrics, but often camouflaged in masculinity. Mainstream ‘gangsta rap’ portrayed machismo, and discouraged weakness. While ‘soft’ topics were still generally taboo, hints of vulnerability creep into songs such as Mind Playing Tricks On Me by the Ghetto Boys, which depic...
The relationship between mental health and masculinity is complex, as societies sometimes promote narratives like ‘strong men don’t cry’ or ‘his emotions got the best of him’. Such negative views of men expressing their emotions are seen as a ‘sign of weakness’; however, men under the age of 50 are at an increased risk of taking their own lives and...
In the 2000s and especially 2010s, rappers were increasingly beginning to show a more sensitive side of hip-hop, acknowledging struggles with depression and anxiety. In 2017, British rapper Stormzy opened up about his own inner battles and why it was important for others to know that depression can affect anyone.
In 2012, Angel Haze remixed Eminem’s song Cleanin’ Out My Closet, producing a song she went on to describe as “…probably the realest song I ever recorded", a candid, explicit and disturbing song about childhood sexual abuse. There's a story behind every single scar that I show I made it out, this a me nobody's gotten before I had to open my wounds,...
Last year, UK artists Krept and Konan released Broski, in which they tried to make sense of the loss of their friend, who tragically took his life. Sometimes being strong ain't strong enough To anybody keeping things bottled up I just want to let you know that you're not alone Pick up the phone, don't suffer on your own
The rapper Logic partnered with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, releasing a song called 1-800-273-8255 about a suicidal hotline caller getting support. When Logic performed the song at the Grammys alongside suicide survivors, calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline tripled. I finally wanna be alive (finally wanna be alive) I fin...
A number of female artists have also addressed mental health through hip-hop. On her most recent album Anger Management, Rico Nasty channels expressions of rage and anger into a form of empowerment. The track Sell Out describes how her “…expression of anger is a form of rejuvenation” and how she has used to her emotions to help herself and others. ...
In recent years, as well as opening up about their troubles, some notable rappers have helped reduce stigma by endorsing therapy. One such advocate is rapper, Kid Cudi, who posted on social mediaabout going to an inpatient mental health treatment centre, triggering a hugely positive reaction from his fans. His songs such as Man on the Moon resonate...
Another major therapy advocate is Jay Z, who in 2018 talked to CNN's Van Jones about the “ridiculousness” of stigma surrounding mental health problems and said that he would like to see therapists in schools. His album 4:44documents his own experiences in therapy, leading to songs such as the title track where Jay Z apologises for his behaviour, tr...
Nov 4, 2024 · Hip-hop therapy sparked the creative imagination of communities and began to be used in spaces where mental health services could not permeate due to stigma or lack of access. Hip-hop therapy is ...
promoting anti-stigma campaigns around mental health, and encouraging people to seek professional treatment. The Hip Hop Psych co-founders said: "Hip-hop can be a vehicle to
Sep 21, 2023 · In the 50 years since they first emerged, hip-hop artists have found a way to speak openly about their mental health, and are at work to ensure the next generation does not inherit old stigmas.
