No+need+for+Blue+Magic

Name: Anna Tremschnig Student Number: n8870853 Tutor: Michelle Comford


 * The Artefact.**

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‘Blue Magic’ is sung and produced by Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name Jay-Z. The song was released as a single on the 20th of September, 2007 from Jay-Z’s tenth studio album //American Gangsta.// The song mainly depicts his life in correlation to the movie //American Gangsta// and brings up his experiences as an early age drug dealer. ‘Blue Magic’ is reference to a potent form of heroin sold by Frank Lucus at the height of his drug trade in Harlem, New York. Jay-Z is one of the most successful artists and entrepreneurs in America having a net worth of approximately $500 million (Forbs, 2012). He has sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide and received 17 Grammy Awards (Sherwin, 2008). Three of his albums, //Reasonable Doubt// (1996), //The Blueprint// (2001), and //The Black Album// (2003) are feature in the //Rolling Stone//'s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.(Rolling Stone, 2013a) (Rolling Stone, 2013b) (Rolling Stone, 2013c).


 * The Public Health Issue.**

In Australia, illicit drug use is a large scale and continuing problem that is spread throughout the country. The National Drug Strategy Household Survey has noted an overall rise in the use of illicit drugs between the 2007 and 2010 report. It is reported that around 7.3 million Australians had stated that they had taken illicit drugs; this rise is mostly evident in the adolescent and young adult age group. Adolescents may be more prone to drug experimentation due to the stressful stage of life, also because they are more likely to be influenced by peers and media’s positive portrayal of drugs. A drug addiction can easily become a significant part of an addict’s life affecting their relationships, education, work and mental health. Not only is the use of illicit drugs a burden on the participant but it is also a massive cost to our health care system and government (ABS, 2013).


 * Literature Review.**

Increased smoking, alcohol, cannabis and other illegal drug use has been a staple of the adolescent lifestyle since the 80s (Redonnet., 2011). This risk taking behaviour is on the rise however among young adults, the annual prevalence rates for illicit drug use among high school seniors has increased from 27% in 1992 to over 40% in 1996 America (Botvin et al., 2000). In Australia, the Australian Bureau of Statistics stated that 23% of people aged 15-24 reported taking illicit drugs in the previous 12 months. This leads to the question what is causing this rise? It has been previously reported that adolescents have been prone to drug experimentation during this age as it’s known as risk taking years. Adolescents are also at a stressful time in their lives where they are more likely to be influenced by peers and the media (Schiling & McAlistar 1990). Although risk taking behaviour is common among young adults, substance abuse is particularly evident in adolescent populations experiencing socioeconomic disadvantages. Participants who identified in the low socioeconomic status were more likely to use illicit substances than those who identified as being part of intermediate to high socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status was measured by income levels of both men and women, those unemployed seemed to have a high prevalence of substance use. Except for alcohol abuse, the relationship between socioeconomic status and substance use was in a gradient form. This is seen as the likelihood of substance use increased equally as progressively as socioeconomic status decreased (Redonnet., 2011). It is also evident that low income and ethnic – racial minority families engaged more with media such as television and radio more than affluent majority families (Schiling & McAlistar 1990). This review however is not about drug use in relation to socioeconomic position, rather the influence of the media over illicit drug use, in particular music and music lyrics. A more recent study found that young urban women who watched rap videos regularly were 1.5times more likely than their peers to have used drugs and alcohol during a 12 month period (Diamond et al., 2006). Why is this? Media has been an excellent way to promote message since the beginning of mass communication. The media has had a profound rise to the top of cultural importance, this industry can influence almost other aspect of life from educating us how to behave and what to think, feel, believe, fear, and desire- and what not to (Diamond et al., 2006). This industry’s growing importance is evident with children and teenagers now consuming more than 7 hours a day of media, more than any other activity apart from sleeping. Media can have an effect on virtually every concern a parent, paediatrician or educator can have about adolescents. From aggressive behaviour, suicide, sex, drugs, learning problems, language development, academic achievement, obesity, eating disorders, and even depression and anxiety disorders (Strasburger, 2010). One particular area of concern about the expansion of the media industry in society is its impact on public health. Over the past several decades, the entertainment media industry has glorified licit and illicit drug use leading to the rise of substance use in society (Diamond et al., 2006). It has been commonly accepted over the past 40 years that there has been a connection between drug use and popular music (Forsyth et al., 1998). Drugs have become commonplace in popular culture, including music lyrics. This concerning rise in the entertainment industry has a significant potential to impact both licit and illicit drug trends among adolescents (Diamond et al., 2006). The link between music and drugs is not only evident in the music lyrics, but also framed in the influence of the music artists over their audience. Adolescents are at an impressionable stage in life where influential people like singers are important role models. What is being questioned however is how deep that influence runs, and if adolescents would copy the substance use of their music idols? (Forsyth et al., 1998) As previously started, consuming media is the number one activity after sleeping therefore it wouldn’t have ben alarming that listening to music is youths number one non-school activity. Music is especially important in understanding the changing attitudes and behaviours of adolescents towards currant issues including drug use. Entertainment media can simultaneously reflect and promote shifting trends in American society, in this case drug trends. America own most of the music companies that influence charts around the world and particular in Australia therefore the American music scene is extremely influential to changing trends. An example of the music’s influence over the drug trend was in the past several decades when the depiction of the club drug ecstasy in American rap songs changed and increased the use of ecstasy around clubs. Between 1996 and 2003 American rap artists began composing songs about ecstasy which this led to speculation that music lyrics may be inadvertently helping to market drugs to urban minority youth. This speculation was correct and then began the wide spread of ecstasy into urban areas and becoming more popular within adolescent groups in clubs. Another example of the power of rap stars is when Snoop rapped about “Gin and Juice”, from then on cocktail beverages became more popular in hip-hop, rap party culture. As Amy Linden, reporter from //Honey Magazine// states “when rappers talk, fans listen- and emulate.” (Diamond et al., 2006). **Cultural and Social Analysis**.

Social theories are ‘frameworks for thinking’ or ‘conceptual paradigms’ for viewing the world, people, and how these two things interact. These theories allow people different perspectives via which people can look at the world and the people in it. Social theory invites people to ask important questions in society and how it is operating, while also being a key mechanism via which social changes can start to occur. The philosophical concept most relevant to the use of illicit drug use in Australia is otherness, Hegel (171-1831). Otherness relates to ‘//each consciousness purses the death of the other’,// meaning that in seeing separation between yourself and another, a feeling of alienation is created, which you try to resolve by synthesis. Social theories and philosophical concepts are important because if people don’t view these different perspectives, they are only able to view the world from their own experiences. This risks becoming ‘reactionary’ and easily manipulated by the media, politicians and other influential people.

In this particular public health issue of the promotion of illicit drugs through the music industry, the main perpetrators of influencing youths is the music artists themselves. Writing songs that contain such positive lyrics about drug use is irresponsible. Although some argue that although singing about substance use isn’t making adolescents take drugs, it is the influence of idols who youths want to aspire to be like which is driving the rise in illicit drug use. It is also the fault of the entertainment and media industry that not only record these songs but also release as chart topping songs. These influential people are changing the way that drugs are being viewed by adolescents, making them think that substance abuse is ‘cool’.

As previously started the main target audience for these songs are the adolescent youth groups, this group of society are at a point in life where risk taking behaviour is seen as a norm as a result of peer pressure as well as society and socioeconomic pressure. Adolescents are also at a time where they are easily impressionable to influential people such as celebrities and music artists. If pop stars state, through lyrics or personal actions that they have has a positive experience from substance use young adults would be sure to follow. These influential people are idols to adolescents and youths will do almost anything to follow in their footsteps.

Illicit drug use has been a major part of public health since drug use first came onto the scene. The rise in illicit drug use over the 21st century has led to governments spending millions of dollars on rehabilitation and harm minimization programs. Programs like this aim to stop people from using drugs, or making their drug use more safe. The rise in drug use would inevitably result in the rise of injectable drugs meaning that there is a possibility of blood borne viruses spreading throughout the community. Programs such has harm minimization, that provides sterile injecting equipment aims to reduce any possibility of such event occurring.

**Reference List.**

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Illicit drug use. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/66f306f503e529a5ca25697e0017661f/eddb1bfe48095a5ca256b11001dbbd9!OpenDocument

Botvin, G. J., Griffin, K. W., Diaz, T., Scheier, L. M., Williams, C., Epstein, J. A., (2000). Preventing Illicit Drug use in Adolescents: Long Term follow-Up Data from a Randomised Control Trial of a School Population. //Addictive Behaviours, 25//(5), 769-774.

Diamond, S., Bermudez, R., Schensul, J., (2006). What’s the Rap About Ecstasy?: Popular Music Lyrics and Drug Trends Among American Youth. //Journal of Adolescent Research, 21,// 269. doi: 10.1177/0743558406287398

Forbes, S. (2012, May 9). Jay-Z: A Lesson On The Power Of Entrepreneurial Capitalism. //Forbes.// Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2012/09/05/jay-z-and-the-powerof-entrepreneurial-capitalism/

Forsyth, A., & Barnard, M., (1998). Relationships between popular music and drug use among Scottish schoolchildren. //International Journal of Drug Policy, 9,// 125-132.

Redonnet, B., Chollet, A., Fombonne, E., Bowes, L., Melchior, M., (2011). Tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other illegal drug use among young adults: The socioeconomic context. //Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 121,// 231-239. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.09.002

Rolling Stone. (2013a). 500 Greatest Albums of all Time #250 Jay-Z, ‘Reasonable doubt’. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/jay-z reasonable-doubt-20120524

Rolling Stone. (2013b). 500 Greatest Albums of all Time #252 Jay-Z, ‘The Blueprint’. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/jay-z-the-blueprint-20120524

Rolling Stone. (2013c). 500 Greatest albums of all Time #349 Jay-Z, ‘The Black Album’. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time 20120531/jay-z-the-black-album-20120524

Schilling, R. F., & McAlister, A. L., (1990). Preventing Drug Use in Adolescents Through Media Interventions. //Journal or Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58//(4), 416-424

Sherwin, A. (June 26, 2008). Blingedup wellies for Glastonbury arrive at Jay-Z’s hotel. //The Times// (London).

Strasburger, V., (2010). Children, Adolescents, and the Media. //Pediatric Annals 39//(9), 538-540