I recently came across an article that highlighted the significant increase in the use of anti-depressant drugs—it got me thinking about how the “the struggle” has influenced hip-hop. As an artist, my material is fueled by life experiences, and much of it has been inspired from my personal struggles.
With so much going on in the world I can understand why so many people have fallen victim to depression. Turn on the news and you’ll find that our country is fighting two wars, the stock market is unstable, unemployment is running high, the recent oil spill in the gulf has disrupted the way of life for coast residents… just to name a few. Not to mention the everyday struggles faced by those of us who work diligently to live the American Dream.
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Some of the most influential rap artists made their struggles into amazing self-reflective hip-hop classics. Eminem’s “Cleaning out my Closet” exposed the world to his mom’s abusive nature. Biggie’s “Everyday Struggle” captured the daily challenges faced by kids growing up in the hood. One of my personal favorites, The Ghetto Boyz’ “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” creatively highlighted a lifestyle of poverty, the pitfalls of drugs, and the pursuit fast money. We could probably name dozens more classic songs like these, but few artists have continued to reflect this particular part of our society.
I believe most rappers really do care about societal issues but when faced with the pressure to produce “radio hits”, socially conscious music takes a backseat. I certainly respect the business of hip-hop and if the day comes when I have a major deal and the pressure to create “radio hits”…I only hope that I can balance “making hits” and making the same music I would make if I wasn’t getting paid.
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But in the meantime, I’ll continue making music that represents my life experiences. For instance, as with most people, I’ve gone through bouts of depression and my only coping mechanism is to write raps about it. One key sign that I’m depressed is when I get insomnia and I find myself Internet surfing for hours about random things such as “jobs over 100k” to “get rich quick” to “how to get signed” and “what is my purpose”. Now that I think about it, maybe those search queries identify my character flaws because I’m constantly working hard to attain wealth while attempting to fulfill a greater positive purpose in this life. Yet, no matter how much I achieve there’s still emptiness because I feel like I can do so much more.
So if you’ve ever felt the weight of the world on your shoulders and the self imposed pressure to achieve greatness, while feeling like your life isn’t happening fast enough, hopefully this song will give you peace of mind to know that you’re not alone…or maybe you’ll find that JohnJohn is just a lil’ crazy! 😉
Either way, thanks for listening and I hope you
