Rap, country songs top charts on substance abuse

WASHINGTON -- There's more drinkin', dopin' and smokin' in country music lyrics than in rock, R&B/hip-hop or pop, according to researchers from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

However, the most references to this substance abuse were found in rap lyrics, the study found. Over all, lyrics explicitly referring to drug, alcohol and tobacco use were contained in about one of every three of the 279 most popular songs of 2005, as listed in Billboard Magazine.

Only four of these songs -- all in the rock genre -- contained specific messages against substance abuse, said Brian Primack, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at the school and lead author of the study.

Explicit references to substance abuse were found in 77 percent of rap songs on the chart, compared with 36 percent of country songs, 20 percent of R&B/hip-hop, 14 percent of rock songs and 9 percent of pop, the study found.

Across all popular music genres, alcohol was explicitly represented in about 24 percent of all songs and marijuana in about 14 percent.

"It is important to note that this study does not say anything about the relationship between these exposures [to the lyrics] and behavior," Primack said. "But for the first time, we have quantified substance use in popular music and determined that it's generally portrayed with positive consequences."

The study was published in this month's issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.