BY MIKEY MIGO
 Just like the last column, I'm going to talk about stereotypes. This time I want to talk about a not so often discussed issue. That issue is drugs in music. These stereotypes are usually just kept to ourselves as I'm sure many of us avid concert goers or even musicians themselves see it around them, experience it, or fully indulge in it.
Even though it's been around longer, drugs in music was glorified the most at the original Woodstock. According to a state Health Department, that little concert in 69 reported 5,162 medical cases. Of these, 797 were instances of drug abuse. The report lists two deaths by drug overdose, two of only three total. If you watch the movie, which I'm sure many of you have, you'll notice that the only drug on camera is marijuana. Which really gives full blown credit to the uprise in the hippie culture.
"I like ideas about the breaking away or overthrowing of established order. I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos, especially activity that seems to have no meaning. It seems to me to be the road towards freedom – external freedom is a way to bring about internal freedom." - Jim Morrison
That pretty much sums up the hippie movement ambitious, slightly incoherent, and peaceful. But now go about 50 years into the future and the whole "hippie" thing has expanded very much. Hippies are now more contained into jam bands, classic rock, and pretty much anyone on drugs with long hair. Most younger groups of people I know have that one friend with long hair that's always stoned. That one friend is often nicknamed "Hippie" as if it's the most unique and original idea ever. It's lame and boring, but very true.
The thing is that rock music has pretty much all the drugs in their bank of stereotypes. From acid to shrooms, from cocaine to weed, assuming since rock is the longest running genre out there today (that I care about anyway) it's had more time to absorb everything.
Hip Hop or Rap music has had it's share of drug talk and influence. From the early rappers in the 1980s talking about the crack on the streets, the music was commonly used as an educational tool for youthful listeners. The early rappers to stray away from party scene like Fab Five Freddy would share their commentaries on what was going on. Obviously in the 80's, the drug problems were spread out through all cultures and music.
 Hip Hop and Rap took a turn for the stoned with the glorification of blunts and weed. While, weed is the least of the worries on this so called current "War on Drugs," it's gotten a lot of rappers in trouble. Obviously, when I say that the first person to come to mind is Snoop. But there's many other rappers who flow about their drug use. Do you really think Method Man and Redman were putting on acting clinics in the movie "How High"? I doubt it and I'm sure you don't either. But really, these guys are making great music and their avid smoking is harmless to most, right? No. You can deny it or argue it, but all public figures are role models to impressionable youth. It's safe to say that there are young adults out there that have been influenced to smoke weed due to a rapper talking about it. Again, it could be worse, but it's something to consider.
On the flip side, cocaine is an often used topic in rap tracks. When I said that the weed influence could be worse, this is what I'm talking about. You never hear of anyone overdosing from smoking weed, but we hear it a lot about cocaine. I get the fact that many rappers use the topic when they flow about getting to the top. About how they had to sell drugs to get somewhere and how it's rough out there. I can also almost accept that most rappers want to rap about what they've experienced, but it's still glorification nonetheless. On Ghostface's last album, he seemed to of taken the theme of Scarface and even titled the album "Fishscale"(cocaine). While it was a pretty great album, it was a bit unsettling. Adults can just take it for what it's worth and enjoy the music, but can the kids? The CD says "Parental Advisory," but that rarely ever stops store from selling the product. You can blame the parents for not controlling every move of their child, but lets face it most families have to have both parents working to make ends meet. And really, that's not what the column is about. I'm not going to judge an artist for his expressions, but it's all just something to think about.
Pop star George Michael was just "warned" for possession of marijuana a couple of days ago. Then a few weeks ago country legend Willie Nelson was busted with a lot of weed and shrooms. So drugs aren't just something for the rockers and rappers. Really, this is just a small portion of drugs in music. Drugs are every where in the world of entertainment. Money, excess, stress, pressure, boredom, and escape are all reasons for it how it happens and for it to happen. Maybe you can relate or maybe you're disgusted by it all, but remember until you're in these musicians shoes you can't judge them.
Music and drugs don't have to go together, but as history reveals, no matter what, it is a relationship that has repeated itself over time, regardless of consequence or how horrible and tragic the final result. Music is made to inspire people, make them feel, make them dance, make them revolt. All of those emotions is part of the eternal journey that each musician takes us on. Some can say drugs help you along the journey and some will completely disagree with that idea. Either way, I think we can all agree that music itself is a drug none of us can get enough of.
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