Music genres with the most drug references
Despite its reputation, EDM features less drug references in its tracks than most popular genres.
Artists have been singing about alcohol and drugs for as long as alcohol and drugs have featured in our culture- so probably forever. But which genres feature the most drug/alcohol talk?
Despite having listeners who are frequently rushing, tripping or sniffing, EDM features less drug references than most popular genres.
After analysing Billboard’s “Hot 100 Songs” year-end charts from 2008 to 2018, the Delphi Behavioural Health Group discovered “which genres were the most explicit, which artists most frequently sing substances’ praise, and how these trends have shifted over the last 10 years,” the study says.
In terms of the average number of ‘substance mentions’ per song, the genre with the most to least drug/alcohol slang mentions between 2008 and 2018 were:
- R&B/Hip Hop- 1,019
- Country- 712
- Pop- 323
- Rock- 239
- Dance/Electronic- 172
Yes, that’s right- dance music is the least obscene (which doesn’t say all too much considering it’s the genre with probably the least lyrics) but hey, we’ll take it!
What’s your poison?
So, what substances are most referenced?
Over the past 10 years, alcohol has remained consistently prevalent in Billboard’s “Hot 100 Songs” lyrics, experiences notable spikes in 2009, 2014, and 2017.
Cannabis mentions rose from near-zero reports in 2008 to a peak in 2014.
Compared to cocaine, pharmaceutical drug mentions remained relatively stagnant over the decade.
The next time you listen to your favorite artist or song, pay attention to what is being said but also know that lyrical meaning doesn’t determine your actions.
Check out the full report on drug references in music here.
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