EDM AND HIP HOP
The RAVE Act
In the early 2000s, the target of the war on drugs was "club drugs" like MDMA, ketamine, and LSD, which were popular in America's emerging rave scene. The rave subculture had its own fashion style and attitude, including open-mindedness towards drug use. This combined with the eccentric fashion style led many authorities to conclude that rather than enjoying raves for the dancing and the music, partygoers simply saw raves as a place to buy, sell, and use drugs. Beginning in 2000, "Operation Rave Review" attempted to completely eliminate raves in the U.S. by using the Federal Crack House Statute to prosecute rave promoters and venue managers. This was eventually found unconstitutional, and in 2002 the RAVE (Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy) Act was introduced by then-senator Joe Biden as a rewrite of the statute. The rewrite essentially allowed the statute to be used in criminalizing raves without it being considered unconstitutional. It was signed into law in 2003 as the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act. This did major damage to the rave scene, but not as intended. Promoters no longer offered medical assistance or drug education as they had before, out of fear they would be prosecuted and it would be used as evidence that they knowingly allowed drug use at the venue. This made raves much more dangerous, despite the original goal. Many critics of the act believe that it not only affected raves then, but has had a continued effect in making music festivals significantly more dangerous, as the act applies to many of them as well.
"Rave dancers in natural motion" by Rick Doble [CC BY-SA 4.0]
Daft Punk Promo Image, 2013 from Sony Music Entertainment [CC BY 4.0]
Electronic Music
What distinguished raves from other large-scale dance parties was the music of choice. Raves featured electronic dance music (EDM) often mixed live by DJs, who were considered artists with their stage performance and music production skill. As raves grew in popularity, so too did the electronic music style. Although classic raves have declined in popularity since the early 2000s, they have found their way into the mainstream with clubs and music festivals, where drug use is no less common. Many music festivals, like the wildly popular Electric Daisy Festival, are dedicated only to EDM and other electronic music. As technology has advanced and music production software has become more accessible, electronic music has only continued to rise in popularity and evolve into sub- and fusion genres like dubstep and trap. Many electronic music artists have gained significant acclaim over the years-- like Daft Punk, deadmau5, Skrillex, Marshmello, and Avicii--and the genre maintains a devoted following.
Hip Hop
During the 00s and 10s, officials began acknowledging the war on drugs as a legislative failure. Like the gangsta rappers before them, a new wave of hip hop artists shed light on the government's failure from the perspective of those who were actually seeing or living in the conditions created for Black Americans. Thanks in part to white artists like Eminem and the Beastie Boys making hip hop more palatable for white audiences, hip hop started to be acknowledged as a legitimate art form in the late 90s and early 2000s. As a result, these new artists were able to reach larger audiences and contribute significantly to the changing narrative around the war on drugs, Black Americans, and general drug use. One significant example is the wildly popular Kendrick Lamar. His first full-length album, Section.80 (2011), focuses heavily on the damage done to the Black community by the Reagan administration. In songs like "Ronald Reagan Era (His Evils)" and "HiiiPoWeR," Lamar artfully outlines the struggles that have followed Black Americans into the 21st century.
_(35709961350)_edited.jpg)
The Electric Daisy Festival is a multi-day EDM festival. Started in 1997 in LA, it has since become one of the biggest and most anticipated music festivals. It has been hosted in countries all around the world.​​​
Marshmello playing the EDC mainstage in Mexico City, 2018 from Diego Vigueras [CC BY-SA 4.0]
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, often simply called Coachella, is easily one of the most well-known music festivals. It exploded in popularity and attendance when it expanded to a two-weekend event in 2012.​​
​
Calvin Harris, Coachella 2014 from Ian McFarland [CC BY-SA 2.0]
Conceived in 1991, Lollapalooza is one of America's longest running music festivals and one of the most popular in the world. In 2010, they began expanding with branches in several different countries.
​
Coldplay performing at Lollapalooza, 2011 from Hannah K. [CC BY 2.0]