Does Hip-Hop Need A Change? The Correlation of Rap Artists and Early Death

 

The hip-hop scene remains to be one of the most talked about industries to date. And unfortunately, not all of the headlines speak well about the current state of hip-hop. 

Unfortunately, as 2023 continues to kick into full gear, the state of the hip-hop industry has not been able to recover from major controversies that set back its reputation during the past years.

Just recently, news of hit rapper Gangsta Boo’s passing struck a chord yet once again in the industry as many people are now questioning the dangerous trend of rap artists and the saddening correlation with early death.

Also known as Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, her death was ruled as a possible drug overdose after initial investigations were conducted. Gangsta Boo’s case is the latest in a series of early deaths that have befallen many rappers of either the same level or were in the process of reaching new heights in terms of popularity during their careers.

Other stars who have sadly had their lives full of potential abruptly cut short in the past few years include megastars such as Takeoff, Nipsey Hussle, and XXXTentacion. To add salt to the wound, all of these talented rappers met their fate in the same manner — through gun violence. 

What’s even sadder is that these deaths are beginning to be normalized day by day. With social media continuously spreading its dominant influence on the Internet space, privacy is a thing of the past. 

People are getting more numb and desensitized to graphic images of death scenes and autopsies that are spread online. This vicious cycle has happened again and again, so much so that news of a young musician’s life being cut short is not so surprising anymore.

Now the question that is begging to be asked is, does hip-hop need a change? The short answer is yes. Flexing culture or the norm of showing off huge amounts of wealth online has been rampant in the hip-hop side of social media. 

The culture of constantly trying to one-up each other in the hip-hop scene attracts unwanted attention — and as proven by recent events, this attention can turn into something fatal.

Stricter security measures have to be put in place by managers and other responsible people in charge of taking care of hip-hop musicians. Extensive education in public relations, communications, and financial management should be cultivated among artists. 

If there’s any perfect time to go down hard on being more attentive to the state of the hip-hop scene — it’s now. Hip-hop is definitely in need of change. And to prevent the culture of death from spreading, something has to be done, and it has to be done fast.

By Neil Gregorio

Neil Gregorio is a graduating university student who writes as a hobby; when he is away from the keyboard, he spends his time watching Japanese animated shows and jamming out to his favorite rock music.

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