We can all agree that hip-hop is always rooted in empowering culture by conveying resilience, innovation and truth through lyrics, fashion, activism and other important pillars. Hip hop has been in a constant battle to tell the truth and empower the…but there is one important but uncontroversial battle that is happening, and it is the continuous battle for improved health in the black and brown community, and how that health is treated.
The fight encountered many hurdles. Information is usually at the heart of everything. How culture distinguishes healthcare choices between nature-based healthcare options and evidence-based healthcare/treatment methods seem like a constant debate, especially in the age of misinformation ramping.
For example, what happened to you trusting some of the things you learned in the book and teaching them professionally how to do it? When did the rabbit hole on Gram, Tiktok and YouTube have given priority?
From diseases like type 2 diabetes to the relatively recent Covid-19 pandemic, evidence-based medicine has proven scientifically a lifeline, but skepticism is historically and obvious in many ways.
Regarding this conversation, in the present and recent past, hip-hop icons and influential rappers such as Fat Joe and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels have turned their minds of thinking like PLIE. They and others in the hip-hop culture emphasize taking care of their health.
Let’s dive deeper…
Why evidence-based medicine is important
Many people have large-scale results in medical treatments that are rooted in rigorous research and data (not trends or anecdotes) in culture and elsewhere. When it comes to communities of color, often facing disparities in health access, these principles are more than just academics. They are survival tools.
Below are seven principles on how scientific evidence-based medicine lives.
1. Improved health outcomes – Science-backed treatments have been proven to reduce complications and improve survival.
2. Standardized Care – Wherever you go, your doctor follows the protocols tested to ensure consistent, high quality care.
3. Smarter health care decisions – Doctors rely on data rather than speculation, leading to more accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
4. Reducing costs – Avoiding unproven relief means reducing wasteful resources and affordable care.
5. Continuous Improvement – Medicine evolves as new research emerges. This means that treatment improves over time.
6. Less bias – decisions are based on facts rather than individual opinions, leading to fairer healthcare.
7. Stronger Public Health – Vaccines and preventive care stop the outbreak and save large-scale lives.
Fat Joe’s match against diabetes, Ozempic’s use, and reliance on evidence-based solutions has changed his health
It wasn’t just about Fat Joe’s dramatic 200 pound weight loss, it wasn’t just about his will. It was about wise medical interventions. The Bronx legend revealed it ozempicDiabetic drugs with side effects, including weight loss, played an important role in his transformation.
Let’s do the truth. Many celebrities are embarrassed to discuss drug help due to the stigma that comes with so-called big drugs, but Joe has made it real.
His conversation began without much context…
“Ozempic says that they may only have two of their favorites,” he told Weekly. “We try to eat everything with the least amount of carbs possible, so we’re trying to get away from bread, pasta and rice. That’s the clever way to eat.”
He then put the world in the fight against type 2 diabetes…
Having obtained this, he later revealed to TMZ that he had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as a teenager, making Ozempic a medically necessary treatment. His story highlights how evidence-based medicine can change dire health situations, especially for black and Latino men who are 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes than white men (CDC).
Read again: Black and Latino men are 1.5 times more likely to develop diabetes than white men (CDC)
Covid-19 Pandemic: Vaccines, and Hip-hop Split Response
During the fatal Covid-19 pandemic hit, the community of colour hit the hardest.
Here are some numbers that many of us don’t want to hear or accept, with Black Americans dead at 1.4 times the number of white Americans (APM Research Lab).
However, vaccine hesitancy has run deep, supported by historical mistrust and misinformation. Many hip-hop figures were silent or spread skepticism, but some were firmly in science.
wild. Covid was killing black and brown people, but clinical treatment was almost considered a major threat.
Artists such as Run DMC and Ply’s Daryl “DMC” McDaniels from two completely different eras were advocates of vaccine- and evidence-based medicine.
DMC Public Health Crusades via Content
During the vaccine rollout, Run-DMC’s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels partnered with hip-hop public health to create a rap video explaining the safety of the vaccine.
“Communities of Color are the heaviest burden of the pandemic and need to increase vaccine literacy, change behavior and get vaccinated to stop the virus in that truck,” McDaniels said. “By leveraging the power of hip-hop, we want to connect with the community of color in a way that they can relate to, and I am honored to lend my voice to this important campaign.
Please the logic of style to vaccines
Price took a different approach to counter Gram’s anti-vaxxers using his dull style of signature.
“I’m vaccinating my first chance. @I put things in my body every day without knowing where it came from. If I trusted the weed guy (someone I didn’t know), I should have drunk & survived Hennessy & Red Bull, who ate from a food truck outside the club.”
That part.
Prey got a lot of backlash because of his stance.
Nonetheless, his point was clear. If you trust unregulated substances, why are you distrustful of scientifically tested vaccines?
Yes, we’ll wait…
Conclusion: Culture should consider evidence-based medicine as a viable option
From Fat Joe’s diabetes management to weight loss, to defending DMC and Plies’ previous vaccines, the message is clear.
We understand that we can understand the mistrust of medicine – historical abuse like the Tuskegee experiments, refusing to proven treatment only exacerbates health disparities. If you’re not aware of the Tuskegee experiment, I’ll cover it for later conversations, but I recommend looking into it.
But this is, after all, hip-hop has always been about rapping with truth into power, and in many ways, talking about survival and preservation.
Maybe people need to apply that same energy to healthcare, and how it approaches it, with the facts, the data, and some things we all learned in elementary school. The real thing doesn’t gamble in their own life, so they trust information from all sources. Pun is intended.
