How pop culture framed the crack epidemic

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 8 August 2023

⏱️ 17 minutes

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Summary

The crack epidemic has had seismic impact on American culture, from music to TV and film. This week, Brittany Luse talks to Donovan X. Ramsey, author of When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era, about why pop culture can't let go of the "crack fiend" or the drug dealing anti-hero. They discuss how both those tropes miss some very big marks, where the stereotypes originated and who tried to set the record straight.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to it's been a minute from NPR, I'm Britt Elos.
0:08.3	Just a warning, this episode contains mentions of drug abuse and sexual assault.
0:16.8	This week, we're talking about a page in the history books that, despite its wide
0:21.2	reaching impact, has always felt a little blank to me.
0:25.6	The effects of the crack epidemic are still everywhere, from our music to our legislation,
0:31.0	and many of its survivors are still with us.
0:33.6	Yet, without historical context, survivors are left to sort out their experiences themselves.
0:39.7	And as for the rest of us, today, we mostly see the crack epidemic through a lens of pop
0:44.1	culture, be it drug-dealing dramas on screen, or jokes we've heard about those addicted to
0:49.6	crack.
0:50.6	My friend, author and journalist, Donovan X Ramsey, has been on a mission to change that,
0:56.2	with his new book, When Cracked with King, A People's History of a Misunderstood Era.
1:02.8	Misunderstood, you weren't happy on the misunderstood, and you was trying to give people some understanding
1:07.2	with the book.
1:08.2	Period.
1:09.2	I'm giving Tasha Scott.
1:10.7	What I need from you is understanding.
1:12.8	Exactly.
1:13.8	Exactly.
1:14.8	Exactly.
1:15.8	Exactly.
1:17.4	Coming up, Donovan's going to help us make sense of crack-era representation in the media,
	...

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