“This album is in no way intended to glorify addiction”: Hip-Hop Therapy Through J. Cole’s KOD

• In Event: Dreamscaping: J. Cole’s Dreamville and the Ecologies of Black Masculinity in Hip-Hop

Description for Program

This essay provides a positive reading of rap music within the framework of Hip-Hop Therapy (HHT), a concept coined by Edgar H. Tyson, MSM, who defines it as “an innovative synergy of hip-hop, bibliotherapy, and music therapy.” In 2018, J. Cole released KOD with a warning: “This album is in no way intended to glorify addiction.” Cole leans on the principles of “conscious” rap to uplift Black youth and discourage negative behavior. The outro of the self-titled track explicitly names the major substances that permeate rap culture and impact Black youth, addressing various forms of addiction: “Power, greed/Money, Molly, weed/Percs, Xannys, lean, fame/And the strongest drug of them all/Love.” This essay situates itself within the emerging discourses of Hip-Hop Rhetoric, Poetry Therapy, and critical race studies. It argues that the paradox of addressing addiction through catchy rhythms, while actively resisting its glorification, provides grounds for the negotiation and renegotiation of rap culture’s complex history with race-making. Race-making in rap culture involves material wealth accumulation (power, greed, money) and the appropriation of culturally taxing behaviors (molly, weed, percs, Xannys, lean, fame), tying substance abuse and materialism to cultural expectations and racial identity. J. Cole’s lyric, “They wanna be Black and think your song is how it feels,” critiques cultural appropriation, highlighting how non-Black listeners often adopt the aesthetics of rap without grappling with the systemic struggles it represents. The essay situates Black freedom at the center of this analysis, framing HHT as a site of inquiry to deconstruct white innocence juxtaposed against Black vulnerability. Rap music becomes a medium for exploring economic freedom and addressing systemic challenges facing Black youth. This essay argues that incorporating hip-hop into HHT offers Black youth an alternative lens for understanding America’s racial history. By doing so, it positions rap culture as a battleground for redefining Black identity and freedom within a capitalist, racialized society.

Author

• Da-Shiva Francois