Producer Ryan Lewis (left) and Macklemore accept a Grammy Award in 2014
You haven’t really made it until you’re in the lyrics of a rap song. Purdue Pharma has now made it.
As manufacturer (and marketer) of the controversial painkiller OxyContin, Purdue found itself in the crosshairs of a rapper and a new song about the perils of opioid addiction.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
The lyrics and vocals come courtesy of Macklemore, a Grammy-award winning rap artist better known for his song “Thrift Shop,” which has close to one billion YouTube views.
In “Drug Dealer (Feat. Ariana Deboo),” Macklemore takes aim at Big Pharma, Congress, and the healthcare system for prioritizing money and fueling opioid addiction. Here’s the chorus from the song:
My drug dealer was a doctor, doctor
Had the plug from Big Pharma, Pharma
He said that he would heal me, heal me
But he only gave me problems, problems
My drug dealer was a doctor, doctor
Had the plug from Big Pharma, Pharma
I think he trying to kill me, kill me
He tried to kill me for a dollar, dollar
The video follows a sweaty Macklemore going through the stages of drug withdrawal. Adriana Deboo sings her chorus from a bathtub full of capsules.
Macklemore also references socio-economic and racial factors, implying that the country only took notice once wealthy/suburban/white families began to be affected.
Now it’s getting attention ’cause Sara, Katey and Billy
But this shit’s been going on from Seattle out to South Philly
It just moved about the city
And spread out to the ‘burbs
Now it’s everybody’s problem, got a nation on the verge
The song has been welcomed by many groups, who see it as a positive way to increase awareness and remove the stigma of addiction.
In an email forwarded by a representative, Patrice A. Harris, chair of the AMA Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse, welcomed the media spotlight.
“Macklemore – like other artists – is raising awareness of the desperate need for increased treatment as well as the need to end stigma associated with having a substance use disorder,” Harris stated. “While it’s good to see the artist community emphasize the need for treatment, we also need insurance companies and all payers to actually provide comprehensive affordable and accessible coverage for medically proven treatment.”
When asked whether Macklemore’s critical views about Big Pharma, Purdue, and even doctors were justified, Harris skirted the question, saying instead that pain management and prescription monitoring programs must continue to improve.
Other groups have responded more negatively.
Carl Hart and Kristen Gwynne shared a critical perspective in The Influence, a publication that aims to cover “the full spectrum of human relationships with drugs and potentially addictive behaviors.”
“Really, Macklemore? Your physician is trying to kill you? How about you kill the hyperbole?”
Hart and Gwynne go on to question Macklemore’s credentials and his support of over-simplified grand narratives.
“Drug Dealer” does not remotely approach the real conversation about race and drugs that the US so badly needs.”
Purdue Pharma did not respond to several requests for comment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYN14UfO-Uc]
