All Eyez On Mental Health
by Ryan Ullo
In 2020, COVID-19 brought the world to a screeching halt. It seemed like the world was ending, Stores, restaurants, and other businesses were closed and everyone was told to shelter in place for well over a year. With all of this craziness going on in the world, it is no surprise that mental health has been catapulted from being an issue long shoved under the rug to making headlines across all major news networks. As the pandemic dragged on, suicide rates increased drastically as a result of depression. The most notable increase, however, was that of children. Sadly, this is nothing new. Historically, both children and young adults with depression have been vastly under treated, thus leading to a rise in suicides. It is also no help that over the last 20 years, less and less kids were going to the doctor to treat their mental health. “This research documented that immediately after the FDA warnings began in 2003, there was a sudden and sustained 30%-40% drop in youth visits to doctors for all depression care, including antidepressant prescriptions.”
With those numbers in mind, there is one platform that for years had long thought this topic taboo, hip hop. Ever since hip hop rose to prominence in the early 1980s, very few rappers in the game have talked about topics like depression, seeing it as contradictory to the “Gangsta” stereotype. In fact, hip hop in general was seen as detrimental to mental health across the African-American community. It was hard to express one’s struggles with depression in a genre which glamorized sex, drugs, and violence. Many big name rappers, such as Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and even The Notorious B.I.G., had suffered from depression and other mental health problems since they were children. In Kid Cudi’s case, he faced stigma for even mentioning his depression. Imagine everyone’s reaction to him getting treated. In an interview, Cudi disclosed that he had been receiving medication to treat his depression. However, after they heard the name of the medication, his fans immediately assumed he had been doing a new type of hard drug. “In Cudi’s interview with Complex, he explains that After the WZRD song ‘Dr. Pill’ everyone thought I was talking about molly or ecstasy’. But he was talking about prescription medication, which is obviously much more culturally taboo.” Since the entire concept of mental health and taking care of it was considered so taboo, it’s no surprise that many rappers, such as Juice WRLD, turned to drugs. However, artists like Melle Mel defied this stigma and spoke their minds. In 1982, Melle Mel released a song called “The Message,” a collaboration with Duke Bootee that became one of the earliest songs referencing mental health. The lyrics include, “Don’t push me Cause I’m close to the edge. I’m trying Not to lose my head. It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under.”
Depression has been around forever. However, after the events of these last few years, it’s no surprise that awareness has spread. Rightfully so. More entertainers in the hip hop industry have begun to discuss this issue to great acclaim. After all, most of these particular rappers belong to the age range that is affected the most. It is important that they continue their work and pass it on to other kids and young adults who are going through similar issues to let them know that they are not alone. The playlist below contains songs that tackle depression, suicide, and mental health in general. In time, it is crucial that more and more songs come out in order to better address this crisis that has affected so many.
Playlist for Mental Health
Song #1: “Hurt” By Johnny Cash
This cover of the Nine Inch Nails hit is a song about loss and the depression that follows. In the months before the death of his wife, Cash goes down the dark path of depression, essentially losing the will to live and resorting to self-harm as the opening line suggests. “I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel.” As opposed to the original, about a young man addicted to drugs considering suicide, Cash’s version is of a man at end of his life who has lost everyone dear to him. This would no doubt lead someone into depression.
Song #2: “This Depression” By Bruce Springsteen
This song written by the lyrical legend himself is about a person who is in a time of financial instability, spiraling into a depressed state. Throughout the song, the narrator heartbreakingly pleads to a loved one to help them. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people lost their jobs, putting them in a financial crisis and ruining their livelihoods. This reason, among others, was responsible in the rise of depression rates and suicides.
Song #3: “I Feel Like Dying” By Lil Wayne
It is no secret that Lil Wayne has had a long history with drug abuse. However, instead of glorifying drugs, he discusses how he uses them as a way to hide his depression. After he gets that high, there is nothing but depression and pain. Drugs are a way used by many to mask what’s going on in their heads.
Song #4: “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” By Geto Boys
This song came out during a tumultuous time in America. Gangsta rap took over the music world, and the police killing of Rodney King led to riots across the southwest. In a genre that taught black male teens to hide their emotions and adopt the gangster persona, Geto Boys dropped “Mind Playing Tricks On Me.” This song introduced a new generation to the anxiety and depression that comes with living that gangster lifestyle. Rather than glorifying hood life, the Geto Boys are essentially traumatized by it. “I make big money, I drive big cars, Everybody know me, it’s like I’m a movie star But late at night, something ain’t right, I feel I’m being tailed by the same sucker’s headlights.”
In recent years, the topic of mental health has gained more attention, and rightfully so. We have gone through a global pandemic, witnessed police brutality and endured two insane election seasons that also saw the repealing of abortion rights. After all of this insanity, It is no surprise that mental health, especially depression, is a major issue. To me, depression is a personal issue. I’ve seen multiple close friends fall into that deep, dark abyss for many different reasons. Causes of depression may include the death of a loved one, financial hardship, or in some cases, a bad break up. Some friends had even gone down so far that they had attempted suicide. I, along with many, believe that depression should matter, because it can happen to anybody for the reasons listed above. In their lifetimes, people go through many experiences, good and bad. We also have different ways in which we cope with the bad. Some people however, may not be able to cope with a situation very well and they become depressed. It should be our duty as human beings, to spread awareness and pressure our elected officials to take this issue more seriously rather than shoving it under the rug. As a member of the community, I can only say that if someone you know is going through tough times and is in a dark place, take at least a few minutes of your day to talk to them. Let them know that they do not have to be alone. If they say no, I believe that the best thing one could do is give them time, and eventually they’ll be willing to talk. Institutionally, our government should take broader steps in addressing mental health. A way they could help is by ensuring that the services needed to combat this problem have the funds they need. In conclusion, mental health should no longer be treated as a taboo, but as an issue that must be tackled immediately. Too many lives have been affected by depression, and I implore anyone who reads this to reach out to someone going through depression.
- Brierley, Craig. “11 Hip-Hop Artists Who Had Something to Say about Mental Health.” University of Cambridge, 9 Dec. 2020, https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/hiphoppsych.
- Soumerai, Stephen, and Ross Koppel. “After the FDA Issued Warnings about Antidepressants, Youth Suicides Rose and Mental Health Care Dropped.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/YJNARX621494924/OVIC?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=7e63be9f. Accessed 24 Sept. 2022. Originally published as “After the FDA issued warnings about antidepressants, youth suicides rose and mental health care dropped,” The Conversation, 15 Feb. 2022.
- Tesfamariam, Rahiel. “Breaking Hip-Hop’Silence: Kid Cudi Speaks on Mental Health (Posted 2013–01–17 15:14:26): The Rapper Discusses His Battle with Antidepressant Medication for the February/March Issue of Complex Magazine.”ProQuest, 2013, https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/breaking-hip-hopsilence-kid-cudi-speaks-on-mental/docview/1270308544/se-2.
