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NCFOM - Rappers with Mental Illness

Music and mentally fragile artists have always had close ties. As the saying goes, a paranoid man is one in possession of all the facts–and the more you know, the more you realise how fucked up everything is. As a result, many musicians turn to substance abuse, alcoholism, and generally destructive behaviour in order to deal with the struggles of day-to-day existence. This phenomenon has contributed in part to the tragedy of the ’27 Club’, which has seen talents such as blues legend Robert Johnson, rock god Jimi Hendrix, and doomed songbird Amy Winehouse pass away at the tender age of 27.

The rap world has yet to officially add a member to this unfortunate collection of characters, but has been no less tarnished by the perils of poor mental health. Many prominent hip-hop figures have been famously lost to gun-related violence, but the story of drug addiction, depression, and nervous breakdowns cutting short the careers of everybody from Ol’ Dirty Bastard to Lauryn Hill remain largely untold in the mainstream. Meanwhile, figures such as Flavor Flav and DMX have been dragged down by their vices, whilst Scarface and Eminem have managed to overcome or manage personal demons and continued to flourish.

Depression has been a taboo topic for men everywhere, from professional athletes to rappers. Brad Jordan, who most of us know as Scarface from the Geto Boys, was one of the earliest MC’s to address the crippling effects of this condition in his music. He fantasised about his own death on ‘I’m Dead’ and detailed his battle with mental illness on 1993’s ‘The Wall’. What was so arresting about Scarface being the one to tackle such a personal topic was the fact that he was usually rapping about dramatic street-level concerns involving drug deals gone wrong, assassination attempts from jealous rivals, and shooting people in the face. To be able to still turn around and speak of his own struggles going on inside his tortured mind in a frank and honest manner was both refreshing and commendable. He proved himself to be a man able to identify his own flaws while being confident enough to let listeners know without any fear of exposing a perceived weakness–a brave move in the ultra macho field of Texan hip-hop.

 

The best rap music draws you into the world of the artist. If that individual happens to be an unpredictable loose cannon like Ol’ Dirty, a damaged soul like DMX, or a high-as-fuck maniac like Flavor Flav, then their music is often able to illustrate a fascinating existence outside of the predictable day-to-day monotony that most of us endure. In the same way that the outlandish excesses of Bad Boy and Cash Money captured our imaginations, so have the narcissistic ramblings of Kanye West or the ice-cold pimp codes of Roc Marciano. They allow us a window into something outside of the everyday mundane necessities. This music is far more affecting than the work of seemingly well-adjusted individuals such as J. Cole or Joey Badass, who would undoubtedly be far better dinner guests than either Gunplay or Capone-N-Noreaga, but produce music that is almost unbearably dull.

I’m not trying to argue that you need to be a bi-polar to make good music, but there’s no denying that it makes for more arresting art. Had Kurt Cobain been a popular, well-adjusted kid in high school, would he have had the anger at the world necessary to lead Nirvana? If Lauryn Hill hadn’t put all of herself into The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to the extent that she completely burnt herself out creatively, would we have ever experienced such a varied and accomplished statement of black womanhood in hip-hop? If Ol’ Dirty had stopped being the completely brilliant yet insane human that he was, would Wu-Tang Clan have ever risen to the pop-culture heights that they did in their prime? Of course not. These figures are what music needs to create something larger than life, thus creating great art. From Van Gogh to Lenny Bruce, great artists across the ages have battled with serious psychological issues and still created lasting legacies. Their pain is often our entertainment, but it’s also comforting to know that other people out there are going through similar struggles in their heads. Sometimes, that’s enough.

Keep up with Robbie’s weekly ‘No Country for Old (Rap) Men’ here.