HEAVY D–In this Oct. 1, 2011 photo, rapper Heavy D, also known as Dwight Arrington Myers, performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. The culture that in the 1990s lost its brightest stars to gun violence has in recent years seen a series of notable rappers die of drug- and health-related causes. Since 2011, hip-pop pioneer Heavy D, singer and rap chorus specialist Nate Dogg and New York rapper Tim Dog all died of ailments in their 40s. (AP Photo/David Goldman, file)
by Ryan McPherson
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hip-hop may need a checkup.
The culture that in the 1990s lost its brightest stars to gun violence has in recent years seen a series of notable rappers die of drug- and health-related causes. Since 2011, hip-pop pioneer Heavy D, singer and rap chorus specialist Nate Dogg and New York rapper Tim Dog all died of ailments in their 40s. Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly was found dead last week in Atlanta of a suspected drug overdose at 34.
Some of the genre’s elder statesmen say they’re worried about the culture’s focus on youth, current emphasis on freewheeling partying and “you only live once” ethos, as popularized by Drake’s 2011 hit “The Motto.””Hip-hop being a lifestyle culture … a part of American culture, you have to be mindful that somebody is going to grow old, age,” said rap pioneer Melle Mel. “At some point somebody has to realize that hip-hop has to learn how to grow up. It’s way too juvenile and it’s been that way for too long.”
The 51-year-old rapper, who memorably warned in 1982’s “The Message” about urban youth who “lived so fast and died so young,” said he suffers chronic bronchitis from being around marijuana and cigarette smoke when he was performing. Of course, heavy drug use in hip-hop or rock is hardly new: Cowboy of his Furious Five group died in 1989 “basically from getting high,” Melle Mel said.
“It’s not really worth it to literally party yourself to death. It’s like committing suicide,” he added. “You have to choose between what makes you feel good and what makes you think you feel good.”
Other influential rappers who’ve died in their 30s in the last decade include Southern rap pioneer Pimp C and Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol Dirty Bastard, both from drug overdose.
About Post Author
