Hip-hop and drug culture have long had a symbiotic relationship. In the 1980s, rap flourished out of New York City just as the crack/cocaine epidemic hit the streets. Melle Mel rapped about it on 1983’s “White Lines,” and almost a decade later, Dr. Dre introduced us to The Chronic,a potent strand of marijuana that he named his 1992 masterpiece after.
The mid- to late 1990s and early 2000s saw the rise of syrup, a mixture of prescription-strength cough syrup and soft drinks such as Sprite, which would become associated with acts like Lil Wayne and now-deceased rap pioneers Pimp C and DJ Screw.
In 2012, Molly became the new “it” drug in hip-hop, name-dropped by a number of artists including Kanye West, Juicy J, Rick Ross, French Montana, Mac Miller and newcomer Trinidad James.
Molly is the pure powder or crystal form of MDMA, a drug commonly used in ecstasy pills, and it is known to induce a euphoric state. James, who appeared on “RapFix Live” on Wednesday, has become a scapegoat of late for the drug because of his “pop a Molly, I’m sweatin’ ” lyric from his breakout single “All Gold Everything.”
“All the people are like, ‘I don’t know what it is, but every time I hear the song, I just wanna do it,’ ” James said. “That’s a terrible excuse, but go ‘head, get high, go ‘head. Blame Trinidad, blame it on me.”
The fact is Trinidad isn’t the only one using it, and while some rappers surely name-drop the drug simply because it has now become cool to do so, for others it is a real-life product of their party-driven lifestyle. “When people start talking about something a lot, it doesn’t become exclusive no more. Everybody on Molly now,” French Montana told MTV News.
“I just think people are more open now. Back then, some people were just keeping it on the low and doin’ it how they want to do it,” Juicy J added. “Now people are a little more like, ‘F— that.’ This year everybody’s like, ‘F— that sh–, yeah I’m on Molly.’ ”
Snoop Lion started his career rapping alongside Dr. Dre on The Chronic and with his lyrical efforts was a pioneer in was is now known as stoner rap. He isn’t into Molly, but he won’t chastise the younger generation of rappers who use it and promote it. He just wants the new generation to be cautious.
“As an old player, I respect the youngsters,” Snoop said. “So whatever they do, I just want them to be careful at what they do so they won’t be mixin’ and matchin’ nothin’ that’s harmful that they may not be able to come back from.”
Despite what fans may glean from his music, Trinidad insists that he isn’t just sitting around popping Mollies all day. “I might go months without doin’ anything and then I’ll be like, you know, when I’m in L.A., I wanna party with these people. I feel like I can’t get turnt up fast enough, I’m just gonna do this,” he said.
Speak On It!