Who is Molly and Where Did She Come From?
By Mike Andrews
From rap’s well-known druggies like Juicy J (‘Molly in my veins, got my heart beatin’
like a drum’) to its international superstars like Kanye (‘Somethin’ bout Mary, she gone
off that Molly’), it seems like Molly is on everyone’s mind.MDMA, or “Molly”, is closely related to ecstasy, which is its pill form. It boosts theserotonin in the user and gives way to a higher energy level, higher sexual intimacy level,and an intensification of the bodily senses.
One of the characteristics of the drug that has made it so popular in the music industry is the fact that research has shown that when on MDMA, an individual has a much stronger reception to the quality of music in one’s surroundings.
For that reason, molly and ecstasy have been huge in the rave scene for quite some time. The flashing lights, intense bass lines and crowded clubs only intensify the effects of the drug.
But for some reason, the rap world has recently become extremely interested in the party drug.
To understand why the drug has become prevalent in hip-hop culture takes an understanding of the Electronic Dance Music genre that has been taking the radio airwaves and concert arenas by storm.
While the drug is by no means a generalization of every person who listens to or performs in one of the sub-genres of electronic dance music, it is no secret that many partygoers and listeners are huge fans of molly at the clubs, raves and concerts. These outlets have only gained popularity in the last few years due to the crossover into different genres.
EDM and its sub-genres focus on synthesizers, heavy bass and many different electronic-sounding structures. In a rap sense, think of a producer who can make a beat so compelling and with so many different elements that there is no real need for vocals.
In the rap and r&b world, however, artists are taking beats of this style and adding the vocal element to it. While there was no real start, I began to see the acceptance into pop culture when the Black Eyed Peas came out with their single “Boom Boom Pow”. Their album “The Beginning” had many elements of electronic music within it and had three successful singles on the airwaves. From then on, it seems like the style of music has had a ton of crossover appeal in many different genres.
If you look at the Billboard Top 100 singles in the USA right now, it features eight songs in the top 20 that have some semblance to EDM music; and six of those also appear on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
While club/party songs in rap music in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s consisted of songs like Run DMC’s “My Adidas”, Mase’s “Feel So Good” and Nelly’s “Hot In Herre” respectively, the club songs in the new decade consist of songs like Flo-Rida’s “Good Feeling”, Rihanna’s “We Found Love”, and Nicki Minaj’s “Starships”.
Flo-Rida’s “Good Feeling” was one of the first rap songs that I’ve noticed to directly sample a song from the EDM genre. The song’s chorus takes a sample from Avicii’s “Levels”. And I don’t think I need to explain how big of an impact that song had on the radio and in the clubs.
Club and party songs in the hip-hop genre have always been criticized for their lack of lyricism, but they are essential for the culture as it brings in those who otherwise wouldn’t listen to rap. So while they all are unified in that fact, the thing that has been separating radio singles lately is that there is a heavy EDM influence on the songs. And with that EDM influence, the lifestyle is going to have a bit of crossover, too.
And that brings us to why Molly has been so prevalent in the lyrics of many rap songs in the past few months. It’s kind of odd to hear rappers talking about drugs that are not marijuana, cocaine and
codeine. But then again, I never thought I’d hear artists like Steve Aoki sampling Kid Cudi songs and artists like Jay and Kanye sampling Flux Pavilion in their song “Who Gon Stop Me”.
This article isn’t meant to be any criticism or praise for the use of molly or the presence of it in hip hop culture, but rather to serve as a quasi-explanation for people like this who
are left clueless from the references.
It’s amazing how popular the EDM culture has become in the United States and how much of an impact it’s had not only on club songs, but on street singles, as well. As I’m writing this, I just saw a Jae Millz song with 2 Chainz drop called “Molly”.
So is this the next step for rap music? Instead of songs that set the mood to smoke, will it
be songs to roll to?
It’s all up in the air, but the impact that EDM has had on hip-hop is definitely clear.
