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From Crack to Chronic: Preventing A Second Wave of the Crack Epidemic Through Hip Hop

Published on: 13th July, 2023

In this bonus clip, guest Donovan X. Ramsey, reads from his book "When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era” highlighting the move from the use of crack to chronic. Ramsey reads from his chapter “Intervention” which explores how popular hip hop albums and songs of the late 80s and 90s played a significant role in shifting attitudes about crack, ultimately promoting an anti-drug theme. Films like "New Jack City," "Boyz n the Hood," and "Jungle Fever" also contributed to shaping perceptions of crack use among young Black and Brown folks.

The hosts delve into how rappers released numerous songs warning about the consequences of crack, debunking the myth that rap glamorized drugs. Ramsey shares his theory that Dr. Dre, whose album "The Chronic" coincided with a decline in hard drug use and a spike in marijuana use among Black and Brown teenagers, was an instrumental factor in preventing a second wave of crack.

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Donovan X. Ramsey Bio

Donovan X. Ramsey is a journalist, author, and an indispensable voice on issues of identity, justice, and patterns of power in America. Ramsey has covered Black American life as a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times, NewsOne, and theGrio. He served as an editor at both The Marshall Project and Complex. His freelance reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, GQ, WSJ Magazine, Ebony, and Essence. In 2023, he published When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era, a work of narrative nonfiction exploring how Black America survived the crack epidemic for One World, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House, the world's largest trade book publisher. Ramsey holds degrees from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Morehouse College. He lives in Los Angeles.

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