Hip-hop music is good for your mental health according to researchers at the University of Cambridge in England.
A new project by researchers at the university has revealed that hip-hop music could help cure mental illness due to its lyrics which help to send an important message to the public.
The research for the new Hip-Hop Psych project pointed especially to Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 hit Juicy as showing the advantages and good effects of using positive imagery.
“Much of hip-hop comes from areas of great socioeconomic deprivation,” explains Dr Akeem Sul in The Lancet Medical Journal, where the report was published. “So it’s inevitable that its lyrics will reflect the issues faced by people brought up in these areas, including poverty, marginalisation, crime and drugs.
“In fact, we can see in the lyrics many of the key risk factors for mental illness, from which it can be difficult to escape. Hip-hop artists use their skills and talents not only to describe the world they see, but also as a means f breaking free.
Dr. Sule continued; “There’s often a message of hope in amongst the lyrics, describing the place where they want to be. We speculate that patients with depression who are interested in hip-hop music could be encouraged to enhance positive images of themselves, their situations, and the future, through this form of music.”
Other tracks that were highlighted in the study include The Message by Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five and Lady Heroin by J Flex ft Lady of R.
Dr Becky Inkster and Dr Sule hope to roll out the project in schools, prisons and other areas of the public domain in the coming months.
Video via YouTube/The Notorious B.I.G.
