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Kate Cowles
College Writing 2
Professor Christine Olding
13 May 2016
Drugs Influence on Music and Culture
Throughout the history of music, the theme of drugs has been popular in songs and even
with musicians. Music has always been a huge part of culture and has changed throughout. A lot
of people think music started with the genre Jazz, but that isnt the case, the recorded link
between music and drugs can be seen as far back as the 17th century when the Cora tribe of
Mexico used a cactus-derived hallucinogen called peyote during spiritual musical gatherings
(Raine) While the music genres changed, so did the drug use by the musicians and even the
audience. Musicians used drugs to enhance their creativity in their songs and to deal with their
nerves, hectic schedules, and fame. People knew drug use was in music because of the lyrics and
by the musicians performances. Some drugs have been apart of music history for a long time,
such as heroin and marijuana. Both started in the early 1950s with Jazz music and then
marijuana transitioned with reggae and rap music in the 80s. While marijuana transitioned to
another genre so did heroin, heroin was popular in rock music in the 70s. (Raine) In some
genres it is not evident as much, such as country and pop music compared to other genres of
music. Rock N Roll was known for sex, drugs, and identity in their music. Rock musicians have
had the most overdose from drugs because Rock N Roll musicians used hard drugs and became
addicted. (Raine) Other hard drugs have been evident at clubs throughout the years. It started
with Disco music in the 80s, then techno, and currently with Dubstep. (Raine) The drugs that
have been exposed to music through different decades are still present to this day, although the

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genre of music may not be popular anymore. Throughout the years music genres have changed
due to the different drugs exposed to musicians and the music is influenced by the drugs by the
way the musicians are affected by it. These drugs influence the musicians performance and
lyrics and is evident to this day in songs.
One of the earliest and most popular genres of music in the late 1800s and early 1900s
was Jazz music. Jazz music started in New Orleans and formed mostly in African American
communities. But, since racism was big in the south, jazz migrated to the north and was very
popular in Chicago. Jazz players usually played at night clubs in cities. Jazz is known for the
instruments used in the music, such as saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. The genre focuses
on improvising in their performances, instead of just reading music to play, which made the
genre unique. Jazz started to grow in the 20s and 30s and that is when the drug use got
involved in the music. It first started with soft drugs, such as marijuana. Jazz Musicians
smoked marijuana to ease themselves because they were stressed because of their hectic
schedules. Since jazz music was getting very popular, the musicians got more stressed with how
busy they were getting. Louis Armstrong made it evident that he used pot because he named a
song Muggles, which was a slang for marijuana. (Raine)
Jazz musicians had to change their use of marijuana because it became illegal to smoke,
In 1937 Harry Anslinger, Director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics convinced congress to
criminalize marijuana use by telling them, There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the
US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. (Lombardi) The soft drugs
transition to hard drugs in the 50s occurred with the use of heroin. Many musicians did drugs to
enhance their music ability, the reason Miles Davis used heroin was because he believed it

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made him play better. (Miles Davis use of Drugs) Since improvising was known by jazz
musicians, the musicians claimed that heroin helped flow creativity in their improvisation.
Not only did the drug make the musicians more creative, but it helped them with their
nerves. Heroin and marijuana got rid of the musicians stage fright, Jazz musicians used
substance as medication to ease the terror of performing in front of all white audience with
knowledge that these were some of the same faces that treated him with such scornfulness.
(Zartz) There was a transition after heroin, to a drug called Mods and speed. Mods stand for
microscopic observation drug susceptibility. (MODS)Speed is now known to this day as the drug
crystal methamphetamine, also commonly known as meth. Musicians used these drugs because it
gave them a rush. The result of these drugs was more fast past and upbeat music. The musicians
were more energized and the cafs that they performed in turned into all night caf dance
parties. (Raine)
The sixties were known as the psychedelic sixties because of the hippie culture and drug
use. The drugs increased in the 60s, after World War II, the pharmaceutical industry exploded
with research into new drugs. (Crescentok) Because of the increase in drugs, fashion became
more colorful, art movements occurred, and music became evolving. LSD became very popular
during this time period; LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. (Definition of LSD) Many
people were hospitalized because people did not have knowledge about the drug, they just
wanted to explore it. The music in the 60s was influenced by the east and rock n roll.
(Lombardi) Heroin was still a popular drug in music, but artists wanted to explore new drugs and
make new music. Bands that were popular during this decade was The Beatles, The Rolling
Stones, The Who, and The Beach Boys. (Crescentok)

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The Beatles were a good example of a band that experienced drug use with members in
the band, in 1967 Paul McCartney let slip to the world that he had used LSD. Audience knew
because the band created more psychedelic songs in their 1966 album Revolver. (Lombardi) Not
only was drug use evident in rock music, but also in rock performances. Pink Floyd in 1968,
guitarist Sid Barrett would not even play or only play one chord on stage because he was on LSD
during performances. Woodstock continued the psychedelic drug use in 1969, when all the music
and people at the concert reflected the hippie drug culture. LSD, psychedelics, and marijuana
were the most common drugs used during Woodstock. (Lombardi) People were on drugs
listening to music in the great outdoors and were rebellious and free. The songs that were played
were a revolt against war and encouraged peace, love and drugs, which was what the 60s were
all about. (Crescentok)
In the 60s people were curious and explored new drugs, and in the 70s people got the
aftermath of realizing how addicting drugs can be. This is the decade that many bands suffered
because of the overuse of hard drugs. In the beginning of the decade, Jimi Hendrix died from
choking on his vomit after a night of excessive partying and taking a lot of sleeping pills in 1970.
That same year Janis Joplin died of a heroin overdose. (Raine) Heroin was very popular during
this decade and songs were written about the drug. In 1972, Neil Young wrote a song about his
bandmates struggle with being addicted to heroin called The Needle and the Damage Done.
Within the same year the song was written, his band member died of an overdose of heroin. A
new drug called amphetamines was introduced once punk music formed in New York.
(Rettman)Amphetamines are a cheap drug that was homemade, just like the drug used in the 50s
called speed. (Amphetamine) Just like in the jazz culture, the drug was used to speed up songs
and to make them more energetic. These drugs were found in clubs where punk rockers used to

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play fast and aggressive music. (Raine) The difference between the jazz culture in the 50s and
the punk culture in the 80s was that the jazz culture wasnt educated on these drugs. By the 70s
people knew the side effects of drugs because many people overdose or became addicted to
drugs. Musicians still used drugs after they found out about all the negative effects of taking
them because they were influenced by past musicians. They knew that a lot of big hit songs from
the past decades were made while the musicians were under the influence. Thus they wanted to
take drugs to find a new inspiration for their music and be creative, like past musicians.
(Rettman) Influence is big key in music, musicians are influenced by past musicians, songs are
influenced by drugs and experiences, and audiences are influenced from songs and musicians.
In the 80s new music genres became popular, which means new drugs became popular
with the new music being produced. Marijuana made a come back because of Bob Marley in the
1980s. Bob Marley brought reggae music to the United States and was the first internationally
known reggae musician. Reggae music was very rhythmic and soulful. His music was very chill
and Bob Marley is a symbol for marijuana. This is because one of his album, Kaya, which is a
Jamaican word for marijuana, hemp, and cannabis. Also, the background of the album was a
burning joint. His songs also referred to marijuana, such as I Shot the Sheriff. That song was
about an officer telling a marijuana grower to stop growing marijuana. He had long dreads, his
albums contained Rastafari colors, and he is associated with a pot leaf because of his music and
song lyrics referring to marijuana. (Kaya: Bob Marley and Marijuana )
this decade, the genre of Electric Music became popular. The music was more advanced
using electronic instruments and synthesizers. This new music produced a new drug called
Ecstasy, ecstasy is a synthetic drug that alters mood and perception. (DrugFacts: MDMA)
Ecstasy is known as the party pill which was used in the clubs. (Robinson) People take this drug

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to escape reality and it makes the lights, music, and dancing highly pleasurable. (Why is Ecstasy
so popular in the EDM scene)
In the late 1970s and early 1980s another new genre of music formed in clubs called
Disco. Disco is a genre of dance music that was soulful, funky, and easy to dance to. During this
period of music, a new drug crack cocaine became popular. Crack cocaine was introduced in the
mid 70s and became popular because of how cheap and addicting the drug was. Glam metal
rock bands, like Van Halen and Twisted Sister, also used cocaine during the 80s. (Robinson)
(Lombardi)
In 1980, MTV was created which was a cultural phenomenon. It was a television show
that defined pop culture. MTV televised music videos, which made teenagers more evolved in
music. The music videos that they showed were rock n roll which caused controversy because of
lyrics and performances, popular music reinforces youth counterculture through depicting the
intensity, turbulence, and rebellion of adolescence. (Greeson and Williams) (Raine)
The drugs of the 80s like marijuana, LSD, and cocaine, decreased as heroin made a come
back and party drugs rose. Ecstasy was the top party drug. The drug caused confusion, anxiety,
and drug cravings. The so called party drug can cause severe damage to the brain. The drug
was outlawed in 1985 because of how harmful it was. But many people didnt care because they
liked how it felt when they went to clubs and listened to techno and disco music. Crystal meth
made a comeback also, but it was more popular among teens this time. R&B and pop music was
popular in the 90s. During the time period of the 90s and 2000s music and drug connection
decreased. But rap music became popular during these periods, which dealt with cocaine and
marijuana during these decades and the genre of rap music started getting very popular.
(Robinson)

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Rap music started in 1970s and throughout the years has experienced different drugs as
the music progressed and evolved. Each drug had a different influence on rap music and sound
of it. Rap started in The Bronx of New York, which is a very urban area that mostly African
Americans lived in. Rappers used coke, even crack, which made their sound way different than
the rappers who smoke weed and did LSD. The rappers that did coke, their music was dark and
gloomy compared to other music. Their songs were based on selling coke or crack on the street
to help their family and how to survive on the streets of The Bronx. Coke brought a realization
to listeners about the struggle for African Americans living in urban areas. Their songs talked
about troubled past and rough upbringings. The Notorious B.I.G released a song in 1997 called
Ten Crack Commandments. It talks about how he sold crack in the streets and talks about how
terrifying but thrilling it was for him. Even to this day, in 2014 O.T Genasis released a song
called Coco, short for cocaine. In the music video there is cocaine present and they are putting
in baggies to sell it. Unlike cocaine, rappers who smoked marijuana had more positive songs and
enhanced listeners mood. Rappers who smoked marijuana made their music very laid back, so
when people are high they can chill and listen to the music. The music is changing for marijuana
rappers since marijuana is getting legalized in some states, it reflects the loosened legal status of
marijuana in our country, and the ever-increasing openness with which we use the drug
recreationally. (London) Chill music became more well favored when Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre
got more popular. At the start of rap music, the music was more real and about struggle, where it
transitioned to being more mellow. Famous marijuana rappers currently are Snoop Dogg,
Cypress Hill, and Wiz Khalifa. Cocaine made a comeback in the early 2000s with artists like
Jay Z and Rick Ross. Their songs, just like in the early 1990s, were based on their past selling
drugs and living in bad areas. A drug that has been constant throughout rap music has been lean.

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Lean is when alcohol is mixed with codeine syrup. Rappers started taking lean in 1990s in
Houston from the rap duo UGK, short for Underground Kingz. It got popular in the mid 2000s
when Lil Wayne got involved with the drug. They call the drug Lean because when you take it
you get in a deep slumber. Just like other drugs, lean has long term side effects that can lead to
brain damage and seizures. Lean is constantly in rap lyrics and is shown in music videos.
Recently, a lot of rappers have been rapping about LSD. Current rappers such as Danny Brown,
Chance the Rapper, and ASAP Rocky have made songs based on the drug. You can really tell
that they use LSD by their music videos. ASAP Rocky released a song this year called LSD, but
he referred to the title as Love Sex Dreams. But the music video of the song refers to the drug
because it is psychedelic and the visuals are very trippy. He wanted people watching the video to
feel like they were tripping on LSD. Each drug that has been used in rap music has shaped the
music and has changed the sound of rap music throughout the years. (Took and Weiss) (London)
In the 21st century, music and the drug link decreased because no new drugs were
discovered. The only new genre that has been created in the 21st century is Dubstep. Dubstep
start in 2002, which is based on remixes and is created by DJs. Dubstep is similar to a
combination of techno and electronic music from the 80s. Thus, people that listen to Dubstep
use the same drugs that were used listening to that music, such as ecstasy and crack cocaine.
(Robinson) (Lombardi) Every time a new drug has been introduced, a new genre of music is
discovered. Drugs make music creative and people explore and make new music under the
influence. Drug overdoses have decreased in the 21st century (Lombardi). This could be because
maybe people are more aware of drugs and their effects on humans. Although there havent been
much overdoses of drugs with musicians, drugs are still in content in music. For instance, the
current popular pop by The Weekend called I Cant Feel My Face refers to being on cocaine.

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(Raine) Country music is very popular just like pop, but those two genres probably show the
least amount of drug influence in their music. Eric Church produced a song in 2011 called Im
Getting Stone, which obviously talks about smoking marijuana. There are only a few songs
that suggest drug use, and the main drug in every song is marijuana. (Nikki Lane: The Rise of a
Country Rebel) This could be because some country and pop artist focus their audience on a
younger crowd, compared to Rock N Roll and Rap musicians.
Audiences are very important in music because they are influenced by the music they
listen to. There is convincing evidence that exposure to certain media messages increases
substance use in adolescents. For instance, viewing smoking in movies prospectively predicts a
substantial proportion of adolescent smoking initiation. (Primack) A lot of people listen to
musicians because they look up to them or think they are cool. Thus, they want to be like them
by singing their music, dressing like them, having same hairstyle, or maybe even acting like
them. But, there is also a possibility that they would even take the same drugs to be like them.
For instance, if some one likes Snoop Dogg a lot, they might smoke marijuana because he does
and his songs revolve around that drug. People are influenced by singers they like and their
habits and songs. A lot of times people listen to songs about marijuana because they personally
smoke marijuana themselves and like it.
Music festivals that happen currently, like Bonaroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza, are
similar to the concert Woodstock. They are also similar because both people at the events take
the same drugs, LSD, psychedelics, and marijuana. Although Woodstock occurred in the 70s,
the same drugs are being used at outdoor concerts today. (Robinson)
Audiences have been influenced by the drugs that the musicians use while making
music. I am not saying that everyone who listens to musicians who does drugs, also do drugs.

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But, I am saying people who listen to a genre of music can tell the impact of drugs on the
musician and the lyrics of the song. For instance, Wiz Khalifa is associated with marijuana
because all his songs talk about smoking marijuana and even in concert he will smoke a blunt on
stage. Probably some people in the audience are sober and some are high on marijuana because
the songs are mellow and want to be like Wiz Khalifa. That was even apparent in the 70s when
the performers at the concert sang songs about anti war and peace, and most of the audience were
hippies. (Lombardi) People take the same drug as musicians to feel what they experienced
making the music. Since the music was centered around the drug, they want to see how the
music is when they are under the same influence as the musician.
Music has shaped our culture and has been a movement. A movement of different genres,
performances, songs, artists, and drugs. Drugs have helped shape music because of the effect it
has on the musician. Drugs have also transitioned music to different genres. Each genre has one
or more specific drug that was popular in the lyrics or use of artist. Sadly, many great musicians
have died because of overdoses of drugs. But, they made great music because of their experience
with drugs. Drug use and music has decreased lately because no new drugs have been
discovered. It is crazy to think that both jazz musicians and rock n roll bands both used heroin to
help them create music. This is crazy because their music is so different, but both had a huge
influence in our culture. Drugs have impacted our music culture by creating new exciting music
that influenced audience and culture.

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