The omnipresence of tobacco and cannabis in Hip Hop: culture or commerce?

A recently published study highlights the prevalence of tobacco and cannabis in hip-hop culture and warns of the associated public health risks.

By analyzing 796 popular music videos ranked in the top 50 of the Billboard Weekly Between 2013 and 2017, researchers found cigarettes and joints—whether hand-rolled or electronic—in 40.2% to 50.7% of them, and the advertising strategies of major brands Combustion and vaporization play a significant role in this.

The Success of Hip-Hop Culture

Hip-hop, which includes rap and R&B, is now the most popular genre of music over rock and pop. The fan base includes a large proportion of teenagers and young adults; 14% of them are under 17, and 49% are between 18 and 34. According to the study, the ubiquitous presence of tobacco and cannabis in music videos for the most popular songs increases the likelihood of use among young people by reducing their perception of risk.

In addition to tobacco and cannabis use, hip-hop lyrics and visuals often reference alcohol and junk food. Given hip-hop culture’s ability to shape young people’s behavior, researchers believe this may pose a danger. These risky behaviors are encouraged not only by artists through their work but also by peer pressure, which acts as a form of initiation into substance use.

The study's findings

The researchers made a number of observations, including:

• The proportion of Music videos for hip-hop songs The most popular posts featuring cigarettes, joints, smoke, or vapor ranged from 40.2% to 50.7% between 2013 and 2017. This corresponds to 39 billion views, representing an extremely high level of exposure.
• An increasingly large proportion of these appearances is actually product placement, which is never presented as such, even though the law requires it
• Approximately 60% of smoked tobacco products and 30% of e-cigarettes are used by the video’s lead artist or by artists in featuring. The ability of artists to serve as role models, particularly for younger people, encourages imitative behavior.
• The more popular the songs are, the more likely they are to feature cigarettes or e-cigarettes. In other words, smoking or vaping is portrayed as a cool activity, and this message is conveyed by industry leaders, who effectively become ideal spokespeople for promoting these products.

Culture or business?

Product placement laws stipulate that the artist must disclose that they are being paid or present the product in a certain way so that their use of it is not perceived as cultural but is rightly recognized as advertising. Fans tend to be more skeptical about product consumption if it is clearly identified as part of a marketing strategy. The fact that the artist is being paid also reduces the belief that the product is being used for its quality.

Regulation regarding tobacco use or cannabis in music videos is viewed differently depending on whether it constitutes artistic and creative expression or product placement. The former falls under the umbrella of freedom of expression, whereas product placement is a regulated commercial practice that requires warning messages about the harmful effects of the products. Artists« credibility would undoubtedly be different if a music video depicting a party where alcohol is consumed were to display messages such as »Alcohol abuse is dangerous to your health« or »Consume in moderation.”.

Normally, Google, the owner of YouTube, prohibits the posting of music videos that feature product placement for items such as tobacco. Furthermore, 88% of YouTube users are from countries other than the United States, and the vast majority of those countries have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which also regulates product placement by the tobacco industry. In France, for example, all tobacco advertising is prohibited.

Online streaming platforms, of course, have a hard time handling this. Hip-hop, which began as a counterculture movement, is today has become an integral part of show business. Influential artists serve as marketing tools for promoting a wide range of products, including cigarettes. Cannabis, which has always been part of hip-hop culture, will not be an exception to this trend.