On Some New Ish: Kratom & Hip Hop (Part 2)
Inside the Herb That's Replacing 'Lean' as Underground Rap's Drug of Choice
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Much of the panic surrounding Kratom use in America is the result of the FDA's campaign against it, a campaign that has found the herb unfavorably compared to prescription opioids. It is this comparison that has fueled the debate over potential abuse and addiction, but the comparison appears to be largely tangential.
Synthetic opioids, such as Codeine and Oxycontin, serve as μ-opioid receptor agonists. They effectively trigger parts of the brain that release sensations of intense euphoria, resulting in short-term dependence. At first blush, one can see why Kratom would get lumped in with these drugs, but break out your secret decoder ring and you'll see that there are some glaring differences.
According to a comprehensive review by Doctors Jonathan Schimmel and Richard C. Dart in the NIH, Kratom dominant indole alkaloids are mu opioid partial agonists. This is significant because it demonstrates why Kratom cannot pose the same risk of dependence as full agonists, such as Codeine, Fentanyl, and Roxycodone.
Full agonists bind tightly to opioid receptors and undergo substantial change to produce maximum effect. Partial agonists undergo less conformational change and do not lead to as much receptor activation. While both may have similar effects at low doses, a higher dosage of Kratom will yield a fleeting plateau that cannot be duplicated by increasing subsequent doses.
In other words, Kratom bottoms out once you've gone big and no further relief will be achieved by subsequent increases in dosage. The same cannot be said of synthetic opioids, which is why addicts end up scarfing down full bottles of Percocet in one sitting.
This is only one of the pertinent facts that have been ignored or obscured by those pursuing Kratom prohibition. In their comprehensive review, Schimmel and Dart stress that there is a “paucity of information regarding health effects.”
They note the many times that liver injury is cited as a potential consequence of Kratom use, but as they are quick to point out, the same select case reports are repeated ad nauseam and “without a broader context.”
Despite the lack of definitive scientific data or well-rounded media coverage, the underground hip hop world has woken up to the wonders of this enigmatic ethnobotanical.
Take, for instance, Cody Lean, a Spotify rapper from Corpus Christi, TX, whose song “Schlummern” finds him slurring, “I see God in Kratom.”
Lean got his stage name from the purple drank, but if his lyrics are any indication, a name change may not be far off.
Then you've got Callon B, a cat spearheading a progressive hip hop movement in a place that's not exactly synonymous with tolerance.
“When most people think of Kentucky hip hop, they think of Nappy Roots, Bryson Tiller or Jack Harlow,” Callon explains.
All of these artists hail from bigger cities, but Callon and his co-conspirators are from Paducah, a place with one of the highest crime rates in America. Paducah earned the nickname Atomic City after the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission chose it to be the site of a uranium enrichment plant in 1950.
Atomic City is the type of place where someone can scream, “Hoedown,” and the situation can go in one of two very distinct directions.
“The city does not endorse our rap scene around here because we are mainly a country and rock music scene. Most people in the art scene aren't even aware of the bubbling rap movement that's right under their noses.”
This sense of alienation is only more pervasive on a national scale. Callon says that people outside of Kentucky expect his Got Your Back crew to be a bunch of hillbillies.
“It's … hard to be taken seriously in other hip hop cultures.”
To remedy the lack of crossover appeal, Callon was forced to think outside the box.
“I have to come twice as hard when I'm working on my craft. You have to be extremely memorable in every aspect to be noticed by anyone around here...I am 100% myself from the image to the music, and no artist around here is demonstrating this level of artistry.”
Kratom plays an instrumental role in that artistry. In his song “Espada,” Callon says, “I mix the Kratom and the Kava and call it a double entendre.”
The reason the Bluegrass State beat-maker mentions this combination is a valid one.
“You constantly hear artists referencing xan and percs [sic]. This is a conscious alternative to that. Xanax is an antidepressant and Kava is an herb that has the same effects. Percocets are opioids and Kratom hits the same receptors.
“Kratom and Kava could be used as safer replacements for these drugs.”
Callon's goal was to bring awareness to these substances in hopes that people will do their own research. He believes they can be a solution to a lot of addicts' problems.
Got Your Back Entertainment is all about promoting the kind of healthy lifestyle that may include responsible Kratom consumption, and he hopes more people will follow his example.
“I hope one day I hear more talk of juicing, rather than alcohol and more herbal supplements instead of pill popping.”
Maybe this down-home doorknocker just hasn't been following his fellow Bandcamp and Spotify artists. The last few years have seen dozens of acts emerging with Kratom on their minds.
Back in 2019, Trunk Mobb musician Dirty Blakk released a joint called “Kratom,” while Shiki XO used his track “Good Morning” as an opportunity to say, “Catch me sippin' Kratom just to kill the itchin.' Fuck addiction! Yeah, we stayin' up!”
Then you've got North Carolina's rising superstar Super Spitz who comes correct with respect for the speciosa, singing, “Kratom heals. I power up when I'm on that Kratom. I level out when I'm on that Kratom. I write my own vow when I'm on that Kratom. I do my own thing up in my own lane … Kratom got me calm, no enemies. The only beef I want is in the industry.”
And rappers aren't the only ones that are getting hip to the allure of the Ayurvedic herb. Django and Ethan, a funky freak rock duo out of New York City, released The Best of Kratom and launched the ambitious project 99 Songs About Kratom.
The surf rock drone group Sunn Trio have released “Bali Kratom,” which is named after one of the most popular strains of Kratom on the global market. The tune puts us on the tracks of an old and active train, taking us on an auditory journey that sounds less like Dick Dale & His Del-Tones and more like the exultant beats of a traditional Ashanti healing ceremony. We have reached the place where we are supposed to be, where we deserve to be.
This is the place that Kratom now occupies in underground hip hop and it is the place where Teff, Ben, and Callon have found themselves. It is a crossroads between awareness and oversight, and one is a roadblock to the other.
When asked what he would say to the Feds who are trying to ban Kratom, Callon offered a sensible argument.
“Kratom is your greatest weapon in the war on drugs. Instead of taking it away from all the people it helps go after the real problem … ban the synthetic poison instead of a plant that was naturally provided for us.”
“I've interacted with thousands of Kratom consumers over the last five or six years,” said Ben Steezy. “I can confidently say that this plant has been part of an active solution to our opioid epidemic.
“It would be irresponsible to limit its availability or outright ban it. Many lives would be lost and our problem would get much worse.”
“I believe that Kratom usage in hip hop can save a lot of lives in the urban or undeveloped areas of the world,” Teff muses. “Substances that are destroying society on a daily basis like Lean are promoted like getting your high school diploma. The only way to combat that is with a counter message.”
I ponder the fate of the Ayurvedic herb and its hip hop defenders, even as select states are instituting their own versions of the Kratom Consumer Protection Act. This watershed legislation, which requires better labeling on packages and stricter quality control standards, presents a seminal step toward proper regulation … but will it be enough to prevent another large-scale attempt at a Kratom ban?
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Steezy says. “I'm doing my part and I hope other consumers and vendors are doing the same. Keep contacting legislators. Keep supporting the organizations fighting for plant freedom.
“As far as Ben Steezy goes, new album to be announced and I'm going to be dropping a podcast called Tonic Talks some time this year.”
The landscape is changing. Lil Xan has changed his name to Diego. Lil Wayne is working on three albums, none of which are likely to reference the 'zurp. The community has learned much from DMX's drug-induced coma and death in 2020. Even the GOATs can get got. Hip hop and kratom are on a forward trajectory.
A recent study suggests that long-term kratom use is not associated with a reduction in cognitive performance in most domains. The author of this study believes that consumer protection is urgently needed.
John Hopkins Medicine researchers have concluded that Kratom has a lower rate of harm than prescription opioids. In their report, they urged American drug agencies to study and regulate the plant instead of banning it.
As Callon B told me, “We are on the verge of a conscious awakening.”