BY CHRIS GOMES
Another artist has fallen victim to drug abuse. Jarad Higgins—professionally known as Juice WRLD—is just one celebrity out of the many that have died due to drug abuse. The 21-year-old rapper had a seizure and heart attack while on the runway of Chicago Midway International Airport, which was landing from California.
Law enforcement alleges that Higgins swallowed multiple Percocet pills to hide them from federal agents. Federal agents and officers were awaiting Higgins’ private plane arrival as they suspected that they would find contraband material. The pilot had alerted authorities that Higgins’ entourage had weapons and drugs on them.
Over 70 pounds of vacuum-sealed marijuana, six bottles of prescription codeine cough syrup and a variety of illegal weapons were found inside the plane.
Following his death, many took to social media to express their sadness and memories of his music, one of which being Ski Mask the Slump God, arguably his biggest friend in the music industry.
Juice WRLD’s mother, Carmella Wallace, had a few words as well.
“We loved Jarad with all our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short,” Wallace said. “As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency. Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it.”
As unfortunate as Juice WRLD’s death was, it appears that it is part of a larger trend of young artists dying to either drug abuse or violence.
Within the last five years, several artists in the industry have died to drug abuse or violence. Mac Miller, Lil Peep, Nipsey Hussle, XXXTentacion and now Juice WRLD have added their names to a growing list of drug-related or violence-related deaths.
The unfortunate fact is that these men were fairly young into their careers. Lil Peep died at age 21, Mac Miller died at age 26, Nipsey Hussle died at age 33, XXXTentacion died at age 20 and Juice WRLD died at age 20.
The overall culture of drug-prominent industries needs to change. The over-glorifying of drugs in rap music needs to stop.
Of the seven men, three died due to drug abuse and two died to violence, with Juice WRLD, Lil Peep and Mac Miller dying of drug abuse, and Nipsey Hussle and XXXTentacion dying to gun violence.
Unfortunately, in recent years, there has been an increase in drug culture in rap music. Many attribute these deaths to this rise. However, the truth is deeper than that.
It’s not enough to say “stop doing drugs” or “drugs will ruin your future” anymore. The truth is, these terms aren’t powerful enough to sway the younger generation away from doing drugs. Instead, cultural change needs to occur. The idea of completely eradicating drug culture by saying “don’t do drugs” will not work.
The overall culture of drug-prominent industries needs to change. The over-glorifying of drugs in rap music needs to stop. More young people are becoming influenced to follow their idols, who often point to drugs as an escape. The truth is, yes, drugs are bad, but the surrounding culture is bringing more people into the practice.
However, little can be done to stop these deaths, which happens to be the sad reality. Drug companies will continue to fill their pockets, and we will continue to lose our favorite artists and our young. Violence will continue to kill equally the same.
The process is becoming a cycle, revolving door of sorts. As more musicians proclaim that drugs are the solution, more young people are joining in on the process that has disastrous effects on their livelihood, and can prove to be fatal.
Proper rehabilitation for those affected is a possible solution to the dilemma. Taking on drug companies who distribute highly-addictive drugs mainly for profit purposes and disregard the consumers is another void that needs to be filled.
While at the same time that drugs are killing our people, we must also acknowledge the rise of violence in our neighborhoods. People are becoming more afraid of cops, as a result of their frequent abuse of power and killing of innocent people. If we are able to build a stronger bond between the cops and the people, we can help stop the violence that is plaguing our neighborhoods.
However, little can be done to stop these deaths, which happens to be the sad reality. Drug companies will continue to fill their pockets, and we will continue to lose our favorite artists and our young. Violence will continue to kill equally the same. We must actually mean what we say when we attempt to prevent drug usage, and we must honor those who have fallen.
Photo courtesy of CNN
