ABSTRACT

In recent years it has become common for anglophone rappers to address themes of health and wellbeing in their music (Forman, 2021). Rappers sometimes express medical ideas in their work that might be considered distinctive and unconventional. For instance, in a 2019 track entitled “Intro”, Young Adz from UK rap collective D-Block Europe describes treating his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with codeine, a substance that is not a clinically accepted method of treatment for PTSD in the UK (NHS, 2022). Young Adz’s claim of self-administering a prescription-only pain medication to treat a mental health condition raises a number of interesting questions: Are there any clinical benefits to administering codeine for PTSD? Does this self-prescription stem from an understandable institutional distrust, a lack of access to medical services, or something else?

Although there are many examples such as this in rap, few have been analysed in sufficient detail by scholars. Much of the existing research into rap, and health and wellbeing tends to ignore the music, instead focusing on details about musicians’ biographies by examining artist interviews. In this talk I will discuss some preliminary ideas for a new research project designed to critically evaluate how, and why, rappers from English speaking countries in the North Atlantic discuss health and wellbeing in their work. I will first outline the details of the study, before exploring a number of examples to critically address themes including substance misuse, self-care, the wellness industry, and the possible impact of musical-medical content on rap’s diverse listenership.

 

BIOGRAPHY

Jamie Johnson is a jazz musician turned researcher and lecturer based at the University of West London. His research and teaching interests include: UK rap and jazz, popular music heritage, and the intersection of popular music and public health. In 2025 he has published work in IASPM Journal and has an article scheduled for publication in Popular Music.

Jamie Johnson